29 Jun 2018

Region recognizes J. Percy Priest project on its 50th birthday

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (June 29, 2018) – Community leaders and citizens celebrated the 50th Anniversary of J. Percy Priest Dam and Reservoir today, acknowledging the project’s positive impact on the region since President Lyndon B. Johnson dedicated it as a perfect example of the new conservation 50 years ago.

14 Feb 2018

Nashville District tames Cumberland River with the 'Old Locks'

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Feb. 14, 2018) – Using wood coffer dams, primitive hand tools, A-frames and even animals to haul in supplies and stone blocks on tracks from nearby rock quarries, Army engineers constructed 15 navigation locks in the late 1800s and early 1900s to tame the Cumberland River for steamboats moving people and commerce throughout the region a century ago.

13 Jan 2014

Retired lock operator recalls rich history of navigation at Hales Bar

JASPER, Tenn. (Jan. 13, 2014) — The decommissioned Hales Bar Navigation Lock is crumbling and in an obvious state of disrepair, but remains a historical landmark here on the bank of the Tennessee River for all boat captains who pass by it. A retired lock operator who served there a half a century ago visited recently to recall the days of old when the project operated in pristine condition and it was his job to lock through vessels delivering commerce up and down the waterway.