Newsroom Articles

TVA’s Mightiest Dam

In dedicating the massive Kentucky Dam, President Harry S. Truman summed up the success of TVA, a formula comprised of modern science, good management and common sense.

The Name Game

What’s in a name? TVA dams reflect the history of the Tennessee Valley region.

The Quiet Beauty of Nottely

The secret is out: Nottely Dam and its reservoir, tucked away in the mountains of North Georgia, provide some of the most gorgeous scenery and best fishing in the Southeast.

The TVA Quilt

A modernistic quilt, made in the 1930s by wives of men working on Wheeler Dam near Muscle Shoals, Alabama, represents support and guidance of the African-American community by TVA.

The Mountaintop Marvel

Initially scorned, TVA’s pumped storage generating plant inside Raccoon Mountain became one of the engineering wonders of the Tennessee Valley region.

Building a Better Life for the Tennessee Valley

The Unified Development of the Tennessee River System plan laid out the strategy for building dams that would transform the Valley region. It also gave TVA an identity and vision that continues to drive the company today.

A Dam for the People

Wilson Dam was built for WWI, but the war ended before it could spin up its turbines. After years spent in limbo, the dam gained new purpose with the founding of TVA.

A Reign of Harmony

TVA’s dams—especially Norris—have had an undeniable influence on modern architecture. But when the world-renowned architect Le Corbusier visited America in 1946, he was most impressed by TVA’s transformation of the Tennessee Valley.

The Grand Old Dam

Beautiful, venerable Wilbur Dam – one of the oldest in the TVA system, encapsulates much history and serves the Tennessee Valley in many ways even today.

Public Power Transforms Real Lives

The Father of Public Power

Boyish in appearance but hardheaded and knowledgeable, David Lilienthal built the TVA power system according to one guiding principle: affordable electricity for everyone in the TVA region.

Caution: Wild Waters

With the heavy rains this month, reservoirs levels are high and many dams in the TVA system are spilling water, creating potentially dangerous conditions for heedless recreational users.

Something Greater Than Ourselves

Regardless of which branch they serve, TVA's 100 employees who serve in the Active Guard Reserves are often activated to support wars, conflicts, humanitarian efforts and other situations requiring a military show of force.

What's the Point?

Sophisticated 3D images based on millions (and millions) of data points save time, money and injury risk for plants across the Valley.

A Shot in the Arm

TVA employee, public health program helped make once-common diseases a rarity in the region.

The Artist with a Camera

When TVA set out to transform life in the region, Krutch set out to capture the process on film. The result was high art.

The Topography of War

TVA’s mapping department mapped 750,000 square miles on far-away continents as part of war effort

Home-Front Defenders

As Uncle Sam called more men to serve in the military, TVA looked to women to protect critical infrastructure that powered the war effort.

Greening the Valley

In the 1930s, TVA turned farmers into experts on erosion control, putting agriculture in the region on the road to recovery.

Merry and Bright

Holiday lights have a fascinating history that ranges from the first candles pinned to tree boughs to the 3 million-bulb display at Bristol Motor Speedway.