A Lake Called Watauga

A Lake Called Watauga. . Along with the Parthenon, Lake Watauga is one of few features in Centennial Park today that remains from the 1897 Tennessee Centennial Exposition. The lake's waters have reflected the elaborate buildings that once encircled it, the brilliant fireworks that nightly lit the sky during the Exposition, and the faces of millions of park visitors drawn to its edge ever since., The lake was probably named to honor the Watauga Association settlement, which in 1772 was the first European-American government to be established in what later became Tennessee. Lake Watauga is the largest of four lakes that were built on the Exposition grounds. Six gondolas, along with native gondoliers, were imported from Venice for use in the lake and, for the price of a ticket, a visitor could imagine herself plying the Italian city's canals. Enhancing the effect was a replica of Venice's Rialto Bridge, which spanned the lake's southern end., Watauga was equally popular after the establishment of Centennial Park in 1903. The lake immediately attracted children and adults wanting to fish, and the Park Board responded by stocking the lake with bass. By the 1940s, a casting pier had been constructed, and various fishing tournaments have been hosted in the park for decades., The lake was also briefly home to two alligators, donated to the city soon after the park was opened. The reptiles were removed not, apparently, because of any incident involving human visitors, but because ducks and geese began disappearing from the lake., The absence of huge, scaly predators soon created its own problem: waterfowl began to multiply endlessly. Park personnel responded with an annual thinning of the flock, selling the birds to local shopkeepers who retailed them to Nashville families as Christmas dinner. In 1949, the practice was changed and the birds were instead donated to the city welfare department for charitable distribution. The practice was later discontinued entirely., In addition to fishing, feeding the ducks, and strolling its perimeter trail, many Nashvillians still recall the canoes and paddleboats once available for rental. And, as in 1897, Lake Watauga continues to serve as a watery mirror reflecting Nashville's beloved icon, the Parthenon.