SHORELINES

9 Shor e l i n e S | 2014 Vol :3 Hundreds of laborers had to be secured. Once hired, these laborers began to construct the camps where they would be housed and fed. They had to clear the land, survey and grade the roads, lay the rails, build and fill storage facilities, blast quarries, crush rock, find sand and gravel, and all of this had to be done before work on the plant could begin. Besides this, an infirmary, schools, churches, and dining and recreational facilities for both black and white workers and their families had to be built. At the height of construction, the village at Lock 12 was the largest community between Montgomery and Birmingham. Dam construction began in the summer of 1912, and over the next two years it began to take shape. As construction progressed, transmission line crews cleared rights-of-way, constructed transmission towers and strung lines that would connect the dam to towns, cities and rural areas. The Lock 12 dam was completed and the reservoir was filled by Dec. 31, 1913. On April 12, 1914, the first unit began generating electricity and the Lock 12 dam began sending power to industrial, commercial and residential customers in central Alabama. The young Alabama Power Company learned from its experience at Lock 12 and made improvements to the villages for the benefit of the workers. Workers and their families noticed these changes and appreciated the way the company treated them. Many began to develop a loyalty to the company and, as a Top: Alabama Power Archives photo – Teachers and students outside the Lay Dam schoolhouse in 1936. Above: Alabama Power Archives photo – End of upstream line of cribs showing extensions on Oct. 31, 1912.

• Cover