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Along with engineer William States Lee Sr. and millionaire industrialist James B. Duke, they started building a series of dams along the Catawba River to provide hydroelectric power for textile mills. This investment drove growth and helped the Carolinas transform from an agricultural economy to emerge as an economic force with manufacturing, retail and financial services.
“Wylie grew up in South Carolina,” said historian Tom Hanchett. “He had one foot in the Carolina Piedmont and the other in New York where he’d received medical training and practiced after the Civil War. He was well-read, educated, and alive to possibilities. Electricity was the internet of its era, and textile mills were hungry for power.”
Large-scale electrification at Niagara Falls, N.Y., inspired Wylie to tap the power of the Catawba River near his boyhood home of Chester, S.C.
Their innovative ideas predated the turn of the 20th century. Buck and Benjamin Duke, driven by ambitious aspirations to rejuvenate the declining Southern industrial scene, turned their attention to the untapped potential of the Catawba River. Originating near Mount Mitchell in the Blue Ridge, this 238-mile river wound its way east and south, intersecting various communities along its course. Duke and his associates envisioned leveraging its power through hydroelectric plants to fuel the emerging manufacturing sector across the Piedmont region spanning North and South Carolina.
William States Lee championed the realization of this vision, employing innovative designs that laid the foundation for a network of hydroelectric stations along the river. Despite financial challenges, Duke and Wylie’s steadfast support led to the establishment of the Southern Power Company in 1904. This laid the groundwork for construction, culminating in the completion of Lookout Shoals in 1915 and the development of Lake James in 1916.
Norman Atwater Cocke, an integral member of the Duke team since 1906, witnessed the monumental transformation of natural resources into electrical energy, catalyzing the industrial evolution of the Southern United States. Cocke’s contributions were pivotal, and his retirement in 1958 was commemorated by the naming of Lake Norman in his honor.
The commencement of Lake Norman’s construction in 1959 marked a significant milestone, symbolized by Governor Luther Hodges blasting the first rock. The initial phase involved diverting the river with a cofferdam, blasting rock formations, and pouring concrete. A steel trestle was erected to facilitate the transportation of concrete across the river, with large cranes lifting buckets from railroad cars and lowering them into positions for pouring.
A poignant moment occurred on September 1, 1960, when Duke’s president, W.B. McGuire, ceremonially placed the first cement bucket, signifying progress in the project’s timeline. As Lake Norman’s waters began to rise, enveloping surrounding riverbanks and landmarks, preparations were made for constructing a new bridge to maintain connectivity amidst the changing landscape.
In conclusion, Lake Norman stands as a testament to the visionary foresight and collaborative efforts of individuals like Dr. Gill Wylie, William States Lee, Buck and Benjamin Duke, Norman Atwater Cocke, and numerous others. Their collective endeavor not only harnessed the power of nature but also facilitated socioeconomic development in the region, leaving an indelible mark on the landscape and communities it serves.
As mentioned, LKNConnect.com aims to report the history of “Life Before The Lake.” We will be researching the past of the towns around the lake and would like to hear from you about your family’s history of the area. I have lived in Huntersville my entire life. We actually trace my family’s history back for eight generations. When folks hear this, they ask, “What was life like before the lake?” That question inspired me to research the history of the area. This new feature is the result of those questions. I plan to write many articles about “Life Before The Lake” and post them on www.Lknconnect.com’s website.
Information for this article came from two sources. One was Chuck McShane’s book A History of Lake Norman, published by The History Press, Charleston, SC 29403, Copyright, 2014. The other source was from Cindy Jacobs’ book, Images of America, Around Lake Norman, published by Arcada Publishing, Charleston, SC Copywrite, 2008
Photos were Courtesy of Duke Power
Follow LKNConnect.com for future short articles from these books, or they can be ordered from your favorite online bookstore.
