Pymatuning State Park

Almost everything about Pymatuning State Park is huge. At 21,122 acres, it is one of the largest state parks in the Commonwealth. The 17,088-acre Pymatuning Reservoir is the largest lake in the Commonwealth. In its three campgrounds, Pymatuning has the most campsites in the Pennsylvania state park system. More people visit Pymatuning than almost any other state park in Pennsylvania. But the biggest thing about Pymatuning is the fun you can have boating, fishing, swimming, camping and enjoying other recreational opportunities. In addition to the state park facilities, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission operate a fish hatchery and visitor center, and the Pennsylvania Game Commission has wildlife viewing areas and a learning center. “All human accomplishments begin with a dream.” The Honorable Gifford Pinchot, then governor of Pennsylvania, delivered these stirring words as part of his address at the dedication of Pymatuning Dam on August 17, 1934. Pinchot was fulfilling a Pennsylvania dream that began in 1868 when the General Assembly provided a survey and an estimate of the cost to drain the Pymatuning swamp to create farmlands. The swamp was not drained because it would cripple the industries downstream in the Beaver and Shenango valleys. A severe flood in 1913 spurred the legislature to action. The Pymatuning Act, signed the same year, appropriated $100,000 to initiate building a dam. The Pymatuning Act states that the primary purpose of the Pymatuning Reservoir shall be for the conservation of waters entering the Pymatuning Swamp and for regulating the flow of water in the Shenango and Beaver rivers. A secondary purpose is to use the dam and lake as a reservoir to impound flood water during periods of excessive runoff from the 158 square miles of drainage area above the dam. In the next 18 years, public and private organizations raised the $3,717,739 needed to build the dam. On October 6, 1931, 7,000 men began work, turning the dream into reality, and three years later Governor Pinchot gave his inspiring words at the dedication of the 17,088-acre Pymatuning Reservoir. In 1935, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built Camp NP-11-PA at Pymatuning. The young men of the camp built buildings, roads, fought fires and performed many other jobs.