Hitory of Lake Vonda

The late P.T. Grantham of Middleton loved moving dirt around.

Decades ago, he shaped a levee at the end of a valley to create a 36-acre lake he named for his wife.

But the sawmill operator who gained wealth building a few motels where tourists go — including Panama City, Fla., Pigeon Forge, Tenn., and Orlando — didn’t stop with Lake Vonda, which is southeast of Bolivar and about 80 miles east of Memphis.

He built a lakeside lodge and sold affordable memberships to the locals for swimming and fishing.

But his motels generated more revenue.

Later in his life, the lodge and club operation — torn down and closed — were in the distant past when Grantham again started grading and building around the lakes and ponds of the 417-acre property.

“That’s what he enjoyed, digging and moving dirt,” recalled his daughter-in-law, Phyllis Grantham.

He was still working on his project when he died in 2007 at age 88.

Components of the never-used development are fairly well known around Hardeman County: Nine cabins; 36-acre lake with water slides; 15-acre lake, ponds, creek; an in-ground pool; pool house; playground; gazebos; fountains; go-cart track; multipurpose buildings; RV sites with underground utilities; walking and riding trails; and camp sites.

But just what Grantham planned to do with the complex remains something of a mystery to many.

“He played things rather close to his vest,” said Calvin Howell, whose father grew up friends with Grantham and who got to know Grantham himself after Howell returned home to Bolivar from Shelby County in the early 1990s.

“He always seemed to have clearly in mind what he wanted to do but it was sometimes a mystery to other people what he was doing.”

P.T. Grantham spent nearly $4 million on his development, Phyllis Grantham said. “That was his plaything,” she said. “… He was constantly moving dirt from one place to another.”

So how close to finishing was he when he died?

“I don’t think he had an exact idea of an end,” she said. “He kept doing and doing and doing and building. The buildings are fairly new. He just built them before he died and the swimming pool, he built before he died.”

Her father-in-law’s grand plan was not as big a mystery to her.

–Tom Bailey Jr

Welcome to Lake Vonda

Take a tour of the Lake Vonda Website and see the profit potential of this beautiful property!

Hitory of Lake Vonda

The late P.T. Grantham of Middleton loved moving dirt around.

Decades ago, he shaped a levee at the end of a valley to create a 36-acre lake he named for his wife.

But the sawmill operator who gained wealth building a few motels where tourists go — including Panama City, Fla., Pigeon Forge, Tenn., and Orlando — didn’t stop with Lake Vonda, which is southeast of Bolivar and about 80 miles east of Memphis.

He built a lakeside lodge and sold affordable memberships to the locals for swimming and fishing.

But his motels generated more revenue.

Later in his life, the lodge and club operation — torn down and closed — were in the distant past when Grantham again started grading and building around the lakes and ponds of the 417-acre property.

“That’s what he enjoyed, digging and moving dirt,” recalled his daughter-in-law, Phyllis Grantham.

He was still working on his project when he died in 2007 at age 88.

Components of the never-used development are fairly well known around Hardeman County: Nine cabins; 36-acre lake with water slides; 15-acre lake, ponds, creek; an in-ground pool; pool house; playground; gazebos; fountains; go-cart track; multipurpose buildings; RV sites with underground utilities; walking and riding trails; and camp sites.

But just what Grantham planned to do with the complex remains something of a mystery to many.

“He played things rather close to his vest,” said Calvin Howell, whose father grew up friends with Grantham and who got to know Grantham himself after Howell returned home to Bolivar from Shelby County in the early 1990s.

“He always seemed to have clearly in mind what he wanted to do but it was sometimes a mystery to other people what he was doing.”

P.T. Grantham spent nearly $4 million on his development, Phyllis Grantham said. “That was his plaything,” she said. “… He was constantly moving dirt from one place to another.”

So how close to finishing was he when he died?

“I don’t think he had an exact idea of an end,” she said. “He kept doing and doing and doing and building. The buildings are fairly new. He just built them before he died and the swimming pool, he built before he died.”

Her father-in-law’s grand plan was not as big a mystery to her.

–Tom Bailey Jr

Welcome to Lake Vonda

Take a tour of the Lake Vonda Website and see the profit potential of this beautiful property!