Treasured discoveries surface as North Carolina lake is drained after Helene

Executive Director of the nonprofit organization “We Must Protect,” speaks with FOX Weather correspondent Robert Ray to share the ongoing recovery efforts from Hurricane Helene nine months later.

RUTHERFORD COUNTY, N.C. – An extensive post-storm cleanup effort at Lake Lure in western North Carolina has uncovered remarkable pieces of local history that had long been hidden beneath the surface of the man-made lake.

The town of Lake Lure, in partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and private contractors, launched a large-scale restoration project aimed at clearing sediment and debris left behind by Hurricane Helene in September 2024.

As part of the effort, officials drained much of the nearly 800-acre reservoir, exposing parts of the lakebed not seen since the area was first inundated in the 1920s.

Among the most surprising discoveries: a 1920s-era Model T-style truck and a 32-foot wooden boat originally intended to serve as a water taxi during the region’s early development.

“This is the first time the lake has been this low since it was first filled nearly a century ago,” said Jake Mohl, owner of Lake Lure Dock Company, whose team is currently handling many of the dock and boathouse repairs around the lake. “We’ve worked on this lake for decades, and we’re seeing things no one’s laid eyes on in generations.”

RECORD-SETTING SHIPWRECK ACCIDENTALLY DISCOVERED OFF COAST OF FRANCE

Mohl, who has shared photos of the finds with FOX Weather, said his crew has encountered everything from sunken rowboats and large tree trunks to vehicle parts.

“The boat likely broke free during a storm and sank sometime after the Great Depression,” Mohl explained.

Still visible on the side of the vessel is the name “Pooh Bear,” which belonged to the Tanner family – one of the region’s original developers.

The boat was originally purchased in the 1950s to be used as a water taxi, but plans for its commercial use were abandoned.

Nearby, crews also located what appears to be the Model T-style truck, likely left behind when the lake was created in the 1920s.

Local residents suggested the vehicle became stuck in the mud or broke down and was simply left to be consumed by the rising waters when a nearby dam was completed in 1926 and the lake filled a year later.

Historic discoveries surface as North Carolina lake is drained during Helene revitalization

(Lake Lure Dock Company / FOX Weather)

The discoveries come as contractors, like the Lake Lure Dock Company, shift from immediate recovery work to reconstruction of docks and other structures around the lake.

Many homes around the waterway appeared to be spared during Hurricane Helene, but boathouses and docks took the brunt of the damage.

“It’s a roll of the dice out here,” Mohl said. “Some properties were completely wiped out.”

CHIMNEY ROCK, NORTH CAROLINA, RECOVERY SHOWS PROGRESS POST-HELENE

Treasure hunters hoping to explore the lakebed for themselves may be disappointed, as the area remains off-limits to the public due to safety concerns.

Large construction equipment has been spotted along the shoreline, where crews have already removed an estimated 376,000 tons of silt and approximately 46,744 cubic yards of storm debris from the lake.

Town officials have not yet released a firm timeline for when the project will be completed or how long it will take the lake to refill, but locals are hopeful that Lake Lure will be restored to its former beauty by the summer of 2026.