1936 Map of Guntersville Dam

About this map

Guntersville Dam (Under Construction) stands at the center of this 1936 survey, capturing the massive Tennessee Valley Authority engineering project in mid-transformation. The landscape shows a region poised between its traditional agrarian past and a new hydro-electric future, with the Proposed Guntersville Reservoir outlined against the existing riverbanks. Local infrastructure like the N C and St L RR Ferry and the Guntersville Dam Landing Field reveal the importance of transport during the dam's buildup. Away from the river, the map records the enduring rural network of Marshall and Madison counties, including the village of Union Grove, Neighbors Mill on Shoal Creek, and numerous country congregations such as Harding Chapel and Mt Hebron Ch. The terrain is defined by dramatic elevations like Brindelee Mountain and Bishop Mountain, which overlooked a valley soon to be permanently altered by the rising waters.