Today, adjacent to Lake Chatuge, the 700 acres of forest land owned by the U.S. Forest Service/U. S. Government help preserve the beauty of the Lake. Before the Forest Service bought river-area land and before TVA built Lake Chatuge and Dam, private citizens enjoyed ownership of woodlands for hunting and farming along the Hiwassee River, Shooting Creek, and other streams. But, suddenly, the local residents were confronted with the biggest impact on them and the County’s in its entire history! Not only did the TVA’s project create a large lake, but it gutted the most fertile farmland along the Hiwassee River and forced many of the founding families to relocate their homes. This included “300 families and three cemeteries” in the North Carolina and Georgia Upper Hiwassee Watershed (Towns County Herald, November 7, 1941). Many businesses, roads, and bridges were either relocated or demolished, including churches. Expectedly, much controversy existed between the U.S. Government and individual property owners.
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