Chilhowee Hydroelectric Development
6102 TN 129, Tallassee, TNThe Chilhowee Hydroelectric Development meets National Register criteria A for its historical significance as an integral part of the Tapoco Hydroelectric Project. The Chilhowee Hydroelectric Development is significant in the industrial development of Tennessee. By the mid-20th century, Alcoa emerged as one of the leading manufacturers in the state, and the development of the Alcoa facility in Blount County made this region an industrial center. Alcoa employed thousands of workers in its aluminum plants, and its hydroelectric facilities made this production possible. Although construction of the Chilhowee Development did not begin until 1955, the facility was planned in the late 1940s/early 1950s as part of Alcoa's interconnected series of hydroelectric facilities on the Little Tennessee and Checah Rivers.
The Tapoco Hydroelectric Project supplies power to Alcoa industrial plants, and Alcoa continues to be a leader in the aluminum industry, and one of the region's largest employers. The mountainous landscape surrounding Chilhowee retains its sense of time and place and looks much as it did when the facility was completed. There is no substantial residential or commercial development in the vicinity of the dam and powerhouse, or along the reservoir shoreline. The Chilhowee Hydroelectric Development meets the registration requirements set forth in the Multiple Property Documentation Form, Historic Resources of the Tapoco Hydroelectric Project.
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 2004.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.