Lake Spivey, body of water

Lake Spivey is a 600-acre private lake in Clayton and Henry counties near Jonesboro, Georgia, formed in September 1957 when an earthen dam was completed on Rum Creek. The lake has no public access; its shoreline is lined with eight residential communities, each with a marina or mooring strips. A small motorboat with a red hull and white upper section can be seen moving across the rippled water, with a line of green and yellow trees on the far bank.

Lake Spivey was created by Dr. Walter Boone Spivey, a Buckhead dentist, and his wife Emilie, who bought the former Betts Farm in September 1943. An earthen dam on Rum Creek was completed in September 1957, forming the lake. The Spiveys added a peach orchard, residential communities and Lake Spivey Park, which opened in June 1959. In 1984 Emilie Spivey deeded the lake to the Lake Spivey Civic Association.

Lake Spivey has no public access: the water and shoreline belong to the Lake Spivey Civic Association, whose members are owners in the eight surrounding communities. Each community has a central marina or smaller mooring strips for docking. Boating is capped at 40 mph in daylight and 5 mph after sunset, and a slalom water skiing course sits permanently near the dam.