Lake Lure, North Carolina
Encyclopedia
History
In 1902, Dr. Lucius B. Morse and his brothers Hiram and Asahel purchased 64 acre (0.25899904 km²) around Chimney RockChimney Rock, North Carolina
Chimney Rock is a village in Rutherford County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 175 at the 2000 census. The village takes its name from a large granite outcropping located on a summit above the village itself in Chimney Rock State Park....
(within present-day Chimney Rock State Park) for $5,000. They later acquired enough land in the area to bring the total to 8000 acres (32.4 km²). Lucius Morse's wife Elizabeth is credited with naming the lake (and the town).
In 1925, the Morse family created Carolina Mountain Power Company and funded the construction of a dam on the Broad River
Broad River (Carolinas)
The Broad River is a principal tributary of the Congaree River, about 150 miles long, in western North Carolina and northern South Carolina in the United States. Via the Congaree, it is part of the watershed of the Santee River, which flows to the Atlantic Ocean...
(through a mortgage) which produced the lake after which the town is named. The full impoundment of Lake Lure was completed in 1927. At ordinary water levels, Lake Lure covers approximately 720 acres (2.9 km²) and has a shoreline of approximately 27 miles (43.5 km). The dam's power plant began operations in 1928 with the sale of electricity under a 10-year contract to Blue Ridge Power Co., a local predecessor of Duke Power.
The plans for development came to a halt in 1929 with the advent of the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. A mortgage-holder, Stroud & Company of Philadelphia, foreclosed on the lake and the dam. Stroud owned them and the power the dam generated until 1965. In 1963 the North Carolina General Assembly
North Carolina General Assembly
The North Carolina General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of North Carolina. The General Assembly drafts and legislates the state laws of North Carolina, also known as the General Statutes...
enacted the legislation that authorized the Town of Lake Lure to issue revenue bonds for the purpose of acquiring the assets from Stroud. The dam, power company, and real estate of Lake Lure were acquired by the Town of Lake Lure in 1965.
In modern times, the town continues to sell electricity to Duke Energy
Duke Energy
Duke Energy , headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, is an energy company with assets in the United States, Canada and Latin America.-Overview:...
, although profits from the dam now come second to maintaining a fixed water level year-round for the residents of the Lake Lure area.
The Lake Lure area is commonly used as a filming location for major motion pictures. Films include My Fellow Americans
My Fellow Americans
My Fellow Americans is a 1996 American comedy film starring Jack Lemmon, Dan Aykroyd and James Garner as feuding ex-presidents. Lauren Bacall, Esther Rolle, John Heard, Wilford Brimley, Bradley Whitford and Jeff Yagher also appear in supporting performances...
a 1996 comedy-drama starring Jack Lemmon
Jack Lemmon
John Uhler "Jack" Lemmon III was an American actor and musician. He starred in more than 60 films including Some Like It Hot, The Apartment, Mister Roberts , Days of Wine and Roses, The Great Race, Irma la Douce, The Odd Couple, Save the Tiger John Uhler "Jack" Lemmon III (February 8, 1925June...
and James Garner
James Garner
James Garner is an American film and television actor, one of the first Hollywood actors to excel in both media. He has starred in several television series spanning a career of more than five decades...
, and Dirty Dancing
Dirty Dancing
Dirty Dancing is a 1987 American romantic film. Written by Eleanor Bergstein and directed by Emile Ardolino, the film features Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey in the lead roles, as well as Cynthia Rhodes and Jerry Orbach...
starring Patrick Swayze
Patrick Swayze
Patrick Wayne Swayze was an American actor, dancer and singer-songwriter. He was best known for his tough-guy roles, as romantic leading men in the hit films Dirty Dancing and Ghost, and as Orry Main in the North and South television miniseries. He was named by People magazine as its "Sexiest...
which was filmed here (the dance scenes at the Lodge) and in Virginia. It is also a common recreational area for residents and those within 100 miles (160.9 km) of the Lake from four states to come visit, picnic, water ski, boat and fish or spend the summer.
Lake Lure was the location for the HGTV Dream Home
HGTV Dream Home
The HGTV Dream Home is the American cable network Home & Garden Television's annual project house and sweepstakes, held since 1997. The sweepstakes commences with a January 1 television special showcasing the fully furnished, custom-built home valued in excess of one million dollars; viewers are...
contest in 2006 where a lucky contestant won a furnished home and an automobile.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 1,027 people, 495 households, and 359 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 75.6 people per square mile (29.2/km2). There were 1,957 housing units at an average density of 144.1 per square mile (55.6/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 97.27% White, 1.46% African American, 0.29% Asian, 0.19% Native American, and 0.78% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.10% of the population.
There were 495 households out of which 10.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.1% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 3.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.3% were non-families. 22.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.07 and the average family size was 2.38.
In the town the population was spread out with 10.4% under the age of 18, 3.2% from 18 to 24, 14.1% from 25 to 44, 35.9% from 45 to 64, and 36.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 59 years. For every 100 females there were 103.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.6 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $38,417, and the median income for a family was $45,833. Males had a median income of $39,464 versus $23,333 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $23,459. About 4.9% of families and 10.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.7% of those under age 18 and 4.9% of those age 65 or over.
Geography
Lake Lure is located at 35.444668°N 82.191243°W. According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 14.8 square miles (38.3 km²), of which, 13.6 square miles (35.2 km²) of it is land and 1.2 square miles (3.1 km²) of it (8.11%) is water.
Popular culture
Lake Lure was a filming location for scenes from the movies Dirty DancingDirty Dancing
Dirty Dancing is a 1987 American romantic film. Written by Eleanor Bergstein and directed by Emile Ardolino, the film features Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey in the lead roles, as well as Cynthia Rhodes and Jerry Orbach...
, The Last of the Mohicans
The Last of the Mohicans
The Last of the Mohicans: A Narrative of 1757 is a historical novel by James Fenimore Cooper, first published in February 1826. It is the second book of the Leatherstocking Tales pentalogy and the best known...
, My Fellow Americans
My Fellow Americans
My Fellow Americans is a 1996 American comedy film starring Jack Lemmon, Dan Aykroyd and James Garner as feuding ex-presidents. Lauren Bacall, Esther Rolle, John Heard, Wilford Brimley, Bradley Whitford and Jeff Yagher also appear in supporting performances...
, A Breed Apart
A Breed Apart
A Breed Apart is a 1984 American drama film directed by Philippe Mora. The screenplay by Paul Wheeler concerns the need to protect endangered species, in this case the bald eagle.-Plot:Obsessive collector J.P...
, and Firestarter
Firestarter
Firestarter is a novel by Stephen King first published in 1980. It was nominated for a British Fantasy Award in 1981.The book is dedicated to the author Shirley Jackson: "In Memory of Shirley Jackson, who never needed to raise her voice."...
. It was also the location for the 2006 HGTV Dream Home.
There are also many instances of alleged "ghostly happenings" throughout the Hickory Nut Gorge, from Lake Lure to Chimney Rock up to Gerton. Most recently, a photo was taken at The 1927 Lake Lure Inn and Spa prior to a vow renewal ceremony that resembles the image of what appears to be a young boy, age 10–12. Photos and Video are available for viewing online.