ABSTRACT
Fort Loudoun is the location of an 18th-century British fortification on the lower Little Tennessee River near Vonore, Tennessee. It is one of several archaeological and historic sites acquired by the State of Tennessee for the preservation and interpretation of its past. Excavations had taken place at various times since 1936, but the projected construction of the Tellico Dam, to be completed in 1979, and the flooding of the lower 30 miles of the river, meant that the site was to be submerged. It would be necessary to create a landfill over the area of the fort, on which a partial reconstruction could be built. Extensive excavations were therefore undertaken in 1975-6 in order to mitigate the impact of construction, to obtain the information required to carry out this reconstruction, and to present the history of the site to the public. The operation provided an excellent opportunity for the state’s Department of Conservation to test some current theories concerning public education (see Kwas 1985).
