Rhea Springs, Tennessee
Encyclopedia
Rhea Springs was a community once located along the Piney River
in Rhea County, Tennessee
, in the southeastern United States. Originally established in the 19th-century as a health resort, the community was inundated when the completion of Watts Bar Dam
by the Tennessee Valley Authority
flooded the lower Piney valley in 1942.
Rhea Springs, known as "Sulphur Springs" before 1878, developed around a spring
rumored to have "healing" qualities. The spring flowed into the banks of the Piney approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) upstream from the river's mouth along the Tennessee River
. When the Tennessee Valley Authority began surveying the area for the construction of Watts Bar Dam and reservoir in the late 1930s, they reported a large hotel and seventeen small houses at Rhea Springs. After TVA acquired the community, most of its residents relocated elsewhere in the county or to Chattanooga
.
Rhea Springs was the home of Congressman John R. Neal
(1836–1889) and the birthplace of his son, Scopes Trial attorney John Randolph Neal, Jr.
(1876–1959).
Piney River (East Tennessee)
This article is about the Piney River of East Tennessee. For information about the Piney River of Middle Tennessee, see Piney River ....
in Rhea County, Tennessee
Rhea County, Tennessee
Rhea County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2000, the population was 28,400. Its county seat is Dayton.-Geography:According to the U.S...
, in the southeastern United States. Originally established in the 19th-century as a health resort, the community was inundated when the completion of Watts Bar Dam
Watts Bar Dam
Watts Bar Dam is a hydroelectric dam on the Tennessee River in Meigs County and Rhea County, Tennessee, USA. The dam is one of nine dams on the main Tennessee River channel operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority, which built the dam in early 1940s to provide flood control and electricity and...
by the Tennessee Valley Authority
Tennessee Valley Authority
The Tennessee Valley Authority is a federally owned corporation in the United States created by congressional charter in May 1933 to provide navigation, flood control, electricity generation, fertilizer manufacturing, and economic development in the Tennessee Valley, a region particularly affected...
flooded the lower Piney valley in 1942.
Rhea Springs, known as "Sulphur Springs" before 1878, developed around a spring
Spring (hydrosphere)
A spring—also known as a rising or resurgence—is a component of the hydrosphere. Specifically, it is any natural situation where water flows to the surface of the earth from underground...
rumored to have "healing" qualities. The spring flowed into the banks of the Piney approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) upstream from the river's mouth along the Tennessee River
Tennessee River
The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately 652 miles long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other names...
. When the Tennessee Valley Authority began surveying the area for the construction of Watts Bar Dam and reservoir in the late 1930s, they reported a large hotel and seventeen small houses at Rhea Springs. After TVA acquired the community, most of its residents relocated elsewhere in the county or to Chattanooga
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga is the fourth-largest city in the US state of Tennessee , with a population of 169,887. It is the seat of Hamilton County...
.
Rhea Springs was the home of Congressman John R. Neal
John R. Neal
John Randolph Neal was an American politician and a member of the United States House of Representatives for Tennessee's 3rd congressional district.-Biography:...
(1836–1889) and the birthplace of his son, Scopes Trial attorney John Randolph Neal, Jr.
John Randolph Neal, Jr.
John Randolph Neal, Jr. was an American attorney, law professor, politician, and activist, best known for his role as chief counsel during the 1925 Scopes Trial, and as an advocate for the establishment of the Tennessee Valley Authority in the 1920s and 1930s...
(1876–1959).