The Dreher Shoals Dam – commonly referred to as the Lake Murray Dam – was dedicated as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark during a ceremony that took place on Wednesday, Oct. 22.

Recognized for its historic significance, at the time of construction Dreher Shoals Dam was the largest earthen dam in the world. Dreher Shoals was also the first large dam construction project in the Southeastern United States and helped to electrify much of central South Carolina for the first time.

Construction of the dam created Lake Murray, which was also the world’s largest power reservoir at the time. Lake Murray currently covers approximately 50,000 acres and holds approximately 763 billion gallons of water when at full pool. As a precaution, a backup dam was built in 2005 to help protect the

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