A Campeground full with wonderful folks for the 4th of July.  Mother Nature cooperated, waiting until the fireworks over the Lake were complete before giving everyone a free car/truck wash.  The Pools were in constant use by little and big kids.  The game area was enjoyed until the Quiet Hour arrived.  Many campers took advantage of the hiking trails and hiked over to the Trout Farm for fishing.  A few hardy souls also took the  trail down to Mitchell Creek.  That is the trail  with a Sign Posted at the start  “1/2 miles Down, 20 Miles Back.” Never have I been asked to revise the wording.   New friends were made, old friends reunited.  It doesn’t get better than that!

“The Atlantis of Dale HollowLake”

DHL possesses a gem in historian and well-published author, Darren Shell.  Darren , along with Randall Slayton, a scuba diver and Marcus Mitchell produced a DVD documentary “Journey to Old Willow Grove: The Atlantis of Dale Hollow Lake.”

This area of Tennessee was populated and towns incorporated starting in the 1790’s. The story goes that in 1942 the town of Willow Grove was bought by the Army Corp. of Engineers. They bought out the local residents, who moved to higher ground or further away.  The Corp. tore down homes and buildings, then flooded the area, thus creating DHL. But memories of the town still remain underwater and aerial photos show remains such as the foundation of the Old Willow Grove School. Many former residents and their descendants still assemble annually for a reunion. The U.S. Army Corp. had blasted the school’s concrete steps with dynamite but the foundation and remaining concrete portions are still visible at the bottom of the lake. This structure and others appear to be much closer to the surface than they really are due to the clarity of the lake. DHL is said to have some of the clearest waters in the SE U.S.

It took Darren, Randall and Marcus in excess of six months to research, film (underwater) and produce the DVD. You can learn more at www.DaleHollowGravedigger.com

Sometime, I will share with you a local story or two about the creation of Dale Hollow Lake.