Eerie ‘ghost boat’ removed from Georgia’s Lake Lanier. ‘Everyone can now rest easy’

A mysterious “ghost boat” has been pulled from Georgia’s Lake Lanier — a massive reservoir with its own chilling reputation for being “the most controversial & haunted lake in America.”

The vanquished “Chestatee Ghost Boat,” a derelict houseboat, had no known owner and showed no signs of having been occupied for decades.

A news release announcing “the exorcism” did not shy away from the lake’s reputation for strange goings-on.

“For years it was rumored that Lake Lanier was haunted. Though those that frequent the lake, know this to not be true,” Lake Lanier Association Executive Director Jennifer Flowers said in the release.

“Now that the Chestatee Ghost Boat is in the landfill, we have removed any ghosts that were rumored to have inhabited Lake Lanier. Everyone can now rest easy.”

The 40-foot steel-hulled boat has been frozen in place at least two decades, officials say. Its reputation for being haunted was due in part to hints of life that appeared without the presence of humans.

“Dirty, broken chairs and other items adorned the top of the boat for years, giving the appearance that the boat was lived in,” the association said.

“Despite this appearance, no one was ever seen near the boat and efforts to find an owner turned up blank. It was a source of folklore and a landmark on the Chestatee River.”

Lake Lanier is Georgia’s biggest lake, created by a dam that submerged 38,000 acres of once habitable land, according to lakelanier.com. The 700 miles of shoreline are home to more than “45 parks and 10 campgrounds,” including Don Carter State Park.

Drownings and accidents on the water have claimed “more than 200 people ... since 1994, adding to its dark history,” CNN has reported.

But it’s what might be under the lake that unnerves people most.

“Built atop multiple sunken communities and cemeteries, the lake still attracts tragedies of all kinds,” StyleBlueprint wrote last month. “Its dark past and ghostly reputation have been the topics of dozens of podcasts, hundreds of news stories, and the amateur investigative sleuthing of thousands.”

The “ghost boat” was located along the Chestatee River branch of the lake, and it did not go easily, officials said. The spot, in Lumpkin County, is both “shallow and narrow.”

“Heavy equipment, a barge and dock floats were utilized to remove the debris and remaining steel hull,” the association said.

“The deteriorated top shell of the boat was dragged into the barge for disposal and the hull was placed on dock floats to be pushed down the narrow channel to a boat ramp.”

It is the 11th houseboat removed from the lake by Lake Lanier Association’s Abandoned and Derelict Docks and Boats program, officials said.

This story was originally published November 10, 2021 at 1:26 PM with the headline "Eerie ‘ghost boat’ removed from Georgia’s Lake Lanier. ‘Everyone can now rest easy’."