July, 2016 marked the 100^th anniversary of the Great Flood of 1916 that devastated western N.C. On Tuesday, January 3, the Iredell County Public Library opened an historical exhibit from the North Carolina Office of Archives and History on the flood called So Great the Devastation: The 1916 Flood. Tuesday evening the exhibit was opened with a special program by Iredell County historian, author, and educator O.C. Stonestreet. A crowd of 75 attended the opening reception and program with refreshments provided by Duke Energy. The exhibit will continue through the month of January and includes several oversize photographs of areas hit by the flood including the Eufola, East Monbo, and the Lookout Shoals Dam areas.

Now comes a story that some people will refuse to believe. I am purposely putting this amazing and tragic incident at the end of the story so that I may give it special emphasis and try to convince the reader that it really did happen just as I am telling it.