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Great Falls, SC
History About Our Area
A Duke Timeline
1899
James Buchanan Duke (1856-1925) organizes The American Development
Company to acquire land and water rights on Catawba River in Chester,
Lancaster and Fairfield counties. Benjamin Newton, J. B.'s brother, is
president.
1900-1909
June 6, 1900
Dr. Walker Gill Wylie and his brother Dr. Robert H. Wylie incorporate the
Catawba Power Company to build the Catawba Hydro Station at India Hook
Shoals on the Catawba River near Rock Hill, SC. The station, which will
cost more than $1 million, is to supply electricity to textile mills in
the vicinity of Rock Hill. April 30, 1904 Catawba Power
Company's Catawba Hydro Station, located on the Catawba River in York
County, SC, begins operation with 3,300 kilowatts. This is the first
generating station on the Duke system, and this date is considered to be
the birthdate of Duke Power Company.
June 22, 1905
Southern Power Company incorporates under the laws of New Jersey, with Dr.
Walker Gill Wylie, president; Benjamin Newton Duke, first vice-president;
William States Lee, second vice president and chief engineer (pictured
here); R. B. Arrington, secretary and treasurer; L. C. Harrison, assistant
secretary; and W. H. Martin, Jr., assistant treasurer.
1907
The first steam plant operated by Duke Power is a 1,500-kilowatt steam
engine leased from the Highland Park Cotton Mill in Charlotte, NC. In
1911, Southern Power Company will construct its first two steam-electric
generating stations, the Greenville (SC) and Greensboro steam stations.
April 7, 1907
Great Falls Hydro Station, the first hydroelectric construction project of
Southern Power Company, is completed and placed in service. Located on the
Catawba River near Great Falls, SC, contracts are let as early as 1905,
and construction begins on August 31, 1907.
April 28, 1909
Located on the Catawba River near the town of Great Falls, SC, Rocky Creek
is the second construction project of Southern Power Company. Work begins
on August 8, 1906, and the station begins operation on April 28, 1909.
October 24, 1909
Southern Power Company constructs the first double-circuit 100,000-volt
transmission line in the United States. The first section, 143 miles long,
begins operating on October 24, 1909. The first 22-mile segment runs from
Great Falls Hydro Station to Chester, SC; a second 118-mile segment runs
from Great Falls to High Point, NC. A third line, completed on December 8,
1909, runs 72 miles from Chester, SC to Greenville, SC. Other lines will
eventually reach all of Duke's service area.
1910-1919
March 4, 1910
James Buchanan Duke (1856-1925) is named president of Southern Power
Company. He succeeds Dr. Walker Gill Wylie (1848-1923), who has served as
president since the company's formation on June 22, 1905. J. B. Duke
serves as president of Duke Power Company from its inception in 1924 until
his death in 1925.
May 28, 1910
Ninety-Nine Islands Hydro Station, located on the Broad River in Cherokee
County, SC, begins commercial operation. This is Southern Power Company's
third hydroelectric construction project, and the first on the Broad
River.
June 6, 1910
Southern Power Company incorporates Mill-Power Supply Company as a
subsidiary to act as a purchasing agency and vendor of electric equipment
and supplies. On October 28, 1983, Mill-Power acquires the assets of the
Dixie Electric Company in Lancaster, SC. Duke Power will sell Mill-Power
on April 9, 1990.
April 1, 1911
Greenville Steam Station, Duke Power's first coal-fired generating
station, is completed and placed in service in Greenville, SC, to supply
standby and peak-load electricity. Construction of the 6600-kilowatt plant
begins on May 1, 1910. Generation ends in October 1927. Greenville Steam
Station marks the beginning of the Fossil Production Department.
September 15, 1911
Greensboro Steam Station, Duke's second coal-fired steam-electric plant,
is completed and put into operation to supply standby and peak-period
electricity. Construction begins on September 1, 1910; last operated in
June 1927.
July 1, 1913
Southern Public Utilities Company is incorporated under the laws of Maine
as the principal retail distribution subsidiary of Southern Power Company.
Zebulon Vance Taylor is named president of the subsidiary. E. C. Marshall,
later a president of Duke Power, serves as president of Southern Public
Utilities Company from April 30, 1921 until the subsidiary is merged into
Duke Power Company on April 30, 1935.
July 28, 1913
Construction on Mount Holly Steam Station, located on Lake Wylie in
Belmont, NC, begins on May 5, 1912; first operation is on July 28, 1913.
Mount Holly is the first steam plant on the Duke system to have multiple
units. Operation ceases in 1954.
November 9, 1915
Construction on Eno Steam Station, located on the Eno River in Orange
County, NC, begins November 20, 1914. Commercial operation begins November
9, 1915.
December 2, 1915
Located on the east side of the Catawba River in Iredell County, NC,
Lookout Shoals Hydro Station is the first Southern Power Company
hydroelectric project in North Carolina. Construction begins on May 1,
1914. Lookout is the first Duke plant to use vertical-shaft turbines.
1916
The “Big Flood.” Only one bridge near the Catawba River survives the
flood.
November 22, 1916
Fishing Creek 'Nitrolee' Hydro Station is located on the Catawba River
about 2 miles north of Great Falls, SC. Constructed by Southern Power
Company, work begins on the station on April 7, 1915. Operation begins on
November 22, 1916.
May 4, 1919
Bridgewater Hydro Station construction begins on August 18, 1916. Lake
James, named after James Buchanan (Buck) Duke (1856-1925), lies in
McDowell and Burke counties, NC, and is formed by damming three streams:
the Catawba River, Paddy Creek, and the Linville River. Bridgewater
Station, a railway depot on the Southern Railway, gives the project its
name because all freight is received there. Commercial operation begins on
May 4, 1919.
October 7, 1919
Wateree Hydro Station is located on the Catawba River near Camden, SC.
Constructed by Wateree Power Company, a subsidiary of Southern Power
Company, beginning February 6, 1917, Wateree begins commercial operation
on October 7, 1919.
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Great Falls Downtown Historic District
(added 2000 - Chester County - #00000588)
Dearborn St. between Church and Republic St., Great Falls
(126 acres, 14 buildings)
Historic Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering
Architect, builder, or engineer: Sirrine, Joseph Emory, Potter & Shackleford
Architectural Style: Late 19th And 20th Century Revivals
Area of Significance: Architecture, Commerce
Period of Significance: 1900-1924, 1925-1949
Owner: Private , Local Gov't
Historic Function: Commerce/Trade, Recreation And Culture
Historic Sub-function: Business, Department Store, Financial Institution, Specialty Store, Theater
Current Function: Commerce/Trade, Vacant/Not In Use
Current Sub-function: Business, Specialty Store
On the return trip to Augusta, some of the members stopped at Great Falls, SC for lunch and ended up visiting with local model a enthusiasts, touring local historical district, and taking some photos before hitting the road.
The three Model A's on the right belong to Shade Tree A members. The coupe is an 'original' unrestored gem that had just recently been rejuvenated during the week we were in Lancaster. The owner had seen us pass through town on the way to Lancaster and got the 'fever'. With the help of the shop owner shown in this photo, the coupe was resuscitated and back on the road.
Model A's posed for a photo in front of Great Falls, SC "Old Town" area store fronts. The town's in the process of a restoration project and the committee felt that such a photo would help in their campaign efforts.
'The Flood'
1916
As recounted in The Floods of 1916 by the Southern Railway
Company, on July 5 and 6, 1916, a tropical cyclone came inland from the
Gulf of Mexico, reaching the western Carolinas around July 8. A second
storm came in from the Atlantic, and there were tremendous rains on July
15 and 16 in the same area.
The French Broad River was at 4 feet, or flood stage, on the morning
of July 15. It had come down from 8.8 feet on July 11. But with the new
rains on July 15, the river rose to 13.5 feet at 8 a.m. on July 16. By 9
a.m. on the same day, the river rose to 18.6 feet. At 10 a.m. the bridge
on which the height of the river was measured washed away. The crest of
the flood was estimated to be 21 feet.
It was this rain that washed away the dam at Lake Toxaway in 1916 and
sent waters rushing down 16 miles of the Toxaway River Gorge. The dam
was not rebuilt until 1960. The force of the flood removed all
vegetation from the streamside zone, leaving a remarkable scene of
exposed bedrock clearly evident to the visitor today. The dam creating
Lake Toxaway is just on the north side of the US 64 bridge over the
Toxaway River [Fig.
51(1)].
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