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The History of Lake Wylie

Just a short distance from the Indian Fort, was a spring that provided fresh water for Indians and settlers for centuries. Kanawha Spratt camped there with his wife on the first night of their journey to Fort Mill. The Catawba approached them with an offer of 4,000 acres of land if they would stay and live among the tribe and Spratt became the first white settler. In October 1780, Lord Cornwallis and his troops camped at Spratts Spring on their withdrawal from Charlotte. Cornwallis had planned to cross the Catawba River at Nation Ford and move on to Winnsboro. However, the river was flooded with heavy rains, forcing the general and his troops to stay at the spring. Years later the waters from this spring were dammed and now the spring is under a lake.

The man-made lake was first formed when the Catawba Power Company built the Catawba Dam and Power Plant near India Hook, South Carolina in 1904. This dam impounded the Catawba River and created Lake Catawba, which was utilized to create hydro-electric power. In 1905 the Catawba Power Company became part of the Southern Power Company. In 1924 the Southern Power Company raised the level of the dam and a built a new Catawba Hydroelectric Station to replace the original. This new facility opened in August 1925, increasing the surface area of Lake Catawba from 668 acres (2.7 km2) to 13,400 acres (54 km2). The Southern Power Company was merged with Duke Power Company in 1927. In October 1960 the power station was renamed the Wylie Hydroelectric Station and the lake was renamed Lake Wylie, both in honor of Dr. Walker Gill Wylie, one of the founders of the original Catawba Power Company that had created the lake and become Duke Power. The unincorporated town of Lake Wylie grow in population as Lake Wylie became a popular living area.

Education in the Lake Wylie Area

Education in the Lake Wylie area is of prime importance to the citizens of Lake Wylie.  Below is listed some of the schools that a child in the Town of Lake Wylie may be assigned and their school reports, for private schools click here.  The first link is to the school's website and the second is to the school report card.