"The other day I pondered a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore. It was The New York Times of almost exactly one hundred years ago, October 2, 1925. On page 32, the headline: "Big Power System Planned in the South: Three Groups To Ask Right to Develop Tennessee River and Muscle Shoals: World's Largest Plant.""
"But wait! Everyone mindful of American history knows that "power system" + "Tennessee River" = Tennessee Valley Authority, the giant public operation, established in 1933 during the New Deal, stretching across Tennessee and parts of six adjoining states. History buffs also know that TVA's status as a government-run entity has been sacrosanct. After all, in 1964, Republican presidential candidate Barry Goldwater mused about selling off TVA, and he was clobbered in the November election, losing 44 states, including the Volunteer State."
A 1925 New York Times headline described plans by three groups to develop the Tennessee River and Muscle Shoals into what was billed as the world's largest power plant. Investors claimed the area could produce one-fifth of the nation's hydroelectric output. Private proposals, including Henry Ford's 1921 offer, competed with a strong belief that power should be publicly owned. The Tennessee Valley Authority emerged in 1933 as a federal, regional public power and development agency spanning Tennessee and parts of six adjacent states. Political resistance to privatization endured, exemplified by Barry Goldwater's 1964 proposal and electoral defeat.
Read at The American Conservative
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