Butler Old New And Carderview

This is the story of Butler, Johnson County, Tennessee. The only town flooded by the Tennessee Valley Authority. Butler and its citizens met this ultimate fate after surviving almost two centuries of natural floods, wars, and disease. This is the story of 'Old' Butler 1768-1948, Carderview 1948-1953 and 'New' Butler 1953-Present. Interesting side stories of happenings in Butler and surroundings also presented. Appendices are very informative.

This large book contains hundreds of black and white photographs depicting citizens of Lower Johnson County, Tennesse and the Valleys of Elk River, Roan Creek and Watauga River. This entire area is now under the waters of the Watauga Lake. The majority of these photographs are page size and all are identified and many include the location and year. Maps are included of the Valleys of Elk River, Roan Creek and Watauga River.

In 1820, Ezekial "Zeke" Smith built a gristmill on the bank of Roan Creek, forming the community known as Smith Hill. Following the Civil War, it was renamed Butler in honor of Col. Roderick Random Butler. Much of the city's early development can be attributed to the establishment of the Aenon Seminary in 1871 and the advent of the Virginia and South Western Railroad, which provided transportation for residents and the developing logging industry. In 1933, the scenic landscape of the Watauga Valley was altered forever when the Tennessee Valley Authority was created by Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal legislation. TVA provided electric power for the state and controlled the flooding of the rivers in the region. In December 1948, the gates of the Watauga Dam were closed and water began to fill the Watauga Reservoir until Butler, Tennessee, was laid to rest at the bottom of Watauga Lake. The residents of Butler and the surrounding communities were forced to relinquish, demolish, or relocate more than 125 homes and 50 businesses.

During construction of the Tennessee Valley Authority Watauga Dam, TVA workers roamed the valley and interviewed the land owners and other residents prior to their homes and property being taken over by the Tennessee Valley Authority. Those reports constituted an account of the people, the valley, and the time. This compilation is a documentation of the people of old Butler and the Watauga Valley from those TVA records—and from people who hold fond, romantic memories of that place and time. It documents old Butler and surrounding communities of the Watauga Valley that were inundated, institutions that were moved or destroyed, and families that were displaced or otherwise affected by construction of the TVA Watauga Dam.