Lake Spivey is a (, ) private lake located in

Clayton County Clayton County is the name of two counties in the United States: * Clayton County, Georgia in the Atlanta Metropolitan Area * Clayton County, Iowa It was also the former name of Clay County, Arkansas Clay County is a county located in the U.S. ...

and Henry County,

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

near Jonesboro.

History

The lake was created by Dr. Walter Boone Spivey, a prominent

Buckhead Buckhead is the uptown commercial and residential district of the city of Atlanta, Georgia, comprising approximately the northernmost fifth of the city. Buckhead is the third largest business district within the Atlanta city limits, behind Downt ...

dentist, and his wife Emilie. The lake formed following the completion of construction on an earthen dam on Rum Creek in September 1957. The lake was built on land, formerly known as Betts Farm, which was purchased by the Spiveys in September 1943. The dam formed what was promoted as the largest privately owned lake in the state of Georgia. Lake Arrowhead in

Waleska, Georgia Waleska ( ) is a city in Cherokee County, Georgia, United States. The population was 644 at the 2010 census. History The first white settlement in the Waleska area began in the early 1830s. Among these first pioneer settlers were the Reinhardt, H ...

is also promoted as the largest private lake in Georgia.

Georgia Department of Natural Resources The Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is an administrative agency of the U.S. state of Georgia. The agency has statewide responsibilities for managing and conserving Georgia’s natural, cultural, and historical resources, and has five ...

records indicate that Lake Spivey is 600 acres and Lake Arrowhead is 450 acres at normal pool level.

Development and use

The Spiveys also created a peach orchard, residential developments around the lake, and Lake Spivey Park on the property. The park opened in June 1959. For years in the 1960s the park served as the venue for professional water skiing shows. In 1963 and 1964 the lake was the venue for the now defunct National Outboard Association (NOA) National championship boat races. Lake Spivey was the backdrop for numerous concerts in the late 1960s and early 1970s including performances by the bands

Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philo ...

Blue Öyster Cult Blue Öyster Cult ( ; sometimes abbreviated BÖC or BOC) is an American Rock music, rock band formed on Long Island in Stony Brook, New York, in 1967, and best known for the singles "(Don't Fear) The Reaper", "Burnin' for You", and "Godzilla ( ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Freddie King Freddie King (September 3, 1934December 28, 1976) was an American blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the "Three Kings of the Blues Guitar" (along with Albert King and B.B. King, none of whom were blood related). Mos ...

Lynyrd Skynyrd Lynyrd Skynyrd ( ) is an American rock music, rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida. The group originally formed as My Backyard in 1964 and comprised Ronnie Van Zant (lead vocalist), Gary Rossington (guitar), Allen Collins (guitar), Larry Ju ...

BB King Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shimm ...

Ike and Tina Turner Ike or IKE may refer to: People * Ike (given name), a list of people with the name or nickname * Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969), Supreme Commander of the Allied forces in Europe during World War II and President of the United States Surname ...

, and

ZZ Top ZZ Top is an American rock band formed in 1969 in Houston, Texas. For 51 years, they comprised vocalist-guitarist Billy Gibbons, drummer Frank Beard and vocalist-bassist Dusty Hill, until Hill's death in 2021. ZZ Top developed a signature sound ...

. The lake was the location filming for the movi
The Legend of Blood Mountain
(1965) starring George Ellis and

Erin Fleming Erin Leslie Fleming (August 13, 1941 – April 15, 2003) was a Canadian actress best known as the companion, secretary and manager of comedian Groucho Marx during his final years. Early career Fleming was born Marilyn Suzette Fleming on A ...

Burt Reynolds Burton Leon Reynolds Jr. (February 11, 1936 – September 6, 2018) was an American actor, considered a sex symbol and icon of 1970s American popular culture. Reynolds first rose to prominence when he starred in television series such as ' ...

lived on the lake during the filming of

Smokey and the Bandit ''Smokey and the Bandit'' is a 1977 American road action comedy film starring Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jackie Gleason, Jerry Reed, Pat McCormick, Paul Williams and Mike Henry. The directorial debut of stuntman Hal Needham, the film follows ...

(1977) in Jonesboro. Located in the suburbs south of downtown

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, Lake Spivey is also from

Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

( to the new International Terminal) and less than from the

Atlanta Motor Speedway Atlanta Motor Speedway (formerly known Atlanta International Raceway from 1960 to 1990) is a 1.54-mile entertainment facility in Hampton, Georgia, United States, 20 miles (32 km) south of Atlanta. It has annually hosted NASCAR Cup Series ...

Hampton Hampton may refer to: Places Australia *Hampton bioregion, an IBRA biogeographic region in Western Australia *Hampton, New South Wales *Hampton, Queensland, a town in the Toowoomba Region *Hampton, Victoria Canada *Hampton, New Brunswick *Hamp ...

. Lake Spivey was originally developed with seven residential communities; Lake Spivey Estates, Lost Valley, Bay View, South Bay, The Landings, Forest Estates, and North Shore. An eighth community, Edgewater on Lake Spivey, was created in 1997 on property once occupied by the lake clubhouse.

Ownership

In 1984 the lake was deeded by Emilie Spivey to th
Lake Spivey Civic Association
which owns and manages the lake today. Members of the association include only property owners from the eight communities around the lake. Each community has either one central marina or several smaller mooring strips located around the lake for access and docking. The lake has no public access.

Hydrology

Inflows to the lake include Rum Creek, Line Creek via adjacent ()

Lake Jodeco Lake Jodeco is a private 70 acre man-made lake in Clayton County, Georgia, east of Jonesboro, Georgia. The area now known as Lake Jodeco was once inhabited by the Muskogee Creek Nation. History Prior to the end of World War II, the Lake Jodeco a ...

, Vaughn Branch from Drakes Lake and Drakes Landing Lake, and Indian Lake from

Clayton County International Park Clayton County International Park is a park located in Clayton County, Georgia, United States, in Jonesboro, south of Atlanta. Built for the beach volleyball competition for the 1996 Summer Olympics, the main venue is part of the Lakeview View C ...

. Outflow from the lake is through Rum Creek. Rum Creek flows into Little Cotton Indian Creek and the Clayton County Reservoir in Henry County. From the Clayton County Reservoir, Little Cotton Indian Creek flows into Big Cotton Indian Creek. Big Cotton Indian Creek flows into the South River and Lake Jackson. These are all part of the

Ocmulgee River The Ocmulgee River () is a western tributary of the Altamaha River, approximately 255 mi (410 km) long, in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the westernmost major tributary of the Altamaha.Recreational boating on the lake is restricted by the Lake Spivey Civic Association to a 40-mph speed limit during day-light hours and 5-mph after sunset. Residents enjoy cruising with pontoon boats, jet skiing, water skiing, wakeboarding, canoeing, kayaking, tubing, swimming, and fishing. Every Fourth of July the civic association puts on a fireworks display which residents enjoy from their boats and along the shoreline. A slalom water skiing course is permanently located near the dam. Water skiers can typically be seen on the course during the summer months when the lack of wind makes for ideal conditions. Lake Spivey is tied as the location for the Georgia state record for the largest

black crappie The black crappie (''Pomoxis nigromaculatus'') is a freshwater fish found in North America, one of the two types of crappies. It is very similar to the white crappie in size, shape, and habits, except that it is darker, with a pattern of black sp ...

caught. Hooked by Steve Cheek in 1975, the fish weighed 4 lbs 4 oz.Georgia Department of Natural Resources - Wildlife Resources Division http://www.georgiawildlife.com/node/162 In 2006 the community worked with

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U ...

officials to allow the city, state, and

Zip+4 Zip, Zips or ZIP may refer to: Common uses * ZIP Code, USPS postal code * Zipper or zip, clothing fastener Science and technology Computing * ZIP (file format), a compressed archive file format ** zip, a command-line program from Info-ZIP * Z ...

last line mailing address of "Lake Spivey, GA 30236+4" in addition to the previously accepted "Jonesboro, GA 30236+4". In 2008 the Lake Spivey Road Race was created to promote the neighborhoods around the lake. The annual foot race, which takes place in November, features a 5K and 15K course. Participants on the 15K course run the circumference of Lake Spivey and Lake Jodeco. Both courses are

USA Track & Field USA Track & Field (USATF) is the United States national governing body for the sports of track and field, cross country running, road running and racewalking (known as the sport of athletics outside the US). The USATF was known between 1979 and ...

(USATF) certified and provide a challenge to runners as the topography is quite hilly. The USATF course numbers are GA09021WC for the 5K and GA08011WC for the 15K. During the 2009-2010 regular session the General Assembly of Georgia approved that the portion of

Georgia State Route 138 State Route 138 (SR 138) is a state highway in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. The highway is a west-to-east route that travels within portions of Fulton, Fayette, Clayton, Henry, Rockdale, Newton, and Walton counti ...

between Interstate 675 and the limits of the City of Jonesboro be designated the Lake Spivey Parkway. In 2011 the civic association created green space at the west most portion of the lake for use by residents and their guests. In 2013 and 2014 Lake Spivey played host to the Swim Across America, Atlanta open water swim charity event to raise funds for cancer research. The lake communities are bordered by the

, Reid Stephens Heritage Park and Wildlife Sanctuary, and Lake Spivey Country Club to the north, and

to the south.

References

Sources

*Marshall, Elisabeth Hulsey (1991).
A Unique Partnership: Walter and Emilie Spivey
'. The Walter and Emilie Spivey Foundation, Inc.

External links

Clayton County International Park
* at

GNIS The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) is a database of name and locative information about more than two million physical and cultural features throughout the United States and its territories, Antarctica, and the associated states of ...

Lake Spivey Civic AssociationLake Spivey Road RaceSwim Across AmericaUSA Track & Field
{{authority control Bodies of water of Clayton County, Georgia Spivey