Inside Lake Lanier's ghostly history as USA's 'most haunted lake' claims another life
The legend of a ghostly woman who lives in Lake Lanier might not be as farcical as it sounds.
Georgia's Lake Lanier is known to be one of the most haunted lakes in America. The lake, located just north of Atlanta, is a recreational hotspot and a popular destination for swimmers, boating and watersports.
But the region boasts a spooky history, with a number of verifiable and mysterious disappearances that have taken place at Lanier.
The lake was made by flooding valley communities, creating its very own underwater city of Atlanta - complete with graves and cemeteries being swallowed up by the waters. And it's this which gives rise to some of the ghostly rumors we hear today.
Legend has it that the ghost of a woman roams the lake, while mysterious arms reach out for swimmers from the depths and angry spirits call to the submerged graves.
In 1958 a Ford sedan carrying two women careered off a bridge and fell into the lake and was never seen again. Legend has it that the ghost of one of the women who crashed swims in the lake in a floaty, blue dress.
With more than 500 deaths reported in its waters since its construction in the 1950s, the manmade reservoir is one of the deadliest bodies of water in the United States.
A total of 216 people have died in the lake since 1994. Of those huge numbers, 27 bodies have never been found.
With more than 500 deaths reported in its waters since its construction in the 1950s, the manmade reservoir is one of the deadliest bodies of water in the United States. A total of 216 people have died in the lake since 1994. Of those huge numbers, 27 bodies have never been found.
But back before the lake was created, the area was lush and fertile, home to many thriving communities.
The US Army Corps of Engineers wanted to construct a lake that would provide Atlanta and the surrounding counties with power and water.
Locals were offered money to abandon their homes and move on. Farmland had been in the same families for generations, so it was priceless. A massive 56,000 acres owned by 700 families were bought by the government.
In 1956 they watched with despair as their history vanished as the water consumed everything they’d worked for all their lives.
Obviously, the US Army Corps of Engineers moved anything they could; barns, wooden structures, and infrastructure such as bridges and water intakes, were placed elsewhere.
There were twenty cemeteries within these communities. While marked graves were moved, the unmarked ones were left behind. Some dated back to the antebellum and Civil War period and even beyond, to pre-colonial times; Native American times.
Also covered over was an old racing track and concrete building foundations - anything that was heavy enough not to float to the surface.
Some items, over the years, due to water reduction, have been exposed and some residents even claim to have heard church bells, though the spire of an old church was removed.
Some residents even claim to have heard church bells, though the spire of an old church was removed. Over the years, divers have discovered all sorts of things and told some surreal stories.
There have been sightings of giant catfish as big as a car and there are many sunken houseboats and debris. Perhaps there’s something to be said about building a lake over a ghost town.
But Lanier is far from the only haunted lake in America. There is the “bottomless" Lake Ronkonkoma, where there have been at least 160 drownings between the late 1800s and late 1970s.
Legend has it that a young Native American princess was in love with her colonialist but to be together was forbidden and the town ostracised them. Her lover was killed and she was so miserable, she tied a stone to her body and jumped into the lake. She cursed the town to lose one young male annually. Young men are still dying in the lake today.
At Great Lake, Wisconsin many have said they’ve seen ghosts peeping from the lighthouse, supposedly the victims who died in the lake. Guests staying at the lighthouse have reported seeing ghosts and in 1927, 22 lives were lost on a steamship. When divers searched for the bodies, they believed a body strung along with them.
At Vererans Lake, Oklahoma, a woman lost her son to the lake and while trying to save him, lost her own life. Another girl drowned after a boating accident. It is thought an apparition surrounds the lake, luring its victims into it.
