Hales Bar Dam was a hydroelectric dam once located on the Tennessee River in Marion County, Tennessee, United States. The Chattanooga and Tennessee River Power Company began building the dam on September 13th, 1905 and completed it on November 11th, 1913, making Hales Bar one of the first major multipurpose dams and one of the first major dams to be built across a navigable channel in the United States. It began operation on November 13th, 1913. In 1939, the Tennessee Valley Authority assumed control of Hales Bar Dam after purchasing TEPCO's assets. TVA spent two decades trying to fix a leakage problem that had plagued Hales Bar since its construction, but after continued leakage, and after it was determined that expanding the dam's navigation lock would be too expensive, TVA decided to replace the dam by building Nickajack Dam 6 miles (9.7 km) downstream. Hales Bar Dam ceased operation on December 14, 1967.