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LAKE HARDING DEFINITIONS

(FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT ARE NEW TO THE AREA)

YOU LOCALS CAN HELP OUT BY EMAILING YOUR LANDMARKS OR DEFINITIONS

• TWO TREE ISLAND - LOCATED ABOUT 1/2 NAUTICAL MILE NORTH OF HALAWAKEE CREEK (THE ISLAND WITH THE HOUSE ON IT). THE NAME CAME FROM DECADES OF HAVING ONLY TWO TALL TREES UNTIL SOMEONE CUT THEM DOWN WITH A CHAINSAW ONE NIGHT. WWW.TWOTREEISLAND.ORG ADOPTED THE ISLAND AND HOLDS CHURCH SERVICES THERE SUNDAY MORNING'S DURING THE SEASON WITH SOME GREAT MUSIC & GUEST SPEAKERS. THE ONLY WAY YOU CAN GET THERE IS BY BOAT, PWC OR BACKSTROKE. MANY LOCAL BUSINESS'S AND HOMEOWNERS DONATED THEIR TIME AND EQUIPMENT TO INSTALL A SEAWALL, STONEWORK AND OTHER IMPROVEMENTS.

• THE CROSS ON THE HILL -

      It towers above Lake Harding and sometimes glows at night. It’s visible from parts of the nearby Chattahoochee River and shines as a beacon for those seeking direction and perhaps religious reassurance. It was destroyed by a winter storm, then resurrected to its current state.

   The 24-foot white cross, which towers above Lake Harding, is a county landmark rich in history. Driving across Halawakee Creek and Lake Harding from the south, it’s impossible not to see.

       Why is it there?

       More than 50 years ago, Frank and L. Roy Tillery bought 14.6 acres on a 700-foot hill which overlooked Lake Harding. The brothers later donated the land in the memory of their parents, John and Clara Smith Tillery, to a group of businessmen who were inspired after taking part in a North Carolina religious retreat in the early 1960s. The men toyed with the idea of building a similar retreat on top of the hill.

       In 1964, plans were drawn toward the construction of the non-denominational retreat in 1964, known as the Halawaka Spiritual Retreat Center Inc.

       Though much of the project never came to fruition, a large white cross was erected in 1967 on the hill in an attempt to stimulate interest in raising funds for the project. The retreat still never came to pass, but the 24-by-12-foot cross, which lit up at night, remained.

       Time and vandalism took its toll on the cross, which was refurbished in 1999 to its original state. Two years later, a storm damaged the icon.

       But the good folks at Beulah Baptist Church and the Lake Harding Cross Committee joined forces to build a new cross with a lighted beacon. Work was completed last spring and the cross shines bright once again.

       Those wanting a close-up view of the cross may do so, but keep in mind the dirt road up the 700-foot hill is steep and can get slick. The view from the top is magnificent. To the south, Lake Harding glows in the sun. To the north, the mills of nearby Valley and Hughley are visible. It may very well be the highest point in Lee County.

       Just say a prayer before you head back down the treacherous path. Considering you’re already at the cross, you’re in pretty good company.

       Joe McAdory is editorial page editor for the Opelika-Auburn News.

• SKI ISLAND -

• THE SANDBAR -

• THE CONDOS - THOUGH THERE ARE NOW CONDOS ON THE ALABAMA SIDE THE TERM "THE CONDOS" HAS BEEN USED FOR DECADES TO REFER TO THE GEORGIA SIDE CONDO'S BY THE DAM.

• CREPE MYRTLE COMMONS CONDOS - THE NEW CONDOS ON THE ALABAMA SIDE ON HALAWAKEE CREEK WEST OF THE LONG BRIDGE.

• THE LONG BRIDGE - COME ON, THINK ABOUT IT? THE LONGEST BRIDGE OVER LAKE HARDING @ HALAWAKEE CREEK (LEE RD. 379)

• PO BOYS LANDING -

• PRINCESS'S BRIDGE

• THE R.R. TRESTLE -

• THE ISLAND WITH THE HOUSE ON IT

• HALAWAKA CAMPGROUNDS

• THE HOODLUMS -

• BLANTON CREEK PARK -

• VALLEY PARK -

• HALAWAKEE CREEK -

• OSANIPPA CREEK -

• "THE MARINA" (A.K.A. JAY'S MARINA, CYFRETT'S MARINA) THE MARINA LOCATED BY THE GA. SIDE CONDOS EAST OF THE DAM TRVELING SOUTH

• BARTLETTS FERRY - SEE LAKE HARDING

• LAKE HARDING - SEE BARTLETTS FERRY

• LAKE HARDING CABIN - A HOME VALUED UNDER $300,000

• LAKE HARDING HOUSE - A CABIN WITH A DECK ON IT VALUED OVER $300,000 BUT STILL SUBJECT TO BE TORCHED AND REBUILT.

• LAKE HARDING HOME - A LAKE HARDING HOUSE VALUED AT > $ 1.2 MILLION

• GEORGIA POWER LEASE -

• TILLERY LEASE -

• THE DUKES -

• BUOY -

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