The Story Behind Why Black Folks Say Lake Lanier is Haunted

If you ask any native Georgian what to look out for in the Peach state, they’ll likely give you two warnings: Be careful of scammers, and NEVER go swimming in Lake Lanier.

Named after a confederate army soldier, it’s no shocker Lake Sidney Lanier has been plagued by notoriety since its creation during the 1950s, according to the Gwinnett County website. Even though the lake is advertised as a prominent recreational spot for tourists, Georgia residents know better than to test those muddy waters.

The legend of Lake Lanier dates back to 1912, when a white woman was killed in Oscarville, a thriving Black town which is now home to the lake, according to the Atlanta History Center. After her death, Black residents, in accordance with typical American history, quickly became the target of white terrorism. Black churches were burned down, homes were raided, and Black families were threatened and ran out of town completely.

When construction began on the lake 40 years later, excavators uncovered the homes, churches, and graves which were all intentionally buried and covered up as part of the town’s legacy, according to the Medium. But even before the racial cleansing of 1912, Gwinnett County Library branch manager Ronald Gauthier said “In 1838, the Cherokee Nation, Native Americans, were actually forcibly removed from Forsyth County.”

Oscarville and bloodshed of the Cherokee Nation became distant memories by the time Lake Lanier began construction in 1950, but legend has it the area is still haunted by the pain of the communities who were stripped away and mostly erased from history.

Before you say anything, this is not just a scary bedtime story, and it’s more than just superstition. Since Georgia’s largest lake was opened to the public, an estimated 700 people have died in the water, according to the U.S. Sun. This number might not seem like a lot compared to that of the Lake Michigan— the deadliest lake in the nation— or other large bodies of water, but in contrast, Lake Lanier continues to claim a disproportionate amount of its’ 12 million visitors every year.

Citing drownings, boat fires, and missing people, the lake claimed 13 lives in 2023, in contrast to Allatoona Lake— Georgia’s second deadliest lake— where only three people died that year.

On Aug. 31, 46-year-old Hasani Kamau Widemond became the lake’s latest victim after he drowned swimming from the shore, per 11 Alive. Before him, 20-year-old Zachary Rutledge was found safe in July after he went missing in the lake the night before, according to Fox 5 News.

Regardless if you believe lake is cursed or not, anyone who visits the Georgia attraction can feel that something is up. But if you’re feeling froggy, take a leap into the deadly lake, and hopefully, you’ll make it back to tell the story.