Old Hell Lake
| Old Hell Lake | |
|---|---|
  Old Hell Lake  Old Hell Lake | |
| Location | Long County, Georgia |
| Coordinates | 31°33′23″N 081°41′18″W / 31.55639°N 81.68833°W |
| Basin countries | United States |
Old Hell Lake is a body of water in Long County, Georgia, United States, occurring at an elevation of roughly 15 feet above mean sea level.[1][2]
Location
The lake is located approximately 11 miles from the city of Ludowici. Water flows from the lake into a tributary of the Altamaha River. The point where that short tributary flows into the Altamaha is known as Old Hell Bight.
Etymology
There are a number of possible origins for the name. One suggests that it refers to the adjacent great "hellish" swamp. But the more likely source is thought to be from a time in Georgia history when timber rafts where a common sight on the Altamaha River.[3] It would be a "riverman's moniker" referencing the Bight as a particularly troublesome bend in the river, with associated dangerous currents, where a pilot and crew might lose "their wages, their timber, and occasionally their lives".[3][4] So it is most likely that Old Hell Bight was named first, then influenced the naming of the adjacent lake.
See also
References
- ^ "Map of Long County, Georgia" (PDF).
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Old Hell Lake
- ^ a b Delma E. Presley (June 4, 2013). "Rafting Folklore". New Georgia Encyclopedia. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
- ^ John H. Goff (1 December 2007). Placenames of Georgia. University of Georgia Press. pp. 403–404. ISBN 978-0-8203-3129-4.