Post by Staff on Sept 21, 2011 19:16:42 GMT -6
In 1889, Jonathan Daniel Houlihan founded the town of West Haven after purchasing land from an unsuccessful peach farmer in Virginia, forty miles east of Richmond. Despite mayor Houlihan's hopes, his town failed to prosper into the newest east coast metropolis of his dreams. For decades the economy was primarily centered around logging encouraged by the dense surrounding forest. But in the early 1950s, a seemingly abundant coal deposit was discovered near the Ashawuk river. For years the town prospered from the new, more profitable industry, but the golden years were short lived when the mines were unexpectedly exhausted. With the industry gone, West Haven struggled to revert back to it's logging industry. One summer day in 1963, the mines themselves collapsed into a deep sink hole. It's path disrupted, the Ashawuk river spilled into the pit, forming what is now known as Coalwell Lake. Since then, the area has been a popular vacation spot for boaters in the summer with many wealthier families purchasing houses on the north shore cliffs and indulging in the newly built marina.