Not forgotten: Old Milburnie dam site gets historic signage, welcomes visitors

Visitors are being welcomed to stand on the large stone remnant of one of the first sites to bring electricity to Raleigh.

Posted 12:18 p.m. Jul 21, 2021 — Updated 1:28 p.m. Jul 21, 2021

Heather Leah

, WRAL multiplatform producer

RALEIGH, N.C. — Visitors are being welcomed to stand on the large stone remnant of one of the first sites to bring electricity to Raleigh.

On Tuesday, hundreds gathered in the stone footprint of the old Milburnie dam and mill to celebrate the launch of interpretive signage explaining the history of the site's role in the founding of Raleigh.

The site of the old Milburnie Dam and mill has been of vital importance to the Raleigh area for hundreds of years. The historic dam was destroyed in 2017, but remnants are still visible on each side of the Neuse River.

Remnants from 1900, still standing today on the site of the Milburnie mill and dam.

Today, the 20-foot stone walls of the accompanying mill still overlook the river, providing a scenic overlook of the only white water rapids in Raleigh. The view is older than Raleigh itself.

"We found evidence for occupation by indigenous tribes reaching back 8,000 years," said George Howard, co-founder and CEO of Restoration Systems, who played a major role in restoring the natural state of the Neuse River's ecosystems by demolishing the dam.

Howard, who is passionate about benefiting the environment as well as preserving local history, had long planned to encourage visitors to visit the site's historic remnants by putting up educational signage on the mill's old foundation.

Restoration Systems put up historic signage at the old site of the Milburnie dam.

Howard hopes the text-heavy signs will provide history and context to visitors who wouldn't otherwise realize what they are walking past. Thousands of people visit the surrounding park, Greenway and rapids each year.

"The site of the old Milburnie Dam is right off the Greenway," said Howard. "It's very easy to access, and it has an incredible view."

The site, which had previously been called Milburnie Dam, is now being called Milburnie Falls – in honor of the rapids that appeared once the river had been freed.

As part of the official signage launch, the old mill site came to life once again with the gathering of the 2021 National Mitigation and Ecosystem Banking Conference. Crowds drank sweet tea, learned about the importance of Milburnie Falls and took in the scenic overlook.

There are two signs now overlooking the falls: One with the history of the site and another providing the biological history and description of its removal for environmental purposes.

The vibrant, visual signs provide engaging infographics, featuring old newspaper snippets and a timeline of the dam. The year 1760 is when historians found the first record of a dam at Milburnie. In 1899, Milburnie Dam electrifies Raleigh for the 20th century. There's even a QR code connecting to a website with an even deeper dive into the site's history.

"It'll be one of your new favorite places in Raleigh," he said. "On a nice weekend, hundreds of people stand on the power house and look out across the river. But there needs to be context."

The view from the old Milburnie Dam site at Milburnie Falls.

The historic and scenic overlook is on the The Neuse River Greenway Trail by Milburnie Beach.

Howard said he hopes people will remember the site for its full role in the founding of Raleigh – bringing light to the city's earliest light bulbs and power to our earliest trolley cars.

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