Starting June 28th through the 30th, DNR Rangers will be participating in Operation Dry Water on Lake Allatoona. The objective is to bring awareness to boaters concerning the dangers of boating under the influence of alcohol and drugs.

This program was launched by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators in 2009.

For more information visit there website at www.operationdrywater.org

Update for Lake Allatoona Corps of Engineers Properties

With the recent heavy rainstorms, Lake Allatoona’s water level has been greatly effected. Our water level is finally going down, today it is at 842.46 and hopefully by next week we will be back to 840.
An interesting fact and rule of thumb is for every inch of water that falls over Lake Allatoona equals about one foot of water rise in the lake.
The Corps of Engineers have closed many Campgrounds, Launch Ramps, Day Use Parks and Beaches  around the lake due to safety reasons.

Have a happy and safe Memorial Day!

Click read more to view the entire list of open/closed Corps of Engineer Day Use Areas, Boat Launch Ramps, Campgrounds and Beaches.

I know many people are upset that the 2013 Pro Wakeboard Tour was moved from Lake Allatoona to Lake Acworth due to the flood.

Ga. Lake View caught up with a few of the wakeboard guys and they offered to take us in the boat for some of their practice runs.

We climbed into the $120k wakeboard boat and what a ride it was!

Hopefully the tour will return to Lake Allatoona next year.

Watch the video below to see what it's like from inside the boat.

relocated to Lake Acworth Beach at Cauble Park.  The event will be held on Saturday, May 18 from noon to 7:00 p.m.  Immediately following the event, a Block Party will be held in Historic Downtown Acworth that will feature the presentation of the awards from the Pro Tour event, live music, outdoor dining opportunities, and much more!  The Block Party will run from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.  Parking will be available in Historic Downtown Acworth and shuttles will be running from various locations to bring visitors down to the park.  
Lake Acworth will not be able to accommodate public access to the water by way of boat.  We encourage all of those loyal spectators who planned to line the

available for purchase at the event: $13.00 for ages 13 and older, $5 for ages six to twelve, and ages five and under are admitted free.  

“This nationally televised event has a significant economic impact on our local economy and we are very fortunate to have an alternate site in our community to host this event given the circumstances.” said James Albright the Director of Parks, Recreation, and Community Resources.”  “We are appreciative of our partnerships with MasterCraft, Rockstar Energy Drink, the Bonnier Corporation, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for still being able to make this event a reality.”

For the most up to date information on the event visit www.acworthparksandrecreation.org, follow us on Twitter at @aprd, or search Acworth Parks on Facebook. 

I visited Barnsley about a year ago in the fall, we enjoyed a beautiful ride to the resort and even though it was quite chilly outside we decided to take the tour of the gardens and the mansion ruins.

The first thing I noticed winding our way down a path toward the ruins of the mansion was the amazing trees and plants, none of them seemed indigenous to the area. I had never seen anything like it before. Come to find out that most of the trees and plants were brought back by Godfrey Barnsley the original owner of the 10,000 acre property formally called the Woodlands. These plants and trees came from all over the world as he traveled as a cotton broker.

Barnsley was born in Derbyshire, England in 1805 and immigrated to Savannah, Ga. in 1824. Upon arrival he was penniless and lacked formal education but he became one of Savannahs most affluent men. He made his immense fortune through the cotton trade and shipping business.

In 1828 Barnsley married Julia Henrietta Scarborough, daughter of William Scarborough a wealthy Savannah merchant and shipbuilder.

During the course of their marriage they had six children (other reports claim eight children) but in 1842 Julia fell ill so Barnsley decided to move the family to Adairsville, Ga. to escape the threat of malaria and yellow fever.

The construction of the 24 room mansion designed to resemble an Italian Villa began in the late 1830’s but Barnsley was warned by an old Indian not to build on the proposed area. He claimed it was sacred to the Cherokee and disruption to the site would end in a curse.

Barnsley dismissed the warning of the old Indian and continued with the construction of the mansion. Soon after completion of the mansion tragedy fell upon the family with the death of their infant son and then his wife Julia in 1845 from Tuberculosis. Adelaide Barnsley their second daughter died suddenly in the mansion in 1858. Barnsley’s oldest son Howard was killed in 1862 by

Chinese pirates while exploring the Orient for exotic plants to add to the gardens collection.

During the Civil War cotton brokering was no longer a commodity and Barnsley had invested his money in what would become worthless Confederate bonds. On May 18th, 1864 Sherman’s army was approaching the mansion, Colonel Robert G. Earle with the Second Alabama Light Calvary and friend to Barnsley rode to the mansion to warn of the approaching troops and was shot and killed on the grounds within sight of the mansion. Earl’s body was buried on the property.

The Union troops lead by General McPherson gave orders to leave the property intact but this order was ignored and many of the mansions precious items were destroyed. The structure stayed intact and was one of the few that that were spared in the Atlanta Campaign.    

Barnsley moved to New Orleans by the end of the war to attempt to regain his fortunes to no avail.

Once again tragedy struck the Woodland grounds.  When Barnsley relocated to New Orleans he appointed Confederate army captain James Peter Baltzelle, husband of Barnsley’s daughter Julia to manage the property. In 1868, Baltzelle who made a living shipping timber from Woodlands was killed by a falling tree. Daughter Julia along with her child Adelaide left Woodlands to join her father in New Orleans.  Julia met and married German ship captain Henry Von Schwartz who later died twelve years later.

Godfrey Barnsley died in New Orleans, 1873 he was brought back to Woodlands where he was laid to rest.

Julia’s daughter Adelaide (Addie) once grown married B.F.A. Saylor, they had two sons Harry and Preston and two daughters, Julia and Mary who died in infancy . Saylor passed away in 1912 at the age of 52 when the boys were very young. The family had to live in the kitchen wing of the house after a tornado in 1906 destroyed a large part of the mansions roof.

In 1935, Harry had been overseeing the Woodlands property while his brother Preston was pursuing a career in boxing. Upon the return of Preston to the Woodlands, Preston though his brother Harry was plotting to take his share of the estate.

Preston was imprisoned for seven years for the murder of his brother and was pardoned by the governor.

Their mother Adelaide (Miss Adie) died in 1942 at which time Woodlands was sold to W. Earl McClesky who used the land for farming.  The property sold once again in 1988 to Prince Hubertus Fugger and wife Princess Alexandra of Bavaria at which time they consulted with a Native American shaman whose name is Richard Bird to remove the curse that was placed upon the property many years before.

Currently Barnsley Gardens is owned by two Dalton, Ga. businessmen. The combined efforts of past and current owners have evolved Barnsley Gardens f/k/a Woodlands into an amazing resort that bodes class and style that will not fail to impress.

Oh!...but let’s not forget – with all of the tragedy could it be haunted? Well there are claims that many ghost roam around the mansion ruins.

After Barnsley’s wife Julia passed away he claimed that she appeared before him at the beautiful fountain that adorns the front lawn. She made a request to him to continue completing the mansion for their children’s sake. He took heed of her spirits request and dedicated himself to fulfill her wishes.

As further evidence to Barnsley that his deceased wife Julia was watching over them came as a letter that he received one day. It read:

Julia’s ghost has been seen strolling among the gardens at the front of the mansion. The first report of her sighting was by her daughter Addie. She claimed to see her son Harry’s spirit as well, she tended the gardens often and would return with stories of her conversations with her loved ones that had passed on to the other side.  Could this have been real or just her undying love for her deceased family members.

Colonel Earl who was fatally shot on the grounds warning of Sherman’s army approach has claimed to be seen drinking from the stream that is located at the back of the mansion.

Godfrey Barnsley’s ghost has been reported by staff members as well. Reports claim the sounds of him shuffling at his desk and strolling through the beautiful gardens with his beloved wife Julia.

Do you believe in ghost? Take the short drive north and experience the wonders of Barnsley’s Gardens for yourself!

In light of the extremely heavy rainfall and flooding at Lake Allatoona, people wonder why the Dam doesn’t just open up and bring the lake levels back down. I have received a lot of questions concerning this over the past week.

One of the main purposes that Allatoona Dam was built was to prevent any future flooding disasters to befall upon Rome, Ga..  The first major flooding of Rome happened in April 1886 when the rivers crested at 15.29 feet over flood level.

The Oostanaula and Etowah Rivers merge into and form the Coosa River close to Myrtle Hill in Rome. The week long continuous rainfall caused these rivers to rise to the point that a steamboat was able to travel down Broad Street.

At the time of the flood the newly formed city of Rome was in its hay day being a central hub for steamboats and railroads. As the cotton market grew Rome became a major center for the cotton trade.

In the 1880’s Rome was implementing major advancements such as electric lighting and long distance telephone services. One year before the flood the electric streetcars were introduced to the area. After flooding the only means of transportation was by boat for many weeks.  
The disastrous flooding spanned from Tennessee all the way to           Alabama causing great long term destruction and loss of life.                                                        

The construction of Allatoona Dam began in 1946 even though it was approved in 1941 but with the start of WWII the construction was delayed.

Officially completed in 1950 the Dam is the oldest Corps of Engineers reservoir in the Southeast.

As of today (5/8/2013) the lake level is 847.75 while normal full pool is 840.

Below is today’s graph that shows the inflow/outflow at the Dam.

Doing some quick math they can only release less than half of the water that is still coming in at present.

This is why our lake why our lake is flooded and will remain so for a while.

eight marinas are not accessible this will further delay the short economic recovery that is brought by 6 to 7 million visitors per year.

There are many closures around the lake so be sure to check ahead before planning to visit the lake. 
CHECK CLOSINGS 

DALLAS, TEXAS (May 1, 2013) Suntex Ventures, the Dallas-based owner and operator of marina properties, announced today that it has merged with Big D Boat Club & Watersports. The new operation will be called Suntex Boat Club & Watersports. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Big D Boat Club & Watersports, founded in 2009, has operated boat clubs and boat rentals in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex on Lake Ray Hubbard, Eagle Mountain Lake and Lake Lewisville. It is a rental boat club membership business with a vision of introducing people to the boating lifestyle in a more cost effective way. Memberships provide access to the boat club’s fleet of pontoons, ski and fishing boats, deck boats, wakeboard boats and jet skis. The memberships also include all the gear and accessories. When members arrive at the marina, their reserved boat is clean, full of fuel, staged with the requested water toys and life jackets, and ready for a day on the water. “This merger and partnership made sense for Big D Boat Club to grow into markets we desire,” explained Monty Kitchen, founder of Big D Boat Club/Director of Suntex Boat Club & Watersports. “Suntex is very customer- driven in how it operates and that was extremely important to me. We had no desire to grow without a partner that sees business the same way we do, customer service is number one. Unlike other franchise-type marina boat clubs across the country, we will be the first to bring customers in as renters or club members, and then maintain that relationship for life.”

Suntex Marinas and now Suntex Boat Club are subsidiaries of Suntex Ventures, a real estate company investing exclusively in niche mixed-use marinas and their related operating platforms. They have acquired, developed, and operated over 30 full-service marinas in the United States, the Caribbean, and Mexico for nearly 20 years. Over the course of these years, Suntex has developed a solid reputation by being dedicated to their customers, clients, guests, communities, employees, and investors. “We are thrilled that the Big D Boat Club is now a part of the Suntex family,” stated Joe Vrankin, Partner & Chief Operating Officer of Suntex Ventures. “Monty Kitchen has built a first-class business and by combining his club with the Suntex group we have the opportunity to gain the synergies from our marinas. We believe this will result in an even higher level of guest service combined with a high-quality, consistent line of boats in the club at every location. Our plan is to grow the boat club to two additional Suntex marina locations this season and eventually open a Suntex boat club at all of the marinas in the Suntex family.”

Suntex Boat Club will initially be launching boat clubs and rentals at Glade Marina in Acworth, GA, and at Amelia Island Yacht Basin in Fernandina Beach, FL. Vrankin said, “The merger of Suntex and Big D Boat Club, LLC is a big step in revolutionizing the marina industry. We truly want to become the first marina organization that offers everything under one roof for its customers--boat storage, service, boat rentals, and boat club, along with various other convenient amenities for our boaters. Suntex can provide options for every level boater.”