Calderwood Dam
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Calderwood Dam
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Calderwood Dam
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| Location | Blount / Monroe counties, Tennessee |
|---|---|
| Nearest city | Maryville, Tennessee |
| Area | 30 acres (12 ha) |
| Built | 1930 |
| Architect | I.V. Karpov |
| MPS | Blount County MPS; Pre-TVA Hydroelectric Power Development in Tennessee MPS |
| NRHP Reference # |
89001069 (original) 90001016 (increase) |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | August 21, 1989 |
| Boundary increase | July 3, 1990 |
Calderwood Dam is a hydroelectric dam located along the Little Tennessee River in Blount and Monroe counties, in the U. S. state of Tennessee. Completed in 1930, the dam is owned and maintained by Tapoco, a subsidiary of the Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa), although the Tennessee Valley Authority controls the dam's reservoir levels from Fontana Dam further upstream. Calderwood Dam is named for Alcoa engineer Isaac Glidden Calderwood (1871–1941), who supervised much of the company's early Little Tennessee River operations.
Calderwood Dam was one of four dams— along with Cheoah, Santeetlah, and Chilhowee— built in the Little Tennessee Valley by Alcoa in the 20th century to provide electricity to its aluminum smelting operations in Blount County. The dam was one of the last to be completed in the Tennessee River watershed before TVA took control of the watershed in 1933. Alcoa developed the community of Calderwood, Tennessee, just downstream from the dam to house construction and maintenance crews for its Little Tennessee Valley operations. In 1989, Calderwood Dam was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The listing was expanded in 1990 and again in 2004 to include most of the dam's substructures.
Calderwood Dam is located approximately 44 miles (71 km) upstream from the mouth of the Little Tennessee River, which flows westward from North Carolina and empties into the Tennessee River. The area is surrounded by mountains on all sides, with the Great Smoky Mountains rising to the north and the Unicoi Mountains rising to the south. U.S. Route 129 runs roughly parallel to the Blount County side of the river, providing the only major road access to the Calderwood area.
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