June 19, 2021

The story of Georgia’s cursed Lake Lanier

Lake Lanier, Georgia

Revised April 2024

The fifty-nine square miles (150 square km) reservoir in Georgia's Blue Ridge Mountains, Lake Lanier (officially Lake Sidney Lanier), has acquired a sinister reputation since it was first flooded in the 1950s. Because of the disturbing number of unfortunate events reported there, it has been named the “Cursed Lake of Georgia.”

Since the construction of the lake in 1956, there have been hundreds of deaths associated with the lake, including boating accidents, drownings, and drivers of cars entering the water. According to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, 140 died in Lake Lanier between 1994 and 2022. There were six fatalities in 2023 alone, but to put these deaths into context, around 12 million people visit the lake each year.

Famous cases have included the deaths of Delia Parker Young and Susie Roberts in 1958 as well as Kelly Nash in 2015.

There are several stories of boats hitting something in the water only to find out there was nothing there, boats capsizing for reasons unknown, and rogue waves that seem to come from nowhere without warning.

Many of the drowning cases have been very close to shore, involving strong swimmers and in calm conditions. Some swimmers who have almost drowned but survived have recounted unsettling stories. They have spoken of feeling like they were being pulled underwater or held under by unseen hands. Some say that air suddenly seemed to leave their lungs, causing unexpected exhaustion and a feeling of breathlessness where they were gasping for air.

What is going on at Lake Lanier? Is it just the millions of visitors, some of whom succumb to the weather or too much alcohol, or is something more strange and sinister happening here in the northern part of Georgia?

The flooded structures, together with falling water levels, are presumed to be a major factor in the high number of yearly deaths at Lake Lanier, catching swimmers and holding them under or damaging boats with debris.

The deaths aren’t the typical sort, though. While there are many instances of people drowning, there are also reports of boats inexplicably exploding, freak accidents, missing persons, and even ghostly apparitions.

Others believe the restless spirits of those whose graves were submerged by the lake's creation are responsible. Perhaps they are linked to a supernatural curse caused by the racial tensions and related murders that occurred before it was formed.

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