Most People Have No Idea There’s An Underwater Ghost Town Hiding Right Here In Georgia
By Marisa Roman|Updated on July 22, 2023(Originally published July 10, 2022)
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Marisa Roman
Author
A New Jersey native with over 15 years of writing experience, Marisa has studied at both New York University and Florida International University. She has lived all over the country, including a decade stint in South Florida. Marisa is well-versed in exploration as she travels a good majority of the year in her self-converted Sprinter van. Her articles have been featured in various notable publications over the years, she has a published collection of short stories, and three completed screenplays under her belt.
Lake Strom Thurmond, also known as Clarks Hill Lake in Georgia, is a stunning body of water right along the border with South Carolina. It’s a popular area for summer recreation, especially fishing. Bass, sunfish, and more frequent the waters here. But long before fish made their homes in this beautiful lake, people lived, worked, raised their families, and fell in love on the land that is now beneath these choppy waters. Petersburg is now an underwater town in Georgia that lies right beneath the surface of Lake Thurmond. The Army Corps of Engineers flooded over 72,000 acres to create the reservoir. What’s most fascinating about Clarks hill lake underwater town in Georgia is that it had quite a rich and respectable history before it was flooded. This was a successful town that became ruins underneath the rough waves of the lake.
Petersburg, Georgia was once an important upriver market town located in Wilkes County. It was right along the Savannah River, which forms a natural border between Georgia and South Carolina.
The city was founded by Dinoysius Oliver in 1786 in order to better serve the Broad River Valley area with industry. The city gained importance within the tobacco industry, and was also a source of delicious produce.
Petersburg quickly became the third-largest city in what is now the Peach State, after Savannah and Augusta. It's pretty amazing that it's now an underwater town in Georgia!
Petersburg had a reputation for being an active, busy little commercial town. Its location at the fork of the Savannah and Broad Rivers was prime real estate.
The town contained around a dozen stores, with grog shops (saloons) and a billiards room. The citizens were noted as being refined, respectable, intelligent, and hospitable. In an early travel guide published in 1801, the town was treated favorably, being characterized as a beautiful, well-built town.
Trouble was in Petersburg's future, however. Right when the town was reaching its peak, the tobacco industry succumbed to the growing behemoth of the cotton industry. Petersburg had been heavily driven by tobacco and could not switch over to "white gold" quickly enough to keep up with the economy.
Many residents left the town as the tobacco industry began to slow down. The town became abandoned and was flooded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to form Clarks Hill Lake.
Before the flooding, more than 50 graves and tombstones from Petersburg's two cemeteries were moved to nearby churchyards. Those were the only graves that could be found, and the others were left to be covered by water.
In 2002, the region experienced a significant drought and water levels were lowered almost 15 feet. The underwater ghost town of Petersburg was once more exposed.
Foundations, fences, old roads, pottery, broken glass, rusty spikes, and iron were all visible. It was the first time in many years that people had a chance to glimpse into the life of a town that was thriving several centuries ago.
Did you know about this underwater town in Georgia? Who knew it was right underneath Lake Thurmond? If you’re interested in seeing some of the remaining bits of the town, try visiting Bobby Brown State Park during a drought. If it’s a bit of a trek, you can make a weekend of it and stay at a charming Vrbo property.
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