Abandoned places tell a story. Some places have great history while others are cloaked in mystery.
In the mid-1800s, the iron ore industry exploded in the area known as “Between the Rivers.” With its prime location due to its close proximity to the Cumberland and Tennessee rivers, the industry flourished. These rivers were the best way to transport goods since railroads did not exist in this area at that time.
The creation of Kentucky Lake in the 1940s put a lot of things underwater. Farms, homes, businesses, roads, railroads, cemeteries and entire communities. Danville, Tennessee was one of the communities that permanently flooded when the Tennessee River was impounded to create Kentucky Lake.
The former site of Danville is located near present-day McKinnon. The story of Danville is unique with the fact that two large structures of the former town still remain – the abandoned and partially removed L&N Railroad bridge and the transfer elevator.
The Hardin Southern Railroad was a nostalgic passenger train that ran along about eight miles of track between Hardin and Murray, Ky. The railroad wound its way along the Clark’s River valley through dense forests and farmland. The train began operations in 1993 and ceased in 2004.
Birmingham, Kentucky was the most notable community affected by the creation of Kentucky Lake. The town of several hundred people was situated on the banks of the Tennessee River in Marshall County, Kentucky.
For reasons not known to us, the town didn’t relocate in the early 1940s when TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority) built a dam on the Tennessee River. The town was flooded permanently under several feet of water.
