Collection Title: Jackson Purchase Oral History Project – Kentucky Dam Project
Series Number: OH194
Interviewee: Depriest, Frank
Interviewer: Marshall, Tim
Date interviewed: November 28, 1995
Processed by: Processed by Benjamin J. Drake in December 2012.
Date processed: December 10, 2012
Description: 1 sound disc (58 minutes)
Abstract: Frank Depriest discusses his experiences while working with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) during the construction of Kentucky Dam and the relocation of homesteads in the early 1940s. He recalls the region prior to the construction of the dam and the impact of the TVA on the residents living in the Tennessee Valley. He describes his duties as a construction laborer and the various work related projects associated with the dam. Issues such as racial relations, job safety and interaction with co-workers are mentioned throughout the interview.
Biographical / Historical note: Frank Depriest was born on July 21, 1909 in Lyon County, Kentucky on the east side of the Tennessee River. In 1921, he went to Charleston, Missouri with his brother but later returned to Lyon County in 1928. In 1936 and 1937 he worked on the East Alton, Illinois dam construction project. In May 1940, he was hired by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) for the construction of the Kentucky Dam. He quit the TVA in March of 1942 and returned to farming. He later owned a grocery store in Eddyville. He died in an automobile accident on April 30, 1996 at age 86.
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:
Depriest, Frank, 1910-1996
Kentucky Dam (Ky.)
Tennessee Valley Authority.
Dams – Kentucky.
Land Between the Lakes (Ky. And Tenn.) – History.
Lyon County (Ky.)
