Very nice history article, thanks for the post
Thanks; very informative article.
The basis for TVA actually came 20 years earlier with the government building a nitrate factory at Muscle Shoals. They built Wilson Dam to power the nitrate factory. The nitrate plant was the largest construction project in the country. They brought in 10,000 mule teams from the Mississippi River levee project to move dirt for the foundation, and the logistics were incredible.
During WWI, DuPont had a monopoly on making gunpowder and the government didn't like it. So they built their own nitrate factory to produce fertilizer--and the nitrates could be used for gunpowder. They also bottled the gasses produced and used it to gas the Germans. Electric furnaces required massive electricity.
TVA was used to electrify the region and provide jobs. Most people don't realize that even today TVA plays such a big role in bringing all the new industries like auto factories to this part of the country.
Good info, never heard that before.Originally Posted by Bamaman
Good read thanks for posting Art.
Now you guys know about Luther Draffen and his influence on the area, and why the bridge downstream of Ky Dam has his name on it.
Pretty cool info. I guess this is where Draffenville comes from, too?
Lee Blakeman
I don't think it's the same guy, but he might be related. The Draffen farm was a large farm that encompassed all of what Draffenville is today. The farm's owner subdivided portions of the farm and sold the land to people wanting to place businesses along the route regularly traveled by dam workers headed to Benton. It just came to be known as Draffenville among the workers, and the name stuck. It wasn't until after dam construction began that Draffenville was formed.
Luther Draffen I believe is tied more to Calvert City, where he ran a supply store with various goods and played a large role in the community (in addition to working to attract the dam and plants to the area). He was always one to rely on during an emergency or disaster. I think one time during a flood he had a building with a large amount of lumber and tar in storage, with a group of volunteers they turned that into boats to rescue people and I think even fashioned some sort of barge to carry livestock to higher ground. I'm not certain on that, but I do remember something along those lines from a local history class in high school.
If you would like to read about what happened to the people who lived there look up The land between the Rivers, a lot of people were forced off of their farms that had been in their families for generations.
I smile because I don't know
what the hell is going on!!
Definitely a good read. All the relocated cemeteries are what I find very interesting. I remember reading that some company moved a lot of headstones, but not the coffins....when the lakes filled up and the new lake bottom got soft, many of the unmoved coffins came shooting up to the top and eventually collected at the dam like a big debris pile. Many people were moved and not the headstones, or that headstones weren't matched up with the correct people. It was a huge mess. If you visit any cemetery in LBL, you'll find MANY unmarked graves. There are also many marked graves in areas that aren't anywhere near a cemetery, typically marked with a PVC cross or small concrete block.
http://www.westernkyhistory.org/trigg/lbl/clean.html
The history surrounding the iron industry in LBL is pretty neat as well. I can't imagine what it must have been like in the mid 1800s with all 8 iron furnaces going strong and the communities built up surrounding those furnaces. Also pretty neat when hiking in LBL and you come across multiple ponds that are the result of iron surface mines.
Reply With Quote