Photo provided by David Kanalz An unidentified woman suns on a pier at Lake Washington, circa 1961. Although the 27 acre lake was built for recreational purposes, a news item of the 1990s stated that about 30 percent of the property owners lived there on a permanent basis.

Plan lake in Wood County

An artificial lake and a colony of summer cottages are to be built at Washington Bottom, Wood County, it has been announced. The lake will be constructed at the head of Vaught’s Run, seven miles from this city, and will cover about thirty acres of ground, it is estimated.

One hundred acres of wooded land have been purchased from J.M. Dye and others. The remainder of the one hundred acres after the lake has been built will be used for summer cottages. The lake will be encircled by a two and one-fourth mile road.

A concrete core dam, 300 feet long, 27 feet high and 130 feet thick at the base will be constructed at the head of the run. A contract for the dam was let to D.A. Criss & Son. A contract for the road work has also been awarded.

Swimming, fishing and boating will be offered Parkersburg residents. The project will be conducted on a club basis, with members owning the lake and grounds enclosed in the road. A fish hatchery will be developed at the lake, it was stated.

C.D. Floyd of Clarksburg is in charge of development of the project.

The Parkersburg Sentinel

July 10, 1934

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Lake Washington revived by devoted local residents

Five years after a storm damaged the dam on Lake Washington, the lake is returning to normal because of the efforts of nearby property owners.

Karl Hannan of Parkersburg is president of the Lake Washington club, a group of people who own property around Lake Washington, a private subdivision in the Washington Bottom area of Wood County.

The lake features a beach, beach house and clubhouse for members.

Lake Washington was created primarily for recreational purposes and also serves as a reservoir.

In August 1989, four to six inches of rain fell in an hour, creating a problem on Lake Washington. Part of the dam’s spillway was undermined and destroyed by the heavy rain.

Because of the problem the lake had to be lowered to its lowest level to prevent flooding of areas.

After the damage was inspected, property owners were told that fixing it would be an expensive proposition. Hannan said it would cost $60,000 to remove the dam and revegetate the land left uncovered.

In 1991, the club decided to tackle the project on its own. An idea was put forward to assess each property for a portion of the estimated cost of rebuilding the dam to finance the project. A majority of the club’s members approved the measure and the club proceeded with its efforts.

Hannan said the project was completed and given final approval by the Department of Natural Resources in 1993.

Taken in part from an undated story in the Parkersburg Sentinel by Wayne Towner.

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The Wood County Historical Society works to preserve yesterday for tomorrow. For more information, contact P.O. Box 565, Parkersburg, WV 26102