Jordan Lake — where did the name come from?

Jordan Lake was originally known as New Hope Lake

Located in North Carolina’s Chatham and Durham counties, Jordan Lake is a reservoir of great importance to the state. Residents and visitors to the area use the lake for fishing, camping, and numerous water sports. Some of the biggest fishing tournaments in the world have taken place at this lake.

But did you ever wonder where the name came from?

Jordan Lake has 180 miles of shoreline at its full-pool water mark of 216 feet above sea level. It covers almost 14,000 acres, and was developed for flood control. Building the lake was prompted in part due to a tropical storm that flooded the region downstream in the early fall of 1945. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dammed and flooded the Haw River and New Hope River to create the lake.

The lake was built between 1973 and 1983, although planning stages took place a considerable time before then.

When the project first materialized, the area was known as New Hope Lake. But the name was quickly changed to B. Everett Jordan Lake.

An elementary school also bears the name

B. Everett Jordan was a U.S. Senator from the state of North Carolina. Jordan, a democrat, served in the senate from 1958 to 1973. He was born in Ramseur, N.C. After graduating high school from Rutherford College Preparatory School in 1913, he attended Trinity College (now Duke University) for one year before dropping out and moving to Kansas to work in his uncle’s jewelry store.

Jordan then served in the U.S. Army Tank Corps during World War II and during the occupation of Germany once the war ended.

After his military stint, he moved back to North Carolina and worked as a floor sweeper at a textile mill in Gastonia. A few years later, he and his family purchased an abandoned textile mill in Saxapahaw. They revived the mill, employing many residents who were out of work. They also built a thriving community center.

Jordan died in 1973 at the age of 77 at his home in Saxapahaw. He is buried in Burlington at Pine Hill Cemetery.

Aside from having Jordan Lake named in his honor, an elementary school also bears his name. B. Everett Jordan Elementary School is a part of the Alamance-Burlington School System.