Willow Grove, Tennessee

Willow Grove was a small town in eastern Clay County, Tennessee, United States.[1] Named for the willow trees in the area, the town was located 13 miles (21 km) due east of Celina. It was located along the banks of Iron Creek, a tributary of the Obey River.[2]

Willow Grove
Town
Willow Grove is located in Tennessee
Willow Grove
Willow Grove
Willow Grove is located in the United States
Willow Grove
Willow Grove
Coordinates: 36°35′13″N 85°20′32″W
CountryUnited States
StateTennessee
CountyClay County
Settledbefore 1785
Vacated1942
Elevation
[1]
692 ft (211 m)
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
Area code931
GNIS feature ID1314516[1]

History

The town was a settlement founded by five families from New York State. The land was purchased from Cherokee Indians at sometime prior to 1785.[3]

In the 1920s and 1930s, Willow Grove was Clay County's second largest town, behind only the county seat, Celina. It was a thriving village complete with a gristmill, a school, a few churches, and a couple of businesses.[2] The town stood on what was the area's most valuable agricultural land at the time.[4][5]

In 1942, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers bought the land in which the town was located in, thereby forcing its residents to relocate out of the area prior to the demolition of homes and other buildings as part of the impoundment of the area. On July 18 of that year, residents of the town marked a farewell celebration by holding a community picnic[2][6] on the school grounds.[3]

Following the completion of Dale Hollow Dam in 1943, the town site was completely submerged by water following the impounding of the river, which created Dale Hollow Reservoir.[7] However, in 2008, a former employee of Kentucky's Trooper Island took an aerial photo of the school building's foundation on the bottom of the lake. The photo went viral on the Dale Hollow Lake Facebook page when a lake employee published it in 2016.[8][9]

Former residents of Willow Grove meet annually on Labor Day weekend in remembrance of the town.[10]

The formation of the lake left parts of eastern Clay County completely cut off from the rest of the county; traveling through neighboring Overton County and the Livingston area is necessary for commuting to Celina. Any parts of the community that was not submerged underwater has mostly become part of the Dale Hollow Lake Wildlife Management Area, which surrounds the lake.

Geography

Until the creation of the lake, Tennessee State Route 53 (SR 53) was the major thoroughfare through the town[2], connection the area to Celina in the west and a direct connection east to SR 42 (now SR 111) in Byrdstown, in Pickett County. Another road led traffic northward to the part of Cumberland County, Kentucky, where Dale Hollow Lake State Park is presently located, and eventually to Burkesville via Kentucky Route 61 (KY 61).[11][12][13] After the dam was completed, SR 53 was rerouted to directly connect with KY 61 (also partially rerouted due to the formation of the lake) at the state line south of Peytonsburg, Kentucky.[14] The remnants of the original SR 53's alignment in western Pickett County is now SR 325 west of Byrdstown.

Today, any remaining parts of the area where the community stood that is not submerged by the lake is accessible via SR 294, which is the sole thoroughfare that connects with the Livingston area to provide access to the Willow Grove Marina and Resort.[15]

Notable residents

References
  1. "Willow Grove". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
  2. "Willow Grove". Clark Buford Bait. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  3. "Willow Grove - Ghost Town". ghosttowns.com. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
  4. "Willow Grove". Clay County TN Celebration (Clay County (TN) Historical Preservation Committee). Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  5. Shell, Darren. "Willow Grove: the town that drowned". U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  6. Watts, Jennifer (May 18, 2021). "Underwater Ghost Towns of Tennessee". Tennessee State Museum. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  7. "Dale Hollow Dam Celebrates 75th Anniversary". Overton County News. October 9, 2018. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
  8. Roberts, Lee (February 25, 2016). "Dale Hollow Lake photo of 'town that drowned' goes viral on Facebook". U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Retrieved November 6, 2022.
  9. Morgan, Leslie (November 30, 2022). "Former School with Legendary Tomb Submerged Underwater in Tennessee Lake". WKDQ. Archived from the original on February 1, 2023. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
  10. Mays, Mary (June 23, 2022). "Tennessee's Atlantis: What lies beneath Dale Hollow Lake". WKRN-TV. Retrieved November 6, 2022.
  11. Kentucky Department of State Highways (September 15, 1939). Road Map of Kentucky (PDF) (Map). c. 1:760,320. Frankfort: Kentucky Department of State Highways.
  12. Tennessee Department of Highways and Public Works (1940). "Road Condition Map of Tennessee" (Map). Road Condition Map of Tennessee. 1:887000. Nashville: Tennessee Department of Highways and Public Works. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  13. Tennessee Department of Highways and Public Works (1938). "Road Condition Map of Tennessee" (Map). Road Condition Map of Tennessee. 1:825000. Nashville: Tennessee Department of Highways and Public Works. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  14. Tennessee Department of Highways and Public Works (1951). "Road Condition Map of Tennessee" (Map). Road Condition Map of Tennessee. 1:950000. Nashville: Tennessee Department of Highways and Public Works. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  15. DeLorme (2010). Kentucky Atlas & Gazetteer (Map). 1:150000. Yarmouth, ME: DeLorme. p. 83. § G10. ISBN 0-89933-340-0.
  16. Carey, Bill (June 2021). "Tennessee's Underwater Ghost Towns". Tennessee Magazine. Retrieved November 6, 2022.
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