History - Cedar Falls Park

History - Cedar Falls Park. . Cedar Falls 1800’s, The rock shoals at Cedar Falls were used for hundreds of years by Native Americans as a hunting camp site and transportation ford to cross the Reedy River. Due to the elevation change in the river, generating waterpower was possible and in the early 1800’s this site was used for Hudson Berry’s enterprises., Berry built a small dam (1) on the side channel of the river to feed the waterwheel that powered his textile mill, grist mill, saw mill and cotton gin. (2) Their store foundations still exist below and on the left at the edge of the river., The general store was the hub of public activity in the Cedar Falls area during the 1800’s. It was located where Cedar Falls Road meets the parking lot entrance. The old road is evident by the dry stacked stone wall at the creek., To keep a functional water supply during low water levels and eight inch high concrete curb (3) was constructed on top of the shoals across the river to funnel the water over the dam. During normal water levels the curb would be overrun and the shoals would again have water running over them., How the 1800’s Water Powered Mill Worked, 1.The pond behind the river dam would be full with water flowing over the dam. , 2. Several boards in the Flume Control Gate would be removed to release the water. , 3. The water would rush down the wooden Flume to the top of the Waterwheel where it would fall into one of the many rectangular buckets built into the Waterwheel. , 4. As the buckets filled with water their weight would cause the Waterwheel to turn downward – counter clockwise. , 5. Near the bottom of the Waterwheel the water would return back in the river channel. , 6. The empty buckets would rise to the top again to be filled with water and repeat the circular motion on the Overshot Waterwheel. , 7. The Waterwheel axle shaft would extend in the Mill House and with its rotating motion provided power for numerous uses., Cedar Falls 1900’s, Around 1910 the big dam (4) across the entire river was built to produce electrical power for the Fork Shoals Mill, Dr. Ross’s home and medical clinic one mile upstream. Dr. Ross’s daughter Kitty recalls when, as a child, the electric lights in their home would dim and flicker during the evening. This was the signal that the power plant was preparing to turn off the generator and for her family to light their oil lamps., From the round hole at the base of the dam, a seventy-two inch penstock iron pipe (5) carried water supported by twenty-six rock and concrete columns. The water traveled 530 feet to the water powered turbine at the base of the generator’s concrete pier structure. (6) Part of the penstock pipe ran underground and still exists., The turbine axle was connected to the generator axle at the top of the pier by large leather belts. The water exited the turbine into a concrete race that drained into the existing creek. The generator was placed on top of the nineteen foot tall pier to keep it above floodwater level., Lawrence Armstrong remembers, as a boy, his father William Henry Armstrong (1885-1961) working at the power plant. The turbine and generator were inside a pole frame building covered in galvanized metal sheeting. A machine shop was located inside the building that was used by the community. There was a grinding wheel that loggers used to sharpen axes and a drill press. Someone was on duty the entire time the plant operated and the plant became a local gathering place for area residents., Mr. Armstrong explained when the plant was generating power, the water was forced through the penstock flume and the river would not spill over the dam. The falls and river bed would dry up until the river reestablished itself below the race. Locals would gather with seine nets to scoop up the fish from the remaining potholes full of water., In the 1940’s the Fork Shoals Mill began buying its electrical power from Duke Power and in 1950 the power plant was demolished., How 1910-1940 Electrical Power was Generated at Cedar Falls, 1) The lake would be full with water topping the dam. , 2) The Penstock Control Gate would be lifted to open the Penstock Pipe. , 3) The Lake Water pressure would push water through the Penstock Pipe to the Turbine in the Power plant Building with great force. , 4) The water would exit the Turbine into the Tailrace and back into the river. , 5) Inside the Power Plant Building the Turbine propellers would spin rapidly with pressurized water transferring the energy to the Generator to produce electricity. , 6) The Penstock Pipe., Clarence (1888-1961) and Dora Meeks (1889-1978) Williams, For nearly thirty years during the early development of the Fork Shoals community, the Cedar Falls Light and Power Company provided electricity. In 1905, shortly after the first wooden race was built, Clarence Williams, a young man of 17, began operating the power plant at this site. Nearby, across Cedar Falls Road upon the hill, Clarence and Dora raised their five children: , Clarence Lewis Williams , Mary Sue Williams , Woodrow Wilson Williams , Jennie Mildred Williams , James Calvin Williams , Provided in loving memory by the Williams Family.