By Emily Beckett
Sitting in their car on the interstate in heavy Atlanta traffic was commonplace for Louie and Nancy Bentley before they moved to Clanton.
The couple lived in Georgia’s sprawling capital city for 38 years and recall days when they spent nearly an hour traversing a 10-mile distance for groceries.
But that and other consequences of living in a big city vanished when they moved to a house on Lake Mitchell more than a year ago.
“When this one came on the market, we just jumped on the opportunity,” Nancy Bentley said of the couple’s French-country-style home near the water’s edge.
They jumped on the opportunity to live by the same lake that witnessed Louie’s childhood as he spent many summers with family at his grandparents’ cottage, a small structure visible from the couple’s home on County Road 473.
His grandparents, E.E. and Rhoda Upchurch, built their cottage (often referred to as Upchurch fish camp) in the 1920s and also owned and operated Upchurch Drug Company in downtown Clanton.
Louie grew up in Tennessee and Nancy in Kentucky, both in small towns, and they continued Louie’s traditional spring and summer trips to Lake Mitchell after they married in 1963.
Now, the couple’s children and grandchildren are following suit and congregating at their lakeside home for summer vacations, holidays and brief weekend visits.
“Four generations have enjoyed the beauty of Lake Mitchell,” Nancy said. “It’s nothing but sweet memories and good times here. It feels comfortable to everybody.”
Nancy and Louie remodeled parts of their two-story home designed and built by Calvin Reid nine months after they moved in to create more space for the furniture they brought from their Atlanta home.
The main level features a den, a living room, a formal dining room and a kitchen complete with an island.
Space is an important element in the living room, which features high ceilings, wooden beams and large windows—also found in the other downstairs rooms—that offer a panoramic view of the lake and trees across the water.
The living room adjoins a cozy, covered veranda, undeniably one of the couple’s favorite spots at their home.
Outfitted in brown wicker furniture and large potted plants, the veranda provides an outdoor seating area safe from the elements but close to the picturesque view.
Nancy spends much of her time playing the grand piano that sits next to one of the living room windows and making decorative eggs she displays throughout the house.
Louie retired from sales years ago and, along with Nancy, dedicates time to volunteering through their church, Clanton First United Methodist.
Located only 20 minutes from Clanton, they have the luxury of deciding when to venture along the busy city streets and when to stay in their lakeside sanctuary.
“One of the joys of being out here is the peace and serenity of no horns or sirens,” Louie said.
Both are happy to have found a permanent home at Lake Mitchell—a place that felt like home to them long before they moved.
“You’re in the world and out of the world at the same time,” Nancy said. “It’s a permanent vacation. It’s still a part of our hearts. It’s one of those good blessings of life.”