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100 Years Series: The Lost Town of Benson

Beneath the watery depths of Lake Martin lie the remnants of several once thriving communities – farms, schools, churches and homes – that were displaced when the Tallapoosa River was impounded in the 1920s.

While their physical foundations remain below the lake’s surface, the stories and history of those communities continue to live on, including the extraordinary story of John Jackson Benson and his son, William E. Benson.

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William E. Benson

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Kylan Benson kneels at the gravesite of his ancestor, William E. Benson

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General view of Kowaliga School