Degree Name
MA (Master of Arts)
Program
Appalachian Studies
Date of Award
5-2019
Committee Chair or Co-Chairs
Marie Tedesco
Committee Members
Rebecca Adkins Fletcher, Ron Roach
Abstract
In 1965, Duke Power announced the construction of a series of dams along the Keowee and Little rivers in Oconee County, South Carolina. The dams would create water reservoirs for one of the largest hydro-electric and nuclear power facilities in the nation. The dominant narrative focuses on the recreational activities, power generation, and economic development facilitated by the creation of lakes Jocassee and Keowee. However, residents of the Keowee and Jocassee valleys had to be removed, a process that started years earlier when Duke Power began serious land purchasing efforts. This study focused on discovering diverse narratives from people that were displaced or otherwise affected by the lakes. In doing so, made comparisons with other projects on displaced populations in Appalachia, examined the beneficiaries of the project, the treatment of locals, and how Duke Power and local government presented the project through local media.
Document Type
Thesis - unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Gregory, Austin, "Land Beneath the Water: Narratives of the Keowee-Toxaway Project in Appalachian South Carolina" (2019). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 3526. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/3526
Copyright
Copyright by the authors.