Made In Carolina Podcast

Before Lake Norman existed, the Catawba River shaped daily life across the Carolina Piedmont. Farms, mill villages, churches, and family communities lined the riverbanks for generations. But in the early twentieth century, that relationship began to change. In this episode of Made in Carolina , we explore the early creation of Lake Norman and the growing influence of Duke Power along the Catawba R...

Before it became Lake Norman, this landscape was home to farms, mill villages, and generations of families who built their lives along the Catawba River. In this episode of Made in Carolina , we explore what life looked like before the water rose. Through oral histories and historical context, we hear from those who experienced the region firsthand—and from those who have studied its past. From fa...

Before Lake Norman, there was a river. A river that shaped the lives of the Catawba Nation and the communities that lived along its banks. In this bonus episode of Made in Carolina , we explore the early vision that transformed the Catawba River into a hydroelectric system—and set the stage for the creation of Lake Norman. This episode is a reflection on change, memory, and the landscapes that exi...

The story isn’t over. Made in Carolina returns with the second half of Season One: Submerged Towns —beginning with a special bonus episode that sets the stage for what comes next. Before the water came… there were communities, families, and histories rooted in the land. In this next chapter, we move deeper into those stories—centering the people who lived them. 🎧 The bonus episode is coming soon....

The conclusion of the Lake Marion and Lake Moultrie story Episode 7 explores the aftermath of the flooding of the Santee Basin – how families relocated, rebuilt, and carried memory forward across generations. Through conversations with Dr. Robert Hart and Dr. Kelsey Moore , we explore the migration, federal resettlement programs, church-community rebuilding efforts, and the archival silences that...

Beneath the still waters of Lake Marion lies the ghost of a forest — and a town named Ferguson. Before the Santee River was dammed, the Santee River Cypress Lumber Company had already stripped much of the swamp bare, cutting and milling its centuries-old cypress. By the time the flood came, the forest that once sheltered the town was already gone. This episode traces how the Santee Basin itself wa...

Across the Santee Basin, communities built lives rooted in land, labor, and belief. In the years after emancipation, Black, Indigenous, and European families shaped intertwined identities through farming, faith, and community — stories that still echo in the cemeteries, churches, and waters that remain. The Ground Remembers explores how race, land, and belief shaped who belonged — and what endures...

Before Lake Marion or Lake Moultrie existed, South Carolina imagined connecting the Santee and Cooper Rivers to the port of Charleston. From the 18th-century Santee Canal to Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal vision, this episode follows the long road from dream to dam — a story of ambition, technology, and belief in progress. Historians Dr. Thomas Robert Hart explains how the New Deal reshaped the...

Episode Description As Lake Murray filled, entire communities vanished beneath the rising waters—homes, churches, and hundreds of graves now rest below the surface. In this episode, archivist and storyteller Lolita Rowe explores the remnants of those submerged memories. Featuring reflections from J.R. Fennell of the Lexington County Museum, along with archival voices from Ralph and Herman Wessinge...

Episode 2 – Building the Lake Season 1: Submerged Towns Beneath Lake Murray lies a story of labor, endurance, and transformation. Episode 2 uncovers how thousands of workers—Black, white, immigrant, and Indigenous—built one of the South’s largest man-made lakes. Through archival footage, oral histories, and expert insight, we reveal the human cost, progress, and memory tied to the creation of the...

Before Lake Murray ever existed, this land was home to thriving communities that would soon face upheaval as the dam project began. In this first episode of our Submerged Towns mini-series, Lolita Rowe is joined by J.R. Fennel to explore the lives, work, and faith that shaped the communities which disappeared beneath the waters of Lake Murray. ✨ Episode Credits Host & Producer: Lolita Rowe Gu...

A sneak peek at Season One: Submerged Towns , where we uncover the stories of communities lost beneath engineered lakes across the Carolinas. This episode includes the sound Gentle Waves – Sand Point Beach At Sunrise 6-20-24 by Ambient-X, available on Freesound and licensed under CC BY 4.0.