- Not to be confused with Lake Kerr, a small lake in Marion County, Florida.
Kerr Lake (officially
John H. Kerr Reservoir, also known as
Bugg's Island Lake) is a
reservoir along the border of the U.S. states of
North Carolina and
Virginia created by the
John H. Kerr Dam. The dam construction started in 1947 and took 2,100+ workers in three shifts, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, more than four years to complete, and was finished in 1952 to produce electricity and to provide flood control. It is the largest reservoir in Virginia. It is owned by the
US Army Corps of Engineers. It is located in parts of
Vance,
Granville, and
Warren counties in North Carolina, and
Mecklenburg,
Charlotte, and
Halifax counties in Virginia. At its maximum capacity, it is one of the largest reservoirs in the Southeastern United States. The lake has over 850 miles of shoreline and covers approximately 50,000 acres (200 km²). The lake is named for Congressman
John H. Kerr of North Carolina, who supported the original creation of the lake.