Old Hickory Lake is a reservoir formed by the Old Hickory Lock and Dam on the Cumberland River in north central Tennessee. The reservoir extends 97.3 miles from Old Hickory Lock and Dam (25.5 miles upstream from Nashville) to Cordell Hull Lock and Dam (near Carthage, Tennessee), and contains on average 22,500 acres of water at an elevation of 445 ft above sea level. Construction of the lock, dam, and powerhouse began in January 1952 with full dam closure completed in June 1954.
Operated and supervised by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ personnel under the direction of the District Engineer at Nashville, the Dam and Lake are named after President Andrew Jackson whose plantation, The Hermitage (now a National Historic Landmark and museum), is located 2 miles from the Cumberland and Stones Rivers. Similarly, Rock Castle, historic home of Revolutionary War Colonel Daniel Smith is located on the North side of the lake in Hendersonville, Tennessee.
With some 440 miles of shoreline, Old Hickory offers exceptional recreation opportunities to visitors including hiking, camping, picnicking, boating, fishing, water skiing, swimming, and nature study and photography. Public facilities include two Corps-operated campgrounds, eight marinas, 41 boat access sites, and the Old Hickory Lake Arboretum.
