About 50 miles outside downtown Atlanta lies Lake Lanier. This artificial reservoir spans 59 square miles and boasts an impressive 692 miles of shoreline. For years people from all around Georgia have journeyed to the lake to escape the heat and enjoy all the trappings of lake life. Unfortunately, many of those who made this trip never returned. Since the lake’s opening to recreation, well over 500 people (more than 700 according to some sources) have lost their lives in boating accidents and drownings on Lake Lanier. The shocking amount of deaths at the lake, coupled with its eerie history, have left many asking; is Lake Lanier haunted? Well, it kind of seems like it. This is the story of the deadly Lake Lanier.
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Is Lake Lanier Haunted?
For a lake that has experienced this much tragedy, one must ask: Is Lake Lanier Haunted? Obviously, there’s no real way to answer this question. However, the stories that have come out of this lake beg the question. For every death recorded on the waters of Lake Lanier, there are dozens of close calls. Multiple survivors have told tales of ghostly beings pulling them to the depths. Other locals told stories of a mysterious Lady of the Lake who can be seen walking up and down one of the bridges on the lake, still wearing the blue dress she wore the night the lake killed her in 1958. While the stories may be convincing to some, the history of the lake offers even more reason to avoid Lake Lanier.
The History of Lake Lanier
Lake Lanier is an artificial lake, which, if you’ve seen our episode on the Salton Sea, you know how disastrous that can be. This Georgia lake is no different. Originally built in 1956, the lake serves as a reservoir for water storage and flood control. As you might suspect, the government had to displace over 250 families, over a dozen businesses, and more than 20 cemeteries to flood the 38,000 acres charted to become Lake Lanier. Needless to say, this did not occur easily.
Many families fought the government tooth and nail to maintain the ownership of their land to no avail. Sadly, such an event had been a repeat of history. Nearly 50 years before the flooding of the region, it had been home to the thriving town of Oscarville. The town was predominantly black, and in 1912 racial conflicts in the area had forced nearly 1,100 black people from their homes. However, the event that took place in Oscarville was not the first displacement in the area.
Even further back in the history books, the Cherokee nation occupied the region that would one day become the site of Lake Lanier. In 1830 the US government forced out the Cherokee people, and Forsyth county, the lake’s home, became one of the southeastern most points on the trail of tears. Unfortunately, if we know anything about history, it probably does not stop there. But, this is as far back as our records take us. Three different groups were forced out of Forsyth county against their will in just a little over 100 years.
Conclusion
Is Lake Lanier haunted? Well, the lake is one of the most deadly lakes in the nation. It’s also the setting for more ghost stories than we can count. If these weren’t enough, the region’s history leaves no shortage of potential angry spirits to haunt the lake. So, if you believe a lake could be haunted, then there are plenty of reasons for Lake Lanier to be haunted. Want to know more? Watch or listen to this episode of the Things I Learned Last Night podcast. Jaron and Tim talked about more ins and outs of this scary lake.
Things I Learned Last Night is an educational comedy podcast where best friends Jaron Myers and Tim Stone talk about random topics and have fun all along the way. If you like learning, and laughing a whole lot while you do, then you’ll love TILLN. Watch or listen to this episode right now!
Sources
The Haunting of Lake Lanier – Oxford American
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