Tucked away in the Southern Blue Ridge Mountains is beautiful Lake Glenville. This pristine mountain lake is the highest east of Mississippi at an elevation of 3,542 feet. There are 26 miles of winding shoreline spanning a surface area of 1,500 acres. The lake is fed by five main tributaries as well as dozens of springs and creeks.

Glenville North Carolina: a Beautiful Community With a Rich History

Originally named Hamburg Township, it was settled in 1827. As with most communities, Hamburg suffered during the Civil War years but was rebuilt and by the late 1880s was a thriving community with industries such as lumbering, tanning and mining. In January of 1891 the town was renamed Glenville.

During World War II

The ALCOA (Aluminum Company of America) needed more electricity to make aluminum for the war effort. In June 1940, Nantahala Power and Light, then owned by ALCOA, constructed a dam on the Tuckasegee River and completed the project in late 1941.

Filling the New Lake

Thorpe Reservoir or Lake Glenville, encompassed the entire valley north of Cashiers, flooding the town of Glenville including schools, homes, businesses, and farmlands to a depth of 300 feet.

The Highlands-Cashiers, NC Plateau Area

Includes Glenville and is a temperate rainforest area with rainfall from 80 to 100 inches per year. The altitude, rainfall, and latitude make for unique and fragile plant life. It is a plant lovers paradise.

Glenville, NC Today

Glenville is a community teeming with recreational opportunities including:

• Swimming.
• Boating.
• Fishing.
• Sailing.
• Water skiing.
• Kayaking, and ...
  
• Canoeing.

Glenville is also only 20 minutes drive from Western Carolina University and Southwestern Community College.