Issue link: https://alabamapower.uberflip.com/i/846958
Downie O'Neal Nemec As far as we knew, the village children were the first to ever water ski on the lake. Our father, Elly O'Neal, was known for his patience and was happy to teach anyone interested. He taught my brother, me, our cousin and many friends how to ski. Doris Littleton James At night when the wind was blowing, Bobby and I could hear the water sloshing up against the bank. What a wonderful sound. When the O'Neal family moved next door to us, we swam in the river every day. We had a swimming hole located on the le of the drive to the house. It was a wonderful time in my life. We would hear the bullfrogs making their sounds. I will never forget my life at Lay Dam with my brother Bobby and for a while with my baby brother James. We truly did live in paradise. Not only were the grounds beautiful, but also the wonderful personalities of the people who lived there with us. In 2016, to commemorate the history of the Lay Dam village and preserve his and others' childhood memories, Jack Avant designed and built a 3-D model of the village that is on display in the Lay Dam powerhouse. e model captures the village layout from the mid-1930s to the early 1940s and "was developed through extensive collaboration between several residents who were children at the time, and whose memories of the village remain as vivid today as when they were there," Avant said. "e Lay Dam village was established not only to provide proximity housing for the employees and their families, but included facilities for their well-being, recreation and morale as well," he said. "e village set the standard for taking care of employees. … ose of us who were there will be eternally grateful." While visitors to Lay Dam can see the powerhouse and restored superintendent's and assistant superintendent's houses, the rest of the village houses and structures have been lost over time, underscoring the importance of the model and the recorded memories of the Lay Dam villagers. If you have an Alabama Power connection or story, the Alabama Power Company Archives would love to hear from you. e Archives is always looking to record and preserve stories, information and photographs about the company and those who have shared in its long history. To contact the Archives, please call 205-257-2069 or email watharpe@southernco.com. A Model of L ay Dam Photo Courtesy: Bill Woodson Photo Courtesy: Bill Woodson Superintendent's House 27 www.apcshorelines.com