Completed in 1910, the dam and Barker Reservoir were named for the owner of the land, Mrs. Hannah Connell Barker. Mrs. Barker refused to sell the land to the utility but was eventually forced to do so through a process similar to the contemporary legal procedure of eminent domain.
The construction of the dam and Barker Reservoir was finalized in 1910, with the structures being named after Mrs. Hannah Connell Barker, the original owner of the land who ultimately relented to the utility's demands despite initial resistance, much like the contemporary process of acquiring private property through eminent domain.