Today, Tim’s Ford Lake is a centerpiece of recreation in Franklin County, but beneath its waters, traces of the communities, homes, and landmarks that existed long before the reservoir was created remain. For diver Chase Lawson, documenting those sites is one way to help preserve the area’s history.
Over the past few years, Lawson has combined his experience as a scuba diver with his interest in Franklin County’s history, documenting submerged roadbeds, bridges, foundations, and other structures that existed before the Tennessee Valley Authority impounded the Elk River to create Tims Ford Lake.
“I have a lifetime of experience with Tims Ford Lake and scuba diving, but only in the last five or six years have I been able to combine them,” Lawson said.
Growing up near the Hurricane Creek and Lost Creek communities, Lawson often heard family stories about the construction of Tims Ford Dam and the communities that were forever changed by the project.
“I spent lots of time hearing stories about my family in Awalt, my great-grandfather and other family members being upset about the dam being built and the price TVA was paying for the land,” Lawson said.
Lawson began recreational scuba diving with his grandfather as a child, but exploring Tims Ford Lake safely required years of additional training. Today, he serves as a search-and-rescue diver with the Franklin County EMA, a role that eventually allowed him to begin exploring the lake’s underwater landmarks.
“Lake diving is much more advanced and dangerous,” Lawson said. “After gaining more experience and certifications as a search-and-rescue diver for Franklin County EMA, I was finally able to do so.”
His interest in documenting submerged structures began almost immediately. During one of his first training dives near Highland Ridge, Lawson came across an un- expected sight nearly 40 feet below the surface.
“I came across an old iron table and chairs still standing in place from where they were sitting when there was nothing more than a river close by,” Lawson said.
The furniture remains exactly where it was left before the lake existed, offering a quiet reminder that homes and gathering places once over- looked the Elk River, where open water now stretches.
“That table and chairs made a huge impact on me,” Lawson said. “Knowing it was not possibly placed there like that any other way than on someone’s beautiful riverside land before a lake was present.”
Since then, Lawson has documented numerous sites across the lake, but one of his most significant projects has focused on an early hydroelectric powerhouse known as the Loop Powerhouse.
His interest in the structure began after seeing sonar images shared online. Historical research later revealed that the facility, built in 1901, is believed to have been Tennessee’s first hydroelectric power plant. It remained in operation until flooding damaged it in 1929, decades before Tims Ford Lake was created.
“I have dove there three times, getting lots of photos and videos,” Lawson said. “Most of which has not even been shared yet.”
Another discovery came in Owl Hollow, where sonar suggested what appeared to be an ordinary rock fence. Once underwater, Lawson realized it was something much different.
“When we got down there, I was shocked to see beautiful white stone blocks,” he said.
Researchers now believe the limestone wall likely served as a retaining wall, helping protect a nearby school and church from frequent flooding.
Documenting these locations is a slow and methodical process. Before entering the water, Lawson studies sonar images to identify the safest entry point and to establish navigation guidelines. Because underwater visibility is often only a few feet, finding and photographing structures requires careful planning.
“It’s a tedious process,” Lawson shared. “Visibility is usually no more than a few feet, and it’s hard to get good footage, but I’m slowly improving at it.”
Many of the photographs and videos are shared through the Tims Ford Recovery Divers Facebook page, where longtime residents often contribute memories that help identify forgotten landmarks.
Lawson believes preserving these sites has become increasingly important as the generation that remembers the communities
before the lake continues to grow smaller.
“As less and less people are still around who lived here back then, I think it is more important now than ever to document as much as possible,” he said.
Lawson hopes this project helps both lifelong residents and newcomers better understand the area’s history.
“I think it’s important for people to understand there is a great deal of history under these waters,” Lawson said. “Maybe learning more about the area’s history will help some to view this lake as more than just a big body of water at their disposal to play around carelessly, and it will inspire them to respect it and preserve it.”
For many Franklin County families, that history remains personal. Lawson recalls speaking with residents whose homes, farms, and childhood memories now rest beneath the lake.
“I hope the older generations appreciate getting to see their childhood home areas, in a way, being brought back to life,” Lawson said. “My grandfather was still around a few years ago when I first started finding some of these structures and land- marks, and it really meant a lot to him.”
Lawson plans to continue documenting historic sites throughout Tims Ford
Lake as he upgrades his camera equipment to capture higher-quality footage, with future projects including old house foundations in Cooper’s Cove near Lost Creek. While each dive reveals another piece of Franklin County’s past, he hopes the project encourages others to learn more about the communities, families, and landmarks that helped shape the county long before the lake became the centerpiece it is today. GN
