Forsyth and Simpson constructed a 1,200-foot-long earth and ironstone dam to ensure a constant source of water power and provide an area to store lumber awaiting processing. The dam varied in width between 30 and 120 feet and stood 13 to 15 feet high, with earth covering an ironstone core carefully designed to hold back the large amount of water needed to operate the complex. The ironstone core used rock dug from the Arcadia quarry and is still visible in places on the dam and in Pond Creek. Today four segments of the dam remain, with one segment south of Pond Creek and three remnants north of the creek. During the American Civil War, the Arcadia community saw a number of small-scale skirmishes between Northern and Southern troops, and the large breach in the dam may have been purposely created during the war to destroy the sawmill operation. Although the side responsible is unclear, the breach would certainly have ended the mill's potential for operation.