Near Guntersville in Marshall County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)

Rolling Goods Down the River

Photographed by Deborah Spencer, August 2, 2025

1. Rolling Goods Down the River Marker

Inscription. Rolling Goods Down the River Located on the north side of the river is Guntersville Lock. The commercial challenge at the turn of the 20th century was getting automobiles that came to Guntersville on rail cars across the river to markets where they could be sold. To accomplish the task, a small lock was built in 1937 during dam construction. And it's a good thing was. In 1943, 206 million tons of freight, much of it war materials, traveled the full length of the Tennessee River. Once the lock was completed and industrialists could move loads freely down the length of the river, loads grew larger, so TVA built the larger lock in 1965 to meet their needs. Now, the main lock can lift and lower boats or barges up to 600 feet in length and can raise vessels up to 45 feet in height to account for the elevation difference between Lake Guntersville and Wheeler Lake.

Guntersville Lock is maintained by TVA but operated by the U.S. Corps of Engineers - a unique relationship at Guntersvile and nine other dams on the Tennessee River. TVA makes sure there's enough water in the river to operate the lock. The Corps tells

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TVA when they need more (or less!) water in other waterways that can use our reservoirs (lakes) for storage, like the Cumberland, Ohio and Mississippi Rivers.

Tennessee River System Nine main-river dams form a "staircase" of quiet, pooled water and controlled current - a continuous series of reservoirs that stretches along the entire length of the 652-mile Tennessee River system. From just above Knoxville the Tennessee River drops a total of 513 feet in elevation before it empties into the Ohio River.

Kentucky - River Elevation: 302 Feet - Mile 22
Pickwick Landing - River Elevation: 375 Feet - Mile 207
Wilson - River Elevation: 418 Feet - Mile 259
Wheeler - River Elevation: 507.9 Feet - Mile 275
Guntersville - River Elevation: 595 Feet - Mile 349
Nickajack - River Elevation: 595.4 Feet - Mile 425
Chickamauga - River Elevation: 635 Feet - Mile 471
Watts Bar - River Elevation: 685.4 Feet - Mile 530
Ft. Loudoun - River Elevation: 745 Feet - Mile 602

Erected by Tennessee Valley Authority.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Charity & Public Work

Photographed by Deborah Spencer, August 2, 2025

2. Rolling Goods Down the River Marker

• Industry & Commerce • Waterways & Vessels.

Location. 34° 25.357′ N, 86° 23.706′ W. Marker is near Guntersville, Alabama, in Marshall County. It is on Snow Point Road north of Jackson Rd, on the right when traveling north. It is on Snow Point Road north of Jackson Rd, on the right when traveling north. Located inside the Kiosk next to the Guntersville Dam Range Station where Snow Point Road turns west to follow the river. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3464 Co Rd 50, Guntersville AL 35976, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in North Alabama.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Deep South,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the original Cherokee Nation,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least

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8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: TVA Goes to War (here, next to this marker); How the Dam Works (here, next to this marker); A Mission of Service (here, next to this marker); Promoting Your Prosperity (here, next to this marker); A Valley of Hardships (here, next to this marker); Guntersville Dam (a few steps from this marker); a different marker also named Guntersville Dam (approx. 0.4 miles away); Gen. Andrew Jackson's Fort Deposit (approx. 4.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Guntersville.

Credits. This page was last revised on August 9, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 8, 2025, by Deborah Spencer of Huntsville, Alabama. This page has been viewed 105 times since then and 21 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 8, 2025, by Deborah Spencer of Huntsville, Alabama. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.