Q: What is the history of Franklin’s Lake Emory?

A: Before going into details, I think it is important to review a bit of American history in the 1920s. As many know, the 1920s has often been referred to as the “Roaring Twenties,” and for good reason.

The Great War was over, and there was an air of prosperity and feelings of good will among the American citizens. People had money and they wanted to spend it. With the mass production of the automobile and improved roads, travel became a way of life and more people spent more time on the roads than ever before. In essence, life was good and opportunities to make a buck were numerous. The early 1920s were the beginnings of the end of the financial boom which finally culminated in the collapse of the stock market in 1929.

With the increase in travel, an increase in the amount of free time of many citizens and a desire among the general population to find resorts in the mountains of Western North Carolina to enjoy, an idea was proposed by certain individuals to develop a lake and resort area in Franklin, North Carolina. These individuals saw an opportunity to create a lake for fishing, swimming and boating, a power dam for the local community, a golf course and a 75-room motel with outstanding views of the surrounding mountains and a pristine lake.

The lake would be stocked with a variety of game fish, including muskies, for the sportsmen and hunters could take advantage of the many ducks which would use the lake for nesting and resting on their migrations. This lake and its corresponding recreational advantages would draw in thousands of tourists. Estimates of projected income from this recreational area varied from $750,000 to $1 million annually, and these profits would benefit all residents of Macon County.

At one time, an added benefit to the residents of Macon County and specifically Franklin would have resulted from the power plant. The feeling was excess power could be sold to other communities and the funds generated could be used to pay property taxes of all Franklin residents.

Initially, the Lake Emory Company, which was formed in 1922-23 by these dreamers, thought that damming up Rabbit Creek was the best option. After surveying the property, however, the size of the creek was prohibitive. The eyes of the Lake Emory Company board of directors shifted to the Little Tennessee proper as the most logical location for a dam. With the town’s blessings, combined with a $300,000 bond issue, the Robert and Company of Atlanta and Electrical Contractors of Charlotte were contracted to construct the dam. The dam was completed in late 1925. As the dam was in the process of being built between 1922 and 1925, real estate properties and the corresponding advertisements were constantly being published in the local papers. After all, Lake Emory was going to be the recreation mecca of Western North Carolina, and residents wanted to be on the ground floor. There was a dollar to be made!

Between 1925 and 1932, Lake Emory became a major headache for the town of Franklin. Proposed development was not materializing. The golf course was still a dream, the recreational uses of the lake were not being taken advantage of by the residents and tourists were not thronging to the area on their vacations. Consequently, the town sold Lake Emory, the power plant and all of its dreams to the Northwest Carolina Utilities Inc., a subsidiary of East Coast Utilities.

And then there was that big day in October 1929. The stock market collapsed. People everywhere were jumping out of windows after losing their shirts, and hordes were trying to dump some of their investments. The Northeast Carolina Utilities Inc. was one mortality of this financial crisis.

In March, 1932, East Coast Utilities announced that it would be unable to meet a bond payment of $8,100 due in April and showed a loss of $10,000 at the Franklin plant. The ownership of Lake Emory, the dam, and real estate reverted back to Franklin. Even though the town recouped some losses, $23,000, the money was not enough to cover the bond payments scheduled throughout the year. Fifty thousand dollars was also tied up with a defunct bank and therefore not available to offset any present or future losses.

In May 1932, the town agreed to transfer the property and the dam to the Nantahala Power and Light Company, and the Nantahala Power and Light Company - now Duke Energy - has operated the plant ever since.

So what happened to the dream? What happened to the dream of having Lake Emory a recreational mecca found nowhere else in Western North Carolina? Certainly the stock market crash of 1929 had something to do with putting a hold on any future plans. More importantly though, with years of development, road building, and construction between Franklin and Rabun County, Lake Emory became, and still is, a sediment trap. Instead of being a five- to seven-mile pristine lake, it became a swamp complete with islands formed by massive amounts of sediment. It had lost its allure. In 1967, photos were taken of the lake showing the build-up of sediment and the dreams of having a star quality recreational site in Western North Carolina finally died completely.

So, one might ask, what good is Lake Emory? At first glance, one might think that Lake Emory is not worth keeping. It does not have any aesthetic value to speak of, it is not the recreational site people dreamed about in the 1920s, and the power generated at the plant does not amount to a great deal. This is all true.

However, even with these negatives, there are some positives to be considered. The resort on Lake Emory failed, in part, due to the amount of sediment the dam held back behind its walls. That sediment, if it had been allowed to travel further down the river would probably have destroyed the habitat and water quality of the Little Tennessee above Lake Fontana and below the dam at Lake Emory. The silt has formed wetland areas throughout Lake Emory which is home for a variety of wildlife species. Granted, the wetlands may not be pretty, but one does see ospreys, an occasional eagle, woodcock, paddling ducks, a variety of wetland plants as well as aquatic invertebrates, some species of fish, and water loving mammals.

Keep in mind that sedimentation is a naturally occurring process. However, when the process is accelerated because of poor land management practices, more sediment is finding its way into Lake Emory. Lake Emory is filling up, as are the previously created wetlands, and their usefulness as wildlife habitat and recreation is gradually being lost. Until sediment controls are put into practice above Lake Emory, thoughts of removing the present dam and dredging out the silt already present would be the equivalent of spitting into the wind. As one removes sediment from the lake, it will be soon replaced.

No, the lake and the dam do not meet the original plans, dreams and hopes of the original creators, but they do play a vital function in maintaining water quality and habitat of the Little Tennessee River below the dam.

(Jamie Johnston, executive director of the Little Tennessee Watershed Association, wrote this article. He can be reached at LTWA, 5 West Main Street, Franklin, NC, 28734; or via e-mail at nbumppo@dnet.net.)

 

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