Exploring places submerged by lake formation in the United States is a captivating endeavor using HistoricAerials.com. Since many of these lakes were created in the 20th century, we can find aerial images from both before and after the water levels rose. This provides a unique opportunity to visualize the original landscape and imagine life for those who once resided in these places.
Following one of our previous articles on such “drowned towns,” we’re highlighting a few more noteworthy locations. However, these are just a fraction of the many submerged sites out there, and we encourage further exploration. Here are some additional compelling examples:
Summersville Lake, West Virginia
Summersville Lake sprawls over 2,700 acres of crystal-clear water in Nicholas County, West Virginia, making it the state’s largest lake, fringed by nearly 60 miles of jagged shoreline. Behind this postcard setting stands the massive Summersville Dam.
After the construction of this dam, the lake formed with the rising waters slowly rose over the old town of Gad. Gad was a humble farming community nestled along the Gauley River, named after the local Gadd family. It survived on agriculture and tight-knit rural life until the early 1960s, when its location became the centerpiece for a massive flood-control project.
Even before Summersville Dam came to be, there was already an earlier structure in place. A smaller, privately built dam existed upstream by the late 1950s—visible in a 1958 aerial photo. This precursor hinted at the transformation to come.
Authorized under the 1938 Flood Control Act, the full project didn’t begin until 1960. Crews tunneled a diversion route through the mountain, shifted millions of cubic yards of earth and rock, and completed the dam in 1966. President Lyndon B. Johnson himself dedicated it on September 3, kicking off a new era of flood safety, recreation, and late‑2000s hydroelectric power.
Families in Gad and nearby Sparks were bought out and relocated. Generations proud of their farms had to abandon their roots. Even family graveyards were exhumed and moved. Locals remember watching massive machinery reshape the valley and seeing their homes levelled.
Now, when water levels drop, remnants of Gad—stone foundations, rusted cellar holes, even faint road traces—peek through. Divers fondly refer to the area as an “Appalachian Atlantis.” And yes, the Corps nearly called it “Gad Dam,” but “Summersville” sounded more politically palatable. Next time you’re paddling or diving on the lake, maybe you’re skimming over an old family homestead.
Raystown Lake, Pennsylvania
Raystown Lake extends roughly 8,300 acres through Pennsylvania’s Allegheny foothills. It runs about 32 miles long and dives nearly 200 feet deep near the dam. It’s now a magnet for boating, diving, and mountain biking.
Back in 1905, brothers Simpson built a private dam and power plant on the Raystown Branch. By 1912 it was generating hydroelectric power, shaping the lakeside cottage culture that would follow.
Fast forward to the Flood Control Act of 1962: the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers set to work in 1968, finishing the massive earthfill dam in 1973. The reservoir began filling during Tropical Storm Agnes in 1972, showing off its flood-control value before the official dedication in June 1974.
Some 1,800 property owners were bought out, and nearly 400 graves reinterred. Aitch’s homes, barns, and bridges were cleared using heavy machinery. Locals remember workers dismantling entire structures and moving families uphill to places like Marklesburg.
While legend whispers of complete towns under the water, rangers clarify: the Corps cleared most buildings before flooding. What remains? Divers have located the original Simpson power dam, an old powerhouse, and bridge foundations—but they’re too deep for casual exploration .
Plus, thanks to urgent archaeological digs at Sheep Rock Shelter, 12,000-year-old Native American tool remnants were preserved before inundation. The artifacts now rest in museums, but the shelter itself still lies beneath these waters.
These submerged places offer a fascinating glimpse into a past forever altered. They stand as testaments to monumental engineering feats and the often-unseen human cost of progress. Waters now used for recreation also hold the echoes of lives uprooted and landscapes transformed. Each lake, whether hiding a town or an ancient shelter, serves as a reminder that beneath the surface often lies a rich, compelling history waiting to be rediscovered.