Hales Bar Dam

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Hale's Bar Dam, an American dam completed in 1913, was a major hydroelectric project of the former Tennessee Electric Power Company. It was later purchased by the Tennessee Valley Authority who operated it until its replacement by Nickajack Dam, a few miles downstream, in 1968. The dam itself has since been demolished although the powerhouse and its part of the dam still exist. Hales Bar Dam was built by the Chattanooga and Tennessee River Power Company between 1905-13, to develop hydroelectric power. It was the first time a private power company constructed a major dam across a navigable channel in the United States.

Below is a picture of the Hales Bar Dam powerhouse, as it sat on September 29, 2007. The powerhouse is now used as dry boat storage for Hales Bar Marina.

The dam had a set of navigational locks. The first vessel to transverse the locks was on November 1, 1913.

Construction started in 1905 and required 3,000 men working around the clock. A self-contained community, Guild was built for the construction workers.