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Underwater Ghost Towns of North Georgia: The story behind the story

Author Lisa Russell shares her journey writing the book.

CUMMING, Ga. — Underneath the more than 40 lakes throughout North Georgia lies lost communities, crossroads, racetracks and even entire towns. In Underwater Ghost Towns of North Georgia, Lisa Russell explores the reasons why these lakes were made and the stories behind the underwater settlements.

Russell began her journey writing the book after a visit to her hometown -- Buffalo, New York -- with her husband, "we visited Lake Erie and he said 'I can't see the edge of the lake'...I was so confused, and then realized he had never seen a natural lake." Russell says her husband had lived in North Georgia his entire life where there was not one natural lake. 

"This notion of no natural lakes is what sparked my interest, and from there my writing took off," says Russell.

Credit: WXIA

Russell’s book digs into the state's controversial decision to dam the region's rivers for power and water supply. She shares stories behind the creation of Lake Lanier, the construction of Lake Chatuge, and other man-made lakes that sit above missing communities.

Lisa M. Russell supports regional historical and archaeology societies. She is a member of Society for Georgia Archaeology, Bartow History Museum, Etowah Valley Historical Society, Whitfield-Murray Historical Society, and the Cherokee County Historical Society. 

Russell earned her Masters of Arts degree in professional writing from Kennesaw State University, and she now teaches English full-time at Georgia Northwestern Technical College. She is also a part-time professor of communication at Kennesaw State University.

The author has also written Lost Towns of North Georgia and will release her next book, Lost Mill Towns of North Georgia this fall.

Credit: WXIA

You can meet Russell and learn more about her writing this Sunday in Cumming at the Hampton Park Library from 2 pm - 3 pm.

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