Covington/Second Creek / Wheeler Dam/Lake

Covington/Second Creek, also, Wheeler Dam/Lake. . , (side 1) , Covington/Second Creek , Goodsprings Church , This site, one mile east of Elgin, has been referred to as “The Indian Mound.” There were white landowners here as early as 1833. Prior to 1936, there was a thriving community, Covington, located between here and the northern bank. At its eastern boundary was a creek, referred to as Second Creek as early as 1817. It entered Lauderdale Co., AL, from Lawrence Co., TN, north of here, flowed through a creek bottom in this area which was used for farming and converged with the Tennessee River. An early road ran through Covington from the eastern bank, approximately .5 miles north of the current bridge, diagonally southwest to within 50 feet of the modern-day Highway 72. A one-lane metal bridge, with a plank floor, was installed over the creek. By February 1875, Covington had a post office. It moved to Rogersville in February 1897. The community also had a school. In 1839, the Goodsprings Cumberland Presbyterian Church was organized by Felix Johnson at the Goodsprings Campground. In April 1861, the congregation divided and a church was organized at Center Star. In 1885, the Goodsprings congregation built a church in Covington, west of Second Creek, on the tree-covered knoll across the lake northeast of here. There was a cemetery near the church. (Continued on other side). (side 2) , Wheeler Dam/Lake , Evacuation of Covington (Continued from other side). Covington thrived until Wheeler Dam was completed in 1936 when citizens of Covington were required to evacuate the area. As the water was backed up in 1937, Wheeler Lake expanded into Second Creek covering the area previously occupied by Covington and adjoining farmland. The lake in this area was created, and the water was backed up more than a mile north of here. The road through Covington was inundated. The bridge across Second Creek was disassembled, moved upstream and installed over what later became CR 92. A new highway was constructed with a causeway connected to this mound and extended on the east with a concrete bridge, thereby providing a two-lane highway across the lake, .6 miles long. It was initially named Lee Highway and later renamed Highway 72. Two lanes were added to the north side of the highway in the mid-1970s. The Goodsprings Cumberland Presbyterian Church was relocated to the Thornton Town community, about one mile to the east. The church became the Goodsprings Baptist Church in later years. The cemetery remains at the old church location. This lake has been used primarily as a reservoir by the TVA to regulate the depth of the water above Wheeler Dam.