A Former 1900s Lakeside Resort in Georgia Is for Sale as an $8.85 Million Private Retreat

Owning waterfront property is one thing. Owning the entire lake is another.

The lake, created from a dam on Ichawaynochaway Creek, is just part of the 1,442-acre property in Leary, GA listed for $8.85 million.

"When you're on the water, it's about 250 acres of private water in this famous mill pond. You own the whole [thing]. You own everything," explains listing agent Jon Kohler with Jon Kohler Associates.

“When you're out in a boat, you're not used to being the only one in this enormous lake. It probably takes five or six hours to go around the whole thing. It’s huge.”

“It's just fascinating. There's really nothing else like it, nor can there ever be again,” Kohler says. “You control it. You're the only boat that's able to duck hunt, fish, there.”

Cordray's Mill was once a resort property with a dance hall, swimming lake, and more, dating back to the early 1900s and continuing at least through the 1960s.

“There are a couple of remnant guest homes from the era when it was a resort, it was one of the first resorts in Georgia,” he says. “People would come from all over for events and whatnot.”

One structure is a converted church that is now a four bedroom and 1.5 bathroom house, in addition other living spaces.

“There's a house back where the mill pond house used to stand. There's a house on the lake, but back during its heyday, there were all types of structures, stores, shops, everything,” Kohler says.

The two houses have a total of six bedrooms and two bathrooms.

Another structure is a converted grain silo with one bedroom and a bathroom.

“It's one of those great ideas that not many people are able to pull off because the walls are rounded. It’s a really quaint little home.”

But the draw isn’t all of the places for people to stay, it’s about the activities.

“My favorite thing is the diversity of the habitats. You have almost every great habitat that Southwest Georgia has, but on one property,” Kohler explains, adding there is irrigated farmland and timberland in addition to the lake and waterfront.

The trophy whitetail deer make the property something special.

“I see it being owned by somebody that wants something that no one else has, which is the diversity and really the trophy deer hunting and the trophy deer habitat,” he says.

“Just a wildness factor that most places don't offer. [The perfect buyer is] somebody that really just wants to have the best of the best trophy whitetail, a lot of turkeys, and top it off with waterfowl, in an abundance greater than what most places offer.”

The property could also meet another need, a social storm property, which is a term Kohler trademarked several years ago.

“We recognized a trend that people were buying land for the lack of better word in case s**t hit the fan,” he said with a laugh, comparing the term to a prepper's property.

“This property is an ideal social storm property as well as a legacy sporting estate. I see most of these great places, but I had no idea a place like that existed. It's like a unicorn.

"You have 250 acres of water backed up in one of the largest private lakes in southeast United States all to yourself.”