History
Firefly Cove at Lake Lure, North Carolina
The history of Lake Lure traces to the early 1900s when Dr. Lucius B. Morse, a Missouri physician, first visited the area and 
became enthralled with the beauty and therapeutic quality of the mountains. From a point high atop Chimney Rock, Dr. Morse envisioned a magnificent resort community in the valley below. A serene mountain lake, he decided, would serve as the centerpiece for his resort and that lake would be created by impounding the Rocky Broad River. Although it was Morse who dreamed the lake into reality, the naming of Lake Lure is credited to his wife, Betty Morse.
Dr. Morse inspired his elder brothers with his new vision. Their financial backing enabled Morse to purchase 8,000 acres and bring his dream to life. Dam construction began in 1925. The impoundment was completed in 1927 and the dam's power plant began operations shortly aftwerward. At normal water levels, Lake Lure covered approximately 720 acres and spanned 27 miles of shoreline. That same year, the town of Lake Lure was incorporated and the Lake Lure Inn opened its doors. Soon, the stunning lake and new attractions like the Lake Lure Golf Course, designed by golf legend Donald Ross, began drawing notable visitors. Over the years, guests to the lake included F. Scott Fitzgerald, Emily Post, Calvin Coolidge and Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Tucked away in one of the lake’s most pristine coves, Camp Chimney Rock for Boys also began operation in the early 1900s. 
The camp attracted boys (and later girls) from around the nation. Generations of youth experienced an exhilarating and challenging summer life at their treasured mountain lake. Although the stock market crash of 1929 brought a halt to the resort development that Dr. Morse had envisioned, the boys’ camp thrived on the shores of Lake Lure for another 50 years.
After Camp Chimney Rock reluctantly closed in the early 1980s, the camp property was selected as a filming location for the 
blockbuster movie Dirty Dancing, starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Gray. The camp’s original cabins, gym, dining hall and lakefront landscape became a backdrop for the immortalized summer romance that stirred the hearts of millions. Today, this pristine cove is the site of Firefly Cove, an intimate mountain lake community that still captures the summer heart and continues the vision of Lake Lure.