Before it became Lake Norman, this landscape was home to farms, mill villages, and generations of families who built their lives along the Catawba River.

In this episode of Made in Carolina, we explore what life looked like before the water rose. Through oral histories and historical context, we hear from those who experienced the region firsthand—and from those who have studied its past.

From family farms near Caldwell Station to the rise of textile mill communities, this episode traces the rhythms of daily life in the Carolina Piedmont—where land, labor, and community were deeply connected. It also examines how systems like mill villages and company stores shaped everyday experiences, and how broader forces like industrialization and segregation influenced opportunity and survival.

This is the world that existed befor ...