Before the Dam

Oscarville was a Black community in Forsyth County, Georgia, that was submerged by Lake Lanier in the 1950s. The town was founded in the late 1800s and was once home to over 500 people. Oscarville was a thriving community with its own schools, churches, and businesses. However, the town was destroyed when the Buford Dam was built and Lake Lanier was created. The residents of Oscarville were forced to leave their homes and businesses when the lake was created. Many of them were not compensated for their losses. The town of Oscarville is now a part of Lake Lanier and its history is largely forgotten. However, there are a few efforts underway to preserve the memory of Oscarville and its residents. In 2016, the Oscarville Heritage Center was established to promote the history and culture of Oscarville. The center offers educational programs and events, and it also provides resources for researchers and genealogists. The Oscarville Heritage Center is located in the city of Gainesville, Georgia. There are also a number of historical markers that commemorate the town of Oscarville. These markers can be found at various locations around Lake Lanier. The markers provide information about the history of Oscarville and its residents. The town of Oscarville is a reminder of the impact that the construction of Lake Lanier had on the Black community in Forsyth County. The town's history is largely forgotten, but there are a few efforts underway to preserve its memory.
Oscarville (scroll over image to enlarge)

Well before the creation of Lake Lanier, this was the site of two major episodes of racial cleansing. In the 1830s, the U.S. Government forcibly removed members of the Cherokee Nation from North Georgia along what became known as the Trail of Tears. One of many removal routes terminates at what is now the western bank of Lake Lanier.

Less than a century later, in 1912, local law enforcement in Forsyth County arrested several Black residents on scant evidence for rape and murder. A white lynch mob murdered one of the men, and two others were convicted and publicly hung. In the following weeks, groups of violent “night riders” drove out the 1,100 Black residents of Forsyth County. These events are often connected to the small crossroads community of Oscarville, where three of the accused lived. Portions of Oscarville and other areas across Forsyth County where Black residents once lived, worked, and farmed are now under the surface of Lake Lanier.

Historic farming at Lake Sidney Lanier was a way of life for many people in the area before the lake was created. Farmers grew a variety of crops, including corn, cotton, and tobacco. They also raised livestock, such as cattle, hogs, and chickens. Farming was a difficult and demanding way of life, but it was also a rewarding one. Farmers were able to provide for their families and contribute to the local economy. The construction of Lake Lanier in the 1950s had a major impact on farming in the area. Many farms were submerged by the lake, and farmers were forced to relocate. The loss of farmland and the disruption of traditional farming practices led to a decline in the agricultural economy of the area. However, some farmers have been able to adapt to the changes and continue to farm in the area around Lake Lanier. These farmers have developed new practices and techniques that allow them to farm successfully in a lakeside environment. The history of farming at Lake Sidney Lanier is a story of change and adaptation. Farmers in the area have faced many challenges over the years, but they have also shown great resilience and determination.
Early Twentieth-Century Farm Life in Hall County, Georgia

Vernon Maddox: “…my wife’s grandmother had to leave from there and they had to leave all that land. And some white people that lived next door to them gave them money because they just had built a garden. They had a beautiful garden and they gave them that money because they waited till midnight to run….. Everybody asleep, they run them out.”

The Chattahoochee River is a major river in the southeastern United States. It flows 530 miles (850 km) from its source in the Blue Ridge Mountains of north Georgia to its mouth on the Gulf of Mexico in Florida. The Chattahoochee River is a major source of drinking water for the city of Atlanta and is also used for recreation, including fishing, boating, and swimming. Lake Sidney Lanier is a reservoir on the Chattahoochee River. It was created in 1956 by the construction of the Buford Dam. Lake Lanier is the largest lake in Georgia and is a popular destination for boating, fishing, and swimming. The Chattahoochee River and Lake Lanier are important natural resources for the state of Georgia. They provide drinking water, recreation, and a habitat for wildlife. The Chattahoochee River is also a popular destination for whitewater rafting.
Henderson House and Store (scroll over image to enlarge)

When people reference the troubled history of Lake Lanier, they are usually referring to these incidents.

In the decades before construction on Buford Dam began, the area consisted of small farming communities along the banks of the Chattahoochee River.

Jerry Henderson: “It was just a rural farming area. You know, before Lake Lanier nobody had any money really. My grandfather’s little store, they would barter, and they would bring eggs and butter to the store and trade it for coffee or flour. Not many people around here grew wheat, so you’d barter for that. Even rabbits he would take, he had a little bin in the back of his little store that he built in the ‘30s.”

Poultry Farming in Hall County, Georgia, in the 1950s

Alan Wayne: “…back well before the lake, all in that basin the lake was built in, land was so cheap. We’re probably talking 1920, 30. The land was like $2 an acre.”

Cotton and corn were the major cash crops until the early-twentieth century. Cotton production declined in the 1930s due to falling prices and infestations of boll weevil beetles, which fed on the cotton plants. Meanwhile, the flood-prone Chattahoochee River washed over the barren fields and carried topsoil away in its muddy waters.

Wayne Hill: “I could remember when it’d rain in the mountains, we got flooded down here…. the river would get a mile wide before they built the dam.”

Poultry farming took hold in the 1940s. Farmers also began to address the soil erosion. They planted kudzu and fescue to protect the topsoil and used chicken waste manure to enrich the fields.

In the 1950s, the land that would soon be covered by Lake Lanier consisted of scattered farmsteads. Some farmers planted crops, some had transitioned to poultry, and others raised grazing livestock. The woodlands between farms were covered in native oak, hickory, pine, and sweet gum trees. Rural churches, roadside stores, and mills also dotted the landscape. A modest highway network with roads, ferries, and bridges connected people and places.

Corps Engineers Survey the Area in 1953

Jerry Henderson: “When it was dry we would take our corn to a local mill. One of those old waterwheel mills on Six Mile Creek now covered by water. It was run by Mr. Millwood, who would grind it into corn meal for our cornbread.”

Prior to Lake Lanier, the culture was more connected to the Appalachian mountains to the north than to urban Atlanta to the south.

Jerry Henderson: “I remember before the lake was built, just in the summertime, it was really lonesome up here….. I’d sit on the porch because I knew what time the mailman came. So that was like the highlight of the day.”

The pace of life was slow. But all of that was about to change.