The concrete gravity dam was constructed in 1958 by the United States Army Corps of Engineers with a height of 71 feet (22 m) and 684 feet (208 m) long at its crest.
[1] It impounds the Black Warrior River for navigation and flood control.
Named for the U.S. representative from Alabama, Armistead I. Selden, Jr., the dam is owned and operated by the Corps of Engineers.
[3] Recreation includes camping, boating, fishing, hunting, and hiking, as well as seven day-use parks maintained by the Corps.
[4] Alabama's Hale County Road 38 crosses the river over the dam.