On Saturday, August 31, 2024, a family was enjoying the beautiful weather on Lake Lanier in Bethel Park, Gainesville, Georgia, when the unthinkable happened. 44-year-old Hasani Kamau Widemond was attempting to swim back to his boat but went under and never resurfaced. First responders recovered his body in 25 feet of water at 2 p.m. that same afternoon.
A Legacy of Tragedy
Widemond’s death marks the third in Lake Lanier this year. On May 29, 73-year-old Matthew Mayo of Gainesville was out fishing when his bass boat’s seat suddenly came off, dumping Mayo into the lake, where he drowned. On June 5, 76-year-old Jim Hansard, also of Gainesville, mysteriously and inexplicably disappeared from his dock on the lake. These tragedies add to the 200 deaths that have occurred at Lake Lanier between 1994 and 2022 alone. The total number of fatalities at the lake since its creation is unknown, but it’s estimated to be around 700.
The Despairing History of Lake Lanier
Lake Lanier is an artificial reservoir fed by the Chattahoochee River. Long before it existed, the town of Oscarville sat at its present location. Oscarville was, unfortunately, the site of horrific racism and violence, which included the wrongful convictions and executions of young black Americans in the early 1900s and the forced expulsion of black citizens of Forsyth County.
In 1946, Congress approved the Buford Dam project, and construction began. The dam’s construction required the displacement of around 1,000 residents of Oscarville, most of whom were minorities. Due to eminent domain, the residents had no choice but to leave. ven cemeteries were relocated, and 38,000 acres of land were eventually covered in the rising waters. The dam was completed in 1957. Lake Lanier is named after the poet Sidney Lanier.
The Curse Of The Lake
With the inordinate amount of untimely deaths occurring on the lake, the claims of it being cursed are hard to ignore. Locals report a “bad energy” surrounding the area and refuse to enter its waters. While not everyone believes in the supernatural, many attribute the high number of deaths to a Native American curse. In 2007, a severe drought lowered the water levels, exposing a Native American burial site likely connected to the Mississippian culture. Since many Native American tribes hold burial sites in high regard, the desecration of these sites is believed to cause harm by way of a curse.
In 1958, Susie Roberts and her friend Delia May Parker Young drowned in the lake when Susie’s car fell off a bridge. Susie was wearing a blue dress. Since then, multiple reported sightings of a girl with no hands wearing a blue dress. Some people have claimed that the girl tried to drag them under the water. The alleged apparition is known as the Lady of the Lake.
Possible Explainations
Some people reason that the lake’s dangers come from the fact that it was never meant to be recreational. Since it is the site of a town, buildings, bridges, and other debris pose hazards to boaters; furthermore, since most of the deaths on the Lake are from boating accidents, it stands to reason that unseen underwater debris is to blame.
There is also a sudden drop from the shore in most places, catching unsuspecting swimmers off-guard. The water can also be surprisingly cold, especially after storm run-off from the mountains. This can cause cramping or hypothermia in unsuspecting swimmers, which might explain why people suddenly disappear under the surface. Others have theorized giant catfish pull people under, but no one truly knows.
The Takeaway
Curse or no curse, the numbers are hard to ignore. The sad fact remains that a family will never be the same: Hasani Kamau Widemond left behind two young sons and a wife on Labor Day Weekend, 2024. While the tragedies at Lake Lanier keep happening, the Lake continues to beckon water lovers and thrill-seekers alike.
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