Lake Waccamaw is a town in Columbus County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 1,296 at the 2020 census. Originally home to Native Americans, Europeans later colonized Lake Waccamaw in the 18th century. The Europeans built naval stores and the discovery of turpentine oil led to the Wilmington-Manchester railroad track being created. A shingle company was later converted to a lumber company. In 1910, a group of townspeople created the Waccamaw Club. The town of Lake Waccamaw provides many recreational activities, such as birdwatching and hiking, due to the large population of wildlife and mild terrain.
History
The town of Lake Waccamaw was first inhabited by Native Americans before the Europeans came and colonized the area. Charles the Second of England granted proprietors individual grants to allow them to sail to the new world to bring him back riches and news. By the mid-eighteenth century, Lake Waccamaw had a good number of settlers. People like John Powell, from Virginia, brought cattle. John Powell's son Absalom Powell started to buy land near Lake Waccamaw. John Powell's other son Issac Powell was made the first major of the Brandon, County Durham militia in 1804 and justice of peace in 1806. Issac owned most of Lake Waccamaw.
The Waccamaw Dam was built in 1926 by the state to prevent the lake from shrinking in dry weather. In 2018, a new bridge that goes over the Waccamaw Dam was finally finished and open for locals.
Lake Waccamaw is a freshwater lake around and on which is held the annual free fitness event, Take the Lake. Participants may either walk the around the lake, paddle around, bike and walk around, or swim across the lake, all on Labor Day weekend. No winners are announced, as awards are presented for completion only. Organizers began Take the Lake in reaction to the county being ranked as the least healthy of all 100 North Carolina counties.
Demographics
2020 census
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right"
|+Lake Waccamaw racial composition
!scope="col"| Race
!scope="col"| Number
!scope="col"| Percentage
|-
!scope="row"| White (non-Hispanic)
| 1,071
| 82.64%
|-
!scope="row"| Black or African American (non-Hispanic)
| 119
| 9.18%
|-
!scope="row"| Native American
| 43
| 3.32%
|-
!scope="row"| Asian
| 10
| 0.77%
|-
!scope="row"| Other/Mixed
| 38
| 2.93%
|-
!scope="row"| Hispanic or Latino
| 15
| 1.16%
|}
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 1,296 people, 654 households, and 443 families residing in the town.
2000 census
As of the census in 2017. A fifth of these people (22.3%) live below the poverty line.
According to the United States Census Bureau, there were 55,936 people living in Columbus County, North Carolina in 2017. There are 22,462 households, and 26,305 housing units in Columbus County. Of these households, 23.1% of the population lives in poverty. As of the 2017 data, 63% of the population identifies as white (alone,) and 30.7 of the population identifies as African American.
Government
Lake Waccamaw is governed by a town council which consists of a mayor and a town board. The mayor of Lake Waccamaw, Matt Wilson is supported by the town board, consisting of commissioners Karl Bracey, Frank Carroll, Theresa Mckeithan, and Terry Littrell. Lake Waccamaw has a government staff led by Town Manager Damon Kempski that aids the town with development, construction, economics, and local law. Lake Waccamaw has its own police department, managed by Chief of Police Scott Hyatt, and fire department, led by fire Chief Jerry Gore. Public Works is under the supervision of Kevin Powell
Ecology
Lake Waccamaw, North Carolina is home Lake Waccamaw, a state park and wildlife refuge. The majority of Lake Waccamaw's revenue comes from tourism and tours around the park, as well as research projects conducted on the Lake's endemic species. A wide range of animal species resides in the town of Lake Waccamaw, due to the town being right next to the lake. For having a high pH and alkalinity, Lake Waccamaw is one of the few lakes that can harbor endemic species, which are species only native to one graphic region.
Red-Cockaded Woodpeckers, Swallow-Tailed Kites, and Black Bears are animal species that take refuge on land in Lake Waccamaw State Park. The Red-Cockaded Woodpeckers population has shrunk a measurable amount due to timber harvesting and the maturing of the pine forest that neighbor the lake. The Swallow-Tailed Kite population is the most dense in the town of Lake Waccamaw than in the entire state of North Carolina. Black bears roam the town area and the forest of Lake Waccamaw. The forest are a perfect environment for them because of the opportunity for den sites, food, and coverage from the weather. Brown-headed nuthatches, parula warblers, and white-eyed vireos are also other bird species that inhabit the town and its surroundings.
Aquatic life is very diverse in Lake Waccamaw. There are many fish species the Waccamaw Darter, the Waccamaw Killfish, and the Waccamaw Silverside. There are two known endemic snail species, the Waccamaw amnicola and the Waccamaw Siltsnail.
The terrain of the town is also very diverse with forested wetlands, tidal marshes, and longleaf pine forests. The tidal marshes filter pollution of the water and in the 18th and 19th, was used for rice farming. The longleaf pine forest are home to the birds, bears, deer, and other animals the reside in the area of Lake Waccamaw. Prescribed burning is used to keep the growth of the forest under control. Forested wetlands are critical in reducing the risk of flooding and shelter for all organisms. They provide opportunities for feeding on these organisms when the water rises. One of the most popular places to visit and fish at is the Bohemian Girl Scenic Bridge, named in honor of John A McNeil, a celebrated citizen. The bridge completes a 14-mile path around the lake, and has numerous fishing platforms as well as a panoramic view of the lake. However, there is a high level of chloroform present in the Lake, at 4.43 ppb (parts per billion) out of an allowed 14 ppb. Chloroform is a Trihalomethane that is often used as a fumigant for wheat products, a coolant, and as a cleaning spot remover. Chloroform is a naturally occurring substance, but its presence in water is almost always man-made. The lake itself is not man made, as it is a part of the Bladen Lake group, a group known as the Bay Lakes; these are lakes created by receding ocean waters.
Education
East Columbus Junior-Senior High School is located at 32 Gator Lane, Lake Waccamaw. Founded in 1992, East Columbus Junior-Senior High School receives students from the Lake Waccamaw, Riegelwood, Delco, and Hallsboro residential areas. It incorporates students from the Acme-Delco and Hallsboro Middle Schools. The school has a total of 449 students enrolled with a 14-1 student to teacher ratio. East Columbus Junior-Senior High School has a graduation rate of 85 percent. The school's mascot is the Gator. Professional basketball player Boubacar Aw attended his senior year of high school at East Columbus.
Lake Waccamaw has a charter school called Thomas Academy. Lake Waccamaw doesn't have any elementary schools, but Columbus County does offer one elementary school, Hallsboro Artesia Elementary School, in Hallsboro. The closest college near Lake Waccamaw is called Southeastern Community College which is only 15 miles away from the town.
Waccamaw Siouans
The Waccamaw Sioux or Waccamaw Siouan are one of eight Indian tribes recognized by the North Carolinian government. The Waccamaw Siouan Indians are not affiliated with the Waccamaw People of North Carolina or the Waccamaw Siouan of Farmers Union, South Carolina. The Lake Waccamaw Native Americans are known as the "People of the Falling Star" because of the belief that a meteorite crashed to Earth years ago and created the crater that is now Lake Waccamaw. The Waccamaw Siouan live on the edge of the Green Swamp in a closed, protected swampland refuge. The Waccamaw Siouans were originally called the Waccon and then the Waccammassus Indians, but their name was changed to Waccamaw by white settlers as it was more convenient and easy for English settlers to pronounce.