As the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dealt with the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, they made some unexpected finds. The team was in the process of removing debris and sediment carried over downstream when a storm swept through. The project’s main aim was to “help restore Lake Lure’s natural beauty and ensure the waterway is safe and accessible again,” according to the statement from the official website of the town of Lake Lure. The reservoir built in the mid-1920s has been drained, which led to the discovery of these artifacts hidden for decades. The Lake Lure Dock Company shared details of the historic finds on their Facebook page.
Hurricane Helene
Hurricane Helene in 2024 was classified as a category 4 storm with winds noted to be up to 140 miles per hour (220 kilometers/hour), per Internet Geography. “This is the first time the lake has been this low since it was first filled nearly a century ago. We’ve worked on this lake for decades, and we’re seeing things no one’s laid eyes on in generations,” remarked Jake Mohl, the owner of the Lake Lure Dock Company, as reported by Fox Weather. These discoveries offer experts a look into understanding more of the man-made lake and its hidden mysteries. Before discovering the car, the Lake Lure Dock Company shared several updates on Facebook, including photos of a wooden boat that they believe had been powered by a four-cylinder Ford flathead engine. The boat is reported to have been used as a water taxi.
Lake Lure has dropped by nearly 300 feet due to ongoing recovery efforts from Hurricane Helene. The draining of the lake has led to several items that have not been seen in 100 years to be found. See the full story: https://t.co/xuaBG9jcg6pic.twitter.com/9l21GFXrLU
— WLOS (@WLOS_13) June 23, 2025
The Past Behind the Mysterious Boat
After the Great Depression, the water taxi company shut down, and the boat was transferred to the Tanner Family, who used it as a personal boat, renamed as “Pooh Bear.” “He used that as his personal boat here on Lake Lure. It sank before I was born. After a storm, it broke loose from our dock and disappeared. My father always encouraged me to dive and look for it,” explained Kenneth Tanner, whose grandfather was one of the developers of Lake Lure, per ABC13 News. Tanner’s daughter came across the social media post, which made her wonder whether it might be the long-lost “Pooh Bear” of their family. The team later confirmed it after finding remains of letters spelling out the name…