File:Norris Dam, Norris, TN - 51441440309.jpg

English: Built between 1933 and 1936, Norris Dam was constructed by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) as their first flood control and hydroelectric generation project, and stretches across the Clinch River between Campbell County and Anderson County, Tennessee. Named for George Norris (1861-1944), a senator from Nebraska whom was a key proponent of the Tennessee Valley Authority, created as part of the New Deal, the 265 foot (81 meter) high and 1,860 foot (570 meter) long concrete dam impounds the largest reservoir in the Tennessee River basin by surface area, covering 33,840 acres (137 square kilometers) with an 809 mile (1,302 kilometer) shoreline, with a catchment area of 2,912 square miles (7,540 square kilometers) and a surface elevation of 1,020 feet (310 meters). The reservoir averages 75 feet (23 meters) deep, with a maximum depth of 210 feet (64 meters) at the dam, and extends 73 miles up the Clinch River from the dam. The construction of the dam required the purchase of 152,000 acres of land, and displaced 2,841 families and 5,226 graves. The rural communities and towns of Loyston, Caryville, Big Barren, and Baker’s Forge were wiped out partially or entirely by the creation of the lake. The dam has several Modernist and Art Deco flourishes, and a Mid Century Modern visitor center, built circa 1953 upon the creation of Norris Dam State Park, that features a concrete butterfly roof and decorative mosaic tile panels. US Highway 441 crosses the top of the dam between Norris, Tennessee and Rocky Top, Tennessee, providing quick and easy access to the dam and lake from nearby Interstate 75. The first project to be completed by the Tennessee Valley Authority, the dam was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016.