Lake Lanier is rumored to be one of the most haunted lakes in the United States. Underneath the water, resides multiple sunken communities and cemeteries, with much tragedy.
Since the creation in the mid-195os, there have been almost 700 deaths, many of which are strange, unexplained, and unsolved. From 1994 alone, there have been 200 deaths with at least 27 people never found. In this post we will examine Lake Lanier and it eerie story.
Without question, the most famous spirit said to roam this lake is the Lady of the Lake. In 1958, Delia May Parker Young and Susie Roberts were driving to a Dawsonville after speeding out of a gas station without paying. As they were crossing the Lake Lanier bridge, Susie lost control of the car and the car went over the bridge. The next year, one day a fishermen found the remains of a body floating near the bridge. Both hands were missing as well as two toes. Authorities weren’t able to identify her. Still, though locals knew who it was, it was Delia.
This is because dozens of people driving on State Route 53 had seen her appearing as a ghostly, handless apparition roaming down the highway in a blue dress. The spirit appeared to be lost, almost as if she was searching for something.
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Many have reported the spirit appears like a recording. It is said that this is sprit is most likely a residual haunting. Residual hauntings are most often found at the location of a traumatic event where the energy of heightened emotions is fused to the fabric of a place.
In 1990, officials discovered a 1950s Ford sedan with the corpse belonging to Susie Roberts according to dental records.
While the Lady of the lake is the most famous of the paranormal activity on the lake , its by no means , the only one.
In 2017, longtime diver Buck Buchannon has stated he sometime found body parts in the lake. He said, “You reach out into the dark and you feel an arm, or a leg and it doesn’t move,”
Another of the numerous paranormal stories to allegedly haunt Lake Lanier is that of a mysterious raft seen floating on the lake late at night. In it, is a shadowy figure pushing along with a pole, a lantern lighting his way. Those who have seen this apparition say it seemingly appears and vanishes from out of nowhere.
One story is a sighting reported by two fisherman who claimed to have seen the shadowy figure around 1am on a cold fall night. The two-fisherman watched as the figure moved along, before suddenly shouting and jumping into the freezing water. Afraid the entity was coming for them, the fisherman quickly pulled up their lines and prepared to leave. However, when they shined their lights on the water, there was no sign of the raft or the figure. the surface of the lake was calm and undisturbed as if nothing had ever been there.
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Lake Lanier sits 40 miles northeast of Georgia, and is named after Sidney Lanier, a writer, poet, and musician. The purpose of creating the lake was to provide electricity for growing Atlanta and the surrounding area. Also, the lake would provide protection from flooding.
However, right from the get-go, Lake Lanier which was created by the US Army Corps of Engineers, had issues. There were concerns early on in the budget as far as how much of the budget should go toward relocation and what and should be moved. During the five years it took to fill the lake, the U.S. government accumulated 50,000 acres of farmland, and displaced at least 250 families. It is said roads, churches, buildings, homes and of course graves are all under the water. Divers find these objects intact like an abandoned ghost town on the lake’s bottom.
Lake Lanier is said to be the most dangerous underwater surface in the United States. When water levels drop, the lake floor becomes exposed, and debris of all kinds get closer to the boats and swimmers at the surface. The water depths are also unpredictable. It’s said to have 30-to-40-foot drops in waist high water.
There’s also many who point to the checkered past of the land as to why this lake might be cursed. In the 1830’s, Native Americans were rounded up and forced on the Trail of Tears. Many died on this trip due to disease and hunger. Years later, farming families were forced to give up their most precious asset, their land by the govt. It should be noted this land was extremely fertile and most were paid well under market price for their property.
While the Lake has had a disproportionately high share of deaths over the decades, many believe that it is due to the hazardous conditions of the lake. Others though say it is the 27 bodies never found or the souls of those who passed away.
Despite the dangerous condiitons and the rumors of paranormal activity, many people visit , vacation there and even own second homes at this lake today.
