Lake Martin

Lake Martin is located in Tallapoosa, Elmore and Coosa counties in Alabama. It is a 44,000-acre (178 km2) reservoir with over 750 miles (1,200 km) of wooded shoreline. Lake Martin is a reservoir, enlarged by the construction of Martin Dam on the Tallapoosa River. The Martin Dam powerhouse is used to generate hydroelectric power for the Alabama Power Company. Construction on Martin Dam began in 1923 and was completed in 1926, creating what was, at that time, the largest human-made body of water in the world. Originally known as Cherokee Bluffs for the geological formation upon which it was built, the dam was renamed in 1936 in honor of Thomas Martin, the then-president of Alabama Power Company. Alabama Power and Russell Lands own some of the shoreline. Lake Martin covers the submerged remnants of Kowaliga (or Kowaliga), a prosperous, early 20th-century Black community founded by formerly enslaved people. Developed largely by John Benson and his son William, the area featured a thriving industrial center, a railroad, and a school, which were flooded in 1926 for the Alabama Power Company’s Martin Dam project.