Is Lake Lanier Really Haunted?
Pretty much anytime I make a video talking about Lake Lanier, I get comments that say “don’t you know Lake Lanier is haunted?” “Do you know the story of Lake Lanier?” So. Is Lake Lanier haunted?
Lake Lanier is a manmade lake that’s visited by over 10 million people every year. The lake takes up 38,000 acres, or 59 square miles of water, and has 692 miles of shoreline at normal level. It stretches through 5 different counties and has 10 marinas, 2 of which are the largest inland marinas in the world. However- did you know that even with almost as many yearly visitors as Disney World’s Epcot Theme Park, the lake was not originally made for recreation? If Lake Lanier is not a naturally occurring lake, why was it made- and how?
In 1950, the United States Army Corps of Engineers kicked off a six year project of constructing the lake. The lake’s original purposes were to provide hydroelectricity, navigation, and flood control of the Chattahoochee River, and provide water for the city of Atlanta. It was made by the completion of Buford Dam on the Chattahoochee River in 1956. In order to build the lake, 57,000 acres of land was purchased to build on, and 39,000 of those acres were cleared and flooded to make the lake. It took several years to clear the land to prepare for the lake. Over 700 families had to move out of their homes and leave the area, and land was bought from these people by the government at a measly average of $30 per acre. Some believe that many people weren’t actually paid for their land, but rather were run off of it, or refused to leave and were lost when the area was flooded.
Several covered bridges were removed, graves were relocated, and some concrete and brick structures were actually left in place and covered by the water. Many trees and buildings were left standing if they were going to be at least 35 feet below the full level of the lake. Keep in mind though, the lake has not always been at “full level.” There was even a racetrack that was used by drivers who were training for NASCAR, called Gainesville‘s Looper Speedway, that was abandoned and left to be flooded. There are 160 small “islands” that line Lake Lanier, and they are actually the hilltops of some of the farmland that was flooded to create the lake. The area was predominantly occupied by African-Americans who many say were forced out and the idea that they were paid for their land is bogus.
The creation of the lake is where the idea that it is haunted came from. Since an entire town was flooded to create the lake, and some cemeteries and buildings were left behind, or the idea that some people refused to leave their land- that’s where people get this idea that it is “haunted.” We talked about how trees and other items that were going to be 35 feet below the “full” level of the lake. Something that didn’t take into consideration was that the lake is not always at that full level. In 2006, it was discovered that a lake gauge had been replaced and the new one did not properly calibrate, so it incorrectly read that the lake was 2 feet above what the actual level was. This caused nearly twenty-two billion gallons of ‘excess’ water to be released.
Georgia was already having very dry conditions at the time, and there was very little rainfall, so this caused a severe drought through 2007. During this time, the lake was obviously extremely low, and many people’s docks ended up sitting on dry land. Some of those trees that were left because they were below the ‘full’ level when the lake was constructed were now a lot higher up in the water, and this was quite a safety hazard. The stadium seats to the old racetrack we talked about earlier resurfaced during the drought, along with other trash and debris that had been either thrown in the lake or left there when it was constructed. Recently, the state of Georgia and the Army Corps of Engineers agreed to pay $71 million dollars for permanent water storage at Lake Lanier.
This creates a greater certainty of water supply, which will hopefully ensure that we don’t have record low water levels like we have seen in the past. People have differing opinions or reports on how many people have died on the lake. Some news reports claim that more than 200 people have died in swimming and boating accidents on the lake since 1994, while others say that number is closer to 170. Some state that since the lake was created, over 500 people have died. One detail that everyone can agree on though, is that there are 27 bodies that have never been recovered over the years. Ok, so maybe that’s why people say the lake is haunted? There are plenty of old stories that have been told over the years, like the story of Susie Roberts and Delia Parker Young, dubbed as “The Lake of Lake Lanier.”
In April 1958, Susie lost control of her car while going over what is now known as the Jerry D. Jackson bridge. After the accident, neither Susie, or her passenger Delia Parker Young or the car they were in were found. Eighteen months after the accident, the body of Delia Parker Young was found floating under the bridge. Fast forward to November of 1990- 34 years later- when crews began dredging out the lake bottom to set pillars for the new bridge . Low and behold, they found Susie Robert’s and her car filled with mud, half buried at the bottom of the lake.
Another popular “legend” of Lake Lanier came about when a chicken truck crashed on Thompson Bridge and overturned. When divers went down into the lake to investigate, they claim they saw catfish so large, they were eating the wet chickens whole. Now, my husband has never caught anything nearly that big, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be true.
While those numbers of drownings sounds horrible, and it is, these are similar statistics that you will find on any major body of water. Take Lake Michigan or the Lake of the Ozarks for instance. They both have a significant number of deaths per year. Any huge body of water that is highly visited by boaters will. Hopefully the increase in water supply because of the lawsuit we talked about will keep water levels high and help minimize the accidents that happen on Lake Lanier. Boater safety is definitely something that you need to study up on and take very seriously if you decide to live on the lake, or choose to visit it.
So, does the lake sound haunted to you? I have lived on the lake for several years now and I have never thought it was haunted. I do however feel for those who had to relocate and lost their land in order for the lake to be constructed though. Since the lake was never meant to be used for recreation, I think it is fascinating how it has become a place for just that- boating, fishing, water skiing, kayaking, you name it. Like we talked about earlier, the lake is visited by over 10 million people each year who come to enjoy its beauty and have fun, but many people have a tough time accepting its past.
Everyone always has a story to tell. To learn more about Lake Lanier and the rest of Georgia, follow me on my YouTube channel to be updated with new uploads weekly!
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