The floating boathouse was a donation to the College by Linda and Rex Walton, who were forced to somehow get rid of the massive structure due to new property permits as the lake came up. Their property right across the lake from Lake Campus was to be subdivided and the other owner did not want to have his view of the lake obstructed. They ultimately decided it would make a nice gift to the College.
One summer, a massive storm blew the boathouse away from its anchor at the Lake Campus and all the way back across the lake to land in front of the property it came from. Much to the property owner’s dismay, the lake level was falling at the time, which effectively stuck the boathouse on his shore. As much as they tried, Davidson could not remove the boathouse until they employed the massive engine power of the Catawba Queen, a paddle wheel cruise ship used around the lake.
References
Christenbury, Thomas L. Letter to Mr. Rex. C. Welton. 17 December 1987. RG 4/1.1. VP for Business and Finance. Lake Campus Development, 1980-1991. Davidson College Archives, Davidson, NC.
Martin, Sterling. Personal interview by Scott Sellers and Devin Gorsen. 21 March 2014.



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