Lake Martin Real Estate - Dadeville Real Rstate

Welcome To Lake Martin, Alabama

Community History

Alabama Power Company began building Martin Dam in 1923. Although the majority of the lake is located in Tallapoosa County , the generating plant was built in Elmore County. The cost of the project was $20 million. The gates were closed on June 9,1926 and the Tallapoosa River began to fill the small creeks and streams lacing the basin.

The Martin Dam is located in Elmore County, Alabama on river mile 420.0 above Mobile, Alabama on the Tallapoosa River near Dadeville, Alabama. The Martin Dam is located 77 river miles downstream from the Harris Dam and 8 river miles upstream from the Yates Dam.

The Martin Dam was the first of four dams constructed on theTallapoosa River.

When it was built, the dam created the world's largest artifical body of water.

The concrete gravity dam is 2,000 feet long and has a maximum height of 168 feet. The dam's volume of concrete is 431,000 cubic yards. There are 20 gated spillways.

The dam has been strenghtened to withstand a new flood level of 15 feet over the dam. To strenghten the dam, a large hole was drilled from the top of the dam down through to the bedrock. A bundle of steel cables was lowered and anchored into the bedrock with epoxy. The cables were stretched tight and the hole was filled with concrete. So far, the biggest flood has been 6 inches over the dam.

more history info.....

Two streams gather momentum as they wind their way southward through the north Georgia foothills and meet in Randolph County,Alabama, forming the beginnings of the Tallapoosa River. Winding through Randolph and Chambers Counties, the river continues into Tallapoosa County, spilling into Lake Martin.

Below the lake, the Tallapoosa River winds its way into Elmore County, where it joins the Coosa to form the Alabama River. Ultimately, the water spills into the Gulf of Mexico at Mobile Bay.

In 1916, the Alabama Power Company obtained the rights to build a dam at Chereokee Bluffs on the Tallapoosa River. Residents of the area were forced to sell their land and move. The area was mostly farmland. As soon as the residents were clear, homes, churches and schools were razed. Family cemeteries were moved. Miles of good timber were burned to save time in cutting trees. Other trees were tied down to keep them from floating as the water rose. Former residents watched with anguish as homes and fields which has been in their families for generations flooded. Many Indian sites and Native American artifacts were buried under the rush of the water as the lake formed. The dam was dedicated in 1936 in honor of Thomas Martin, president of Alabama Power Company from 1920 to 1949.

In the half-century that followed,residents began building cabins on the lake.

Lake Martin has grown in recreational value.

Willow Point Country Club was completed in 1965. Wind Creek State Park opened in 1961. Still Waters Resort began development in 1972.

In the past 20 years, the land around the lake have undergone a change as development has skyrocketed. More and more people choose Lake Martin as their home or their second home as well as a weekend getaway.

Welcome to Lake Martin..... we are glad you're here !!!

Ellen Venable - Associate Broker