Hope Mills Lake

Hope Mills Lake
The Hope Mills Lake in June 2010
Location	Hope Mills, Cumberland County, North Carolina, US
Coordinates	34°58′25.59″N 78°56′43.10″W / 34.9737750°N 78.9453056°W / 34.9737750; -78.9453056Coordinates: 34°58′25.59″N 78°56′43.10″W / 34.9737750°N 78.9453056°W / 34.9737750; -78.9453056
Type	reservoir
Primary inflows	Little Rockfish Creek
Basin countries	United States
Surface area	88 acres (36 ha)

Hope Mills Lake, also referred to as Hope Mills Lake #1, and by long-time citizens as The Pond, was a lake in Hope Mills in Cumberland County, North Carolina. Before it was a lake, it was a mill pond which was fed by Little Rockfish Creek. The mill pond was created in 1839 near the Hope Mills Dam for the first cotton mill in the area. At the time, the area was called Little Rockfish Village. In 2003, heavy rains caused the earthen dam to fail and the lake was unintentionally drained. By 2006, the lake had not been restored so the Friends of Hope Mills Lake was incorporated as a North Carolina non-profit organization to promote and raise funds for the timely restoration and preservation of the dam. In 2008 the new dam was completed and full for the first time in 5 years. In June 2010, the Lake intentionally drained for safety reasons, after an inspection discovered a sinkhole that was leaking water under the dam's structure.