Lake Stephens
Lake Stephens History
Local folklore claims that Stephen’s Branch was named after early colonist, fur trapper, and ginseng trader Stephen English. English supposedly led a hunting party in the Eccles area and established a campsite on Stephen’s Branch. However, this story could easily be fact or fiction, as records regarding the story only date back to a May 1950 edition of the Post Herald.101 There is little record of Stephen’s Branch until Raleigh County was formed in 1850. The land where Lake Stephens and the park now exist was once largely woods, farmland, and homes. Notably, the Snuffer farm and homestead, established in c. 1855, operated on the property. Today, the Snuffer family cemetery still exists in the park boundaries.
Discussions around developing a recreational site didn’t begin until nearly a century later, when in early June, 1955 Harry E. Anderson, long-time Raleigh County Clerk, proposed a five-square-mile lake in the county. Anderson’s vision was ambitious and sought to build “the next thing to an ocean” for Raleigh County citizens.102 The public soon began to show interest in the project, and by November, Anderson had isolated ten potential locations for his “dream lake.”103 Because of the scope of the project, progress was slow-moving for many years, though interest remained apparent.
101 (Eugene L. Scott, Post Herald, May 2, 1950, pg 4)
102 (Anderson Wants Big Lake, Post Herald, Jun 09 1955, pg 2)
103 (Anderson Reports to Public on Proposed Lake Sites, Post Herald and Register, Nov 13 1955, 11)
In the summer of 1959, Anderson officially presented his proposal for a lake and recreation area to the Raleigh County Court, requesting a special levy election for the purpose of fundraising.104 His plan included a lake of approximately 300 acres to act as a venue for swimming, fishing, and boating, along with the necessary facilities. By this point, Stephen’s Branch had already been chosen as the prospective site for the project. The Raleigh County Park Board, a body established by the County Court in 1942 to “have supervisory authority over all parks…”, determined the proposed recreation site would promote the welfare of Raleigh County socially, civically, and economically.105
Soon after Anderson’s appearance in front of the County Court, the Post Herald and Register ran an article of their support for the development. Because the project required a tax increase to acquire funds, the paper encouraged residents of Beckley to approve a special election levy. The Post Herald and Register assured its readers that voting yes for the levy would be “broad-visioned” and do great communal good, including creating jobs, raising property value near the lake, and ensuring residents would have a pollution-free body of water for recreation. The paper also urged Beckleyans to consider how the project would act as a tourist attraction and increase community income, an issue at the forefront of many minds in Raleigh County.106
104 (Raleigh County Courthouse Records, July 10, 1959)
105 ibid
106 (Everyone Will Benefit From Proposed New Lake!, Post Herald and Register, July 25, 1959, pg 4)
Raleigh County was experiencing a decline in both revenue and population in the late 1950s and early 1960s. West Virginia’s economy has long been defined by the “boom and bust” cycles of the coal industry. In times of coal booms, the state rapidly grew in population, urbanization, and industrialization, resulting in mining communities and company towns. In times of bust, these mines and towns were quickly abandoned, leaving their inhabitants to adapt to a new industry or leave altogether.107 This decline is illustrated most clearly through the dramatic shift in West Virginia mining employment statistics. In the post-WWII boom, coal industry employment peaked at 125,669 in 1948. By 1960, that number had plummeted to 48,696, an approximately 61% decline in just over a decade.108 As work for miners became scarcer, many West Virginians were forced to leave the state for other opportunities. A project like the construction of a lake on Stephen’s Branch promised job prospects and a much-needed positive prospect for community development.
Engineers were hired for construction by the end of 1959, and soon after, the County began purchasing land.109 In 1963, a House Bill from the West Virginia Legislature passed allowing the creation of the Lake Stephens Tourist Development Authority, both solidifying the name “Lake Stephens” for the site and creating the basis for what would one day evolve into Raleigh County Parks and Recreation Authority.110 After a period of back and forth as citizens grappled with whether or not to allow a tax increase to fund development, it was eventually passed and construction on the Lake Stephens dam began. By November 26, 1963, the dam was essentially complete, and work started on the lake itself, along with all the modern amenities a recreation site might need.111
Equipped with a beach, picnic areas, boat docks, campsites, parking spaces, and playgrounds, Lake Stephens officially opened to the public May 30, 1966. The lake itself had been stocked with more than fifty thousand fish, in preparation for local anglers.112 Total visitors on opening day topped 4,500. By July of 1966, the first travel trailer campground was established with 100 spots.113 Quickly, Lake Stephens established itself as a staple and center of the community, especially in the summertime.
107 (https://archleague.org/article/difficult-terrain-the-history-of-west-virginias-infrastructure/)
108 (An Appalachian Reawakening : West Virginia and the Perils of the New Machine Age, 1945-1972, Jerry Thomas, WV University Press, 2010, 11)
109 (Raleigh County Courthouse records, Dec 8 1959, Raleigh Register, First Land Purchased for Stephen’s Branch Lake, Oct 10, 1960)
110 (1963-RS-HB558-ENR_signed.pdf)
111 (Finished Except For Final Touches, Beckley Raleigh Register, Nov 26, 1963 pg 7)
112 (Raleigh Register, June 3, 1966)
113 (Travel Trailer Court to Open Friday at Lake Stephens, Raleigh Register, July 12, 1966, pg 3)
Today, Lake Stephens is as popular as ever. Raleigh County Parks and Recreation Authority works to keep the park well-maintained and updated with recreation and activities to appeal to all age groups. The Splash Pad, a huge hit with kids 10 and under, opened in the summer of 2016.114 People 6 and up enjoy the inflatable Aqua Park on the water, and the swimming beach is popular with all ages. Disc Golfers also flock to the park for its highly rated disc golf courses, which debuted in 2023. Tourists and locals alike love to visit the park’s outlook, where a locally carved sign and swing echo John Denver’s famous sentiment, “Almost Heaven, West Virginia.” Every summer, hundreds of campers enjoy Lake Stephens for visits that can last for the entire season. Once you’ve experienced Lake Stephens, it’s hard to leave. The Lake Stephens outlook swing says it best—it really is “Almost Heaven.” 114 (Rhododendron Festival finishes up this weekend with several events, Cody Neff, Register-Herald, May 27, 2016, pg 3)