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.

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.”