Norris Dam was finished in 1936 and the waters of Norris Lake flooded the homeland of many Union County folk who had to find farms and homes elsewhere. Many chose to relocate to the banks of rivers other than the Clinch and the Powell. Some 75 years later, Union County has not regained the population lost to the Norris Dam project. It has gained many measures of prosperity including electric power, technical assistance from Tennessee Valley Authority staff, access to many jobs, and a growing tourism industry.

As part of the larger TVA construction project, men were recruited nation-wide to join the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and the Works Progress Administration (WPA) to come to east Tennessee for these important work projects. The CCC young men (18 to 25 years old) felled trees, built log dams to stop soil erosion, planted new trees and flowers and along with the WPA (men over 25 years) built state parks and roads to get to them. Those wonderful rock walls still today attest to the skills of these men. Among their projects was Hickory Star Dock, which I believe opened in 1937. Hickory Star was three miles from my home, and a new boat dock and camp ground was big news to my family. Some of my earliest remembrances was hearing the discussion about my brothers, their friends and my Uncle Clyde Seymour (who lived with us after my grandmother died) either having gone, were going, or were at Hickory Star Dock. It was many years later that people began to refer to Hickory Star as a resort or recreation community. I expect this may have begun with the building of a new swimming pool. How exciting! This was the only public swimming pool in Union County. It may still be the only pool with public access. I’m guessing, but I must have been about 12 years old by this time, and each spring my sister and I raced to get a sun tan just in case someone would be so kind as to take us to swim at Hickory Star.