Sherling Lake commemorated
BY BRUCE BRANUM
The Greenville Standard
A large crowd gathered Tuesday, April 25 as the City of Greenville and the Greenville Area Chamber of Commerce held a dedication ceremony to unveil a sign marker celebrating the history and significance of Sherling Lake at the lake’s welcome center.
The lake is named for Dan M. Sherling, who along with W.T. Smith Lumber Company donated land for the lake’s construction.
Sherling passed away before construction of the lake got underway. It was commissioned and opened to the public in 1950.
Greenville Mayor Dexter McLendon said to the crowd and Sherling’s family attending, “Something that happened in 1946 turned around and brought a world championship golf course to Greenville.”
He added, “This place is really special and we are about to start taking a look at doing more things out here.”
Those “things” include walking trails and building cabins. He noted the park already has an event lodge which is rented out almost every weekend.
He added, “We want to do more for Sherling Lake. We want more people to come be part of it. We think we have something extremely special.
“I felt it was time for us, as a city, to remember the Sherling family and what they did,” said McLendon.
The marker reads, “Commissioned and opened to the public in 1950, Sherling Lake is part of the Alabama Department of Conservation’s efforts to construct public fishing lakes throughout Alabama in the 1940s.
“Greenville Chamber of Commerce President A.G. Johnson spearheaded the idea to submit a bid to the Department of Conservation to make Greenville part of the department’s plans.
“The family of Daniel M. Sherling and W. T. Smith Lumber Company generously donated the property for the lake in October 1947.
“The facility is named for Sherling, who passed away before construction got underway. Covering some 300 acres, the site was donated to the state who in turn transferred title of the lake to the City of Greenville in 1970 with the understanding that any future plans for recreation would need approval of the Alabama Department of Conservation. In 1991, a portion of the property surrounding the lake was leased to Sunbelt Golf for construction of a 36-hole golf course as part of the Retirement Systems of Alabama’s Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail.
“The course, Cambrian Ridge, opened in 1993.”
