POWERGRAMS

7 Water first flowed over the spillway at Lay Dam, then known as Lock 12, in January 1914. After two years of fast-paced construction, many of the employees left the construction village's wooden dorms to return home or work on other projects with Alabama Power. On April 12, 1914, the dam began producing electricity, which required ongoing monitoring by a smaller workforce. Living arrangements were needed for the workers and their families, so a permanent village was developed, complete with family-style houses, a school, community hall and recreational facilities including a baseball field and tennis and basketball courts. A century later, descendants of the first workers, as well as later employees, fondly recall their family memories of the Lay Dam village. "Mom always told us to remember our life at the river, and I took that to heart," said Kathy Danner Devall, who was 7 when her family moved to the village in the mid-1960s. "My childhood was definitely unique in that I had a village to explore, and wonder about those who lived there before me. I lived there while lots of families lived there, and then when only one other family lived there, but I would have loved to see it during its heyday, when it was truly a self-contained village, built by a company who cares about its employees and their families." Among the first buildings constructed were houses for the superintendent in 1916 and assistant superintendent in 1922. Both were large structures built in a stucco, bungalow style with indoor and outdoor living spaces. The superintendent's house had two porches, two halls, three bedrooms, one-and-a- half bathrooms, a dining room and a living room. Kitchens for both homes, and a dining room for the assistant superintendent's house, were later additions. The village thrived into the 1950s, when technology began to modernize the dam's operation and a large workforce was no longer needed. Devall was one of the last children to grow up in the village as her father, Ray Danner, served as the assistant superintendent and later as superintendent. Devall eventually went to work for Alabama Power, too. She is a general clerk for Fleet Services-Field Operations at the General Services Complex. But when Lay Dam was under redevelopment, the Danners were among about a dozen families living there. "I loved my bedroom; it had round corners, which fascinated me because it was the only house I had seen with that feature," Devall said. "There was a hedge fence around the edges of the yard, flagstone steps going down the terraces in the back and a red plum tree. We made jelly from those plums." When her father was promoted to superintendent, the Danners moved to the primary house in the Lay village, which was closest to the dam. The house had flagstone steps going down to the massive structure from the home's flat yard, with a fountain and concrete bench, gazebo, barbecue pit and flower beds. "I enjoyed watching in summer for willowfly hatches. Swarms of them could be seen around the lights on the dam at night. That meant fishing the next day would be wonderful," Devall said. As part of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission licensing requirements and the Lay Dam centennial, both the superintendent and assistant superintendent houses are being restored for a new company conference area. Alabama Power has been working with architects and the Alabama Historical Commission to assure the beauty of the homes and the history of the dam will be preserved for generations. Current Lay Dam Superintendent John Henry Kirkland said he has been involved in many construction projects through the years, but the housing restoration effort has meant more to him than all the previous projects combined. "To think what it was like for all of the people and their families that have grown up here over the years, and the amount of hard work and labor put forth by these employees to build the homes and the buildings that made up the village area," Kirkland said. "I can only imagine what a Saturday afternoon would have been like, swimming in the community pool or going down to the community center for a singing or a dance." Many former village residents returned to Lay Dam and toured the old grounds Oct. 18 during a centennial gathering. Kirkland said he enjoyed hearing their stories about what the village meant to them. "It has been an honor and I am thankful to be a part of a great team that's made this celebration possible," Kirkland said. "We hope the grounds will be used in the future to make memories and friendships with APCO employees and their families." By Erin Harney The Village People HISTORY Employee children attended school in the self-contained Lay Dam village. L AY DA M WAS HA PPY H OM E TO EM PLOYEES FO R D ECA D ES Assistant superindendent's house is being restored.

• Cover