Forsyth 1912: The Truth About Lake Lanier and Oscarville

Lake Lanier, a local attraction that often draws attention for the fatalities that occur in its waters, was established through eminent domain, much like Lake Blue Ridge in Fannin County and other man-made bodies of water in Georgia, to supply the Buford Dam.

Before the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers created Lake Lanier in Forsyth County, the area held a history of pain, death, and ongoing racial tension.

There is a longstanding myth that this body of water was created to flood a predominantly Black town in Forsyth named Oscarville. The idea is not implausible given historical instances of racial violence against Black communities, such as the Tulsa Race Massacre (1921), the Rosewood Race Massacre (1923), and the Red Summer of 1919.

However, the characterization of Oscarville as an all-Black town obliterated by floodwaters is more myth than reality.