About Paint Creek
Nature of the Area
The Paint Creek region lies at the very edge of the Appalachian Plateau. This escarpment marks the boundary
between the hilly eastern section of the state and the flatter western portions. Most of the plateau in southeastern Ohio
was never reached by glaciers, although the Paint Creek area bears evidence of glacial activity. One stream near the
park, Rocky Fork Creek, was blocked by glacial ice and reversed direction, rapidly cutting the 75-foot gorge seen
today. Sullivantia, an extremely rare wildflower in Ohio, blooms in the gorge in mid-summer.
Equally impressive here are the Cave Canyon Nature Sanctuary, all located about 50 feet above Rocky Fork Creek. A
short trip to the caves from the park is well worth the time.
Before Paint Creek was impounded to form a reservoir, the creek valley was unrivaled in the state for scenic beauty
and its display of wildflowers. Some of this unspoiled land yet remains above the still waters of the lake. Wild geranium,
jewelweed, yarrow and Queen Anne's lace can be found blooming in the woodlands and meadows of the park.
The reservoir provides habitat for numerous waterfowl and shorebirds as well as the great blue heron. Osprey and
bald eagles have been sighted over the lake. The limestone outcroppings on the lake's edge provide nesting habitat
for the cliff swallow. Other songbirds, raccoons, white-tailed deer and the elusive wild turkey inhabit the park.
History of the Area
We are not the first to recognize the richness and beauty of this land. Prehistoric Indian cultures built a variety of
earthworks throughout the region, while the Shawnee Indians considered the Paint Valley home.
Conflicts often arose between the original holders of the Ohio country and the white settlers invading from the east. A
Shawnee named Waw-will-a-way became a victim of this strife when he was unjustly accused of scalping a white man.
This Indian encountered three white men in the Paint Valley bent on revenge for the scalping. They shot him in the
chest, yet he killed one and severely wounded the other two before he succumbed. His funeral pyre laid at the peaceful
confluence of the Paint and Rattlesnake creeks.
The waters of the creeks provided a source of power for early mills. Grinding grain, processing wool and sawing wood
were all facilitated by the waters flowing over dams constructed in the creeks. Many of the original dams were made of
only earth and wood and were washed out by annual floods. One such mill, Crawford's Mill, was built at a place later
called Hewitt's Crossing on Paint Creek. The site now lies beneath the waters of the reservoir.
Construction of the dam on Paint Creek started in 1967, and the site was dedicated as a state park in 1972.