The name "Bad Luck," whose origin is unknown, has been associated with this area since the early 1700's. Beginning in the 18th century, the Beverly and Kelton families operated a water-powered saw mill for many years on the north side of the pond. The present Bad Luck Pond was created in 1911 when a dam was built across Bad Luck Brook on the far side of the pond at the site of an earlier dam built in 1838. Through neglect, that earlier dam deteriorated and washed away with a roar on June 2nd 1859. The rushing floodwaters destroyed bridges in Rehoboth and crushed part of the cotton mill in Rehoboth Village, but a rider who saw the dam about to wash away mounted his horse and rushed ahead of the flood to warn residents of the danger, so there were no injuries. Today, the pond, together with the Shad Factory Reservoir in south Rehoboth, supplies water to the Bristol-Warren, R.I., water system.