Dandridge was founded around 1783 when the settlers came across the Appalachian Mountains moving west. It remained a quaint agriculture setting due to the fertile lands along the French Broad River. When TVA began construction of Douglas Dam to generate electrical power, many of these farms are now covered by the waters of the Douglas Lake Reservoir. The Town of Dandridge would not be in existence today were it not for a group of citizens who went to Washington, DC and lobbied for a stone and earth dike to keep the waters of the reservoir from flooding the town.