Corvette Lake
Those who
are swimming in debt
Because of their new corvette
Know the bank can never take
What lies at the bottom of a lake.
I INVESTIGATE A LOCAL LEGEND
Do You think most Urban legends are just stories with no real basis in reality? What if you went in search of the truth like I did one day recently with the determination to get to the bottom of it ''literally''. Since I was in Middle school various people I would run into have tried to push a story on me about Expensive cars being disposed of in some nearby body of water .I heard this tale so many times I eventually told others and carried on the tradition. When I reached my twenties I got interested in Urban legends and studied folklore and from that point gradually started to question a lot of the old information I had absorbed years previously.What was truth and what was fiction?
As It turns out There may be some truth to this one, the case in question begins with the creepy nursery rhyme at the top of this post about being in debt and car owners ditching an expensive vehicle to avoid it being repossessed .I heard both adults and kids say some variation of it back when gas guzzlers were more popular and more drivers before the Great recession did there best to get noticed with a flashy car. It also went along with an adage that once floated amongst the very wealthy stating basically ''anyone who could actually afford a Chevy Corvette, would not get caught dead being seen in one'' [Classics from the 50s' and 60's notwithstanding].
Also I Think back to a time when I went swimming as a Kid in a pay lake called Vance's Lake in Bath County. I was camping with friends and went swimming [very briefly] and was having fun when I felt something sticking up from the water below my feet .Whatever it was, it was metal and quite possibly was a car axle sticking up. Then I realized I could stand on something muddy and flat and step up even though I was quite far from the bank. This fine Item felt like sheet metal and dented in as I attempted to somewhat stand on it. Realizing that this was most possibly the roof of a car laying on the bottom as it crinkled and buckled slightly I quickly swam back the way I came and got the hell out of there never to swim in Vance's ever the more. ''Ah the things I used to do'' well It is interesting to note the Lake in this case is within feet of a large junk yard so it makes sense there might be old car parts thrown in there at some point. However it does give rise to the idea of cars dumped and hidden in lakes and such.
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| This Is an abandoned boat launch on the Rowan County side of Cave Run. |
The Next Incident was another camping trip with fellow students while in High school. We were around the fire one night just a few miles from where Vance's lake is. Our Host was the Grandson of the landowner and at one point he told us the nearby pond[although not very large}
contained discarded ''frames of stolen and stripped cars''. Now it doesn't end there ,as an adult I heard it once more
I worked for an Internet and Cellular service a few years ago .I was usually at the front desk by myself and often the day might bring some unusual character or two through the door.One day an older gentlemen [now deceased unfortunately] came in for some reason and started to tell a few tales.At one point he said ''Tom, You don't need to repeat this but Cave run Lake is also called Corvette lake''. He went on to explain how desperate people would drive Sports cars and other unwanted vehicles into the lake and later report them stolen to get insurance money.
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| Beyond the Obstacle you can still walk the long descent down to the waters edge. |
I never forgot this encounter so recently I went to Cave Run which is a very large man made lake In Bath and Rowan County. I remembered there used to be a Boat ramp on The Rowan side which is now abandoned and blocked off. Why did the Lake authorities make it unavailable? It is in a secluded area and it would have been easy at one point years ago to drive all the way down to the shore and send a car into the deep . I threw a few rocks into the water to see if I could get a clunk from hitting a fiberglass body or two but heard nothing. If there is anything down there one might have to do some scuba diving. They might be hard also since sometimes the water in the lake is fairly clear but mostly it is like coffee. Still I think it is quite possible Cave Run Lake- IS -Corvette lake.
You will clearly see a sign posted near the gates to the church and gardens that reminds the visitor to now observe strict silence.
