Blythe Ferry: history and property survey

              Blythe Ferry
Meigs and Decatur Counties, Tennessee
Text by Sarah Jackson Martin and Carroll Van West
The Blythe Ferry site is located in Meigs County on Blythe Ferry Road off of State Routes 306 and 60 at the confluence of the Tennessee and Hiwassee rivers in a wooded area at an opening in a rocky bluff. In operation until 1994, the ferry crossed the tail waters of Chickamauga Lake between Meigs and Rhea counties; the river is approximately .4 miles wide at this point. The eastern approach and landing along Blythe Ferry Road, originally an early-nineteenth century path and later a cut dirt-surface road, is approximately twenty-five feet wide, covered with asphalt, and descends to the river’s edge. The ferry crossed the Tennessee River on a southeast/northwest axis. The Tennessee Valley Authority dammed the Tennessee River in the 1940s to create Chickamauga Lake. The water level increased seven feet, but primarily affected the western ferry landing in Rhea County. Although the ferry discontinued operation in 1994 due to the construction of a bridge to the south of the landings, the site remains an access point for boats. Prior to the construction of the nearby bridge, the original State Route 60 crossed the river at the ferry. Because the bridge was constructed nearly a mile south of the ferry site, the immediate area sustained no physical alterations due to the construction and retains historic integrity.
The river was inundated in the early 1940s with the creation of Chickamauga Reservoir raising the level of the water approximately seven feet. The eastern ferry landing is located along a bluff and is unchanged by the lake, yet the western landing (in Rhea County) lays at a lower elevation and the original landing is exposed only at times of low water. A raised causeway has been constructed over the original roadway leading up from the Tennessee River. Although the ferry landings are essentially on the original locations, over the last 190 years high and low water levels have led to landings up- and down-river from the present landings by approximately 50 yards. These strips of land flanking the current landings are included within the original nominated boundaries.
Formed in 1836, Meigs County is located in the southeastern part of Tennessee approximately half way between Chattanooga and Knoxville. This area is characterized by numerous elongated ridges and valleys, all tending in a northeast-southwest direction. Elevations vary from a low point of 690 feet along the Tennessee River, to the highest point atop the Ten Mile Knob at 1240 feet. The Tennessee River flanks the county on the west, while McMinn Ridge serves as the eastern boundary. State Route 60 on the south side, which is currently identified as the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail Auto Tour Route through this region, and the meandering Roane County line to the north complete the Meigs County borders. The county also claims several substantial creeks including Sewee, Ten Mile, Goodfield, and Gunstocker, which provide large areas of fertile bottomlands. Major road systems and early settlement patterns followed the course of these creeks and valleys. The ridges that separate the valleys are covered with a large quantity of hardwood timber. Pine, oak, and chestnut were historically the major trees harvested within the county.
Presently, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) maintains the Blythe Ferry site, which is located on land owned by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). The east landing is used primarily as a public access point to drop recreational boats into the water, but is also used for other recreational activities such as fishing. From the