Douglas Lake is a man-made lake. The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) formed Douglas Lake from the French Broad River, in the early 1940’s. Douglas Lake is approximately 555 miles of shoreline, with twists, turns, coves and bays stretching from the confluence of the Nolichucky, French Broad & Pigeon River in Cocke County, 8 miles west to the site of the Douglas Dam in Sevier County. While creating the Douglas Dam, the TVA spent one million dollars building a dike in order to prevent the Jefferson County Seat, “The Town of Dandridge”, from being completely flooded by the waters of the newly formed Douglas Lake. Today, nearly 60 years later, the Dandridge Dike has become a landmark on its own and an integral part of the town itself. The dike is located above numerous historical buildings, many dating back to the 1820’s, and are today used as government offices, small businesses and the merchants of this quaint little town.
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