Lake Hickory

… on Catawba River, within Alexander and Caldwell Counties on the N and Burke and Catawba Counties on the s. Formed by a dam constructed in 1928 by Duke Power Co. Covers 4,110 acres. Source of hydroelectric power; fishing, boating, and swimming. Dam at the site of former Oxford Ford across the river; named for Samuel Oxford, pioneer settler who opened the ford. Alt. 829. Lake formerly known as Oxford Lake or Oxford Reservoir.