A Rich History The History of Lake Murray
The History of the Lake
Welcome to Lake Murray Country
Welcome to Lake Murray, a place with fascinating history and stunning scenery! Did you know the lake was named after William S. Murray, the engineer behind the dam’s design? The hydroelectric dam was built by the Lexington Water Power Company to generate electricity and construction took place from 1927 to 1930. In 2019, Dominion Energy took ownership of the dam.
Creating Lake Murray was a massive project. About 100,000 acres of land were purchased from over 5,000 families, with prices ranging from $15 to $45 an acre. Nearly a dozen small communities had to be abandoned to make room for the lake, including Derrick, Pine Ridge, Lorick’s Ferry, Selwood, Wessinger, Cantsville, Leaphart, Savilla, Boyleston, Lorena, and Holly’s Ferry. The dam itself is quite impressive! It features five intake towers, the tallest standing at 223 feet. To generate electricity, four of the smaller towers draw water from the bottom of the lake, while the largest tower (which is 60 feet in diameter) feeds water into a huge underground conduit.
To generate electricity, four of the smaller towers draw water from the bottom of the lake, while the largest tower (which is 60 feet in diameter) feeds water into a huge underground conduit.
Building the lake wasn’t just about the land—it was about the people, too. Six schools, three churches, and about 193 graveyards with 2,323 graves had to be relocated. Some families chose not to move their loved ones, and today you can find monuments with these names listed at several local church cemeteries, or a complete directory at the Saluda County Museum.
Clearing 65,000 acres of land for the lake was no easy feat. Around 2,000 men were hired to do the job, earning an average of just 50 cents per day. Armed with crosscut saws and axes, they cut down the trees by hand. A community of 1,500 workers even lived on-site in an area they called “The Village.” The wood they cut down—100 million board feet of it—was used to help build the dam and even a 3-mile railroad that connected the dam to the Columbia, Newberry & Laurens Railroad, which runs through present-day Irmo.
Celebrated As the World’s Largest Power Reservoir
Lake Murray was celebrated as the world’s largest power reservoir when it first generated electricity on December 1, 1930.
Lake Murray was celebrated as the world’s largest power reservoir when it first generated electricity on December 1, 1930. At 7:00 a.m. that day, the first 10,000 kilowatts of electricity flowed from the lake. The dam - built at a cost of $20.1 million - is 1.5 miles long, 1,150 feet thick at the base, and 208 feet high, covering 99 acres. It originally had four spillway gates on the Lexington side to control water flow. In the 1940s, two more gates were added and the dam’s crest was raised by three feet to help manage flooding.
Lake Murray itself is massive. It covers about 50,000 acres with 650 miles of shoreline. It stretches 41 miles long and, at its widest point, is 14 miles across. The lake’s depth reaches 190 feet at its deepest spot when at full pool, and holds a staggering 763 billion gallons of water. The sheer size of the lake makes it a perfect location for a variety of fishing tournaments; in 2023, Bassmaster named Lake Murray the “Top Lake in the Southeast” and the “#4 Lake in the Country for Best Bass Fishing.” Lake Murray is also a great spot for outdoor recreation activities; USA Today named it the “#2 Best Lake for Water Sports” in their 10 Best Readers Choice Awards 2024.
Lake Murray itself is massive. It covers about 50,000 acres with 650 miles of shoreline. It stretches 41 miles long and, at its widest point, is 14 miles across. The lake’s depth reaches 190 feet at its deepest spot when at full pool, and holds a staggering 763 billion gallons of water.
What's really intriguing is what’s beneath the surface. There are nearly a dozen old communities, thousands of graves, the old Wise Ferry Bridge, sunken bomber planes, and even remnants of a pipeline, railroad cars, homes, boats, and bomb fragments from WWII pilot training.
Speaking of World War II, the U.S. military used Lake Murray to train bomber pilots. They practiced flying B-25 bombers, and seven of the lake’s islands—Bomb, Shull, Wessinger, Dreher, Spence, Mistey, and Holley Key—were used as targets for their bombing runs. In 2005, a B-25 bomber plane was recovered from the lake and is now on display at the Southern Museum of Flight in Birmingham, Alabama. Recovery of the plane was featured on an episode of The History Channel’s Mega Movers.
Although the dam’s official name is the Dreher Shoals Dam, most people simply call it the Lake Murray Dam. In 2005, a backup dam was built for extra security, costing $275 million. In 2024, Dominion Energy began renovating the intake towers to ensure the continued safe and reliable operation of the Saluda Hydroelectric Project.
Whether you’re here to enjoy the region’s natural beauty or explore its history, Lake Murray is a destination that has something for everyone. To learn more about the region’s history, explore one of Lake Murray Country’s many museums.
