FOREWORD 



This bulletin, An Archaeological Survey of the Norris Basin in 

 Eastern Tennessee, is the first of a series of archaeological reports 

 based on studies conducted under the direction of the Research Sec- 

 tion, Social and Economic Division, Tennessee Valley Authority. 



In planning the work of the Tennessee Valley Authority it became 

 evident that the building of dams on the Tennessee River and its 

 tributaries and the flooding of large areas would cover with im- 

 pounded water many sites showing evidence of man's prehistoric 

 occupancy of the valley. Valuable evidences of prehistory would 

 thus either be destroyed or forever placed beyond any possibility of 

 investigation. The board of directors was concerned with this prob- 

 lem of conservation and expressed a desire to conserve to future 

 generations the wealth of archaeological material and information 

 available in the Tennessee Valley area. 



The study of the Norris Basin was carried on under the technical 

 supervision of Maj. William S. Webb, Senior Archaeologist, Ten- 

 nessee Valley Authority, with the assistance of a number of govern- 

 mental agencies. The Civil Works Administration and the Federal 

 Emergency Relief Administration supplied labor for the field work. 

 The University of Tennessee provided laboratory facilities for the 

 study of the materials recovered. 



The preparation of this report was begun after the close of field 

 work in July 1934, and the manuscript was submitted for publica- 

 tion in September 1935. A report of the archaeology of the Wheeler 

 Basin is now being prepared, and it is hoped that additional publi- 

 cations dealing with the prehistory of the other basins — Pickwick 

 Landing, Chickamauga, and Guntersville — can be added to this 

 series. 



T. Levron Howard, 

 Chief, Research Section, Social and Economic Division, 

 Tennessee Valley Authority, 



Knoxville, Tenn., June 1937. 



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