Peery’s Mill Park — Local services in Maryville

Do NOT swim at this deadly low-head Dam!

The mother of a 13-year-old girl who drowned here at Perry’s Mill Dam on May 29, 2019, wants changes to alert visitors of a deadly hidden danger.

Renee Ritchie took her daughter, Alexis Shirley, swimming at the popular spot on the Little River in Walland, Tenn., on May 29. The rising 8th-grader at Hardin Valley Middle School was not doing anything risky when she disappeared beneath the water.

The dam at Peery's Mill is known as a low-head dam. The invisible danger at low-head dams is an underwater vortex that traps and spins objects beneath the water and against the dam. Many dam safety experts refer to low-head dams "drowning machines."

Many people have drowned at Peery's Mill Dam and other low-head dams in East Tennessee.

August 1996: Three people drowned at low-head dams on the Littler River. Kyle David Tyree of Maryville drowned when his kayak was swallowed by the circulating currents at the low-head dam in Rockford. Ernest Koella, a manager at the plant beside the dam, died trying to save Tyree. The next day, a third man drowned at Peery's Mill Dam.

June 2009: Krista Spangler died at Peery's Mill Dam after diving into water that was too shallow.

July 2013: Bobby William Halcomb, 25, jumped off the dam and was trapped underwater by the current.

May 2017: Anna Last of Cocke County died at a low-head dam on the Nolichucky River in Hamblen County. Last died while saving two of her children who were caught in the current.

May 2018: Ty Berry of Walland, age 33, drowned at Peery's Mill Dam. A boy saw him jump in the water and called 911 when he did...

Peerys Mill is not a park. It is a historically significant but highly dangerous low head dam. A killing machine just waiting on a victim. Like nature it is supremely indifferent to whether we live or die. I have spoken with someone at Little River Watershed and was told eventually the dam will be removed. The plan is to blow it out like the one upstream above Misty River Campground. They will return the River to its natural state, but preserve the workings of the dam site over along Old Walland Highway. Maybe put up a historic marker. I have many times put in there with the kayak only to smell weed and beer enough to knock you down. Not a good place to...

My family and I love this place! Its so close to drive without having to go in NationalPark. It has several different swim areas some shallow for kids and some deep for advanced swimmers. You can jump off at the X if your brave(i am not). My Corgi absolutely loves this wide open river bed. Take a picnic basket and stay the whole day you wont regret it. Also the river rock is filled with quartz and man is its energy it quite powerful. I can feel its vibration as soon as I step a foot in. It really helps you ground your body to the earths frequencies and oh it...