DROWNED

How federal dam projects submerged Black communities — and gave them less compensation than their white neighbors.

9+ documented communities · Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Oregon · $0 restitution

Communities Submerged

1M+

Acres Flooded by TVA

Restitution Paid

Documented Communities

1926

Kowaliga / Benson

now beneath Lake Martin

Only Black-owned railroad in Alabama. Founded by a formerly enslaved man.

1926

Susannah (Sousana)

now beneath Lake Martin

900+ bodies exhumed before flooding. Gold mine, mills, church, school.

1926

Clear Springs

now beneath Lake Martin

Fourth Black community drowned by Martin Dam.

1920s

Henry's Mill

now beneath Lake Harris

Black community submerged by dam construction.

1938

AL/TN/MS

Waterloo & Riverton

now beneath Pickwick Lake

506 families displaced. Black owners received lowest compensation.

1956

Oscarville

now beneath Lake Lanier

Expelled by mob violence 1912 — then submerged 44 years later.

1936

Loyston

now beneath Norris Lake

TVA's first dam. Black families received lower per-acre payments.

1948

Butler

now beneath Watauga Lake

Entire mountain town submerged by Watauga Dam.

1948

Vanport

now beneath Columbia River flood

Oregon's 2nd-largest city. 40% Black. 18,500 displaced in one afternoon.

The Bruce Standard

In 2022, LA County returned Bruce's Beach — seized by eminent domain in 1924 — to its Black descendants. Valued at $20 million. For one lot. After 98 years. The communities beneath Lake Martin have been underwater for 100 years. They have received nothing.

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