The original dam on this lake, built in 1910, was made of wood. A gift in 1924 from Allen Graham of Greenville, South Carolina, and his mother Mrs. C. E. “Susan” Graham, was used to build the first stone and concrete dam. Mrs. Graham, her grandmother, her mother, her daughter, and her granddaughter were all named Susan, and the lake was named Lake Susan. The Graham Foundation later gave generously for restoration of the dam in 2005.