She also keeps up the tradition of her grandmother of feeding guests of the lodge. Fletcher accompanies the divers every time they dive to the lodge. Debbie Fletcher is particularly grateful for the discovery of the lodge, as it was owned and operated by her grandparents. The lodge found by Routh was once a popular place for people to gather together on the river. Jocassee Lake Dive Shop owner and technical instructor Bill Routh was the first to discover the Whitewater Bridge, Camp Jocassee for Girls, and the Attakulla Lodge which rests below 300 feet of water. With the building of the dam in 1973, the waters of Whitewater River began to flow upstream for the first time as Lake Jocassee covered the town.ĭivers frequent the area. Both Lake Jocassee and the neighboring Lake Keowee were formed as a result of the construction by Duke Power for their Keowee Toxaway Project.

The Cherokee lost their land to settlers, and then the settlers lost the land to the waters of the new lake. The lake’s name “Jocassee” is derived from the Cherokee language and means “Place of the Lost One.” South of where the dam and the hydroelectric station are currently located was once Keowee Village or Keowee Town, the capital of the Lower Cherokee Indians. Revered for its emerald waters and abundant recreation, South Carolina’s Lake Jocassee area was filled with rich history before the dam was built in 1973. However, for many locals in the area, countless stories have been told and shared of cemeteries that lie beneath the waters, leaving the question: are those grave tenants still haunting the lake today? Lake Jocassee The town was bought by the Georgia Railway and Electric Company in 1917, and much like the town of Judson, was soon submerged.ĭuring the relocation of Burton’s residents, all graves were supposed to be raised and moved beyond the shoreline, and small cemeteries are a common sight today along the roads surrounding the lake. Founded in the early 1800s as one of the first gold rush towns of north Georgia, Burton was a farm town of around 200 people. Up until 1917, Burton was not a lake, but was the largest town in Rabun County. This summer hotspot for family vacations in north Georgia, Lake Burton is one of four lakes created by damming sections of the Tallulah River to produce hydroelectric power for Atlanta and surrounding areas. With permission during drawdowns, people can access the eerie ghost town, and some venture onto the water by pontoon boat to see, if the water is just clear enough, if they can get a glimpse of the submerged ruins. There are visible foundations, graves, and other remnants of the town. The highest points of structures from the sunken town of Judson are somtimes visible when Fontana Lake is at extremely low levels. The gain for the war effort became the cost for the people of Judson, whose town was submerged. The dam was built to produce hydroelectric power-mainly for the Aluminum Company of America which produced ships, aircraft, and munitions during World War II. Then, in the 1930s, Swain County sold Judson and other lands to the government in order to create both Fontana Lake and Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Judson had a population of around 600 people with a simple array of shops in town, including a sawmill and a post office. Beneath the lake rests the remains of the once-bustling town of Judson. With 360 degree views of the Great Smoky Mountains, Fontana Lake is the largest lake in Western North Carolina with the tallest dam east of the Rockies. Entire towns have been submerged, sparking the interest of scuba divers, historians, and myth busters. The lakes of the Blue Ridge Mountains are known for their breathtaking views and fun weekends on the water, but there is often a forgotten history that lurks beneath them.

Two towns made marion