Loyston, Tennessee

Loyston is a ghost town in Union County, Tennessee, United States, that was inundated by the waters of the Clinch River after the completion of Norris Dam in 1936.[3] Established in the early 19th century around a foundry built by its namesake, John Loy, over subsequent decades the community's location along State Highway 61 helped it grow into a trading center for local farmers. By the time the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) began making plans to build Norris Dam in the early 1930s, Loyston had a population of approximately 70 residents, and consisted of a post office and several small businesses.[4]

Quick facts: Loyston, Tennessee Loy's Crossroads, Coun... ▼

Loyston, Tennessee Loy's Crossroads
Ghost town
Loyston
Filling station in Loyston, 1933
Loyston, Tennessee
Coordinates: 36°15′55″N 83°57′00″W
Country	United States
State	Tennessee
County	Union
Settled	1800s
Impounded	1935[1]
Founded by	Stooksbury Family
Named for	John Loy
Elevation [2]	1,152 ft (351 m)
Population  (1935)[1]
• Total	70
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
GNIS feature ID	1315598[2]

Prior to inundation, TVA conducted extensive sociological surveys of Loyston's residents, and the community was documented by photographer Lewis Hine. Most Loyston residents, forced out by eminent domain,[5] relocated elsewhere in the area, with many forming the community of New Loyston in the hills to the south. Loyston was located near where Mill Creek empties into the Clinch River, at river mile 98. Mill Creek's drainage carved a broad valley known as Big Valley, flanked on the south by Lone Mountain and on the east by Big Ridge. At Loyston, State Highway 61 intersected a major local road. The trip to Knoxville from Loyston was a 30-mile (48 km) drive on Highway 61 (which has since been re-routed).[4]

Loyston is now under a mile-wide section of Norris Lake known as the "Loyston Sea," located along the shores of Big Ridge State Park.[6]