Fed by three creeks, this lake once powered a grist mill and for 150 years has been a favorite place for fishing, family picnics, and baptisms. In the late 1800s, Needham Norris operated a grist mill here. In 1892, John Mills bought the property and named the lake Mills Pond. The old grist mill collapsed during a May 1949 storm. Harry Cornell purchased the lake in the early 1950s and renamed it Bass Lake, reflecting his love of nature and wildlife. The dam burst in 1996 during Hurricane Fran, draining the lake dry. In 1999, the Town of Holly Springs acquired the property and began an ambitious lake restoration project. People remembered an old country store on the banks in the early 1900s, where folks relaxed on the porch with cold soft drinks from a cooler or paid 50 cents to fish. Bass Lake Park was completed and opened to the public in 2004, and people once again could relax on the porch with cold soft drinks from a concession stand or fish for free.