Collection Title: Jackson Purchase Oral History Project – Kentucky Dam Project
Series Number: OH193
Interviewee: Crockett, Paul
Interviewer: Unknown
Date interviewed: April 12, 1995
Processed by: Processed by Benjamin J. Drake in December 2012.
Date processed: December 10, 2012
Description: 2 sound disc (1 hour, 32 minutes)
Abstract: Paul Crockett details his employment as a security guard and safety officer with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and describes the final phase of construction of the Kentucky Dam in 1945. He explains why he sought employment with the TVA in 1940 and the qualifications which were required to manage the facility’s security. He recalls the day-to-day operations he witnessed during construction and discusses issues such as theft, drinking on the job and the sometimes tense relationship between laborer and management. He further describes Kentucky Dam Village and the daily experiences of the residents in the community. The interview ends with a commentary on the dedication of the Kentucky Dam by President Harry S. Truman in 1945.
Biographical / Historical note: Paul Crockett was born October 11, 1910 near Big Sandy, Tennessee. He attended Big Sandy High School and Austin Peay College (now Austin Peay University), worked for Bethel College and briefly as a high school teacher. In 1940, he applied for a position with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) as a Public Safety Officer and on April 14, 1941 was offered a job at Watts Bar, Tennessee. In 1944 he was transferred to Great Falls Dam at Rock Island, Tennessee and in October of 1945 to Kentucky Dam. He lived and worked at the Kentucky Dam Village prior to its creation as a campground. He achieved the rank of Area Security Chief prior to his retirement in 1975.
General information: No user access to original recordings. Use audio user copies, digital derivatives, transcripts, and/or tape indexes. This collection may be protected from unauthorized copying by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code). Permission for reproduction must be requested from Murray State University.
Subject Headings / Descriptors:
Crockett, Paul, 1910 –
Brooks, Courtney
Kentucky Dam (Ky.)
Tennessee Valley Authority.
Dams – Kentucky.
Land Between the Lakes (Ky. And Tenn.) – History.
Marshall County (Ky.)
