Tygart River Reservoir Dam
Encyclopedia
Tygart River Reservoir Dam, also known as Tygart Dam, is a historic dam
located near Grafton
, Taylor County, West Virginia
. It was designed in part by Paul Philippe Cret
and built between 1934 and 1938, as a project sponsored by the Public Works Administration
to provide for flood control. It is owned and operated by the United States Army Corps of Engineers
. The concrete gravity dam has an uncontrolled spillway and measures 1,921 feet long and 209 feet thick at the base. The structure features some Art Deco
style decorative elements. Located within the historic area are the Tygart Dam; two damtender dwellings; two maintenance buildings; comfort, storage and concession building; overlook and parking area; and resource manager's office.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1995.
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
located near Grafton
Grafton, West Virginia
Grafton is a city in, and county seat of, Taylor County, West Virginia, USA. The population was 5,489 at the 2000 census. The only two national cemeteries in West Virginia are located in Grafton. Mother's Day was founded in Grafton on May 10, 1908; the city is the home to the International Mother's...
, Taylor County, West Virginia
Taylor County, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 16,089 people, 6,320 households, and 4,487 families residing in the county. The population density was 93 people per square mile . There were 7,125 housing units at an average density of 41 per square mile...
. It was designed in part by Paul Philippe Cret
Paul Philippe Cret
Paul Philippe Cret was a French-American architect and industrial designer. For more than thirty years, he headed the Department of Architecture at the University of Pennsylvania.- Biography :...
and built between 1934 and 1938, as a project sponsored by the Public Works Administration
Public Works Administration
The Public Works Administration , part of the New Deal of 1933, was a large-scale public works construction agency in the United States headed by Secretary of the Interior Harold L. Ickes. It was created by the National Industrial Recovery Act in June 1933 in response to the Great Depression...
to provide for flood control. It is owned and operated by the United States Army Corps of Engineers
United States Army Corps of Engineers
The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...
. The concrete gravity dam has an uncontrolled spillway and measures 1,921 feet long and 209 feet thick at the base. The structure features some Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
style decorative elements. Located within the historic area are the Tygart Dam; two damtender dwellings; two maintenance buildings; comfort, storage and concession building; overlook and parking area; and resource manager's office.
It was listed 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 1995.