LESSON 1:
OUT OF THE DARKNESS
INTRODUCTORY ACTIVITY
1. Using a DVD player and a TV or projector, show the Built for the People – The Story of the TVA (26 minute) video. (Also available on the DVD).
2. Use the following questions to lead the class in a follow-up discussion:
- TVA was signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and is said to have “taken the South ‘out of the darkness.’ ” What does this mean? How did TVA take the South out of the darkness?
- Would life today be different without the creation of TVA? How? In what ways has TVA changed life in the Tennessee Valley?
- Do you think the traditions and sacrifices of past generations are reflected in TVA’s work today?
DISCOVERY ACTIVITY
Note: This class can be conducted in a student computer lab where each student has access to his or her own computer. Another option would be for the teacher to lead the class through the exercise using the website and handouts in a classroom with a computer and a projector. Students can also access the website with their mobile devices.
- Distribute a handout to each student. Students will write answers on notebook paper. Click here to print handout.
- Direct students to the website.
- Ask students to use the tools and resources provided by the website to respond to the handout questions (for a 100-point grade).
- As the students complete the activity, be available to answer any questions they might have.
EXTENSION ACTIVITIES
Digging Deeper
Assign students one of the Extension Activities for this lesson, or provide a list of all Extension Activities and let students work in groups to decide which one they would like to complete. Answers will vary based on student interest and the amount of research they conduct.
1. TVA – The Beginning
Pretend you are a news reporter assigned to cover the announcement of the creation of the Tennessee Valley Authority. Watch the video of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s historic speech launching the TVA and to read an excerpt from the speech. Write a short article announcing that the TVA Act has been signed into law. In your article, use information from the documentary and Roosevelt’s speech to highlight at least three changes you believe TVA will bring to the Tennessee Valley. Use the website template and photo archive to create your story.
Activity: The New Deal & the Beginning of TVA
For Teachers:
Watch the videos “The Tennessee Valley Before TVA,” “TVA’s Impact on the Tennessee Valley” and listen to the audio clip “President Roosevelt’s Historic Speech”. Discuss the issues faced by the Tennessee Valley region that existed before The New Deal and the creation of TVA, and how the region was affected by them both.
After reviewing the lesson, give your students the chance to craft their own newspaper articles about the creation of the Tennessee Valley Authority that highlight at least three changes TVA brought to the region. By using our online newspaper template, your class can create and print customized articles complete with historic photos and their own, unique headlines.
For Students:
Here’s a chance for you to get creative. Pretend you’re a news reporter in the 1930s or ’40s gathering facts about an important topic related to the Tennessee Valley’s transformation. Then write a newspaper article about it that highlights at least three changes TVA will bring to the Tennessee Valley. You could write about what life was like for a family who had no electricity, or about a businessman who is getting more business because the new river navigation made it easier to receive goods to sell. You could even write about President Roosevelt’s program called The New Deal, and how people in the region were reacting to the creation of TVA. It’s up to you.
For your story’s details, use the information and videos from the website. You can even include quotes from the online interviews in the section Valley Stories: Reflections from the Past on the videos page.
Write the date, headline, subhead and the main article in the fields. You can even insert photos from the photo archive and drop them into your story. Just look for the “Large Image” or “Small Image” sections, then click on the “Select” button to start browsing. Press “Submit” to preview the final product. Click here to get started.
2. Norris Dam: To Build or Not to Build?
Imagine you and your classmates have been asked to give up your homes, farmland and property so that TVA can build Norris Dam. Your class will be divided into two groups for a debate. One group will support Norris Dam, and the other will oppose it. Work with your group to prepare for the debate by reviewing interviews and footage about Norris Dam, then create a list of arguments supporting your position.
3. Tennessee Valley Stories
The interviews and stories in the film demonstrate the personal impact of the TVA on the lives of the people of the Tennessee Valley. Choose an older friend or family member to interview about their experience growing up in the Tennessee Valley and the impact of TVA. To prepare for the interview, review the personal stories and excerpts from the film, then create your own set of questions. You may write out the interview or film it.
Option: Instead of interviewing a friend or family member, select a person featured in one of the photographs on the website. Write what you imagine their story to be: Who are they? Where do they live? How did their life change as a result of the TVA?
Activity: Tennessee Valley Stories
For Teachers:
Watch the videos under the heading Valley Stories: Reflections from the Past” with your classroom for several firsthand accounts of what life was like in the Tennessee Valley.
After discussing these interviews with your students, have your class choose a photo from our gallery and write a fictional account about the photo they choose. In their stories, have your students describe the people in the photo and how their lives changed as a result of TVA and the development of the Tennessee Valley. Then let your students share their stories with the class.
For Students:
After viewing the video series “Valley Stories: Reflections from the Past,” take some time to discuss how so many people’s lives in the region were dramatically influenced by TVA. Once you have watched the videos, choose a photo that intrigues you from our gallery and write a fictional account about the person in that picture.
Here are some questions to consider answering with your story:
- Who are they?
- Where do they live?
- What was their life like before TVA and how did it change afterwards?
Be prepared to share your photo and interesting story with your class.
4. The Norris Dam Bill
Nebraska Senator George Norris was instrumental in passing this bill, which permitted the building of Norris Dam. Watch the video reenactment of Senator Norris’s speech to discover reasons why he supported the building of the dam. Then pretend to be Senator Norris and write a speech arguing for the passing of the bill in the Senate. Be prepared to give the speech to your class.
5. The Greater Good?
Eminent domain is a law that allows the government to purchase privately owned land from landowners in order to meet a public need. Your class will be divided into two groups for a debate. One group will support eminent domain, and one group will oppose it. Prepare for the debate by reviewing the “Eminent Domain information on the website and by watching the videos called, Tellico Dam Controversy (Snail Darter) and Norris Dam (Extended Version), then generate a list of specific examples from the video Built for the People—The Story of the TVA, to help support your position.
For Teachers:
When does the nation’s “greater good” take precedence over the private property rights of an individual? Eminent domain is a complex legal concept that allows the government to compulsorily purchase privately owned land from landowners to meet a public need. Watch the videos “Tellico Dam Controversy (Snail Darter),” “Norris Dam (Extended)” and “Built for the People—the Story of the TVA” to gain a clearer understanding of eminent domain and how it affected the Tennessee Valley Region and its people.
After discussing the videos with your classroom, divide the class into two groups. The groups can be randomly assigned or based on your students’ true feelings. Let the students research and debate the pros and cons of eminent domain.
For Students
President Roosevelt’s program called The New Deal was created to help lead the entire country out of the Great Depression. One part of his program, called the Tennessee Valley Authority Act, contained an important statement about eminent domain.
The definition of eminent domain is: “the power of the state to take private property for public use with payment of compensation to the owner.”
Many TVA projects and dams constructed under the Tennessee Valley Authority Act could not have been built without the implementation of eminent domain. Although landowners would be compensated for the use of their property, the idea that the government could compel people to leave behind their homes and land was not without controversy. However, by signing the Tennessee Valley Authority Act, President Roosevelt and Congress demonstrated a belief that the sacrifice of a few could greatly benefit a majority of the people in the Valley.
Read below to find out what the act said about eminent domain:
“(h) [The U.S. government] Shall have power in the name of the United States of America to exercise the right of eminent domain, and in the purchase of any real estate or the acquisition of real estate by condemnation proceedings, the title to such real estate shall be taken in the name of the United States of America, and thereupon all such real estate shall be entrusted to the Corporation as the agent of the United States to accomplish the purposes of this Act.
(i) Shall have power to acquire real estate for the construction of dams, reservoirs, transmission lines, power houses, and other structures, and navigation projects at any point along the Tennessee River, or any of its tributaries, and in the event that the owner or owners of such property shall fail and refuse to sell to the Corporation at a price deemed fair and reasonable by the Board, then the Corporation may proceed to exercise the right of eminent domain, and to condemn all property that it deems necessary for carrying out the purposes of this Act, and all such condemnation proceedings shall be had pursuant to the provisions and requirements hereinafter specified, with reference to any and all condemnation proceedings: Provided, That nothing contained herein or elsewhere in this Act shall be construed to deprive the Corporation of the rights conferred by the Act of February 26, 1931 (46 Stat. 1422, ch. 307, secs. 1 to 5, inclusive), as now compiled in section 258a to 258e, inclusive, of Title 40 of the United States.
6. Electricity’s Impact
Watch the video interviews with Leo Cobb then think about what electricity has meant to Leo and his family. Now choose a photograph, object or artifact that best represents the significance of electricity and its effect on society and the Great Depression. Create a short presentation about the image or artifact to share with your class.
MINI LESSONS
If you want to teach about the Tennessee Valley before TVA....
Try This...
- Show “The Tennessee Valley before TVA” on DVD or online at www.currentsofchange.net
- Recall from video: Who created TVA? In what year was TVA created?
- Think-Pair-Share: Have students think about the following question for a moment, then pair with a peer and share their response.
- Discuss as a class: Why was the creation of TVA and the building of dams such an effective solution for the Tennessee Valley during the Great Depression?
- Extension Activity: Have students write a written response to the following questions: Do you think TVA was the right solution for the Tennessee Valley? Was there anything that would have made it better?
If you want to teach about the impact of TVA on the Tennessee Valley....
Try This...
- Compare and contrast the before and after TVA photos found online:
- Using the photo resource online, have students compare and contrast before and after pictures as a class. Individually, students then write how the pictures demonstrate the impact of TVA on the Tennessee Valley.
If you want to teach about eminent doman....
Try This...
- Using the Eminent Domain Resource from the Currents of Change website, discuss the definition of eminent domain and its applicability in the Tennessee Valley Authority Act of 1933.
- Have students decide whether they agree, disagree, strongly agree, or strongly disagree with eminent domain and its use in TN and why they feel that way
- In the class, have the following four choices posted in different areas of the room: Agree, Disagree, Strongly Agree, or Strongly Disagree. Students go to the area that matches their choice and share with the others why they chose that option.
- A group leader from each group explains their choice and once all groups have gone, the floor can be open for debate of the choices (students are able, at this point, to move to a different option if they change their mind).
- Watch Norris Dam abbreviated video clip. Give students the opportunity to change their minds again.
LESSON 1: OUT OF THE DARKNESS - PHOTOS
Before TVA/Depression
People of Tennessee Valley
Artifacts
The TVA Act
Norris Dam
After the TVA Act
LESSON 1: OUT OF THE DARKNESS - VIDEOS
TVA and the Impact on the Tennessee Valley. Valley Stories: Reflections from the Past.
GRAPHS
U.S. Annual GDP 1910-1960
Gross Domestic Product, or GDP, is the monetary value of all the goods and services produced by an economy during a specific period, including consumption, government purchases, investments, and exports minus imports. In the graph above, you can see how our GDP stalled during the Great Depression of the 1930s, then quickly increased by the end of the decade, and continued to grow at a more steady pace up to 1960.
U.S. Unemployment Rate 1910-1960
What trend do you see occurring from 1929-1939? What events do you think contributed to these changes in the unemployment rate?
Power Generation Map
Map Filter:
Apalachia
Address: Shoal Creek, NC 28906
Located in Cherokee County in western North Carolina, west of the town of Murphy. Construction of the dam began in 1941 and was completed in 1943. Built primarily to generate hydropower
Generating Units: 2
Cedar
Address: Long -87.97500 Lat 34.54500
The dam was completed in 1963.
Built to provide flood damage reduction, and recreation opportunities and water supply.
Flood-storage capacity: 220 acre-feet
Dogwood
Address: Long -88.23695 Lat 35.69675, Paris, TN, 38242-5948
The dam was completed in 1965.
Built to provide flood damage reduction, recreation opportunities and water supply.
Flood-storage capacity: 1,590 acre-feet
Guntersville
Address: 3464 Snow Point Rd., Guntersville, AL 35976
Construction of the dam began in 1935 and was completed in 1939.
Built to provide electricity and flood control and to create a continuous 652-mile navigable river channel from Knoxville, Tennessee to Paducah, Kentucky.
Generating Units: 4
Flood-storage capacity: 162,100 acre-feet
Nickajack
Address: HWY 156, New Hope, TN 37340
Construction of the dam began in 1964 and was completed in 1967.
Built to provide hydroelectric power and to extend the reach of barge traffic up and down the Tennessee River.
Generating Units: 4
Ocoee 2
Address: Ducktown, TN 37391
Construction of the dam began in 1912 and was completed in 1913.
The Ocoee dams an integral part of TVA's hydroelectric system and provide importantrecreation benefits.
Generating Units: 2
Redbud
Address: Long -88.25705 Lat 35.68297
Construction of the dam was completed in 1965.
Built to provide flood damage reduction, recreational opportunities and water supply.
Generating Units: 2
Flood-storage capacity: 680 acre-feet
Watauga
Address: 774 Wilbur Dam Rd., Elizabethton, TN 37643-5416
Construction of the dam began in 1942 and was completed in 1948.
Built to provide power generation, flood damage reduction, water quality and recreational opportunities.
Generating Units: 2
Flood-storage capacity: 152,800 acre-feet
Bear Creek
Address: Long -87.98814 Lat 34.39853
The dam was completed in 1969.
Built to provide flood protection and recreation opportunities.
Flood-storage capacity: 5,200 acre-feet
Cedar Creek
Address: Long -87.975 Lat 34.545
The dam was completed in 1979.
Built to provide flood damage reduction, recreation opportunities and water supply.
Flood-storage capacity: 80,000 acre-feet
Douglas
Address: 850 Powerhouse Way, Dandridge, TN 37725-4948
Construction of the dam began in 1942 and was completed in just 12 months and 17 days.
Built to generate hydroelectric power during World War II, and to be an integral unit in the overall water control system in the Tennessee Valley.
Generating Units: 4
Flood-storage capacity: 1,082,00 acre-feet
Hiwassee
Address: 600 Powerhouse Rd., Murphy, N.C
Construction of the dam began in 1936 and was completed in 1940.
Built to provide electricity, recreational opportunities and reduce flood damage.
Generating Units: 2
Flood-storage capacity: 205,600 acre-feet
Nolichucky Dam and Davy Crockett Reservoir-Charlotte
Address: Long -82.86681 Lat 36.06520
The dam was completed in 1913.
Built in 1913 to provide hydroelectric power. However, due to siltation of the reservoir, the dam was taken out of service in 1972.
Ocoee 3
Address: Parksville, TN 37391
Construction of the dam began in 1913 and was completed in 1941.
Built to produce power for the war effort, to be an integral part of TVA's hydroelectric system, and to provide important recreation benefits.
Generating Units: 1
South Holston
Address: Long -82.088 Lat 36.524
Construction of the dam began in 1942 and was completed in 1950.
Built to provide flood damage reduction, power production, aquatic ecology, and augmentation of the flow of water during drier periods.
Generating Units: 1
Flood-storage capacity: 252,800 acre-feet
Watts Bar
Address: 6868 Watts Bar HWY, Spring City, TN 37381
Construction of the dam began in 1939 and was completed in 1942.
Built to provide hydroelectric power and to extend the reach of barge traffic up and down the Tennessee, Clinch and Emory Rivers.
Generating Units: 5
Beaver Creek
Address: Long -82.11148 Lat 36.64178
The dam was completed in 1965.
Built to provide flood damage reduction, recreation opportunities and water supply.
Flood-storage capacity: 37,800 acre-feet
Chatuge
Address: Long -83.791 Lat 35.018
Construction of the dam began in 1941 and was completed in 1942.
Built to provide flood damage reduction, power generation, and augmentation of water flows for navigation downstream.
Generating Units: 1
Flood-storage capacity: 62,600 acre-feet
Fontana
Address: HWY 28 S Fontana Dam, NC 28733
Construction of the dam began in 1942 and was completed in 1944.
Built during World War II to provide electric power for the war effort.
Generating Units: 3
Flood-storage capacity: 514,000 acre-feet
Kentucky
Address: 640 Kentucky Dam Rd., Grand Rivers, KY 42045-9164
Construction of the dam began in 1938 and was completed in 1944. Built to help reduce flood crests on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, and as a major producer of hydroelectric power.
Generating Units: 5
Flood-storage capacity: 4,008,000 acre feet
Normandy
Address: Long -86.24505 Lat 35.46452
Construction of the dam was completed in 1976.
Built for flood damage reduction, recreational opportunities and water supply.
Flood-storage capacity: 62,400 acre-feet
Pickwick
Address: State RTE 128 S., Pickwick Dam. TN 37365
Construction of the dam began in 1934 and was completed in 1938.
Built to provide electric power, improve navigation and reduce flood damage.
Generating Units: 6
Flood-storage capacity: 492,700 acre-feet
Sycamore
Address: Long -88.37877 Lat 35.56706
Construction of the dam was completed in 1965.
Built to provide flood damage reduction, recreational opportunities and water supply.
Flood-storage capacity: 800 acre-feet
Wheeler
Address: 24455 AL HWY 101, Town Creek, AL 35672-3223
Construction of the dam began in 1933 and was completed in 1936.
Built to provide hydroelectric power, flood damage reduction and to extend the reach of barge traffic up and down the Tennessee River.
Generating Units: 11
Flood-storage capacity: 326,500 acre-feet
Beech
Address: Long -88.41569 Lat 35.66088
The dam was completed in 1963.
Built to provide flood damage reduction recreation opportunities and water supply.
Flood-storage capacity: 4,340 acre-feet
Cherokee
Address: 450 Power House Rd., Rutledge, TN 37861-4967
Construction of the dam began in 1940 and was completed in 1941.
Built to generate hydroelectric power during World War II, and has prevented billions of dollars in flood damage over the years.
Generating Units: 4
Flood-storage capacity: 749,400 acre-feet
Fort Loudoun
Address: 1280 City Park Dr., Lenoir City 37773-4324
Construction of the dam began in 1940 and was completed in 1943.
Built to provide electricity and flood control and create a continuous 652-mile navigable river channel from Knoxville, Tennessee to Paducah, Kentucky.
Generating Units: 4
Flood-storage capacity: 111,000 acre-feet
Little Bear Creek
Address: Long -87.97591 Lat 34.45465
Construction of the dam was completed in 1975.
Built for flood damage reduction, and recreational opportunities and water supply.
Flood-storage capacity: 29,000 acre-feet
Norris
Address: Long -84.091 Lat 36.224
Construction of the dam began in 1933, just a few months after the creation of TVA, and was completed in 1936.
Built to provide electric power and to reduce flood damage.
Generating Units: 2
Flood-storage capacity: 1,113,000 acre-feet
Pin Oak
Address: Long -88.27952 Lat 35.68019
Construction of the dam was completed in 1964.
Built to provide flood damage reduction, recreation and water supply.
Flood-storage capacity: 3,300 acre-feet
Tellico
Address: Long -84.25960 Lat 35.77848
Construction of the dam began in 1967 and was completed in 1979.
Built to divert water through a short canal into Fort Loudoun, linking the two reservoirs in their joint functions of flood damage reduction, power production and improved navigation.
Flood-storage capacity: 120,000 acre-feet
Wilbur
Address: Long -82.126 Lat 36.341
Construction of the dam began in 1909 and was completed in 1912.
Built to provide hydroelectric power.
Generating Units: 4
Blue Ridge
Address: Long -84.240 Lat 34.883
Construction of the dam began in 1925 and was completed in 1930.
Built primary to generate hydropower and reduce flood damage.
Generating Units: 1
Flood-storage capacity: 68,500 acre-feet
Chickamauga
Address: Long -85.229 Lat 35.104
Construction of the dam began in 1936 and was completed in 1940.
Built to generate hydroelectric power and prevent major flooding in Chattanooga, which once had one of the most serious flooding problems in the nation.
Generating Units: 4
Flood-storage capacity: 345,300 acre-feet
Fort Patrick Henry
Address: Long -82.509 Lat 36.498
Construction of the dam began in 1951 and was completed in 1953.
Built primarily to provide hydropower.
Generating Units: 2
Lost Creek
Address: Long -88.34333 Lat 35.58000
Construction of the dam was completed in 1963.
Built for flood damage reduction, recreational opportunities and water supply.
Flood-storage capacity: 860 acre-feet
Nottely
Address: Long -84.090 Lat 34.960
Construction of the dam began in 1941 and was completed in 1942.
Built to provide electric power and to reduce flood damage.
Generating Units: 1
Flood-storage capacity: 61,600 acre-feet
Pine
Address: Long -88.40774 Lat 35.56980 Paris, TN, 38242-5948
Construction of the dam was completed in 1964.
Built to provide flood damage reduction, recreational opportunities and water supply.
Generating Units: 2
Flood-storage capacity: 2,580 acre-feet
Tim Ford
Address: Long -86.279 Lat 35.197
Construction of the dam began in 1966 and was completed in 1970.
Built to provide power generation, flood damage reduction, water supply and recreational opportunities.
Generating Units: 1
Flood-storage capacity: 219,600 acre-feet
Wilson
Address: Long -87.625861 Lat 34.8009209
Construction of the dam began in 1909 and was completed in 1912.
Built to provide hydroelectric power, flood damage reduction and improve navigation.
Generating Units: 21
Flood-storage capacity: 50,500 acre-feet
Boone Reservoir
Address: 301 Boone Dam Rd., Kingsport, TN 37663-4135
Construction of the dam began in 1950 and was completed in 1952.
Built to generate hydropower, reduce flood damage, water supply, water quality and aquatic ecology.
Generating Units: 3
Flood-storage capacity: 75,800 acre-feet
Clear Creek
Address: Long -82.11954 Lat 36.66300
The dam was completed in 1965.
Built to provide flood damage reduction and recreation opportunities.
Generating Units: 2
Flood-storage capacity: 2,511 acre-feet
Great Falls
Address: 1778 Great Falls Rd., Rock Island, TN 38581-4221
Construction of the dam began in 1915 and was completed in 1916.
Built primarily for power generation.
Generating Units: 2
Melton Hill
Address: 2009 Grubb Rd., Lenoir City, Tennessee 37771
Construction of the dam began in 1960 and was completed in 1963.
Built to provide hydroelectric power and to extend the reach of barge traffic up the Clinch River.
Generating Units: 2
Ocoee 1
Address: 1988 HWY 64, E. Benton, TN 37307-5821
Construction of the dam began in 1910 and was completed in 1911.
Built to provide electric power and reduce flood damage.
Generating Units: 5
Flood-storage capacity: 19,000 acre-feet
Raccoon Mountain
Address: Long -85.3996825 Lat 35.0484081
Construction at Raccoon Mountain Pumped-Storage plant began in 1970 and was complited in 1978.
Built to generate electricity when additional power is needed by the TVA system.
Generating Units: 4
Upper Bear Creek
Address: Long -87.69350 Lat 34.27296
Construction of the dam was completed in 1978.
Built to provide flood damage reduction, recreational opportunities and aquatic ecology.
Address: 208 Boone Dam Road, Kingsport, TN 37663
Allen Combined Cycle
Address: 2474 Plant Road, Memphis, Tennessee 38109-3014
Located five miles southwest of Memphis, Tennessee, on the Mississippi River
Construction began in 1956 and was completed in 1959.
Combustion Turbines: 20
Generating Capacity: 4.9 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity a year, enough to supply 345,000 homes.
Bull Run
Address: 1265 Edgemoor Road, Clinton, TN 37716-6270
Located near Oak Ridge, Tennessee, on Bull Run Creek.
Construction began in 1962 and was completed in 1967.
Coal-fired generating units: 1
Generating Capacity: 4.9 More than 6 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity a year, enough to supply 430,000 homes.
Brownsville
Address: 948 Beech Grove Road, Brownsville, TN 38012-8544
Located in Brownsville, TN. Purchased April 2008.
Combustion Turbines: 4
Generating Capacity: 490 megawatts
Caledonia Combined Cycle
Address: 2110 Caldwell Road, Caledonia, MS 39740
Located in Columbus, Mississippi. Leased in April 2007.
Combustion Turbines: 3
Generating Capacity: 765 megawatts
Colbert
Address: 1010 River Road, Muscle Shoals, AL 35661-1156
Located on the Pickwick Reservoir on the Tennessee River in Alabama.
Construction began in 1951 and was completed in 1956.
Combustion Turbines: 8
Generating Capacity: 7.8 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity a year, enough to supply 550,000 homes.
Cumberland
Address: 815 Cumberland City Rd, Cumberland City, TN 37050-4119
Located northwest of Nashville, Tennessee, on the Cumberland River.
Construction began in 1968 and was completed in 1973.
Coal-fired generating units: 2
Generating Capacity: In 2001, Cumberland generated 18.97 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity, enough to supply more than 1.2 million homes.
Gallatin
Address: 1499 Steam Plant Road, Gallatin, TN 37066-8714
Located in middle Tennessee on the north bank of the Cumberland River.
Construction began in 1953 and was completed in 1959.
Coal-fired generating units: 4
Combustion Turbines: 4
Generating Capacity: 4.7 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity a year, enough to supply 300,000 homes.
Gleason
Address: 1251 Elm Street, Martin, TN 38237-5203
Located in Weakley County in west Tennessee.
Acquired in December 2006.
Combustion Turbines: 3
Generating Capacity: 540 megawatts
John Sevier Combined Cycle
Address: 611 TN-70, Rogersville, TN 37857
Located on the Holston River near Rogersville, Tennessee.
Construction was completed in 1957.
Generating Capacity: 880-megawatt.
Johnsonville
Address: 950 Foote Lane, New Johnsonville, TN 37134
Located on the east bank of the Tennessee River near Waverly, Tennessee.
Construction began in 1949 and was completed in 1952.
Combustion Turbines: 16
Generating Capacity: About 550 million kilowatt-hours of electricity a year, enough to supply 400,000 homes.
Kemper
Address: Birch Street, De Kalb, MS 39328
Locatedin Kemper County, Mississippi, near the city of DeKalb.
Construction began in 2001 and was completed in 2002.
Combustion Turbines: 4
Generating Capacity: 340 megawatts, enough to power approximately 200,000 homes.
Kingston
Address: 714 Swan Pond Rd., Harriman, TN 37748
Located on Watts Bar Reservoir on the Tennessee, on the Mississippi River near Kingston, Tennessee.
Construction began in 1951 and was completed in 1955.
Coal-fired generating units: 9
Generating Capacity: About 10 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity a year, enough to supply 670,000 homes.
Lagoon Creek Combined Cycle
Address: 615 Elm Tree Road, Brownsville, Tennessee 38012-6321
Located in Haywood County in west Tennessee.
Construction began in 2000 and was completed in 2001.
Combustion Turbines: 12
Generating Capacity: 1,020 megawatts
Marshall
Address: 6264 Industrial Parkway, Calvert City, KY 42029
Located near Calvert City, Kentucky.
Acquried in December 2006.
Combustion Turbines: 8
Generating Capacity: 680 megawatts
Paradise Combined Cycle
Address: 13246 State Rte 176 Ste. 10, Drakesboro, KY 42337
Located in western Kentucky on the Green River near the village of Paradise.
Construction began in 1959 and was completed in 1970.
Generating Capacity: 14 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity a year, enough to supply more than 930,000 homes.
Shawnee
Address: 7900 Metropolis Lake Road, West Paducah, KY 42086
Located about 10 miles northwest of Paducah, Kentucky, on the Ohio River.
Construction began in 1951 and was completed in 1957.
Coal-fired generating units: 10
Generating Capacity: 9 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity a year, enough to supply 580,000 homes.
Southaven
Address: 2882 Stateline Road, Southaven, MS 38671-1014
Located near Desoto County, Mississippi.
Purchased in May 2008.
Combustion Turbines: 3
Generating Capacity: 810 megawatts
Address: 352 Highway 4 West, Ashland, MS 38603
Address: 2510 Pensacola Road, Ackerman, MS 39735
Browns Ferry
Address: Long -87.1170456 Lat 34.7096721
Browns Furry Nuclear Plant is on the north shore of Wheeler Reservoir in north Alabama. It was TVA's first nuclear power plant, and the largest in the world when it began operation in 1974. It was the first nuclear plant in the world to generate more than 1 billion watts of power.
Sequoyah
Address: Long -85.094122 Lat 35.226525
Sequoyah Nuclear Plant is located in east Tennessee 18 miles north of Chattanooga, on the banks of Chickamauga Reservoir. Sequoyah is TVA's second nuclear power plant. Construction began in 1969, and Unit 1 began full commercial operation in 1981. Unit 2 began operation the following year.
Watts Bar
Address: Long -84.7911339 Lat 35.6019959
Watts Bar Nuclear Plant is located just south of Watts Bar Reservoir on the Tennessee River near Spring City in east Tennessee . It is TVA's third nuclear power plant. Construction began in 1973, and Unit 1 began full commercial operation in 1996. In 1988 TVA suspended costruction of Unit 2 because of a reduction in the predicted growth of power demand. The unit remains idle.
Adventure Science Center
Address: 800 Fort Negley Boulevard, Nashville, TN 37203
Located in Nashville at the Adventure Science Center on Fort Negley Boulevard, off Interstate 65.
Construction on the solar arrays was complited in April 2000.
American Museum of the Science & Energy
Address: 300 South Tulane Avenue, Oak Ridge, TN 37830
Located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee
Solar Modules: 400 PV modules
BRIDGES Center
Address: 477 North 5th Street, Memphis, TN 38105
Located in Memphis, Tennessee on the roof of the new BRIDGES facility in the Uptown redevelopment area, north of downtown.
Construction of the solar arrays was completed in 2004.
Solar Modules: 176 PV modules
Buffalo Mountain
Located on the Buffalo Mountain near Oak Ridge, Tennessee
Construction on the three smaller wind turbines was completed in 2000. TVA addad 15 larger turbines in 2004.
Wind Turbines: 18
Generating Capacity: 29 megawatts of electricity, enough to power about 3,780 homes.
Cocke County High School
Address: 216 Hedrick Drive, Newport, TN 37821
Located in Newport, Tennessee, on the Cocke County High School soccer field.
Solar Modules: 240 PV modules
Generating Capacity: About 47 kilowatt-hours of electricity a day
Duffield-Pattonville Primary School
Address: Duffield, VA 24244
Located in Scott County, Virginia
Solar Modules: 240 PV modules
Generating Capacity: About 51 kilowatt-hours of electricity a day
Finley Stadium
Address: 1826 Reggie White Boulevard, Chattanooga, TN 37408
Located in Chattanooga, Tennessee
The system began producing electricity in July 2001.
Solar Modules: 11 solar arrays of PV modules
Generating Capacity: The entire system can produce about 127,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity a year
Florence Water Treatment Facility
Address: 650 Rickwood Road, Florence, AL 35630
Located in Florence, Alabama
The system began producing electricity in August 2002.
Solar Modules: 216 PV modules
Generating Capacity: About 53,480 kilowatt-hours of electricity a year
Ijams Nature Center
Address: 2915 Island Home Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37920
Located on the south shore of Fort Loudon Reservoir in Knoxville, Tennessee
Generating Capacity: About 52 kilowatt-hours of electricity a day
Lovers Lane Soccer Complex
Address: 385 Lovers Lane, Bowling Green, KY 42101
Located in Bowling Green, Kentucky
Solar Modules: Four arrays with a total of 960 PV modules
Generating Capacity: The entire system can produce about 53,900 kilowatt-hours of electricity a year
Mississippi State University
Address: Mississippi State University, 3, Mississippi State, MS 39762
Located in Starksville, Mississippi, on the campus of Mississippi State University
Solar Modules: 104 PV modules
Generating Capacity: About 26,300 kilowatt-hours of electricity a year
Morgan County Vocational Technical School
Address: 132 Flat Fork Road, Wartburg, TN 37887
Located in Wartburg, Tennessee
Solar Modules: 72 PV modules
Generating Capacity: About 26 kilowatt-hours of electricity a day
University of Mississippi
Address: University Ave. & 5th St., Oxford, MS 38655
Located in Oxford, Mississippi, on the campus of the University of Mississippi
Solar Modules: 216 PV modules
Generating Capacity: About 51,500 kilowatt-hours of electricity a year
Address: 130 Trenton Highway, Dyer, TN 38330
Address: 4747 Bob Wallace Avenue SW, Huntsville, AL 35805
LESSON 1: PRIMARY DOCUMENTS & SUPPORTING TEXTS
Franklin Roosevelt’s First Inaugural Address:
Political Cartoons about the New Deal
LESSON 1: OUT OF THE DARKNESS
The Tennessee Valley Authority and the Great Depression
Learn TVA’s role in the development of the Tennessee Valley during and after The Great Depression. Teach your students how a region once plagued by high unemployment, floods, disease and poor farming conditions began to thrive with the introduction of electricity.
LESSON 2: THE TENNESSEE VALLEY AND THE WAR EFFORT
Oak Ridge, Fontana and the TVA
What was the Tennessee Valley’s role in World War II? Discover how Fontana Dam, Oak Ridge and the Tennessee Valley Authority each contributed to influence the outcome of World War II.