The Story Behind Lake Francis
The Story Behind Lake Francis
By: a.d. elliott | Take the Back Roads - Art and Other Odd Adventures
My dear Henry,
While traveling down Highway 59, we passed a decrepit gateway leading to Lake Francis.
The metal arch stood open, its letters rusted and sagging, the entrance flanked by trees slowly reclaiming the road. It looked like the kind of place you’d expect teenagers to dare each other to enter, something halfway between a forgotten summer camp and the opening scene of a horror movie. Camp Crystal Lake came to mind immediately.
Naturally, there were signs.
Which, of course, only added to the atmosphere.
Back in civilization, curiosity won. We looked it up.
From roughly 1930 through the 1970s, Lake Francis was the area's recreational destination. Families swam there. People fished, picnicked, gathered. It was the sort of place that anchored summers and weekends — a man-made lake built during a time when creating recreation spaces was seen as progress and prosperity.
Then things changed.
The water quality declined. Pollution crept in, slow at first, then undeniable. The lake grew dirty — really dirty. The dam began to fail. Maintenance lagged. Interest waned.
And finally, in 1990, the dam was destroyed.
The lake drained away, leaving behind only fragments: the gate, the road, the memory of where water once was. No haunting. No curse. Just entropy, neglect, and time doing what it always does.
Lake Francis isn’t spooky because something terrible happened there.
It’s eerie because nothing did, except that it ended.
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About the Author
a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller traveling through life
She shares her journeys at Take the Back Roads, explores new reads at Rite of Fancy, and highlights U.S. military biographies at Everyday Patriot.
You can also browse her online photography gallery at shop.takethebackroads.com.
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