Halloween is upon us, and spooky season is officially in full swing! It’s time to make that cup of apple cider, sit by the fire at your lake home, and share some ghostly lake tales. In the previous installment of our “Happy Halloween” series, we shared chilling stories from Gardner Lake, White Rock Lake, Lake Erie, and Lake Lanier. In this edition, we are highlighting four more lakes. Brace yourself for tales of soldiers, abandoned towns, haunted waters, and sunken ships. There’s nothing like a lake backdrop for all our favorite ghost legends!
Lake Tholocco, Alabama
Situated near Fort Rucker, Lake Tholocco features plentiful recreational activities, complete with a beach and children’s water slides. However, the lake has not always been a recreational oasis. During the Civil War, the property that is now Lake Tholocco served as a battlefield, and the cries of the fallen soldiers are still heard today. On dark nights, some visitors have reported hearing peculiar sounds and sighting ghostly figures wandering in the nearby woods. In fact, a Fort Rucker soldier claimed that once he saw three ghostly soldiers marching around the lake. Perhaps the nearby graveyards have failed to lay the Civil War soldiers to rest, and they come to Lake Tholocco to reminisce battles bitter and hard-pressed.
Clarks Hill Lake, Georgia
Today Clarks Hill Lake showcases 400 miles of shoreline and bears the title of “Georgia‘s Freshwater Coast.” Yet, its beginnings were not so prosperous. At its construction in 1954, Clarks Hill Lake flooded the abandoned town of Petersburg—formerly the third-largest city in Georgia. At one point, from the 1780s to the 1820s, Petersburg boasted a thriving upper class and a plethora of businesses, taverns, and community events. However, when cotton replaced tobacco as the crop in demand, Petersburg’s tobacco-centric economy quickly crumbled. One by one, the town members left, diminishing Petersburg to the classic ghost town.
Nevertheless, Clarks Hill residents have not forgotten Petersburg. In 2002, when the area experienced a severe drought and water levels dropped, residents discovered foundations, pottery, old roads, and fences—remnants of an old town long-drowned by modern waters.
Veteran’s Lake, Oklahoma
Although Veteran’s Lake offers plenty of recreational fun, Oklahoma residents have consistently placed it on the list of the most haunted places in the state. As the story goes, in the 1950s, a woman was watching her son play in the lake. Despite only being distracted for a moment, when she looked up, she frantically discovered that her son had vanished under the water. She immediately jumped into the lake to rescue him. However, in the process of saving him, she was pulled under. They both drowned that day.
In the years since, Veteran’s Lake visitors have reported seeing two apparitions—the frantic mother and her waning son—searching the lake, seeking their next victims. Additionally, some report witnessing a ghostly woman floating around the lake, asking visitors to save her child from drowning.
Lake Superior, Michigan
Many mariners say that Lake Superior, the colossal Great Lake, “seldom gives up her dead.” Certainly, this quote proves true in the case of the 1927 disappearance of the SS Kamloops. For fifty years, the ship’s vanishing remained a mystery. However, in 1977, unsuspecting divers stumbled upon the fully intact SS Kamloops, preserved by the frigid depths of Lake Superior. Inside, they found pristine cabins containing drawers filled with folded clothes and leather shoes. They even discovered 1927 Lifesavers that had yet to deteriorate. By all means, it seemed that the ship had been prepared for visitors.
And perhaps it was, considering that the divers reported that a real corpse—colloquially called “Old Whitey”—followed them around the boat. The icy water had acted as a natural refrigerator for the ghostly Old Whitey. Although his body was rigid and his skin was ivory, he had remained unspoiled. Despite feeling initially spooked by Old Whitey’s appearance, the divers soon learned that he was anything but malicious. Wearing an old wedding ring on his finger, he floated by them peacefully. If anything, he seemed happy to have some company.
We hope you stayed close enough to your lakeside campfire to shake off those goosebumps! Happy Halloween from Lake Homes Realty!