Collection Title: Jackson Purchase Oral History Project – Kentucky Dam Project
Series Number: OH208
Interviewee: Joyce, Thelbert
Interviewer: Miller, Chamonie S.
Date interviewed: November 16, 1995
Processed by: Benjamin J. Drake
Date processed: March 14, 2013
Description: 1 sound disc (55 minutes)
Abstract: Thelbert Joyce describes life in Trigg County, Kentucky prior to the construction of the Kentucky Dam and his years of employment with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). He describes his duties during the dam's construction prior to and after his service in the United States Navy during the Second World War. The topics discussed include working conditions, unions, hiring practices and the economic and environmental impact the dam had on Trigg County and the surrounding areas. Joyce also mentions his military service in the Navy, the administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Night Riders, racial and class discrimination in Trigg County and the effects of the Social Security program.
Biographical / Historical note: Thelbert Joyce was born on July 30, 1918 in Trigg County, Kentucky. He worked with the Works Progress Administration (WPA) building roads in the area and later employed by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) during the construction of the Kentucky Dam. He worked for the TVA from 1941 to 1944, after which he entered the United States Navy. When he was discharged from the Navy he was re-employed by the TVA. Joyce later owned a grocery store and worked for the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area. He died on June 26, 2010.
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:
Joyce, Thelbert, 1918–2010
Kentucky Dam (Ky.)
Tennessee Valley Authority.
Dams – Kentucky.
Land Between the Lakes (Ky. And Tenn.) – History.
Trigg County (Ky.) – History.
