Glen Emerald Lake · Atlanta, Georgia

Paddle the lake. Care for the shoreline. Know the story.

Glen Emerald Paddlers is a proposed neighbor-led club for people who want to spend time on this small, storied lake, help care for its edges, and learn what came before us.

See the calendar Explore the lake

Community concept · activities begin only after County coordination

Aerial source image of Glen Emerald Lake with its island and shoreline — Current source image of Glen Emerald Lake · orientation only, not a survey or launch map.

A place to show up

Bring a kayak, a pair of work gloves, a family story, or simple curiosity. The club is a community idea in development; dates and water access remain proposed until DeKalb County RPCA gives direction.

The community we are building

Three ways to belong to one lake.

A small, recurring rhythm keeps the lake welcoming: get on the water carefully, care for the shoreline together, and keep the record of Glen Emerald alive.

Saturday paddle mornings

A relaxed proposed meetup for nonmotorized paddling, a shore briefing, and neighbors learning the lake at an easy pace.

Monthly cleanup mornings

A first-Saturday habit of litter collection and only the limited hand-clearing work County staff authorizes.

Lake story gatherings

A third-Sunday history stroll for aerials, memories, the old recreation grounds, and the landscape still visible today.

Proposed community calendar

Pick a morning, then tell us what interests you.

These recurring ideas are placeholders for a club that can start responsibly. Every date is marked proposed and pending approval; saving a date is not an RSVP.

Next up

The Glen Emerald record

One lake, five real source views.

The images below are the Glen Emerald record identified as GA01795 in History Underfoot. They are shown as evidence and context, not as a substitute for a County launch assessment.

~7 acresHistory Underfoot / NID record

33.7133° N−84.3329° W

1949Full lake and island in aerial record

6.7 ftLIDAR-derived modeled minimum; not navigation

No invented contour, launch pin, or marker is placed on the water. Open the verified lake record and map context.

Current aerial source view of Glen Emerald Lake — 2026 source aerial · current orientation view, not a survey.

A lake with a long record

The story is part of the invitation.

Glen Emerald was shaped as a recreation landscape, changed through decades of neglect and repair, and is now a place neighbors can help understand and care for.

1870s

Carroll property

The land off Bouldercrest Road was part of a roughly 200-acre Carroll family property, the setting for what followed.

1935–36

Private recreation grounds

William Edward Carroll planned a 42-acre retreat with three lakes, a pool, clubhouse, gardens, picnic shelters, stables and riding paths.

1949

Lake and island

The earliest usable aerial shows the main lake full, with an island and a road around its rim.

1990s–99

Community preservation

Neighbors helped preserve the rock garden after overgrowth and nearby apartment condemnation, leading to transfer of the park parcel to DeKalb.

2022–24

Drawdown and repair

Imagery records a drawdown, spillway work, refilling and riprap. A county LIDAR study adds terrain and depth context with clear limits.

The DeKalb History Center account describes the original gardens, dams and recreation plan. Historic stocking references are context only; the club will follow current RPCA and Georgia DNR direction and will not stock fish independently.

How we show up

Care is the membership model.

The community promise is modest and visible: leave the shoreline better, keep people safe, and ask before doing anything that changes the park.

Paddle gently

Nonmotorized craft, daylight sessions, a properly fitted USCG-approved PFD worn by every paddler, buddy practices, and no swimming, alcohol, dam or spillway access.

Care for the edge

Cleanup and hand-clearing happen only within a written RPCA scope. No trees, grading, chemicals, power tools or shoreline excavation.

Ask before fishing

Historic fishing and stocking notes are not current permission. Any fishing or habitat question goes to RPCA and Georgia DNR first.

Questions neighbors ask

Clear answers before anyone shows up.

Does joining mean I can launch?

No. This site is for community interest and planning. Launch access, a kayak rack, and any club activity remain subject to written County direction.

What is the proposed rack?

A small removable lockable kayak rack at the existing County-created access, only if RPCA approves its location, design, security, ownership, accessibility, liability, maintenance and removal terms. Nothing is installed first.

Can I fish at Glen Emerald?

Not based on this site. Historic references help explain the lake’s past, while current fishing rules and any stocking or habitat decision must come from RPCA and Georgia DNR.

Is this a DeKalb County site?

No. Glen Emerald Paddlers is a proposed neighbor-led community. The separate proposal asks County staff to review limited hand-clearing and the conditional rack idea.

What happens when I use the interest form?

Your note stays on this device until you choose to open your own email. The form does not silently submit a message, create an RSVP, or claim County approval.

Stay in the loop

Tell us what kind of neighbor you want to be.

Leave a local interest note. We will use it to shape a useful first season if the County approves the access plan. The form prepares an email for your review; it does not send anything by itself.

You can be interested in paddling without owning a kayak, in cleanup without getting on the water, or in the lake’s history and fishing conversations.