The South Holston Dam: What Lies Beneath the Surface?
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- čas přidán 8. 07. 2022
- South Holston Dam: What Lies Beneath the Surface?
The South Holston Dam in Bristol, Tennessee was completed in late 1950 when the area was flooded and put well over 200' below water. We discuss the history and share the gorgeous views of this marvel that combines man's engineering abilities with the work of God's hand.
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My NEW mailing address is:
208 Lavinia Street
Bristol, VA 24201
My Grandmothet grew up on a farm that's now under that lake. She was born in 1910.
Hello from Bristol and thanks for coming by! The entire community was dismantled before it was flooded out. There are no churches, schools or homes below the water. Just remnants of their foundations....and yes, unclaimed graves😳
There is one last remaining part of Big Creek that you can still see today! The island closest to the crane used to have a lookout tower on it when the community was there. It was dismantled as well, but the foundation still stands. People took the train into Big Creek from Bristol. That train crossed the river exactly where you did when you came through, but of course the original wooden bridge was replaced by the one that's there today.
Fun fact: before the dam was built, Osceola Island was a Boy Scouts camp, but unfortunately the river flooded and it was destroyed in 1935.
Very beautiful views of the surrounding mountains! The fog on the river is beautiful also ....thanks guys....🙏❤
I like how Shane is encouraging Melody to think about layer cake. I think we can look forward to a cake baking video soon 😀
We don’t have to be encouraged too much when it comes to cake! 😂 That is not a bad idea, Sandy! - Melody
@@realappalachia If ya do on I have one for ya. It's called Mounds cake. Just like the candy bar. It's one of my favorites.
@@realappalachia You did so good with the Strawberry recipe 🍓we want more 😊
I spent a lot of time on and around that lake. Don’t think I’ve heard Big Creek mentioned. Thanks for the memories ☮️
Bud Phillip's done an artical on it once, I remember reading it.
It was like a resort. Very popular place.
Great video Shane and Melody. I love the history of the dam. Cheat Lake in Monongahela County, WV (Morgantown) also covers a small community. Thank you this wonderful video. Stay safe sweet couple.
Wow, I didn't realize so many of these reservoirs and dams made so many ghost towns/disincorporated communities. Our Quabbin Reservoir in Mass left 4 towns underwater in the 1930s- Dana, Enfield, Greenwich, and Prescott. Also in Maine, Flagstaff Lake flooded the villages of Flagstaff, Bigelow, Dead River, and Carrying Place. I love reading the comments about the other ones, but also sad so many people had to pack up and leave forever. South Holston is just so beautiful! It's bittersweet in the context of its history.
Interesting story they did that a lot back in the day just creating lakes and dams. Thanks for sharing, the biggest lake I know that did it as well, was Lake Mead and and the Hoover Dam. They are also as seen on the news finding a lot of barrels filled with bodies inside that are believed to be Mob hits, it has been all over the news lately. The town that was buried underneath the lake is now starting to show up there with the lower levels of water. It was buried in 1930s was an old settlement town.
I saw that on the news. Crazy
WV here. Usually a dam/lake is named for the town located there. Except here at Summerville Lake and Summerville Dam. That underwater town is Gad, WV and those naming the dam chose to not name it Gad Dam.
😂😂😂😂😂 I can definitely see why
I used to fish here all the time. Really good fishing spots
I took a picture from there one time several years ago. Thanks for sharing!
What a beautiful area! I will defiantly have to pay this area a visit & take my fly rods! What I find most interesting is that the dam construction is earth-&-rock....not reinforced concrete.
I’ve always heard that Lake Fontana also had a town where water is Fontana in NC
This is so similar to Lake Jocassee in Salem SC. Also has a town at the bottom and and graveyards and an old Inn, a girls camp etc.
Wow you got me thinking of lakes could only talk with all the history buried beneath them great job as always!!!!
Thank you so much
Great story, I've read up on some of the history and towns flooded by the Fontana dam construction, and the Cumberland River area with the Wolf Creek dam. Very fascinating and great stuff. It is sad the people had to leave the only areas they ever knew as home. But thank you for all you do to bring us these great stories. God bless you both.
Interesting video, And Well Done! Thanks !
I’ve always wanted to see the dam. It’s so beautiful, the fog on the water was really pretty. I once worked with a man from that area and he told me about the town below. He didn’t know a whole lot, but it made me want to go. In a way it reminds me of the poor folks who had to leave their land to make way for the Shenandoah park.
Wow thank y’all so much for sharing another awesome video.
Great stories, and the rain made this look enchanting. Sounds like you both are learning as much as we are. LOL Keep up the good work.
Still waters run deep- like this piece, like this great channel.
I am sorry but I forgot to mention to you another dam you might consider visiting. Hales Bar Dam in Chattanooga, TN covers a Cherokee Burial Ground. It is suppose to be haunted. The Dam is in a beautiful setting.
So glad you brought that one up. Ghost Adventures were the first to visit 👻
I live in Chattanooga and have been to Haletown. The old dam powerhouse has a scary vibe. Have no doubt it’s haunted.
This is great information. I never knew this and have always wanted to go there. Will have to make it there sometime if and when gas comes down.
Summerville lake in wv theres a town in it
We were there when they built that with a gentleman that worked for whomever built it.
I have lived in the area all my life
I've lived here all my life also. Been across the top of the dam more times than I could count. It's a beautiful place. God has blessed us with a beautiful part of this ol earth to call home.
We've visited there countless times for picnics, hiking around the dam & up on the mountains, took our bikes. Great place to visit.
This was really fascinating! Hard to imagine a town with 200 feet of water above it. I never learned anything about diving, but I have a feeling knowledgeable divers would love to explore this site.
The whole area is just breathtakingly beautiful. And there was hardly a soul there besides the two of you. Appalachia is rich, rich, rich in wonderful places that would be flooded with tourists in other circumstances, other states, other countries. For America, it's like having a huge box of treasure right in our own back yard. It would be easy to take it for granted.
If it weren't for adventurers like you, we'd never know of these places. Thank you SO much.
wow that's beautiful
my in-laws people live over that way thx so much for sharing this
I love fog myself 💕hopefully I'll be moving over there before to long
hope yall have a great week
I LOOOVE the trips you take me on... THANK YOU !!! ❤
Thanks so much for riding along with us, Dinah
They built the weir dam to help the trout fishing in the river. It oxygenates the water. I used to wade across to the island before they built the bridge. Y’all making me soooooo homesick
Yep. The Weir Dam. These folks in the video didn't know what it was. We've visited the dam many times for picnics, hiking those trails, took our bikes...even tossed kernals of corn from a can off the bridge for the fish. I know you miss it...it's a good place.
@@curtischildress9580 I seen espn doing a drift show trout fishing down from there one time. I loved it. Seeing my home fishing on tv
@@johnwhite993 That's great! I never knew or saw it but would've watched. I like finding places like that I know here on YT or when they get shown on TV.
There are videos of divers going down into the deep at the dam. It’s very interesting. Great Video! I think we will visit it tomorrow.
I stumbled upon your channel while CZcams surfing and this video was particularly interesting as my wife is from that area. We spend a lot of time at the Weir and the dam itself for recreation. I had heard from my father-in-law about that community you referenced. We live in Charlotte now but make the trip back to the hills frequently. I love the videos. Thanks and I will subscribe.
Thanks so much for watching, commenting and subscribing - welcome to the family
I thought that was a person in the fog at the 15:25 mark ! lol Love stories of towns flooded by damns.
Ghosts 👻
Hartwell lake in Anderson S.C has a town under it. Y'all should check into it and it's History. I believe y'all would enjoy it. If you need any key words for your search, look into "andersonville". Interesting story for sure.
Did you do a story on Harper's Ferry in West Virginia? I've heard about it's rich history and think it would be an awesome place to visit and learn more about it. Maybe I could come along with you? :-)
Dave Bolling was my great grandfather..his daughter Burcha was my maternal grandmother. I grew up 10 miles from the dam and heard about Big Creek all my life. I believe there was a railroad that ran to Big Creek that took people from Bristol to the "resort" area. My great grandfather's store was along that railroad line...Terry Nelson Collette
I have just found your channel and I love it. I'm from Castlewood so it's good to see home on CZcams.
I do have a tidbit for you about the South Holston Dam. Well, kinda. I can remember reading a fictional book in the early 90s all about the town that was flooded and South Holston Lake and the surrounding areas. Thing is, it was about Vampires. In the book when the town was flooded, the people were turned into vampires. I so very much wish I could remember the name of it and or who wrote it. I'm going to try to find out and I'll let y'all know. It was so funny, I had forgotten all about it until I saw your video.
Much peace ✌ and love ❤
Beautiful spot.
Yep it is...been there many times.
good to see the water level up at the dam thanks
It does look really high right now. I've been to the dam lots of times & saw them releasing the water from the dam & the water level would drop down about 25 feet & you could see the raw edges after lowering the water level of the dam all around the dam.
Never been there but man I would love to be there, fishing in that fog! Such a beautiful place, to visit for sure. Thanks guys, believe I might make a trip there soon! God Bless you both! (Glen). WV.
Below the dam is a place that's called the weir dam ( dont think I spelled it right) but any way it's a very popular place to fish. Should come check it out. And I've read just recent that folks come from all over to fish in Holston River. It runs from the dam all the way to Bluff City.
Melody is so pretty
hey , check out a story i heard and was shown on you tube, about temple university built new sports field over a huge gravesite and moved some bodys but left others, the bad part was they took hundred year old graves stones and through them on a side of a river
That’s all true. I first read about it in Weird NJ but just recently Mobile Instinct visited the DE riverbanks. Headstones all over.
Went to Jobcorp there..
Nice video....you guys need to hit Ripshine mtn. lake in roan mtn. Tn. if you want to see beauty/man made lake. I enjoy your videos,Chris from Elizabethton,Tn.
George Clooney made a documentary about those towns called " Brother where art thou?"
Last time I dove on the “town” all that was left was a couple of concrete slabs. This was back in the late 80’s and early 90’s. There were cemeteries there when the dam was constructed but they were moved prior to the filling of the lake. I don’t dive anymore due to an injury. I’m sure you’ve heard the stories about catfish so big that divers came out of the water and refused to go back, etc. Well I dove until bubbles came up from BOTH ends for many years looking for them. Never saw anything close to that size. 36” was about the largest catfish I saw. The fog coming from the river is produced by the temperature differences between the water and the ambient air temperature. The water is usually between 38-42 degrees even in the summertime. The weir dams there in the river are designed to oxygenate the water for the health of the trout populations.
thanks for the info, i bet it was an amazing experience to dive down there
My dad told me that his home as kid and his father's country store were forced out to build a future dam. Eventually Sutton Dam in West Virginia. I can't find anything on as it would have taken place in the 1940's.
I hope they got some decent compensation from the government when that happened?
@@kesmarn Your joking right?
Melody! I love your hat in this video! Perfect for that messy bun! Where can I get one???
South Holston below the dam is a great trout fishery.
Telúrico Lake is built over… And named for… The Cherokee principal town (aka capital) in the 18th century. BTW what did the fish say when she ran into a concrete wall? “Dam.” Thank you.
The bridge looks a little spooky
This was a great dam tour right Shane? Lol, Awesome views and the fog would be great in October, supposedly one of the towns flooded is haunted. Not sure which one though. I saw a fish jump when you were on the bridge!😁. As always great to see your smiles!👍
I like the sound of that. Halloween 🎃👻 trip sounds good.
@@samanthab1923 wouldn't that be a fun Halloween night walk?
@@navydogsadventures3500 Absolutely 👻
@@samanthab1923 it is my favorite month!👻
@@samanthab1923 where you from?
Love the hat
When i was a kid growing up in Big Rock, Buchanan county, Va my uncle stayed in a houseboat there . That was in the early sixties and i was so young i don't remember much but i know we visted them there. Great story! Thank you.
Hello Big Rock & Buchanan County! I graduated from Grundy Sr. High & went to the Jr. High which is now the law school. I left the county when I was 18 but the mountains there are still my home. I've visited this dam many times...we do picnics, hike the trails, ride our bikes...real nice spot to visit.
Gotta love the good Ol TVA. They flooded many of towns. I can’t believe they didn’t relocate the graves. Whoever made those bad decisions, we’ll, need I say anymore?
Just saw the flooding in VA on the news. Hope you guys are OK 🙏🏻
Thankfully we are ok, very fortunate but the area around us got absolutely pounded so we’ve been praying for those folks
@@realappalachia Glad it missed you guys. Will say a prayer 🙏🏻
@@samanthab1923 thank you so much
@@realappalachia You’re more than welcome. 😊
Grew up around the area love it up there. To bad alot of drug addicts have ruined alot of places on the trails
Is the cemetery still there just to the left where you were at the bottom by the river? I spent many a day fishing the river. I asked to quick about the cemetery. Lol
With fog on the water, and a graveyard, there has to be some woodboogers hanging around somewhere.
Been to the dam many times. We've stayed late lots of times until closing time around 10 PM. It was peaceful & nice. We enjoyed the dam in late evening & after dark because it's really a romantic place with the pretty fog lifting up, especially after a rain...it was enchanting but we never ever felt like it was haunting or anything. The dam is a pretty popular peaceful safe recreation area for families with fishing, hiking, biking, boating, jet skiis, water skiing.
I am from Bristol TN I was told that that was part of big creeks graveyard,
Great video. We have lakes with towns under them, in Hunterdon County, and I believe Passaic County.
I just wanted to say, the last video I watched was the short, called "The Best Place to Eat in Mountain City, Tennessee - Suba's"". So I just wanted to say, I hate the new format of the shorts. I hate it. First the video is on an endless loop. And there's no pause button or stop button, and there's no way to leave comments. How CZcams thought that was a good idea is beyond me. The first short I ever watched on CZcams in that new format was yesterday. Previously the "shorts" where just like any other video on CZcams, except they were short.
But anyway, I know you have no control over that but since I couldn't comment on the video, I left the comment here instead. But anyway, I enjoyed this video too. So thanks.🙂
It’s Round Valley Res. now a park. Flooded the town of Round Valley in Lebanon. Referred to as the NJ Bermuda Triangle because over 24 people have drowned since 71. Most never recovered 👻
@@samanthab1923 Yep, that's the place I had in mind. I was also thinking of Charlotteburg and Monksville Reservoirs.
@@MillerMeteor74 Now, where are those?
@@samanthab1923 Charlotteburg Reservoir is on the southern edge of West Milford in Passaic County. Monksville Reservoir is partly in West Milford and partly in Ringwood, Passaic County. This is up near the New York State line
@@MillerMeteor74 Omg! I forgot about those. Never knew the names. The one in Wanaque my uncle worked on & I think we can see from the highway 287? My hubby used to have friends up in Greenwood Lake. The other I don’t know. Not familiar with Rockaway. Thanks
It always gets me, how MONEY WILL PUT ASIDE ( WE THE PEOPLE ! ) I'm sure, some will say, it's FOR THE GOOD !!! 😞😞😞
Through what is now a long life, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s many times so “the in power party” can say, “we provided jobs.” Just my observation.
Speaking of cake, since Melody did such a great job with that cobbler, it's time for her to make an old-fashioned Appalachian cake!
Very interesting video. The fog on the river would great on halloween.
That's sad that they ever made dams, they have caused so many problems, with plenty of primary water, we never needed dams, thank you for sharing this history.
They sold it as 'flood control' and a place for the 'whoop and holler crowd', newly affluent, to play with their toys. Few cared about what happened to all the people who were displaced from their homes and the land where they made a living.
Kindred stomachs, classic, should make a good tee shirt! 😂
Shane did you notice some of the big boulders we're missing on top of the dam?
No, are there some missing? I must’ve missed that piece
@@realappalachia either some irresponsible people are removing them from their position. The fog is usually due to when they generate the water. The weir is not used for stocking but to add oxygen to the water. A few years ago I saw thousands of fish either dead or stunned floating down the river. The Holston River is one of the finest fishing streams in the state. Such a great place to fish that people come from all over to fish. You might even see Brad Pitt doing some flyfishing.
@@spacemandudley6237 awesome info, thanks for posting
No "dam" joke, haha Shane, you are funny. The story was very interesting. You guys are braver than me, I wouldn't have stood at the bottom nor would I drive across the dam. I dislike crossing any body of water regardless of the mode of transportation. We have a bridge here in Atlantic Canada that connects one province with another that is a bit over 8 miles long, it's the only link and necessary to travel to get off the island, even though it only takes 10 minutes to drive across it, it seems to take forever and it's scary. it's 197 feet at is highest point.
I've visited this dam many times. The areas below the dam are beautiful picnic areas, walking trails, parking lots, & roads. Up top on that high road crossing the dam is a very pretty & safe paved road to drive & sightsee over the dam...it leads to a very nice picnic area & pretty places to look out over the dam, more little hiking trails around the dam & up the mountains, places to fish. The dam is a fun safe recreation area where lots of folks visit. Never any accidents at the dam. It's a nice recreation area for families.
Good video and great job of investigating our home ground, buuuuuutttt how did you miss that Osceola Island and the surrounding waters are the best trout fishing east of the Rockies? Or that Brad Pitt is our neighbor over here near Hickory Tree. But what I really want to know is we saw y'all drive by and we waved, and y'all didn't. But then, I guess when you become big You Tube celebs, you don't have much time for us little people any more... ;-)
LOL!
There are towns in ky under water
Yep! 💔🥲 my daddy would talk about butler! He didn’t know a whole lot though! Other than there was a town and the flooded it I believe in the 30’s or 40’s?!?! 🥲💔Daddy said he heard a lot of them we’re forced out!!! 😡💔😤🥲
That’s what I read too, they didn’t go happily
You two should've rented some scuba gear and went underwater to show us the town underwater! lol
Neither one of us can swim so that is problem #1 lol
@@realappalachia that'd be fun to watch!
Nothing left but a few mud covered slabs of concrete.
TVA did the same thing in oak ridge to build the atomic bomb. If you can find history of the hillbilly with Billy Ray Cyrus it’s very very good and educational on our hillbilly’s
Dawn of the Vampire by William Hill. Thank you Google
Should go put feet in water see if you can stand the cold...👍
Me and my sister done that once in the summer and it was like ice water
Exactly!!
The water is cold but not freezing...it'll grab you though even in the summer, just about take your breath, especially if you're not use to it.
Great video! Near river fog. Was the water really cold or was it that humid? There is a similar situation in with the building of the Quabbin Reservoir in central Massachusetts. A number of towns were leveled between 1930-39.
Water temps are only 70 at the NJ beaches. See surfers in wet suits. Weird
Been to this dam many times for picnics hiking & biking, seen the fog rising off the river & the dam. The water isn't real cold in the summer but it can grab you if you go in & aren't use to it...it's a little like the ocean water temp, just depends.
Cool video thanks for sharing. If that town & graves were put at the bottom of that water. What keeps the Bodies and buildings from floating to the top of the water? Thanks for sharing this depressing video, lol. Stay well & safe guys. Be careful going home.
I've visited there many times & we've seen a few pieces of wood floating on the water & along the edges of the water. The dam is kept clean so that it's safe for boaters, jet skiis, folks fishing, water skiing. The water pressure on the graves holds down any buried caskets & even most buildings. Most parts of the buildings that come loose just sink to the bottom & don't float way up to the top. This isn't a truly depressing video. The dam is a very pretty popular safe recreation area with several picnic areas, walking trails, places to fish. The history of how it was built is really interesting.
Also, most buildings were destroyed, buildings burnt down, big piles of torn down buildings removed. Around 1960 somebody said their boat run into a floating casket. Scary tales started happening after that about vampires from the lake & folks said they walked around town in the daylight but people could tell what they were. Old boats & other boats have sunk in the lake & they come apart & pieces float around & up to the top. I called my buddy after watching this video reminding him of the wood we found floating there which we thought was from the old buildings. Some of it might've been & other pieces from those boats.
I want your hat
I live 2 min away from
I think they are required to move the graves
They should have moved the graves they made them move graves in ky
Every damn that's man-made will fail someday
Maybe if they aren't maintained.
Holstom put me to sleep