The Underwater Community

The story of Fayerdale, an old mining town near Fairystone State Park, is really remarkable. When I first heard the story, I was fascinated, not so much by the story, but by its ending.

The Boom Town

The Patrick County town was born in the late 1700s. For decades the population remained in the low hundreds. But once the Virginia Ore & Lumber Corporation moved in, Fayerdale became a bustling community of 2,000 people including miners, railroad workers, and lumber employees. As mentioned in yesterday's post, when mining became modernized, the mine closed and that meant the end of Fayerdale. People moved away to find jobs.

Where is it Now?

Fayerdale had all the conveniences of a hopping community of the early 1900s. A train depot, general store, sawmill, post office, and a doctor's office were some of the landmarks of this mining town. But eventually everyone moved away, and the structures and buildings were vacant.

Here's the Interesting Part

So, what happens to an abandoned town? In this case, it sat there for some years. Then, in 1933 the area was donated to the Commonwealth of Virginia to be included in the state park system. As Fairystone State Park was being built, Fayerdale became Fairystone Lake! The Lake now covers what used to be the town of Fayerdale. I don't know about you but that blows me away. After learning about Fayerdale's fate, each time I'm in a canoe on Fairystone Lake, I always catch myself looking down to see if I can spot something. Maybe a railroad track or a sign from an old building.

Read All About It

There's an interesting book, The Fayerdale Tragedy: Fairystone State Park, that was written in 1983 by Elmer Haynes. It doesn't actually focus on the years that Fayerdale was growing. Instead it features some events that took place after the mine shut down. The photos in the book are great. It also includes old newspaper clippings. The story is interesting.

Next Time

There are some terrific stories out there and many come from Patrick County. But it's hard to imagine a story with a more interesting ending than the story of Fayerdale.