07/21/2026
Located on the Savannah River, along the border of SC and Georgia, rises an impressive structure known as the Hartwell Dam. I have visited this dam since I was a little girl, yet even now, when I approach its massive concrete wall rising above me, and see the rushing water churning at its base, it fills me with a sense of awe.
The dam was constructed between 1955-1962 by the Army Corps of Engineers. Thousands of local men, including numerous farmers and sharecroppers, were employed as carpenters, ironworkers, heavy equipment operators, and general laborers. My husband’s grandfather, William Beasley, was one of these workers. Ironically, many of those working on the construction of the dam, and clearing the 56,000 acres for the reservoir, were the same farmers whose family land was flooded to create the lake.
The Hartwell Dam was a massive undertaking. It required 880,000 yards of concrete and 3 million lbs. of reinforced steel. Today, it spans 15,840 feet in length and the central section rises 204 feet above the riverbed. The final cost to build the dam was $90 million, and it is one of the largest man-made lakes east of the Mississippi River.
Did you know that the original plan included flooding at least 7,000 acres of Clemson University’s land? This would have covered 400 acres of the historic Fort Hill estate belonging to U. S. Vice-President John C. Calhoun, as well as the football stadium at the time. The school fiercely protested, and the design was changed to include two diversion dams that redirected the Seneca River and spared the university.
Today, the dam produces over 468 million-kilowatt hours of electricity per year, provides vital flood control, and boosts the economy by generating over $40 million in tourism revenue for Upstate SC and Northeast Georgia.
