{"id":6647,"date":"2026-07-21T16:05:46","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T16:05:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=6647"},"modified":"2026-07-21T16:05:46","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T16:05:46","slug":"this-piedmont-triad-dam-is-still-standing-and-holds-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=6647","title":{"rendered":"This Piedmont Triad dam is still standing and holds history"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

PIEDMONT TRIAD, N.C. (WGHP) \u2014 Where Guilford County meets Alamance County, a narrow road winds past a body of water that many drivers barely notice. Yet tucked among the trees is one of the region\u2019s oldest surviving landmarks, the Kimesville Dam.<\/p>

Read more NC family advocates for transparency after son\u2019s surgery denied by insurance<\/a><\/p>\n

Built in 1812 by early settlers to power a grist mill, the dam has stood for more than two centuries. In its early years, a cotton mill operated nearby, helping fuel the local economy. A faded photograph from that era shows mill workers gathered outside during a lunch break, offering a rare glimpse into a world long disappeared.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the oldest bed of rock around here,\u201d said Bob Herdon, 95. \u201cI don\u2019t know anything else that old.\u201d<\/p>\n

Herdon has become one of the unofficial keepers of the dam\u2019s history.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n

\u201cIt is important to preserve history,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The mill is gone now, but the stories remain.<\/p>\n

For Herdon, an old photograph is more than a snapshot. It is a doorway into the past. Sitting beside pictures that document the area\u2019s earliest days, he recalls names, places and events with remarkable clarity.<\/p>\n

He first purchased property along the 50-acre lake in the 1960s. Though he sold it in 2012, his connection to the place has never faded.<\/p>\n

After the cotton mill era ended, the lake took on a new life.<\/p>\n

Entrepreneurs transformed the area into a resort destination. Cabins lined the water. Families came to picnic, swim and escape city life. On summer weekends, visitors packed the grounds.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n

\u201cPeople bought it and turned it into a resort,\u201d Herdon recalled. \u201cThey had cabins. People would come out to the lake.\u201d<\/p>

Read more WNBA enjoys \u2018hypergrowth\u2019 under Commissioner Cathy Engelbert amid strained relationship with players<\/a><\/p>\n

The attraction became so popular that locals viewed it as a destination long before rural tourism became fashionable.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was fun,\u201d Herdon said. \u201cThey had sandwiches, hot dogs and drinks, and it was out in the middle of nowhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

Today, the property is private, and the crowds have disappeared.\u00a0<\/p>\n

We spent some time near the dam and ran into fishermen sharing stories about trophy-sized bass.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are some huge bass in this place,\u201d one angler said. \u201cI can go in here and catch five eight-pound fish.\u201d<\/p>\n

And the fish are not the only creatures that have earned a reputation.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou will be surprised how big the snakes are here,\u201d another visitor said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat snake was 12 feet long and as big as my arm.\u201d<\/p>\n

Through the decades, Kimesville Dam has endured hurricanes, tropical storms and floods, including Hurricane Florence. The water has risen, the landscape has changed and generations have come and gone.<\/p>\n

But the dam remains.<\/p>\n

And so does Herdon.<\/p>\n

At 95, he continues to share its history with anyone willing to listen, ensuring that one of the Triad\u2019s oldest landmarks is remembered not just as a dam, but as a place where the stories of a community still flow.<\/p>

Read more Winthrop soccer team with intellectually impaired players brings light to \u2018the beautiful game\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

PIEDMONT TRIAD, N.C. (WGHP) \u2014 Where Guilford County meets Alamance County, a narrow road winds past a body of water that many drivers barely notice. Yet tucked among the trees is one of the region’s oldest surviving landmarks, the Kimesville Dam. Built in 1812 by early settlers to power a grist mill, the dam has […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6644,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6647","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nThis Piedmont Triad dam is still standing and holds history - Raleigh Moving News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=6647\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"This Piedmont Triad dam is still standing and holds history - Raleigh Moving News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"PIEDMONT TRIAD, N.C. (WGHP) \u2014 Where Guilford County meets Alamance County, a narrow road winds past a body of water that many drivers barely notice. Yet tucked among the trees is one of the region’s oldest surviving landmarks, the Kimesville Dam. Built in 1812 by early settlers to power a grist mill, the dam has […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=6647\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Raleigh Moving News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-21T16:05:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/812d54e91ca80154c571c169b87082e7.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"505\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/?p=6647#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/?p=6647\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/eda87157c0d9ccdbb002a999547a6a60\"},\"headline\":\"This Piedmont Triad dam is still standing and holds history\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-21T16:05:46+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/?p=6647\"},\"wordCount\":524,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/?p=6647#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/601d4c4cda85018b0d5c767ed7e45fed.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/?p=6647#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/?p=6647\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/?p=6647\",\"name\":\"This Piedmont Triad dam is still standing and holds history - Raleigh Moving News\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/?p=6647#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/?p=6647#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/601d4c4cda85018b0d5c767ed7e45fed.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-21T16:05:46+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/eda87157c0d9ccdbb002a999547a6a60\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/?p=6647#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/?p=6647\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/?p=6647#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/601d4c4cda85018b0d5c767ed7e45fed.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/601d4c4cda85018b0d5c767ed7e45fed.webp\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":719},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/?p=6647#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"This Piedmont Triad dam is still standing and holds history\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Raleigh Moving News\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/eda87157c0d9ccdbb002a999547a6a60\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"This Piedmont Triad dam is still standing and holds history - Raleigh Moving News","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=6647","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"This Piedmont Triad dam is still standing and holds history - Raleigh Moving News","og_description":"PIEDMONT TRIAD, N.C. (WGHP) \u2014 Where Guilford County meets Alamance County, a narrow road winds past a body of water that many drivers barely notice. Yet tucked among the trees is one of the region’s oldest surviving landmarks, the Kimesville Dam. Built in 1812 by early settlers to power a grist mill, the dam has […]","og_url":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=6647","og_site_name":"Raleigh Moving News","article_published_time":"2026-07-21T16:05:46+00:00","og_image":[{"width":900,"height":505,"url":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/812d54e91ca80154c571c169b87082e7.webp","type":"image\/webp"}],"author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=6647#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=6647"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/#\/schema\/person\/eda87157c0d9ccdbb002a999547a6a60"},"headline":"This Piedmont Triad dam is still standing and holds history","datePublished":"2026-07-21T16:05:46+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=6647"},"wordCount":524,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=6647#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/601d4c4cda85018b0d5c767ed7e45fed.webp","articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=6647#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=6647","url":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=6647","name":"This Piedmont Triad dam is still standing and holds history - Raleigh Moving News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=6647#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=6647#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/601d4c4cda85018b0d5c767ed7e45fed.webp","datePublished":"2026-07-21T16:05:46+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/#\/schema\/person\/eda87157c0d9ccdbb002a999547a6a60"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=6647#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=6647"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=6647#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/601d4c4cda85018b0d5c767ed7e45fed.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/601d4c4cda85018b0d5c767ed7e45fed.webp","width":1280,"height":719},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=6647#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"This Piedmont Triad dam is still standing and holds history"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/","name":"Raleigh Moving News","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/#\/schema\/person\/eda87157c0d9ccdbb002a999547a6a60","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com"],"url":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6647","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6647"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6647\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6644"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6647"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6647"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6647"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}