Relics found as water drastically drops in beloved NC mountain lake. See photos

Miami Herald

20-06-2025

Water has dropped to its lowest level in a century at North Carolina's Lake Lure, revealing relics long hidden in the mud, photos show.
Among the oddities: a 32-foot 'water taxi' and vehicle believed to be a Ford Model T.
They have emerged as the 800-acre lake continues shrinking due to damaged caused in September by Hurricane Helene.
Many of the finds have been documented on social media by the Lake Lure Dock Company, which calls them 'a haunting look into the past.'
'This is the first time the lake has been this low since it was first filled nearly a century ago,' company owner Jake Mohl told Fox News. 'We've worked on this lake for decades, and we're seeing things no one's laid eyes on in generations.'
In some instances, he has been baffled by the discoveries, such as 'the forgotten set of concrete steps.' The set appeared in June, and a photo shows it was far from being accessible to people on the bank of the lake.
'Fully intact and leading to ... nowhere,' the company wrote in a June 17 post. 'These steps likely once belonged to a building or residence — a quiet reminder of what once stood before the water came.'
In the case of a 32-foot wooden boat found in the mud, Mohl theorized it was intended to be a water taxi in the 1950s, Fox News reports.
'Complete with what appears to be an old 4-cylinder Ford flathead engine,' the company wrote of the boat. 'No telling how long it's been down there or what story it carried with it to the bottom, but it's a hauntingly beautiful reminder of the lake's hidden history.'
The 'chilling' remains of a Ford Model T were found around the same time, after being frozen in place for a nearly century. The vehicles were introduced to the market in 1908 and remained in production until May 1927, Ford says.
'It doesn't seem to have simply rolled into the water. The way it lies — tipped on its side, parts stripped away — suggests it may have broken down long ago, and was salvaged and abandoned, left for the lake to eventually claim,' the dock company wrote.
'Now, nearly 100 years later, it resurfaces — a silent reminder of life, labor, and machinery from a bygone era.'
Long-time residents of the area expect more to show up, based on folklore.
'There are a couple of old bridges on the lake bottom too,' Clint Calhoun wrote on Facebook. 'One is in Tryon Bay not far off shore from the Lodge on Lake Lure if I recall. It's mostly intact.'
'They flooded the town to create the lake,' Julee Bee posted. 'There are still houses, churches, graves, etc down there. People had to leave everything behind.'
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is lowering the water level by 30 feet to scrape out 376,000 tons of silt and sediment pushed into the lake by Hurricane Helene, the town said in a June 17 news release.
'The Lake is currently lower than it has ever been since it was built in the mid 1920's,' the town. 'This is an important step in the recovery process for Lake Lure. We are unable to specify the length of the drawdown period as this is dependent upon the sedimentation and debris removal process being overseen by the US Army Corps of Engineers.'