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Center Hill Lake and Dam
Caney Fork River
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Resource Manager's Office
158 Resource Lane
Lancaster, TN 38569-6298
Phone: (931) 858-3125 or (615) 548-4521
Top of flood control pool El. 685.0
Summer Pool El. 648.0
Permanent pool El. 618.0
Call (931) 858-4366 or (615) 548-8581 for daily lake information.
Center Hill Lake is a 64 mile long reservoir consisting of 415 miles of
shoreline, and 18,200 acres of deep, pure water for many species of fish.
Center Hill Dam is on the Caney Fork River.
Nearly all of the shoreline is undeveloped and natural. Center Hill Lake
is owned and managed by the federal government through the US Army Corps
of Engineers. There are 3 gorgeous waterfalls and many excellent
places to hike, swim, and camp. Also on the lake are 8 marinas, 5
restaurants, 1 state park, 9 Army Corps recreation areas, and the Joe L.
Evins Appalachian Center for the Crafts.
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Center Hill Dam and Lake |
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Center Hill Dam and Center Hill Lake was authorized by
federal legislation, specifically the Flood Control Act
of 1938 and River and Harbor Act of 1946.
Construction was completed and the gates were closed on
November 27, 1948. On a regional level Center Hill
Dam is one of several projects designed to develop and
control water resources in the Cumberland River basin.
By controlling the waters of the Caney Fork River,
Center Hill Dam reduces flooding of municipal,
industrial and agricultural areas down stream. The
Caney Fork River flows into the Cumberland River near
Carthage. From Carthage the Cumberland River flows
into the Tennessee River at Land Between the Lakes on
the Kentucky - Tennessee Border. From there the
Tennessee River Flows into the Ohio River near Paducah,
Kentucky and the Ohio River joins the Mississippi River
near Cairo, Illinois. As illustrated by the river
connections, Center Hill Dam is one part of a larger
system which is an important part of the development for
the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers.
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Although it was
built to control flooding the Caney Fork River flows
though the nearly completed dam in this circa 1948
picture.
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In this
picture the dam was well underway when a
flood caused damage to the equipment,
warehouses, and other buildings used by U.S.
Army Corp of Engineers. In the upper
left corner the terraced earth and rock
portion of the dam are visible. The
flood gates are to the left of the crane and
where not completed at the time of
this picture. |
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Center Hill is
a concrete gravity and earth-fill type dam. The
overall length of Center Hill Dam is approximately 3,950
feet. The concrete section is 1,790 feet in length
and contains 993,800 cubic yards of concrete. The
terraced earth-fill portion is 2,160 feet in length
containing 2,541,000 cubic feet of rock and earth.
Regionally,
Center Hill Dam prevents the Cumberland River from
flooding Carthage and Nashville. It aids in river
navigation on the Cumberland and it provides electrical
power. Center Hill Dam has three 45,000kw water
powered turbines that produce clean and efficient
hydroelectric power. Total output from Center Hill
Dam is sufficient to supply electricity to a community
of approximately 125,000 people.
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Center
Hill Dam as it looks today. The
generators are running in this picture as
evidenced by the foaming water in the right
side of the picture. Center Hill Dam
can generate enough electricity to power a
city of approximately 125,000 people. |
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On the local level
Center Hill Dam provides a beautiful pristine reservoir
with 415 miles of largely undeveloped shoreline and
18,200 acres of deep, pure water – the ideal habitat for
many species of fish. The lake offers a wide variety of
sporting opportunities including boating, fishing,
water-skiing, camping, picnicking, hiking and swimming.
The majority of the drinking water in DeKalb and Putnam
Counties comes from Center Hill Lake. |
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Click Banner for Map, Directions, & Info |
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Caney Fork River
The Caney Fork River played a large role in the
development of DeKalb County by providing drinking
water, power and transportation. Grist mills and
saw mills were established on the many creeks flowing
into the Caney Fork River. By following the Caney
Fork one could travel down stream to Nashville and as
far away as New Orleans, Louisiana and the Gulf of
Mexico.
Abundant stands of virgin timber lined the banks and
surrounding areas of the Caney Fork River and the Caney
Fork provided easy access to market in Nashville.
Timber was cut and mules were used to drag the logs to
the river bank. There the timber was fastened
together forming large rafts ranging in size from 20 to
40 feet in width and up to 90 feet in length. A
tent or other makeshift structure provided shelter to
the crew and depending on water conditions the trip
downstream to Nashville took from one to two weeks.
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The largest volume of timber rafting took
place between 1870 and 1900. This
picture Circa 1938 shows a timber raft
thought to be about two miles below current
day Sligo Bridge. It was one of the
last known timber rafts to make the journey
from DeKalb County to Nashville. |
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In the 1880's it was discovered that the plentiful
mussels in the Caney Fork River contained a valuable
commodity in the form of pearls. From 1885 to
about 1915 Smithville became a leading fresh water pearl
market with some pearls bringing in over $1,000.00, a
considerable amount of money in those days.
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The
above picture Circa 1905 was taken in New
Orleans, Louisiana. The man in the
center of the picture is DeKalb County
resident Mr. Jim Christian, the men on both
sides of Mr. Christian are pearl traders.
Mr. Christian, his uncle John Windham, his
father-in-law John Conger and his
brother-in-law Alvin Conger were all
prominent pearl traders. |
Pearling, although profitable required a
considerable amount of time and work. Usually
hundreds of mussels had to be gathered and pried
open before a pearl was found.
The pearl is the official gem of the State of
Tennessee. The following passage was taken
from the
Tennessee Blue Book:
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"The Caney
Fork in Middle Tennessee was noted for its
pearl-bearing mussels, and “pearling” was a
favorite sport on Sunday afternoons at the
turn of the century. After World War I, dams
were built on many of the rivers, and the
mussels lost their swift and shallow shoals.
Also, the waters became more toxic and
pearling became unprofitable. But, Tennessee
river pearls are among the most beautiful
and durable in the world. It was designated
as an official state gem in 1979."
The Caney
Fork River and Center Hill Dam and Lake have
played a prominent role in the history of
DeKalb County. Currently it is estimated that
Center Hill Lake draws 3,982,000 visitors
each year and adds approximately $39 million
into the local economy of DeKalb and Putnam
Counties.
Currently
the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers is
conducting a $220 million project to address
seepage at Center Hill Dam. The
project is scheduled to begin in 2007 and
completion is slated for 2014. Project
information is available at the following
link:
http://www.lrn.usace.army.mil/CenterHill/
For more
information on Center Hill Dam and Lake
visit the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers
website at:
http://www.lrn.usace.army.mil/op/cen/rec/
Generating
Schedule for Center Hill Dam:
http://www.orn.usace.army.mil/pao/lakeinfo/CEN.htm
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