110423 Way Black History Fact - Flooded Black Settlements

Kentucky Lake. By nineteen twenty nine, approximately six hundred residents called Birmingham, Kentucky home. The black community was self sufficient with two schools, two hotels, four dry goods, multiple general stores, two wagon and blacksmiths shops, five churches, three grocers, two military shops, and a drug store. All of this is now beneath the Kentucky Lake. When the lake is low, the streets of Birmingham sometimes become visible. Benson, Alabama, Lake Martin.

Thanks to mister John Benson purchasing thousands of acres of land and settling them to black families, a town was born. The black community has had its own brickyard, sawmill, cotton gen schools, homes, built its own railroad, and had multiple businesses. The town also produced corn, cotton, sugar, and wood. It would be flooded to form Lake Martin, one of the largest lakes ever made. Many enjoy this and live on this destination, not knowing that a secret black town lives

beneath it. Oscarville, Georgia, Lake Lanier, the black town of Oscarville, Georgia, sits beneath Lake Laneer. Oscarville was full of black homes, businesses, and cohesiveness. After a racial assault on them, many were dead and about a thousand black people fled the town in fear. After the black families were forced out of their homes and chased off, Lake Lanier was built on top. Lake Lanier is now a popular weekend destination known for fishing, boating,

and so much more, including an eerie reputation for being haunted. Ferguson, South Carolina. Lake Marion, Ferguson, South Carolina, was a majority black town. At one point, our ancestors managed to build black homes, businesses, a church, lumber mill, grocery stores, and a school for themselves purposely flooded to create Lake Marion, the largest lake in South Carolina. It stretches nearly one hundred and ten thousand acres of rolling farmlands, former marshes,

and river valley landscape. Even many fish here, but few are aware of what lies beneath it. It is the black town of Ferguson, South Carolina. Right Susannah, Alabama. Lake Martin, Susannah, Alabama was one of the earliest settlements in Tallapoosa County, Alabama. It was small and a farming community with its own bank, its own gold mine, a school, post office, too, mercantile, a grist mill, flour mills, sawmill, blacksmithshop, a church, and

multiple businesses. There are many homes and businesses here, but many are unaware. It is one of the towns that sit under Lake martin Little Egypt, North Carolina. Bellow's Lake Little Egypt was a self sufficient black area of families and businesses as well as homes. Ancestors here made a home for themselves until the formation of Lake Loose. This man made lake was built in nineteen seventy three. It has eighty eight miles of shoreline covers three thousand, eight

hundred and sixty three acres. It is a lake now that many camp live on and visit by the thousands. Many are unaware it was built over a black settlement. Had it not been for a few remaining living descendants, this one would go truly unknown. And Fonta Flora, North Carolina. Lake James, Fonta Flora, North Carolina, was another Black town in North Carolina. While the population was a small one of sharecropping and farming families, our ancestors did well here

on their own. Many of these people would be displaced when the village was flooded to create Lake James in nineteen sixteen. There are a few descendants left, but they never were given a dime. They migrated to parts of Asheville and other nearby towns. There is, however, a white owned brewery in nearby Morgantown, North Carolina, that has named their business after the area that many were even unaware existed.

And I don't have time, but be sure to check out Long Island, North Carolina, Lake Norman because that is one two