Title: The Lost Towns of Pickwick
Headings: The Lost Towns of Pickwick
The Lost Towns of Pickwick
Relocating Homes and Families
Readjusting the Population
Sacrificing for a Stronger Nation

Content: The agency then acquired more than 63,700 acres, clearing about 12,590 acres of this land of trees, buildings and fences. TVA studied the effects of the dam and reservoir on the four affected counties and concluded that the building of Pickwick Landing Dam would result in the partial flooding of two towns, Waterloo and Riverton, both in Alabama. Eventually 506 families were  relocated and cemeteries, highways, bridges and utility lines were either moved or protected. The price of progress was the dissolution of home and community. While these families were forced to move, the relocation was no southern diaspora. It appears most families stayed close to their roots. Many of these families found it difficult to solve their own relocation problems, precisely because they preferred  to remain in the immediate area, where opportunities were scarce. The communities of Waterloo and Riverton were, prior to the construction of Pickwick Landing Dam, dependent on agricultural income derived from lands that would be included in the reservoir  area. Riverton was partially supported by employment on the Colbert Shoals Canal Lock. Waterloo derived some support from the lumber business, but it was estimated that all marketable timber would be cut within two or three years.