Martinsville, Virginia

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Philpott Lake Turns 65

This year marks the 65th anniversary of Philpott Lake, located in Virginia’s Henry, Patrick and Franklin counties. Philpott Dam was built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from 1948-1953 to control flooding in the area and created beautiful Philpott Lake which is now a recreational hotspot for Southern Virginia and surrounding areas.

“Philpott Lake offers a lot of unique outdoor recreation opportunities,” states Chris Powell, Operations Project Manager of Philpott Lake. “Scenic views, waterfront campsites, undeveloped shoreline, calm water for paddling, camping and picnic areas only accessible by water, unique fishing opportunities in Philpott Lake and tailrace below the Dam (Smith River) are just a few things that you can only find at Philpott Lake.”

To celebrate the historic year, Tourism Directors from Henry County, Franklin County and Patrick County have formed a partnership that the three refer to as the “P3,” and have been meeting for the past six months to collaborate on anniversary efforts as well as continued regional tourism marketing efforts beyond 2018.

According to Hodges, “We have a unique opportunity to join together to showcase how magnificent Philpott Lake is as well as the surrounding communities. We hope our marketing efforts will generate more visitation to southern Virginia and that more people will get to experience this treasure that we are fortunate to have.”

For those interested in learning more about the history of the lake, you may consider a trip to Philpott Lake’s Visitor Center and the Bassett Historical Center for insight on how Philpott Lake came to be and the story of the town of Fayerdale. You can also stop by the Martinsville-Henry County Visitor Center for more information and to purchase a copy of “Philpott Stories” written by local author Nancy Bell. The MHC Visitor Center is located inside the New College Institute building in Uptown Martinsville. Physical Address: 191 Fayette Street, Martinsville, VA 24112.