Lockville Dam, Canal and Powerhouse

Lockville Dam, Canal and Powerhouse
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Lockville Hydroelectric Plant, HAER Photo, March 1982
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Location	West of Moncure at Deep River and U.S. 1, near Moncure, North Carolina
Coordinates	35°37′10″N79°05′45″W / 35.61944°N 79.09583°W / 35.61944; -79.09583
Area	18 acres (7.3 ha)
Built	c. 1850 (1850)-1855, 1922
NRHP reference No.	84000305 [1]
Added to NRHP	November 20, 1984

Lockville Dam, Canal and Powerhouse is a historic dam, canal, and powerhouse located near Moncure, Chatham County, North Carolina. Cape Fear and Deep River Navigation Company built a wooden dam and canal in 1830 to facilitate navigation. The present hydroelectric dam and powerhouse were built in 1922 replacing the log dam. The powerhouse is a simple brick and concrete structure resting on a massive stone foundation. ^{[2] [3]}

The hydroelectric dam generated 1.3MW from 1922 to 1962, then again from 1983 to 2020. It has remained offline since. ^[2]

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. ^[1]

Recent developments (2023–2025)

In June 2003 the property was purchased from Lockville Hydro Power Co. by Brooks Energy LLC of Goldston, North Carolina, for $350,000 (equivalent to $598,254in 2024). ^[4]

The dam remained inactive for power generation, and in 2023 it was breached at the river right abutment. ^[5]

In August, 2025, dam owner Brooks Energy, L.L.C. filed with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to surrender its hydropower exemption for the site, stating that the dam had been breached and that full removal would be undertaken in cooperation with American Rivers and Resource Environmental Solutions. ^{[6] [7]}

When removal is complete, the Deep River at the site will return to a free-flowing state, reconnecting more than 45 miles (72 km) of habitat to the Haw River confluence near Moncure.

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
2. Wilber, T. Payson, Ph.D. (September 15, 2025). "Comments of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Fisheries Service, Southeast Region, on the application for surrender of the hydropower exemption for the Lockville Hydroelectric Project (P-6276-042)" (PDF). FERC eLibrary (Agency comment letter). St. Petersburg, Florida: NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service (Southeast Regional Office). Retrieved October 18, 2025.
3. Beth Thomas; Wilson Angeley & Brent Glass (March 1984). "Lockville Dam, Canal and Powerhouse" (PDF). National Register of Historic Places - Nomination and Inventory. North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
4. "Chatham County Register of Deeds, Deed Book 1189 p. 624 – Lockville Hydro Power Co. to Brooks Energy LLC". Chatham County Register of Deeds. Retrieved October 18, 2025.
5. "Lockville Dam Removal Project". U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2025. Retrieved October 18, 2025.
6. "Brooks Energy LLC — Notice of Application for Surrender of Exemption Accepted for Filing and Soliciting Comments, Motions to Intervene, and Protests" (PDF). Federal Register / FERC. September 5, 2025. Retrieved October 18, 2025.
7. "Federal Funding Advances Critical Dam Removal Projects". American Rivers. 2025. Retrieved October 18, 2025.

External links

• Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. NC-35, " Lockville Hydroelectric Plant, Deep River, 3.5 miles upstream from Haw River, Moncure, Chatham County, NC ", 16 photos, 15 data pages, 1 photo caption page