Home > Alabama > Muscle%252BShoals > Wilson Dam & Hydroelectric Plant, Spanning Tennessee River at Wilson Dam Road (Route, Muscle Shoals, Colbert County, AL
B&W Photos
No images were found.
Data Pages
No images were found.
Drawings
No images were found.
Photo Caption Pages
No images were found.
Item Title
Wilson Dam & Hydroelectric Plant, Spanning Tennessee River at Wilson Dam Road (Route, Muscle Shoals, Colbert County, AL
LocationSpanning Tennessee River at Wilson Dam Road (Route,
Muscle%252BShoals, AL
Find maps of Muscle%252BShoals, AL
Created/Published
Documentation compiled after 1968.
Notes
Survey number HAER AL-47
Unprocessed field note material exists for this structure (N164).
National Register Number: 66000147
Part of building/structure is in Florence vicinity, Lauderdale County, AL.
Significance: In 1918, by the directive of the U.S. War Department, the Army Corps of Engineers began construction on Wilson Dam, a large hydroelectric project that was to supply power to U.S. Nitrate Plant No. 2 in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. With the ending of the war in the same year, Wilson Dam lingered in an uncompleted state until government appropriations saw it through to its completion in 1926. Begun at the end of a period of intense innovation and later standardization in hydroelectric technology, Wilson Dam incorporated state-of-the-art equipment for the generation and transmission of electrical power. When taken over the by newly formed Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) in 1933, Wilson Dam became the first hydroelectric facility in that agency's power system, and as a result, it is now also the oldest. Reflecting the high level of operating efficiency reached during the formative period of hydroelectric dam-building, Wilson has retained much of its original equipment, including vintage generators, turbines and various electrical components, despite ensuing construction of more modern facilities that now comprise the extensive TVA system.
Related Names
Tennessee Valley Authority
Collection
Historic American Engineering Record (Library of Congress)
Contents
Photograph caption(s):
1. GENERAL VIEW OF THE WILSON DAM, LOOKING SOUTHEAST, GENERATING PLANT IN THE BACKGROUND.
2. EXTREME OBLIQUE VIEW LOOKING DOWN THE WEST FACE (LOW SIDE) OF THE DAM.
3. VIEW LOOKING NORTHEAST SHOWING A CORNER DETAIL OF THE POWERHOUSE AND THE SOUTHERN SECTION OF THE DAM.
4. EXTREME OBLIQUE VIEW LOOKING NORTHEAST, SHOWING THE GENERATING HOUSE.
5. VIEW LOOKING NORTHWEST AT THE EAST FACE (HIGH SIDE) OF THE DAM.
6. VIEW LOOKING NORTH AT ROUTE 133 RUNNING ALONG THE TOP OF WILSON DAM.
7. VIEW LOOKING SOUTHEAST AT ROUTE 133, SHOWING A CORNER DETAIL OF THE POWERHOUSE AND A SECTION OF THE SWITCHYARD.
8. GENERAL VIEW LOOKING NORTHWEST SHOWING THE HIGH SIDE OF THE WILSON DAM.
9. GENERAL VIEW LOOKING NORTHEAST SHOWING THE SWITCHYARD OF THE WILSON DAM HYDROELECTRIC GENERATING PLANT.
10. GENERAL VIEW LOOKING EAST AT THE SWITCHYARD OF THE GENERATING PLANT.
11. VIEW LOOKING EAST SHOWING THE SWITCHYARD AND THE WEST ELEVATION OF THE POWERHOUSE.
12. CLOSE-UP VIEW OF THE SWITCHYARD TERMINALS AND THE WEST ELEVATION OF THE POWERHOUSE.
13. INTERIOR VIEW OF THE GENERATING HOUSE SHOWING THE 'HOUSE GENERATOR' AND GOVERNOR ASSEMBLY.
14. INTERIOR VIEW SHOWING AN EARLY GROUND FAULT CIRCUIT INTERRUPTER.
15. GENERAL VIEW LOOKING SOUTHEAST, SHOWING CONSTRUCTION BRIDGE AND GANTRY CRANES.
16. CLOSE UP VIEW LOOKING SOUTH AT THE CONSTRUCTION SITE, SHOWING A GANTRY CRANE AND COFFER DAM.
17. VIEW LOOKING SOUTH, SHOWING COFFER DAM AND CRANES.
18. GENERAL VIEW OF THE DOWNSTREAM (LOW SIDE) SIDE OF DAM.
19. GENERAL VIEW OF CONSTRUCTION LOOKING SOUTH SHOWING A PARTIALLY CONSTRUCTED SECTION OF THE SPILLWAY.
20. GENERAL VIEW OF CONSTRUCTION LOOKING NORTHEAST SHOWING THE CONSTRUCTION BRIDGE, GANTRY CRANE AND STRUCTURAL PIERS.
21. CLOSE-UP VIEW OF THE STRUCTURAL PIERS AND CONSTRUCTION BRIDGE.
22. GENERAL VIEW LOOKING NORTHEAST, SHOWING GANTRY CRANES AND THE SPILLWAY SECTION NEAR COMPLETION.
23. CLOSE-UP VIEW OF THE SPILLWAY SECTION, SHOWING THE FORMWORK FOR THE SPILLWAY ARCHES.
24. CLOSE-UP VIEW OF THE FORMWORK FOR THE ARCHES ON THE UPPER SECTION OF THE NAVIGATION LOCK.
25. GENERAL VIEW LOOKING NORTH, SHOWING THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE POWER GENERATING FACILITIES.
26. GENERAL VIEW LOOKING NORTH SHOWING THE STRUCTURAL PIERS AND DRAFT CONE UNDER CONSTRUCTION.
27. DETAIL VIEW OF FORMS BEING BUILT FOR THE SPIRAL DISTRIBUTORS.
28. GENERAL VIEW OF SPIRAL DISTRIBUTOR FORMWORK.
29. VIEW LOOKING DOWN AT A DRAFT CONE AND FORMWORK FOR A SPIRAL DISTRIBUTOR.
30. VIEW LOOKING NORTHEAST SHOWING A DRAFT CONE AND INTAKE TUBES.
31. GENERAL VIEW LOOKING NORTHEAST, SHOWING THE CONSTRUCTION AND FORMWORK FOR THE TURBINE ASSEMBLIES.
32. GENERAL VIEW LOOKING NORTHEAST, SHOWING DRAFT CONES AND INTAKE TUBES.
33. INTERIOR VIEW OF COMPLETED DRAFT TUBE.
34. VIEW OF THE GENERATOR FLOOR, SHOWING ELECTRICIANS INSTALLING A GENERATOR UNIT.
35. GENERAL VIEW LOOKING SOUTH AT THE GENERATOR FLOOR.
36. EAST END OF WILSON LOCK, FROM EAST SIDE OF LIFT BRIDGE.
37. LOCK HOUSE CAISSON LIFT GATE/UPSTREAM END OF LOCK.
38. UPSTREAM GATE LOOKING EAST.
39. LOCK HOUSE LOOKING NORTH.
40. COMPOUND LOCK (ORIGINAL TO DAM ON LEFT).
41. GENERAL VIEW OF LOWER LIFTGATE.
42. DOWNSTREAM LIFTGATE LOOKING EAST.
43. DETAIL DOWNSTREAM LOCK LOOKING EAST.
44. DETAIL OF LOWER DOWNSTREAM LOCK GATE OPENING MECHANISM.
45. VIEW WEST TOWARD DOWNSTREAM GATE AND TENNESSEE RIVER.
46. TOP OF LOWER GATE LOOKING EAST TO MIDDLE GATE.
47. VIEW LOOKING EAST TOWARD UPSTREAM GATE.
48. DETAIL GATE OPENING MECHANISM LOOKING NORTHEAST.
49. MID LOCK GATE LOOKING EAST.
50. DETAIL MIDGATE 3/4 ELEVATION.
51. VIEW WEST FROM UPSTREAM HEADGATE.
52. MIDGATE PART OF COMPOUND LOCK LOOKING NORTHWEST.
Back to Muscle%252BShoals, Alabama
Cart