Jocassee Valley, peacefully tucked in the arms of the Blue Ridge Mountains of Oconee County, was finally laid to rest in 1973. Duke Power Company's multi-million dollar Keowee-Toxaway project abruptly choked the natural flow of four wild rivers: Whitewater, Toxaway, Horsepasture, and Keowee, inundating the Valley under a chilling shroud, in some places over 300 feet deep. The idyllic sights and sounds of Jocassee are forever lost...except in the hearts of those of us who lived and played there.

So, let's get to the bottom of it--Lake Jocassee, that is. Inside these covers are rare--perhaps one-of-a-kind--photographs of this beautiful Valley. Some were taken as early as 1914, long before dynamite carved out its cruel facade.

Whippoorwill Farewell: Jocassee Remembered is my collection of childhood and family memories and rare photographs which I hope will make you laugh--perhaps cry--as you take a trip back through your own memories and remember the family times that warm your heart.

The word "remember" means "to put back together; to re-member." It is my hope that in these pages...

Jocassee will be remembered.