At 80 years old, Norris Dam has stood the test of time.
When it was built, bringing power to many East Tennesseans for the first time, it was one of the largest dams in the world.
To celebrate its birthday, TVA is allowing rare public tours inside the dam, and our 10News cameras were allowed to go even further, where only select TVA employees are allowed.
Erik Bodiscomassink managers Norris.
He's amazed that even after eight decades, many of the dam's original parts are still there.
"So that's what I think the unique attributes of this dam is, that it was built so well. They put so much effort and energy and thought into the construction of the dam. And it still stands today 80 years later," said Bodiscomassink.
He took us deep inside the dam, to the powerhouse, where twin turbines are propelled by water from Norris Lake, turning the generators. We saw the pistons that move the sluice gates, and walked down hallways that stretch on and on.
We also came across impossibly steep staircases, slick with water.
The experience could be daunting.
"This door is the only thing between us and the lake. It's about an inch, so that's pretty daunting," he said.
The dam's workings extend into the connecting caves in the bluff. Some were sealed during construction, some were not.
"Those timbers are probably original to when the dam was constructed, you can see the calcification on them," he pointed out.
The most impressive thing about Norris, is that most of it was built by hand. Reminders of that are all around.
"So if you look at the concrete you can see that it actually shows the wood grain of the wood forms. And also each individual nail that was sunk into the wood you can see that as well," said Bodiscomassink.
Now, Norris Dam looms over the tailwaters, more than 2 million tons of concrete that changed life for East Tennesseans.