Shawnee State Park is named for Shawnee Creek, a stream which flowed through the area and was dammed to create the recreational lake at the park. The creek was named for the Shawnee, a Native American tribe that once lived in many parts of Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Kentucky. They were forced from their lands in Ohio and Kentucky by invading Iroquois, the powerful five-nation confederacy based in western New York. Later the Shawnee were forced west out of Ohio by encroachment by settlers of the Thirteen Colonies. The area surrounding the park was used as a trade route and military road during the French and Indian War. General John Forbes built the Forbes Road to send supplies from the ports in Philadelphia and Baltimore to a force of British soldiers under his command as he tried to capture Fort Duquesne from the French in 1758. The park was authorized by the 1947 Session of the Legislature of Pennsylvania. Construction of the dam began in 1949 and it was completed in 1951, when the park opened to the public. The lake was declared "full" on March 4, 1951, when water began pouring down the breast of the dam. The first person to drown in the lake was Robert Mowry, age 17, of Schellsburg, on June 28, 1951, only a few months after the park opened.
Geology
The bedrock at the park consists of the DevonianBrallier Formation, Harrell Formation, Mahantango Formation, and Marcellus Formation. These formations are all dominantly shales and siltstones, which dip to the southeast at approximately 20-30 degrees. The park lies at the southern end of Chestnut Ridge, which is a broad, doubly plunging anticline. Some of the shales outcrop along the shores of the lake, particularly the southern shore near the dam.
Staying overnight
Camping
Shawnee State Park has a 293 site campground. The sites are modern with some electric hook-ups. There is a centrally located bathhouse with flush toilets, hot showers and a sanitary dump station at the campground. The camp store sells fire wood, charcoal and other camping supplies. Camping season begins with trout season in mid-April and ends at the conclusion of deer season in late December.
Shawnee Lodge
Shawnee Lodge is the former home of John Bowman. Bowman was president and chancellor of the University of Pittsburgh and was instrumental in the construction of the Cathedral of Learning on Pitt's Oakland Campus in Pittsburgh. Bowman owned the barn, buildings and houses that are now surrounded by Shawnee Lake. The lodge on the island is open for rent year-round. It has a modern kitchen, a bathroom, living room, sitting room and four bedrooms.
Recreation
Shawnee State Park is open for year-round recreation. There are of trails open for hiking and some are open to biking. Five pavilions are spread throughout the park along with numerous picnic tables.
