Welcome to the Nashville District's web site for information concerning the history of the district.
The Nashville District began its service to the region in 1888, when Lt. Col. John W. Barlow became the first Nashville District Engineer. His task was to oversee the construction of a series of locks and dams on the Cumberland River.
The Trousdale building at 609 Broad Street in Nashville was the first district office in 1888.
Engineers on the Cumberland eagerly seized upon the idea of locks and dams to facilitate year-round navigation on the river. Over the next 40 years, fifteen locks and dams were built on the Cumberland River and were kept in service until the modern, multi-purpose dams that are now in operation were constructed.
Today the Nashville District is responsible for navigable waterways in the Cumberland and Tennessee River Basins; flood risk reduction; hydropower and recreation at nine multipurpose projects in the Cumberland River Basin; and protection, preservation, restoration and improvement of natural resources.