Carr Creek Oral History Project

Collection

Identifier: BCA 0292

Staff Only

Listen To Interview Recordings

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Scope and Contents

This collection is comprised of audio recorded interviews conducted during 2022-2023 by folklorist Nicole Musgrave with support from the Kentucky Oral History Commission. Her work was part of an effort to document the geographic and human impact of the construction of the Carr Fork Reservoir in southeastern Kentucky. The collection’s twenty interviews with residents of Knott, Letcher and Perry Counties range in focus and content. Most of the interviewees were affected by dislocation in some way. They express different opinions about the lake and its impact on the community. Most interviewees share memories of what the area was like before the lake was built, and many have vivid memories of what the construction process was like.

Interviewees are Anne Amburgey Wagner, Bob Young, Corbett Mullins, Cordelia Collins Schaber, Debbie Halcomb, Dee Davis, Etta Gayheart, George Gibson, Golden Glen Hale, Jimmy Hall, Joe Hall III, Karen Jones Cody, Kevin Combs, Kyra Higgins, Nancy Adams Pigman, Paul Collins, Roni Marie Gilpin, Roy Crawford, Sherry Caudill Parks.

Dates

Creation: 2022-2023

Extent

Twenty items

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

The Carr Fork dam was constructed by the Louisville District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It is located 8.8 miles above the mouth of Carr Fork, a tributary of the North Fork of the Kentucky River. It was created to mitigate flooding along the North Fork of the Kentucky River, improve water quality, and provide public recreation. The project was completed in 1976, resulting in a 710-acre reservoir presently called Carr Creek Lake. Many families were displaced during the project’s construction. In a 1973 Corps of Engineers Environmental Impact Study that was written when the project was 75% complete, it was stated that, “271 families have been displaced, and the project has necessitated the relocation of homes, farms, 30 businesses, 40 miles of utilities, 22.2 miles of roads, 3 schools, 6 churches, and 19 cemeteries. The change in land use will disrupt the rural nature of the area, with the influx of visitors expected to contribute to air, water, noise, and solid waste pollution.”