Drowned Towns: The Black Communities Erased by Water

Throughout history, Black communities in America have built thriving towns—only to have them stolen, destroyed, and erased. In five such cases—Oscarville, GA; Ferguson, SC; Little Egypt, NC; Vanport, OR; and Kowaliga, AL—entire Black towns were forcibly emptied and submerged under water, often under the guise of "progress" or public works projects. What were once bustling communities filled with homes, businesses, schools, and churches now lie buried beneath lakes, their histories nearly forgotten.

These were not accidents. Whether through violent racial expulsions, unfair eminent domain seizures, or deliberate neglect, the residents of these towns were forced from their land with little to no compensation. Their loss meant more than just the destruction of homes—it was the theft of generational wealth and culture.

Today, these lakes serve as recreational spots, their dark past hidden beneath the surface. But the stories of the families who lived, worked, and built their lives in these places must not be lost. This is their history.

Oscarville, GA → Lake Lanier

Oscarville, Georgia, was a thriving Black community in Forsyth County, home to farmers, shopkeepers, and skilled laborers. However, in 1912, white mobs terrorized the town after a white woman named Mae Crow was allegedly assaulted. Two Black men, Ernest Knox and Oscar Daniel, were lynched, and white residents launched a campaign of racial violence.

The Black residents were driven out at gunpoint, their homes burned, and their land stolen. Many were forced to flee in the middle of the night, leaving behind farms, churches, and schools.

Decades later, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers flooded the land in the 1950s to create Lake Lanier, erasing the remnants of Oscarville. Families who had owned property for generations received little or no compensation, and the descendants of those displaced still struggle to reclaim their stolen land.

Survivor Account:

One survivor’s descendant, George Rucker, recounted the fear his grandmother felt as a child when her family had to leave Oscarville. “She remembered the night the men came to their home, torches in hand, telling them they had to go or they’d be killed. They left with just the clothes on their backs.”

Lake Lanier has a notorious reputation for unexplained drownings and accidents, which some believe are tied to the violent history of Oscarville.

Ferguson, SC → Lake Marion

Ferguson, South Carolina, was once a prosperous Black lumber town, built around the thriving Santee River sawmill industry. Black families lived in modest but well-built homes, and their community was self-sufficient.

When the government announced plans to flood the area to create Lake Marion in 1941, Black landowners were forced to sell at insultingly low prices or had their land taken outright. Many families received no relocation assistance, and some had to migrate north in search of work.

Today, the town is completely underwater, and divers have reported seeing rooftops and remnants of homes beneath the lake’s surface—ghostly reminders of the erased community.

Survivor Account:

James Singleton, whose grandparents lived in Ferguson, recalled, “They took everything. My grandfather worked that land, built his home with his own hands, and they told him he had to leave. The money they gave him wasn’t even enough to start over.”

Little Egypt, NC → Belerus Lake

Little Egypt, North Carolina, was a peaceful Black farming and fishing village. Families lived off the land, growing crops, raising livestock, and passing down their property for generations.

In the mid-20th century, state officials decided the land was needed for a water reservoir. Residents were forcibly removed through eminent domain, given little to no compensation.

When the lake was completed, the homes and churches of Little Egypt were submerged. Many displaced families were not allowed to resettle near the lake and had to move into already overcrowded segregated neighborhoods.

Survivor Account:

An elderly former resident, Mary Lattimore, shared her story in an interview before her passing: “We had everything we needed in Little Egypt. My family had land, a good well, chickens, cows. Then they told us we had to leave. We had no choice. My father never got over it.”

Vanport, OR → Delta Park

Vanport, Oregon, was a wartime housing community built in 1942 to provide homes for shipyard workers, many of whom were Black migrants. Because Portland had racist housing policies, Vanport became one of the few places where Black families could live and flourish despite segregation.

At its peak, Vanport had over 40,000 residents, schools, businesses, and a thriving cultural scene. But because the city never properly reinforced its flood defenses, disaster struck.

On May 30, 1948, the Columbia River dikes failed, and water rushed into Vanport. Within hours, the entire town was underwater. The government had ignored warnings that the dikes were weak, and residents were not given proper evacuation notice. The flood left thousands of Black families homeless overnight.

Vanport was never rebuilt—instead, the land was converted into Delta Park, a recreational area, completely erasing the Black community that once thrived there.

Survivor Account:

Blanche Burton-Lyles, a former Vanport resident, recalled the horror of the flood: “They told us not to worry, that the dike wouldn’t break. But the water came so fast. We ran. We lost everything.”

Many survivors tried to relocate within Portland, but racist housing laws prevented them from finding decent homes, forcing them into segregated areas with limited resources.

Kowaliga (Benson), AL → Lake Martin

Kowaliga, Alabama, also known as Benson, was a Black-owned town founded by freedmen after the Civil War. Residents were skilled farmers, artisans, and business owners who built a self-sufficient community.

In the 1920s, the Alabama Power Company decided to build a hydroelectric dam, and the land where Kowaliga stood was chosen to be flooded for Lake Martin. The company used eminent domain to seize the land, forcing Black families out.

Some residents were given a fraction of what their land was worth, while others received nothing at all. They were forced to leave behind homes, churches, and burial sites—all of which were submerged.

Today, Lake Martin is a popular tourist and vacation spot, with wealthy landowners building million-dollar homes along its shores. Few people know that beneath the lake lie the remains of a once-thriving Black town.

Survivor Account:

Willie Parker, whose ancestors lived in Kowaliga, said, “They told my great-grandfather he had no choice. He built that house with his own hands, and they flooded it like it was nothing. We lost more than land—we lost our history.”

Conclusion: Erased but Not Forgotten

Each of these towns represents a stolen legacy, a place where Black families built lives only to be erased by racism, greed, and government policies. These towns were not lost by accident; they were targeted, taken, and buried under water—forever changing the course of Black generational wealth.

While these lakes and parks now serve as recreation sites for tourists and the wealthy, the memories and injustices remain. Families who lost everything never fully recovered, and their descendants still fight for recognition of what was taken.

But history does not have to remain buried. Efforts are underway to honor these lost communities, and through storytelling and education, we can ensure that the people of Oscarville, Ferguson, Little Egypt, Vanport, and Kowaliga are never forgotten.