Photo By Brittany Trumbull | The original Lake Tholocco Lodge on East Beach circa 1970’s.... read more read more
FORT NOVOSEL, Ala.--Mispronouncing one local lake’s name is a rite of passage to folks who come to the Home of Army Aviation. Is it Lake Tha-LOCK-ah, Tho-LOW-CO, or Ta-LAKE-OH? It may take a few embarrassing attempts before locking it in like a local with the correct name, Tuh-LOCK-Oh. Whatever you call it, Fort Novosel’s crown jewel of a recreation area, Lake Tholocco, has nearly 100 years of history that is still being written today.
Lake Tholocco Dam was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the 1930s to form a 640-acre recreation lake. It was first used by the residents in the Dothan, Ala. area, and later by service members stationed at, then called, Ft. Rucker.
According to a 1940 article from the Southern Star, the name Tholocco is an Indian name meaning “Big and Strong.” The story read, “An Indian sitting on a riverbank fishing saw Sam Dale, the namesake for Dale County, lying down to go to sleep. He said to him ‘You sleep here Tholocco, but your spirit will be a brave warrior in the happy hunting grounds of the sky.’” Lake Tholocco was named by Mrs. C. Hutchison June 6, 1940.
30 years after the building of the dam, the first lodge was built on what is now known as East Beach. The Lodge and it’s adjacent 8 cottages brought both locals and visitors together as a place for community gatherings and lodging with picturesque views of the lake until it was demolished in 1997.
Over the past century, various buildings have occupied the Lake’s edge on both East and West Beach. Currently, Lake Tholocco Lodging offers 21 2-bedroom cabins, Wounded Warrior cabins, and Engineer Beach RV Park. In 2017, Fort Novosel Morale Welfare and Recreation (MWR) broke ground on a brand-new property in the exact location of that original East Beach lodge, The Lake Lodge was re-imagined.
After 7 years of construction, The Lake Lodge is officially opening for business Oct. 2024. Megan Royer, Lake Tholocco Lodging business manager, is one of many that have been along every step of the way.
“This is just going to be the gem of Fort Novosel,” said Royer. “The lake already was the gem, but this will absolutely be it. After having my hands in this for 7 years- we are finally here. It seems like some kind of fever dream.”
Seven years may seem like an extended timeline for one building project, but according to Royer, no one could have prepared for the unknown.
“Finding the core of the old lodge when we broke ground was a big, unexpected delay,” said Royer. “We had to come up with a lot more money to safely remove that. Followed by Covid putting a wrench in everything. Supplies that were available suddenly just weren’t. We waited a year just for a type of plank we needed for the deck. It has been a long time coming but that makes it even more exciting to finally open these doors for our community.”
Lake Tholocco Lodging operates through Fort Novosel MWR and currently has a staff of 13 team members. Two new positions were added to accommodate the additional 20 rooms that accompany the Lodge.
“I really just have such a fantastic team. They are always willing to go above and beyond whether it is decorating for an MWR event or setting up a haunted trail, I know they are going to do great things out here with the lodge finally complete.”
The Lake Lodge will be open to the public for special events and gatherings in addition to the 20 private rooms available to book overnight. Each room has been carefully designed by creative professionals to highlight the views of southern pines surrounding the lake.
“This will absolutely be the highest end lodging in Southeast Alabama,” said Royer, “All credit goes to Jennifer Williams, IMCOM interior designer. She had her hands in this pot for all 7 years. Every detail that brings this place together was from Jennifer. We were lucky to have her for this entire project.”
History will be written next month when guests can finally spend a night at the new Lake Lodge that opens its doors in 2024.
For all the guests and visitors to come, when you lay your head down at The Lake Lodge on the banks of Lake Tholocco, let your spirit be a brave warrior and proclaim the name loudly…Tholocco.
| Date Taken: | 09.18.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 09.19.2024 11:29 |
| Story ID: | 481279 |
| Location: | FORT NOVOSEL, ALABAMA, US |
| Web Views: | 8 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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