During the early 1920s, the city of Albemarle purchased land along the road to Mt. Pleasant and Concord from members of the Parker family (and possibly others).

A dam was constructed by the Hardaway Contracting Company along with a water treatment plant nearby. The lake that was formed behind the dam served as the primary water source for the city for the next several decades.

During the late 1940s, the city began to recognize that the lake, known as City Lake, could no longer fulfill the city’s demand for water.

The Stanly News & Press published a photo, similar to the postcard with this article, in the Jan. 3, 1950 edition of the paper. The caption included an announcement that a pump house would be constructed to the right of the railroad bridge.

This pump house would then provide water from the Yadkin River and over time this would become the new primary source of water.

{Lewis Bramlett – Stanly County Historical Society}