Proctor is a former town located in

Swain County Swain County is a county located on the far western border of the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,117. Its county seat is Bryson City. Four rivers flow through the mountainous terrain of Swain County: t ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

, U.S.A. It was on Hazel Creek. It is named after Moses Proctor, the first European-American settler to this area. The town was flooded by

Fontana Lake Fontana Lake is a reservoir impounded by Fontana Dam on the Little Tennessee River, and is located in Graham and Swain counties in North Carolina. The lake forms part of the southern border of Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the northern ...

, which was created by the construction of the

Fontana Dam Fontana Dam is a hydroelectric dam on the Little Tennessee River in Swain and Graham counties, North Carolina, United States. The dam is operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority, which built the dam in the early 1940s to satisfy the skyrocketin ...

in 1944 during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. It remains submerged unless lake levels are very low. While the Proctor mine offices were flooded, much of the town and cemetery are above the water line. There is one home left and remains of the lumber mill. Former residents were promised a

road A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation. There are many types of ...

along the north side of the lake, but only seven miles were built because of various issues: the former town became part of

Great Smoky Mountains National Park Great Smoky Mountains National Park is an American national park in the southeastern United States, with parts in North Carolina and Tennessee. The park straddles the ridgeline of the Great Smoky Mountains, part of the Blue Ridge Mountains, whi ...

, the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...

opposed the road, and funding was short for this after the war. The NPS did provide ferry boats to allow visits to the former town cemeteries, which are accessible only by trails. The town of Proctor is mentioned in an episode of ASY TV’s ''It Happened to Me'', in which hiker John Vineyard recalls an ill-fated trek through the town that featured bear encounters, rattlesnakes and paranormal activity.

References

External links

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westernncattractions.com
Ghost towns in North Carolina Geography of Swain County, North Carolina Populated places inundated by the Tennessee Valley Authority {{SwainCountyNC-geo-stub