History of Lake Lure North Carolina
In 1902, Dr. Lucius B. Morse and his brothers purchased 64 acres around the present-day area of Chimney Rock State Park. Dr.Morse wife, Elizabeth, is credited with giving the town and the lake its name.
By 1925, the Morse family created Carolina Mountain Power Company and funded the construction of the Broad River dam, which produced the lake. The Lake was completed in 1927 and covers approximately 720 acres with 27 miles of shoreline.
Development plans came to a screeching halt in 1929 when the Great Depression took its hold on the United States. The lake and dam was foreclosed by Stroud & Company. Stroud owned the dam and power until 1965. After the North Carolina General Assembly enacted a legislation that authorized the Town of Lake Lure to issue revenue bonds, the dam, power company and real estate of Lake Lure was acquired by the town in 1965.
The town continues to sell electricity to Duke Energy, though profits from the dam now come second to maintaining a fixed water level year-round for residents of the Lake Lure community.
Today the Lake has become a popular area for filming major motion pictures. My Fellow Americans was filmed in the area. Much of the film Dirty Dancing was filmed here.