Chattanooga and Tennessee Electric Power Company
| File:Tylerholcombhalesbar.jpg Hales Bar Dam Powerhouse, currently repurposed as dry boat storage for Hales Bar Marina | |
| Industry | Hydroelectric power |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1905 |
| Founders | Josephus C. Guild, Charles E. James |
The Chattanooga and Tennessee Electric Power Company was formed in 1905 by Josephus C. Guild, Charles E. James, and Anthony N. Brady with the objective of producing hydroelectric power and improving navigation along the Tennessee River.
Chattanooga engineer Josephus Guild implemented a strategy originally proposed by Major Dan C. Kingman of the United States Army Corps of Engineers aimed at managing hazardous river stretches known as the Suck, the Pot, and the Skillet—significant impediments to commerce on the Tennessee River.
In 1904, legislation introduced by Rep. John A. Moon authorized the initiative, specifying that construction expenses would be borne by the power franchisee operating under a 99-year agreement, while ownership of the dam would remain with the federal government.
When Chattanooga declined its participation in the project, Guild obtained support from local entrepreneur Charles James, who then brought in New York financier Anthony Brady, an expert in electrical utilities, to join the enterprise.
Congressional approval in 1905 moved the dam location from Scott's Point, leading to the start of Hales Bar Dam construction with costs surpassing $10 million. During this period, Josephus Guild passed away, and his son, Jo Conn Guild, assumed leadership of the project. The dam reached completion in 1913.
During the 1920s, this company merged with Chattanooga Railway and Light Company and Drexel and Company—owners of a rival Ocoee River hydroelectric project—to create the Tennessee Electric Power Company (TEPCO).
The establishment of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) in 1933 introduced federally managed flood control dams and electricity distribution throughout the region. Following a 1939 Supreme Court decision affirming TVA's right to sell power within TEPCO’s service area, TVA along with municipal utilities and cooperatives purchased TEPCO’s electric assets for $78.4 million.
Subsequently, TEPCO concentrated on transit services in Chattanooga, reorganizing as Southern Coach Lines in 1941. It continued operating streetcars until 1946 before transitioning solely to bus operations until it was acquired by the Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority in 1973.
See also
Sources
- Govan, Gilbert F. and Livingood, James W. (1952). The Chattanooga County 1540-1951 From Tomahawks to TVA. New York: E.P. Dutton & Co.
- Public utilities established in 1905
- Defunct companies based in Tennessee
- Electric power companies of the United States
- Companies disestablished in the 1920s
- Hydroelectric power companies of the United States
- 1905 establishments in Tennessee
- 1920s disestablishments in Tennessee
- American companies disestablished in 1925
- American companies established in 1905