It is no secret that Florida has a few interesting haunted locales scattered throughout the state. We’ve even shared some that we thought were most spine-tingling and goosebump-inducing, like this story behind a haunted Florida lighthouse. But there’s one eerie story you may not have necessarily heard before: a haunted tale involving an underwater Florida town of frightening proportions. Let’s dive in — that is, if you’re brave enough.

Lake Okeechobee is a renowned destination in Florida that most visitors fall in love with when they visit.

Daniel Piraino/Flickr

As the second-largest body of fresh-water in the entire United States, Lake Okeechobee stretches over seven hundred square miles of land in Florida. It has become a prized fishing and vacation spot for residents and visitors alike throughout the years.

But there has been a darker history to Lake Okeechobee that most are not aware of.

Floridapfe from S.Korea Kim in cherl/Moment Collection via Getty Images

Ghost sightings, reported phenomena, and unexplained mysteries occur around Lake Okeechobee every single year. Tales that have circulated involving ancient monsters under the water’s surface as well as spirits lurking in the depths of the current. It is rumored to be one of the most haunted places in Florida.

Besides the massive gravesite of the thousands of people located nearby…

Flickr Wally Gobetz

The gargantuan hurricane of 1928 claimed the lives of thousands of people when the Lake Okeechobee dam broke. All the lives taken from this monster storm were buried at one gravesite nearby, which can still be visited today.

Yet, none of the ghostly apparitions or haunted lore can compare to the underwater ghost town below the surface.

Florida Fish and Wildlife/Katie Johnson/Flickr

Back in the early 1900s at the southernmost part of the lake, the water seemed to dry up more than usual. What the dried-up portion of the lake revealed was an underwater ghost town of graves like nothing anybody had ever seen before. Skeletons by the hundreds were lying in the lake bed, just resting in their underwater graveyard.

Nobody knows the history behind the bodies which remain at the bottom of the lake.

Mitja Juraja/Pexels

While the underwater ghost town of bodies cannot be seen from the surface today, some fishermen have still claimed to pull up skulls when they cast a line, or even find bone fragments mixed with the shells that line the shore.

Many of the local legends claim the skeletons were of the Seminole Tribes who were hit by famine, war, and disease.

Flickr Katherine Bowman

Others claim that the underwater graveyard is from ancient tribes dating back to the 1700s who resided on the land before the Seminoles existed. Regardless of who the skeletons belong to or how many bodies are buried within the area, the fact remains that hidden beneath this beloved body of water is one of the most haunting abandoned places in Florida, an underwater ghost town of spirits and souls, all with a story to tell.

What do you think? Have you heard the lore before surrounding this underwater Florida town? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments section!