Calderwood, Tennessee
Encyclopedia
Calderwood was a community once located along the Little Tennessee River
in Blount County, Tennessee
, USA. Established in 1912 as a base for the Aluminum Company of America's Little Tennessee Valley hydroelectric development operations, the community continued to house construction personnel and dam maintenance personnel for nearby Calderwood Dam
until the 1960s. Although the community's houses were razed after its abandonment, three buildings located in the community— the Calderwood Dam service building, the Calderwood School, and a Quonset hut
used as a theater— were included in a supplementary listing for Calderwood Dam on the National Register of Historic Places
in 2004.
Alcoa began developing the Little Tennessee Valley in 1909 to provide the ample amounts of electricity necessary to power its planned aluminum smelting operations in Blount County. Under the leadership of Alcoa engineer Isaac Glidden Calderwood (1871–1941), three dams— Cheoah
(1919), Santeetlah
(1928), and Calderwood (1930)— were completed in a remote section of the valley along the Tennessee-North Carolina border. The community of Calderwood was initially known as "Alcoa," but was renamed in I. G. Calderwood's honor after the company reapplied the name "Alcoa" to its main company town
in northern Blount County.
approximately 8 miles (12.9 km) downstream. Calderwood Dam is located 3 miles (4.8 km) upstream, on the opposite end of a horseshoe bend in the river. U.S. Route 129
provides the only major road access to the Calderwood area. Just past Calderwood, US-129 enters a switchback-laden stretch of road known as "The Dragon," which is popular with motorcyclists.
The surviving community structures and the Calderwood Dam service building are accessible via Housley Road, which connects US-129 with Growdon Road on the riverfront. The Calderwood Baptist Church is located about halfway down Housley Road in a wooded area on the left. At the intersection of Housley and Growdon, the service building is to the left, with a gated road (open to foot traffic) continuing to the powerhouse. To the right of the intersection, the road continues past the Calderwood School building and culminates at a boat ramp in the lake connected via causeway to the mainland. Just past the school building, an unmarked road leads up the cliffslope to the Calderwood Methodist Church and the former residential area.
by Native Americans
. By the 18th century, the Overhill Cherokee
village of Tallassee
straddled both sides of this ford. This village was burned by Colonel John Sevier
in 1788 in retaliation for the Nine Mile Creek massacre, which took place a few miles to the north.
When Alcoa began developing the Little Tennessee Valley around 1909, the Calderwood area was part of a farm owned by Blount County farmer John Howard. After purchasing the property, company engineers began using it as a base of operations. In 1912, a post office was set up in the base camp, which initially used the company's name, "Alcoa." Under engineer I. G. Calderwood's leadership, a railroad line was constructed to connect the base camp with the Southern Railway terminal at Chilhowee (near modern Chilhowee Dam
). Alcoa's Little Tennessee Valley plans were finalized in 1915, and construction crews began arriving at the company's base camp. Cheoah Dam was completed in 1919, and Santeetlah was completed in 1928.
In 1919, the large company town that housed the workers for Alcoa's aluminum plants, which had previously been known as "North Maryville," was incorporated under the company's name. The following year, the company renamed its Little Tennessee Valley construction camp "Calderwood" after its able head of operations in the valley, I. G. Calderwood. After the completion of Calderwood Dam in 1930, the construction camp evolved into a community that housed maintenance crews for the dam. Nearly two dozen residences were built, all following identical one-floor plans.
After World War II
, Calderwood expanded. In 1950, a school was built, and a Quonset hut was installed in the community for use as a theater. The Calderwood Methodist Church was completed in 1954, and the Calderwood Baptist Church was completed the following year. Within a few years, the need for onsite crews diminished, however, and residents began moving away. By the late 1960s, Calderwood had been largely abandoned.
s and gatehouse
, were added to the National Register. The residences in the community have all been razed, and only their foundations and two garages remain. The Calderwood Methodist Church is still intact, but the Calderwood Baptist Church has partially collapsed (the front facade remains). Neither church was included in the National Register listing.
Little Tennessee River
The Little Tennessee River is a tributary of the Tennessee River, approximately 135 miles long, in the Appalachian Mountains in the southeastern United States.-Geography:...
in Blount County, Tennessee
Blount County, Tennessee
Blount County is a U.S. county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. Its population was 123,010 at the United States Census, 2010. The county seat is at Maryville, which is also the county's largest city....
, USA. Established in 1912 as a base for the Aluminum Company of America's Little Tennessee Valley hydroelectric development operations, the community continued to house construction personnel and dam maintenance personnel for nearby Calderwood Dam
Calderwood Dam
Calderwood Dam is a hydroelectric dam located along the Little Tennessee River in Blount and Monroe counties, Tennessee. Completed in 1930, the dam is owned and maintained by Tapoco, a subsidiary of the Aluminum Company of America , although the Tennessee Valley Authority controls the dam's...
until the 1960s. Although the community's houses were razed after its abandonment, three buildings located in the community— the Calderwood Dam service building, the Calderwood School, and a Quonset hut
Quonset hut
A Quonset hut is a lightweight prefabricated structure of corrugated galvanized steel having a semicircular cross section. The design was based on the Nissen hut developed by the British during World War I...
used as a theater— were included in a supplementary listing for Calderwood Dam on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 2004.
Alcoa began developing the Little Tennessee Valley in 1909 to provide the ample amounts of electricity necessary to power its planned aluminum smelting operations in Blount County. Under the leadership of Alcoa engineer Isaac Glidden Calderwood (1871–1941), three dams— Cheoah
Cheoah Dam
The Cheoah Dam is a hydroelectric complex located in Graham and Swain counties, North Carolina on the Little Tennessee River between river miles 51 and 52. The Cheoah Development consists of a dam and powerhouse, the first of several constructed by the Tallassee Power Company, now Tapoco...
(1919), Santeetlah
Santeetlah Dam
Santeetlah Dam is a hydroelectric development on the Cheoah River in Graham County, North Carolina. The dam together with a pipeline/tunnel facility, and a powerhouse form the Santeetlah Development...
(1928), and Calderwood (1930)— were completed in a remote section of the valley along the Tennessee-North Carolina border. The community of Calderwood was initially known as "Alcoa," but was renamed in I. G. Calderwood's honor after the company reapplied the name "Alcoa" to its main company town
Alcoa, Tennessee
Alcoa is a city in Blount County, Tennessee, United States, south of Knoxville. Its population was 7,744 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Knoxville, Tennessee Metropolitan Statistical Area....
in northern Blount County.
Location
The Calderwood community was situated on the north bank (or Blount County side) of the Little Tennessee River, approximately 41 miles (66 km) upstream from the mouth of the river. This section of the river is technically part of Chilhowee Lake, which is impounded by Chilhowee DamChilhowee Dam
Chilhowee Dam is a hydroelectric dam located in Blount and Monroe counties, Tennessee, between river mile 33 and 34 on the Little Tennessee River. Construction began in 1955 and was completed in 1957. The dam's reservoir covers approximately at normal full pool and has a drainage area of . The...
approximately 8 miles (12.9 km) downstream. Calderwood Dam is located 3 miles (4.8 km) upstream, on the opposite end of a horseshoe bend in the river. U.S. Route 129
U.S. Route 129
U.S. Route 129 is an offshoot route of U.S. Route 29, which it intersects near Athens, Georgia. US 129 currently runs for 582 miles from Knoxville, Tennessee, to Chiefland, Florida, at U.S. Route 19 and U.S. Route 98. It passes through the states of Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia and Florida...
provides the only major road access to the Calderwood area. Just past Calderwood, US-129 enters a switchback-laden stretch of road known as "The Dragon," which is popular with motorcyclists.
The surviving community structures and the Calderwood Dam service building are accessible via Housley Road, which connects US-129 with Growdon Road on the riverfront. The Calderwood Baptist Church is located about halfway down Housley Road in a wooded area on the left. At the intersection of Housley and Growdon, the service building is to the left, with a gated road (open to foot traffic) continuing to the powerhouse. To the right of the intersection, the road continues past the Calderwood School building and culminates at a boat ramp in the lake connected via causeway to the mainland. Just past the school building, an unmarked road leads up the cliffslope to the Calderwood Methodist Church and the former residential area.
History
What is now Calderwood stands adjacent to what was once a narrow stretch of the river that for centuries was used as a fordFord (crossing)
A ford is a shallow place with good footing where a river or stream may be crossed by wading or in a vehicle. A ford is mostly a natural phenomenon, in contrast to a low water crossing, which is an artificial bridge that allows crossing a river or stream when water is low.The names of many towns...
by Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
. By the 18th century, the Overhill Cherokee
Overhill Cherokee
The term Overhill Cherokee refers to the former Cherokee settlements located in what is now Tennessee in the southeastern United States. The name was given by 18th century European traders and explorers who had to cross the Appalachian Mountains to reach these settlements when traveling from...
village of Tallassee
Tallassee (Cherokee town)
Tallassee is a prehistoric and historic Native American site in Blount County and Monroe County, Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. Tallassee was the southernmost of a string of Overhill Cherokee villages that spanned the lower Little Tennessee River in the 18th century...
straddled both sides of this ford. This village was burned by Colonel John Sevier
John Sevier
John Sevier served four years as the only governor of the State of Franklin and twelve years as Governor of Tennessee. As a U.S. Representative from Tennessee from 1811 until his death...
in 1788 in retaliation for the Nine Mile Creek massacre, which took place a few miles to the north.
When Alcoa began developing the Little Tennessee Valley around 1909, the Calderwood area was part of a farm owned by Blount County farmer John Howard. After purchasing the property, company engineers began using it as a base of operations. In 1912, a post office was set up in the base camp, which initially used the company's name, "Alcoa." Under engineer I. G. Calderwood's leadership, a railroad line was constructed to connect the base camp with the Southern Railway terminal at Chilhowee (near modern Chilhowee Dam
Chilhowee Dam
Chilhowee Dam is a hydroelectric dam located in Blount and Monroe counties, Tennessee, between river mile 33 and 34 on the Little Tennessee River. Construction began in 1955 and was completed in 1957. The dam's reservoir covers approximately at normal full pool and has a drainage area of . The...
). Alcoa's Little Tennessee Valley plans were finalized in 1915, and construction crews began arriving at the company's base camp. Cheoah Dam was completed in 1919, and Santeetlah was completed in 1928.
In 1919, the large company town that housed the workers for Alcoa's aluminum plants, which had previously been known as "North Maryville," was incorporated under the company's name. The following year, the company renamed its Little Tennessee Valley construction camp "Calderwood" after its able head of operations in the valley, I. G. Calderwood. After the completion of Calderwood Dam in 1930, the construction camp evolved into a community that housed maintenance crews for the dam. Nearly two dozen residences were built, all following identical one-floor plans.
After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Calderwood expanded. In 1950, a school was built, and a Quonset hut was installed in the community for use as a theater. The Calderwood Methodist Church was completed in 1954, and the Calderwood Baptist Church was completed the following year. Within a few years, the need for onsite crews diminished, however, and residents began moving away. By the late 1960s, Calderwood had been largely abandoned.
Historical structures
Calderwood Dam was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989, and the dam's powerhouse, valve house, conduit tunnel, and penstocks were added in 1990. In 2004, several buildings in the Calderwood community— including the dam's service building, the school, and the Quonset-hut theater— along with the dam's gantry craneGantry crane
Gantry cranes, bridge cranes, and overhead cranes, are all types of cranes which lift objects by a hoist which is fitted in a hoist trolley and can move horizontally on a rail or pair of rails fitted under a beam...
s and gatehouse
Gatehouse (waterworks)
A gatehouse, gate house, or valve house for a dam is a structure housing sluice gates, valves, or pumps . Many gatehouses are strictly utilitarian, but especially in the nineteenth century, some were very elaborate....
, were added to the National Register. The residences in the community have all been razed, and only their foundations and two garages remain. The Calderwood Methodist Church is still intact, but the Calderwood Baptist Church has partially collapsed (the front facade remains). Neither church was included in the National Register listing.
External links
- Calderwood Dam — official Alcoa site