How a century-old vision of the good life led to a singular community of homes on Alabama’s Lake Martin
At The Heritage at Russell Lands, the Lake Life Is a Family Legacy
A century ago, the Alabama Power Company began construction of a reservoir northeast of Montgomery that, at the time, was the largest manmade body of water in the world. Its purpose was to provide electricity for the region’s residents, but Lake Martin and its 880 miles of bucolic shoreline naturally drew families seeking dawn dips, sunset cruises, crackling campfires, and that unique combination of leisure and recreation a lake vacation affords.
At the time, a forward-thinking businessman from nearby Alexander City, Benjamin (“Mr. Ben”) Russell, saw the appeal of such pursuits as a permanent lifestyle. Among his many accomplishments—like founding the Fortune 500 Russell Corporation and opening a hospital and school in Alexander City following a townwide fire in 1902—Mr. Ben had the foresight and passion to preserve a 25,000-acre peninsula of lakeside woodland, which remained in the Russell family after his passing in 1941.
Today that property, dubbed Russell Lands and helmed by Mr. Ben’s grandson (also named Ben Russell), offers luxury homesites on the shores of the only Alabama lake designated with “Treasured Lake” status. The latest residential development to take shape on the land is The Heritage, a 1,500-acre enclave boasting twelve miles of pristine coastline, roughly 250 spacious waterfront homesites, and 130 wooded interior lots, many of which overlook the newly opened Wicker Point Golf Club, Alabama’s only course designed by world-renowned architects Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore.
Russell Lands offers luxury homesites on the shores
of the only Alabama
lake designated with “Treasured Lake” status.
To learn more about lake living at its finest, visit
russelllands.com
Coore & Crenshaw are known for being highly selective when choosing new project sites, and The Heritage’s gentle topography, pastoral pine forests, and meandering shoreline proved a winning environment for a nature-laden eighteen-hole course. After a round, Wicker Point members can sip a spirit on the Craftsman-style clubhouse’s wraparound porch. The private club also boasts a standalone golf shop, locker rooms replete with a lounge and bar,
and the Foothills, a large, undulating practice putting course.
In addition to Wicker Point, The Heritage is home to a vibrant community center with deluxe amenities. At The Benjamin, the forthcoming resident-owned lake club, families can splash in saline pools overlooking Lake Martin, storytell around firepits, play tennis and pickleball, or simply roam the property’s verdant lawn, sandy beach, and community docks. A host of dining options, including a farm-to-table fine-dining spot, a full-service coffee shop, a classic American diner, and a boat-up restaurant, are situated in the Russell Lands community, and more than a hundred miles of nature trails invite endorphin-fueled serenity.
Following an overwhelming response to the initial two property releases, Russell Lands recently brought to the market the latest collection of thirty waterfront homesites in The Heritage. To bring their dream lake home to life, property owners can choose from Russell Lands’ preferred list of best-in-class architects and builders or enlist an approved outside team. For a few dozen fortunate families, the year-round enjoyment of lake life—and the lifelong memories that come with it—await.
