Barkley Dam
Barkley Dam was created on the Cumberland River, only a couple of miles
from Kentucky Dam. The dam was created for two purposes - flood
control and to generate hydroelectric power. Eddyville and
Kuttawa, located on the Cumberland River, were both flooded by the river
often. The US Army Corps of Engineers decided that the small locks and
dams up and down the Cumberland weren't enough for flood control, so the
construction of Barkley Dam began in 1959.
 Lake Barkley
Two major communities were relocated when Lake Barkley was built in the
1960s. Kuttawa and Eddyville, with a combined population of 3500,
were about to be flooded permanently. Eddyville in particular was
completely relocated to its present location on US 62/641. A
striking characteristic of Eddyville today is that none of the buildings
there were built prior to the 1960s. Before that time, the present
location of Eddyville was just a big field. Lake Barkley is
relatively young, only about 38 years old, unlike Kentucky's age of 58
years.
 One of the neat things about Lake Barkley is that you can
still see old foundations, sidewalks, and streets of Old Eddyville
during Barkley's winter pool (when the lake is five feet lower).
Just like Kentucky Lake, the creation of Lake Barkley forced the
re-routing of several roads including US 62, US 68, Kentucky 80,
Kentucky 93, and several others. And just like with Kentucky Lake,
the Illinois Central Railroad was relocated, which you can still see
under water from high above.
Pictured top to
bottom: The Old Eddyville Courthouse site, foundations and streets
from Old Eddyville, now underwater (visible at winter pool), and old US
62 is shown here with debris from the lake on top of it. A stone
wall is barely visible at left alongside the road.
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