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.
Wikipedia
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!
Wikipedia
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.
Jake Wasdin/Flickr
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.

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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.
Stephen Sullivan Sr/Flickr
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.
Thomson McDuffie/Google Maps
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.
Aimee Lim/Google Maps
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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More to Explore

Underwater Town In Georgia

Lisa Sammons | July 15, 2022

Are there any other underwater towns in Georgia?

We have a surprising number of underwater towns in Georgia. The idea may seem odd, but a lot of our artificial lakes and reservoirs were formed by flooding cities. Most of them had been abandoned by the time of the flooding:

  • Lake Allatoona in Bartow County lies atop what was once Etowah, which was once a thriving town, but is now a mere historical marker.

 

What is Lake Strom Thurmond like?

You may hear Lake Strom Thurmond also referred to as Clarks Hill Lake. It's right along the border with South Carolina and is one of the most beautiful lakes in Georgia.

  • It's nicknamed "Georgia's freshwater coast" because it's so large.
  • It's over 71,000 acres, so it offers plenty of recreational opportunities.
  • It's also a very popular spot for fishing, especially for bass, though sometimes more surprising visitors pop up.
  • A few years ago, a bull shark was spotted in the lake's waters!

Are there other ghost towns in Georgia?

  • Apalachee
  • White Sulphur Springs
  • Petersburg
  • New Ebenezer

Since the Peach State has such a long history, there have been many towns to play out their lives here. But Petersburg is not the only ghost town in Georgia. Places like Apalachee and White Sulphur Springs were once thriving towns. Some of these abandoned towns have relatively unknown histories today. After all, little remains of many of them. Some are better known thanks to detailed records and sometimes even remaining buildings. The oldest church in Georgia is located in what was once New Ebenezer. It's the only building that remains of this once thriving town.

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