Photo above: The sun rises as seen from Parkers Creek, Jordan Lake, N.C. Photo by BobIsTraveling via Wikimedia Commons.

The New Hope River Valley, now home to the corporate world of Research Triangle Park, has been the site of a broad range of cultures for more than 10,000 years.



Archaeologists have explored the remains of 450 prehistoric and historic sites in the area and have uncovered many Native American artifacts.

The land was settled by Scottish Highlanders in the 1740s, and it saw action in both the Revolutionary and Civil wars.

Following a disastrous hurricane that struck the Cape Fear River Basin in 1945, Congress directed the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to undertake a comprehensive study of water resource needs in the area. The project, then known as New Hope Lake, was authorized in 1963 and construction began in 1967.

In 1973, the name of the project was changed to B. Everett Jordan Dam and Lake in honor of the former senator from North Carolina.