Before Lake Norman, there was a river. A river that shaped the lives of the Catawba Nation and the communities that lived along its banks.

In this bonus episode of Made in Carolina, we explore the early vision that transformed the Catawba River into a hydroelectric system—and set the stage for the creation of Lake Norman.

This episode is a reflection on change, memory, and the landscapes that exist just beneath the surface.

Resources & Credits

🎧 Audio & Music Credits

• Original Music – Sister Sai Used with permission
• “Long Way” – Rexlambo Source: SoundCloud License: Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 (CC BY 3.0) Free Download / Stream: https://audiolibrary.com.co/rexlambo/long-way Stream: https://soundcloud.com/rexlambo/rexlambo-long-way Promoted by Audio Library: https://youtu.be/EVvMLfDoJwQ
• “reenactment3.aif” – alienistcog Source: Freesound License: CC0 (Public Domain)
• “small lake waves.wav” – Mick_ Source: https://freesound.org/s/705035/ License: CC0 (Public Domain)
• “NATIVE DRUM LOOP B 16BARS 100BPM.wav” – sandyrb Source: https://freesound.org/s/86653/ License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0)

📚 Research & Historical Sources

• Lake Wylie History https://lakewyliecarolinas.com/history/
• About the Catawba Nation https://www.catawba.com/about-the-nation
• History of Cornelius, North Carolina Provided by the Cornelius Jaycees https://www.lakeandvillage.com/blog/history-cornelius-nc/

🎙️ Podcast Credits

Created, produced, and hosted by Lolita Rowe 🎧 Made in Carolina Podcast 🌐 https://www.madeincarolinapodcast.com/

☕ Support the show: Buy Me a Coffee

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The conclusion of the Lake Marion and Lake Moultrie story

Episode 7 explores the aftermath of the flooding of the Santee Basin – how families relocated, rebuilt, and carried memory forward across generations. Through conversations with Dr. Robert Hart and Dr. Kelsey Moore, we explore the migration, federal resettlement programs, church-community rebuilding efforts, and the archival silences that obscure Black lived experiences. From sharecropping and wartime job shifts, to the promise of land and the reality of displacement in the Lowcountry, this story invites listeners to remember what’s often submerged — in water and in memory.

Featured Voices: Dr. Thomas Robert Hart, Dr. Kelsey Moore

Created, Produced, and Hosted by: Lolita Rowe Original Music: Sister Sai Website: Tiffany Messer-Bass

Sound Engineering: Saira Raza

Music Credits – Sister Sai

“Wanderer”

“Cerulean Mood”

“Dandelion”

🎧 Sound Effects – Freesound.org (CC0 License)

Old Piano – Somber Chords.wav — DeVern

Hitting Nail into Wall with Hammer — Kate_is_yellow

Samsung Smartphone Hammering — designerschoice

Pond Water & Ripples at Chappaquidick Bridge — Filmscore

Waves Gently Breaking on Lakeshore — leonelmail

Archival Audio – Library of Congress

John and Ruby Lomax 1939 Southern States Recording Trip (AFC 1939/001),

American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Call to Action: Follow the series and share your reflections using #MadeInCarolinaPodcast

Support the show: ☕ buymeacoffee.com/madeincarolina

Resources:

Archival Image Credit: Many families tore down their houses in the Santee–Cooper Basin to rebuild them outside the flooded area. Near Bonneau, South Carolina. March 1941.Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division:LC-USF34-043456-D [P&P], LOT 1533 (corresponding photographic print).Other Number: E 5985.

Related links:

Great Migration – National Archives: https://www.archives.gov/research/african-americans/migrations/great-migration•

The Truth Behind “40 Acres and a Mule” – PBS: https://www.pbs.org/wnet/african-americans-many-rivers-to-cross/history/the-truth-behind-40-acres-and-a-mule/

Beneath the still waters of Lake Marion lies the ghost of a forest — and a town named Ferguson. Before the Santee River was dammed, the Santee River Cypress Lumber Company had already stripped much of the swamp bare, cutting and milling its centuries-old cypress. By the time the flood came, the forest that once sheltered the town was already gone.

This episode traces how the Santee Basin itself was transformed — not only socially but ecologically. Thousands of acres were cleared, burned, and drowned to make way for progress, yet pieces of that past remain: the stumps of Sparkleberry Swamp, the ghost forests along the coast, and the memories carried by the water. Through the words of historian Dr. Robert Hart, we follow the making of a waterscape — and reflect on what progress submerge.

Featured Voice

• Dr. Robert Hart, historian — on the environmental and coastal consequences of the Santee-Cooper Project

Credits Created, produced, and hosted by Lolita Rowe Original music by Sister Sai Website by Tiffany Messer Bass, with production support from Saira Raza

sound effects/field recordings from Freesound.com

S: Lake Waves 3.wav by Benboncan | License: Attribution 4.0

S: forest wind 1111AM 220617_0400.wav by klankbeeld | License: Attribution 4.0

S: Life underwater at Mamori.wav by laurent | License: Attribution NonCommercial 4.0

S: Forest Birds Crow Wind by atks_ | License: Attribution NonCommercial 4.0

Songs (all by Sister Sai)

- Ossabaw Sunrise (unreleased)

- Wanderer (from Extempore)

- Dandelion (from First Flight)

Archival Image: Cut-over land in the Santee-Cooper Basin.Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division,LC-USF34-043522-D [P&P], LOT 1533 (corresponding photographic print).Other Number: E 173.

Call to Action Visit madeincarolinapodcast.com for show notes and more stories waiting under the water. Share your reflections using #MadeInCarolinaPodcast or support the series on Buy Me a Coffee.

Next Episode Preview Next time, we follow the families who moved with the water — tracing how they rebuilt, remembered, and redefined home after the flood.