The Narrows

Narrows Dam in Badin, NC

Written by Debrah Lovan

January 1, 2022

The decision of Southern Aluminium and Alcoa to produce aluminum here in Badin had been largely motivated by its location on the Yadkin River. For over a century the gorge known as “the Narrows” had been recognized for its potential to create hydro-power. However, the site’s remote location amongst forested hills and rocky terrain was not suited to traditional water-wheel power. But thanks to new technology, electric power could now be created at the Narrows and then moved long distances over wires. It became possible to build a dam and conduct the power to an aluminum smelter in the town of Badin.

At construction in 1917 the Narrows was the highest spillway dam in the world & the largest of any type dam in NC. Its powerhouse contained the largest hydroelectric units in the world.

Tallassee Lake(now Badin Lake) was created as its reservoir. Narrows was the first of four dams built by Alcoa.

You May Also Like:

Commercial Block Demolished

Commercial Block Demolished

There is a large vacant lot on the corner of Yadkin Court and Pine St.  Probably most of us, especially newcomers, don’t even think about it when we pass by.  Until 1986 it was occupied by the last prominent commercial property on Pine St, known as the Commercial Block.  Tallassee...

Old Whitney

Old Whitney

In Jan 1908 Scientific American  paper  published its cover article on the Whitney Dam Construction Project near the Yadkin River’s Narrows Gorge.   Located between Stanly and Montgomery Counties,the construction of a  granite block dam was  well underway .  Expectations for the project  were...

The Hardaway Site

The Hardaway Site

In 1912 the French Southern Aluminium Co  hired the Hardaway Construction Co to build the dam at the Narrows gorge.  When the French left in 1914, a few of Hardaway’s employees stayed on to offer security for the unfinished  project.  When Alcoa purchased the project  in...

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *