Imagine paddling across a clear, deep lake knowing that just beneath your kayak lies a main street, a handful of homes, and an ancient stone bridge from the 1800s. That is the haunting reality of this Pennsylvania reservoir, built in 1944 to tame a flooding river.
When severe droughts hit, the water level drops enough to reveal the ghost town of Somerfield, along with the remains of the Great Crossings Bridge, a historic stone arch more than two centuries old. The lake straddles two states and is considered one of the best spots in the region for powerboating and waterskiing.
Its waters are strikingly clear and deep because it is classified as an oligotrophic lake, meaning it has very low nutrients. Since it was completed, the dam has prevented hundreds of millions of dollars in flood damage, but the price was swallowing several small communities forever…