Captain William Patrick Lay organized Alabama Power on December 4, 1906. Soon thereafter he received authorization from Congress to construct the company’s first dam and electric generating plant on the Coosa River — the Lock 12 dam.

On a cold November day in 1929, with the Goodyear blimp circling overhead, members of the board of directors and other dignitaries gathered at the Lock 12 dam to carry out the board’s recent resolution, to rename the dam in recognition of Captain Lay’s service to the company and to the public.

Developed in partnership with Shelby County, Beeswax Creek is an expansive and well-appointed recreation area at Lay Lake with multiple fishing piers, two playgrounds – one with basketball courts, picnic areas and a canoe-in campground.

Beeswax Creek also features a fish weigh-in area to support the excellent fishing on Lay Lake. New in 2019 was the addition of pollinator paths to enhance bee habitat around the state’s lakes.