Lay Dam, Hydroelectric power station on Coosa River, Alabama.
Lay Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the Coosa River in central Alabama, sitting on the county line between Chilton and Coosa Counties near the town of Clanton. The dam operates as a run-of-the-river hydroelectric station and backs up the river to form Lay Lake, a large reservoir that stretches through the surrounding hills.
The dam was completed in 1914 as the Alabama Power Company's first major power project. Its construction flooded the site of Fort Williams, a post that had been used during the Creek War in the early 1800s.
The name Lay Dam honors William Patrick Lay, who worked to secure approval for the project in Washington. Visitors who know this history see the dam not just as a structure, but as a reminder of how personal effort shaped the region's development.
Several public access points around Lay Lake give visitors different ways to reach the water and view the dam from various angles. Conditions along the shore change with the seasons, so it is worth checking local reports before heading out, especially for fishing or boating.
Before 1929, the dam was known as Lock 12 Dam, a name that reflected its place in a numbered series of river infrastructure projects. The renaming after William Patrick Lay was unusual because it honored a living individual rather than a place or an event.
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