Glenville was a town located in the Hamburg township of Jackson County, North Carolina. Prior to incorporation1891, it was named Hamburgh and later Hamburg, from which the township gets its name. The Hamburgh post office was established there in 1856, but settlement began at least as early as 1827. It was used as a fort in case of attack from the local native Cherokee people.

The town was destroyed in 1941 by Nantahala Power and Light after it built a hydroelectric dam, forming Lake Glenville on the Tuckasegee River the town was built next to. The area is still called Glenville however, and has United States Postal Service ZIP Code 28736, assigned mostly to the many vacation homes now built around the lake.

Spectacular Lake Glenville, home to numerous lake-front and lake-view developments, is the highest man-made mountain lake east of the Mississippi.  Surrounded by mountains and woodlands, this six-mile-long lake boasts several beautiful waterfalls and numerous islands.  Widely recognized as having pristine water, this lake offers boating, swimming and some of the best mountain-lake fishing in North Carolina.

Although Lake Glenville is a fine recreational asset, it was created in 1941 to be the reservoir for a hydroelectric facility.  Power was urgently needed to manufacture aluminum for World War II bombers, so 1500 workers labored around the clock to complete the lake and dam.  In 1951, the power plant was named in honor of John Edward Sterling Thorpe, president of Nantahala Power and Light Company (Duke Power).  Today, this facility still generates electricity for Cashiers and much of the Southeast.

Glen Laurel, Admiral’s Point, Tater Knob, Glenville Lake Estates, Fenley Forest Tail, Bright Mountain, Glen Pointe, Glen Shore, Strawberry Hill, Summer Cove, Summer Hill, Tahala Shores, The Pointe at Lake Glenville, Buck Knob Island, Buck Knob Landings, Stillpoint and The Lake Club are attractive and interesting neighborhoods carefully tucked in and around the Lake.  Each neighborhood is individual and worthy of exploration.