A 1983 Glimpse into Tennessee River History
In 1983, long before a bridge spanned the Tennessee River at State Route 30, the Hastings-Locke Ferry — more commonly known as the Washington Ferry — was still in operation, quietly carrying cars and stories between Meigs and Rhea Counties.
This ferry, a flat-bottomed, steel-hulled barge built in the 1940s, was no modern marvel at that time. But it was reliable, capable of transporting up to six vehicles per trip, and it remained a vital piece of local infrastructure — as it had been for generations.
That year, a local newspaper reflected on its legacy, recognizing the ferry’s rich history dating all the way back to 1807, when it was first established by Conley Hastings. It served a critical role in opening access to what were then newly developing Indian territories of Southeast Tennessee. The Locke family took the reins around 1820, and in 1839, John Locke formally purchased the ferry and its chains.
Later operated by Solomon Henry and Sons through the late 1800s, the ferry managed to survive decades of technological and infrastructural change, even the creation of Chickamauga Lake in the 1940s, which raised the river’s water level by about seven feet. Despite all this, by 1983, the ferry remained largely unchanged in form and functioning a steel barge pushing across the river on a route it had known for over 175 years.
The 1983 article honored the ferry as one of only five remaining in the state at the time, and one of just four still operating on the Tennessee River. It was a quiet survivor — a relic of the past still performing a vital role in the present, linking the towns of Decatur and Dayton on a well-traveled east-west route.
That ferry’s journey eventually came to an end in 1994, when it was officially replaced by the Governor Ned Ray McWherter Bridge, a modern structure that now carries State Highway 30 across the Tennessee River. While the bridge brought new convenience and efficiency, it also marked the closure of a historic chapter in local transportation.
Today, we look back on the 1983 snapshot of the Hastings-Locke Ferry with appreciation — not just for what it was, but for what it represented: a steady, enduring connection between communities, generations, and the evolving story of Tennessee.
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