Cable Creek is a tributary of Caraway Creek just before it flows into the Uwharrie River. This site may also be known as Nixon's Mill although no evidence of a mill is apparent.
The landowner is in the process of putting a conservation easement on the property and allowed several of us to view the dam. After meeting the landowner and another family member with adjacent land, we walked about 1/2 mile to the dam site.
We had learned earlier that the dam had breached in the late 1960s and was repaired by a local, Sam Lowe. The very center of the dam has been rebuilt. It is about an 8 ft wide section. I assume there was an outlet box which allows water to flow through all the time. This was replaced with a metal culvert pipe. That pipe is now blocked with debris. Since the outlet boxes were constructed differently, with water entering through a chimney-like structure and then angling horizontally. The culvert is just horizontal, so it was bound to clog soon.
Since the repair which was over 60 years ago, the dam has been breached on river right. A 30 foot section of stone has washed out. There is a little water flow through the culvert and some water seeping through the rock at the base of the dam but it appears most water flow is through the breach now.
The dam is 144 feet wide plus another 30 feet that was breached. At the center of the creek it is 12'9" high and 7.5 feet thick.
culvert and center repair
There is no mortar except in the repaired area. The very top of the repair is brick and mortar. Nearby we saw some pits with rock and assumed, the rock was sourced there. We also, noted that many large stones in the dam had drill holes and had been pried.
breach on river right
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