Dale Hollow Dam The building of Dale Hollow Dam was authorized by the Flood Control Act of 1938 and the River and Harbor Act of 1946. In early 1942, the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers began evacuating people from their homes and businesses. Their properties had been purchased and most had moved by early autumn. Power generating units were installed in 1948, '49, and '53. The dam was built by private contractors and supervised by the Corps. The dam is located approximately three miles east of Celina, Tennessee, 7.3 miles above its juncture with the Cumberland River. The lake covers portions of Clay, Pickett, Overton and Fentress Counties in Tennessee and Clinton and Cumberland Counties in Kentucky. The project consists of 27,700 surface acres of water and 24,842 acres of surrounding land. Information and picture supplied by U. S. Army Corps of Engineers.