Most People Have No Idea This Underwater City In Virginia Even Exists
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Beth
Author
The idea of a sunken city often sounds like folklore, conjuring up images of the Lost City of Atlantis or something from a movie. Few people realize, though, that Virginia has its own tale of an underwater city — one that has since been replaced by an entire body of water. Here’s more behind the story of Fayerdale, Virginia, one of the most intriguing small town histories in the books.
What stands today as the picturesque Fairy Stone Lake was once the small, bustling town of Fayerdale. Around that time, the area was known for its richness in iron ore. In fact, many believe that the Merrimac (the Confederate Ironclad) was built from this ore in the nineteenth century. After impressive projects such as these, there was little iron left at the surface and thus shafts were placed into the ground.
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A community eventually began to develop around the mine. Originally known as Iron Furnace, this small town was given a new name of Fayerdale by the mine’s new owners. At the turn of the century, the town prospered due to mining, logging, and blacksmithing. Cable cars were even established to transport the ore out to the processing plant. The map above outlines the town of Fayerdale, with the dotted line representing where the Lake's boundaries are now.
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By the 1920s, the industries that developed around the ore business slowly began to decline. Those who didn’t leave town to seek employment elsewhere began to invest in the illegal production of moonshine. This resulted in a tragedy known as the "Fayerdale tragedy" which resulted in residents turning on each other.
A little over a decade later, the Civilian Conservation Corps was formed to help establish the six original Virginia State Parks. Once the land around the ore mine had been donated to the project, the town of Fayerdale was evacuated and flooded to make way for the beginning of a beautiful recreation area.
Today, Fairy Stone still remains the largest and one of the most beautiful state parks in Virginia. Visitors to the park can learn about the abandoned town of Fayerdale and the businesses which supported the town at various times. The Fayerdale Hall Conference Centers stands as homage to this historic underwater town.
Fairy Stone State Park is located at 967 Fairy Stone Lake Drive, in Stuart. Do you know anything more about the underwater town of Fayerdale? Be sure to share your thoughts with us!
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