Birmingham, Kentucky
Encyclopedia
Birmingham, Kentucky was a town in Kentucky
that was destroyed by the creation of Kentucky Lake
.
Birmingham was located on land owned by Thomas A. Grubbs in 1849, was laid out and platted in 1853 and incorporated in 1860. Early residents included L. S. Locker, Thomas Love and Thomas C. Grubbs. Birmingham enjoyed prosperous years shortly after the end of the Civil War
when a stave mill and timber business employed over 200 people. Birmingham was named for Birmingham, England in hopes that the city would resemble its European namesake's great iron industry; the area at the time had its own nascent iron industry, some remains of which can be viewed today in the Land Between the Lakes. Collins' History of Kentucky states that in 1874 Birmingham had a population of 322; by contrast, the county seat of Benton, Kentucky
then had a population of only 158. By 1894 Birmingham had five churches, two schools, two hotels, four dry goods and general stores, three grocers, two millinery shops, two wagon and blacksmith shops and a drug store. By 1929 Birmingham still had around 600 residents.
The Tennessee Valley Authority
announced the building of Kentucky Dam
for the creation of Kentucky Lake
in 1938, and at that time Birmingham's residents were informed that they must relocate. The TVA commenced land purchases in 1942. The dam was completed in 1944, at which point the entirety of Birmingham, Kentucky was submerged under the resulting Kentucky Lake, then the largest manmade lake in the world. Some residents of Birmingham had to relocate a second time due to the creation of Lake Barkley
.
When the water level in Kentucky Lake is low the remains of foundations and streets of Birmingham are often visible below the water, especially at Birmingham Point.
NBA star Joe Fulks
was born in Birmingham, Kentucky.
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
that was destroyed by the creation of Kentucky Lake
Kentucky Lake
Kentucky Lake is a major navigable reservoir along the Tennessee River in Kentucky and Tennessee. Created in 1944 by the Tennessee Valley Authority's impounding of the Tennessee River by Kentucky Dam, the lake is the largest artificial lake by surface area in the United States east of the...
.
Birmingham was located on land owned by Thomas A. Grubbs in 1849, was laid out and platted in 1853 and incorporated in 1860. Early residents included L. S. Locker, Thomas Love and Thomas C. Grubbs. Birmingham enjoyed prosperous years shortly after the end of the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
when a stave mill and timber business employed over 200 people. Birmingham was named for Birmingham, England in hopes that the city would resemble its European namesake's great iron industry; the area at the time had its own nascent iron industry, some remains of which can be viewed today in the Land Between the Lakes. Collins' History of Kentucky states that in 1874 Birmingham had a population of 322; by contrast, the county seat of Benton, Kentucky
Benton, Kentucky
Benton is a city in Marshall County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 4,197 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Marshall County....
then had a population of only 158. By 1894 Birmingham had five churches, two schools, two hotels, four dry goods and general stores, three grocers, two millinery shops, two wagon and blacksmith shops and a drug store. By 1929 Birmingham still had around 600 residents.
The Tennessee Valley Authority
Tennessee Valley Authority
The Tennessee Valley Authority is a federally owned corporation in the United States created by congressional charter in May 1933 to provide navigation, flood control, electricity generation, fertilizer manufacturing, and economic development in the Tennessee Valley, a region particularly affected...
announced the building of Kentucky Dam
Kentucky Dam
Kentucky Dam is a hydroelectric dam on the Tennessee River on the county line between Livingston County and Marshall County in the U.S. state of Kentucky...
for the creation of Kentucky Lake
Kentucky Lake
Kentucky Lake is a major navigable reservoir along the Tennessee River in Kentucky and Tennessee. Created in 1944 by the Tennessee Valley Authority's impounding of the Tennessee River by Kentucky Dam, the lake is the largest artificial lake by surface area in the United States east of the...
in 1938, and at that time Birmingham's residents were informed that they must relocate. The TVA commenced land purchases in 1942. The dam was completed in 1944, at which point the entirety of Birmingham, Kentucky was submerged under the resulting Kentucky Lake, then the largest manmade lake in the world. Some residents of Birmingham had to relocate a second time due to the creation of Lake Barkley
Lake Barkley
Lake Barkley, a reservoir in Livingston, Lyon, and Trigg counties in Kentucky and extending into Stewart and Houston counties in Tennessee, was impounded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1966 upon the completion of Barkley Dam. Both the lake and the dam are named for Vice President Alben...
.
When the water level in Kentucky Lake is low the remains of foundations and streets of Birmingham are often visible below the water, especially at Birmingham Point.
NBA star Joe Fulks
Joe Fulks
Joseph Franklin "Jumping Joe" Fulks was an American professional basketball player, sometimes called "the first of the high-scoring forwards". He was one of the first players, albeit posthumously, enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1978...
was born in Birmingham, Kentucky.