Throwback Thursday: Nearly 80 years of Shanty Hollow Lake

As Spring season officially begins this weekend, we thought it would be fun to tell the story of a Warren and Edmonson County-based manmade outdoor recreation attraction that’s been around for nearly 80 years. Along the northern Warren County and southern Edmonson County borders is Shanty Hollow Lake, a manmade reservoir constructed from 1947 to 1949 for the purpose of recreational fishing, boating, and watersports. Thanks to a Bowling Green Daily News article originally published in November 1948 that we found in the Bowling Green’s Bygone News Facebook group for inspiring this springtime story.

Originally incorporated by Luke Dawson, Guy Jenkins, and Harry Gage, the lake itself was supposed to be part of an 800-acre tract of land devoted to sportsmen and vacationers as a public place to swim, camp, boat, and fish. Planned to be 300-acres in 1948, today’s Shanty Hollow Lake is now 117-acres and managed by the Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife. With an 18 feet depth and 2,500 feet width at its widest, the lake incorporators spent over $100,000 on purchasing and clearing land, and constructing the dam of Clay Lick Creek, a tributary of the Green River. The original plan was to build cabins on the shores for vacation rentals.

While the dam and lake were under construction, thousands of fish in existing area ponds were growing to maturity. The lake was said to be comparable to Dale Hollow Lake in proportion and size, containing many coves and hiking opportunities, and fed by over 20 springs. The lake is accessible to the public off Highway 185 at Richardsville Road about 17 miles north of Bowling Green, a mile from where Honaker’s ferry once operated across the Green River.

Now, Shanty Hollow Lake is on the Kentucky Waterfalls trail and route. It has been featured by many outdoor recreational forums and enthusiasts. While still a good place for canoeing, kayaking, fishing, rock climbing, bouldering, and hiking, the plans for multiple tourist cabins along the shoreline never fully materialized. A bait shop can be seen in photos from the 1950s, with boats available for rent, but overnight accommodations were scant. The park has seen some vandalism over the years, and much of the land surrounding the lake is private property.