Near Rock Island in Warren County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)

Great Falls HP-Spencer 46-kv Transmission Line

Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, August 5, 2023

1. Great Falls HP-Spencer 46-kv Transmission Line Marker

Inscription. Tennessee Power Co. built the 12.1-mile long Great Falls-Spencer 46-kv Transmission Line in 1913 as part of a 151-mile line connecting the Ocoee No. 1 Hydroelectric Plant to Nashville. H.M. Byllesby & Co. designed the towers and the Nashville Bridge Co. assembled them. The 44-foot tall, 2,215 lb galvanized steel towers were designed to withstand severe weather conditions. Vanderbilt University football players helped clear trees and brush from the right-of-way.

Reverse Side
This line was tied into Great Falls Hydroelectric Station after completion of the powerhouse. The Tennessee Electric Power Co. bought the Great Falls-Spencer transmission line in 1922. The Tennessee Valley Authority acquired it in 1939. The line remained in continuous service for 103 years. When Caney Fork Electrical Cooperation upgraded their Spencer, Tennessee substation, TVA replaced the old line with a 161 kV line supported on steel poles.

Erected by Tennessee Historical Commission. (Marker Number 3E 84.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Man-Made Features. In addition, it is included in the Tennessee Historical Commission series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1913.

Location. 35° 48.275′ N, 85° 38.051′

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W. Marker is near Rock Island, Tennessee, in Warren County. It is on Great Falls Road (Tennessee Route 287) 0.6 miles east of Beach Road, on the right when traveling east. Marker is in the parking lot for the Collins River Nature Trailhead in Rock Island State Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1744 Great Falls Rd, Rock Island TN 38581, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Tennessee’s Highland Rim.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Upper South.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Spring Castle (approx. 0.4 miles away); Falls City (Great Falls) Cotton Mill (approx. 0.4 miles away); “Minnow Box” Springhouse (approx. half a mile away); Rock Island State Park (approx. half a mile away); War on Tennessee’s Homefront (approx. 1.1 miles away); Webb Hotel (approx. 1.2 miles away); Rodgers' Tavern (approx. 1½ miles away); The Old Kentucky Road (approx. 2.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Rock Island.

Great Falls HP-Spencer 46-kv Transmission Line Marker - Reverse Side image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, August 5, 2023

2. Great Falls HP-Spencer 46-kv Transmission Line Marker - Reverse Side

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, October 23, 2021

3. Great Falls HP-Spencer 46-kv Transmission Line Marker

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, October 23, 2021

4. Great Falls HP-Spencer 46-kv Transmission Line Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on October 30, 2023. It was originally submitted on October 24, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 563 times since then and 37 times this year. Last updated on October 27, 2023, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 27, 2023, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. 3, 4. submitted on October 24, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.