1966 Map of Spring City

About this map

Watts Bar Lake and the Tennessee River dominate the landscape of Rhea and Meigs counties, where the water flows between the Cumberland Escarpment and Walden Ridge. This mid-century view shows Spring City as a hub of the Southern Railway, its residential streets and industry tucked between the ridges. The filling of the reservoir transformed the local geography, creating Cemetery Island, Doc Smith Island, and the Dickey Bluff Peninsula from what were once high points on the riverbanks. Local history is deeply embedded in the land, with numerous family burial grounds like the Robinson Cem and Ingle Cem scattered near old settlements such as Lorraine and Grandview. The presence of the Rhea Springs Fish Hatchery and Meigs County Park reflects the area's development into a center for recreation and conservation in the decades following the construction of the Watts Bar Dam.