[1] Although the park borders the cliffs overlooking the lake,[1][5] it does not directly adjoin the shoreline, which is managed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).

[6] The USACE constructed Summersville Lake between 1960 and 1966 to control flooding in an 803-square-mile (2,080 km2) area of the Gauley and Kanawha rivers' watershed.

[3] President Lyndon B. Johnson dedicated the Summersville Lake and Dam on September 3, 1966.

[4] In 2023, West Virginia Governor Jim Justice sent a bill to the West Virginia Legislature officially designating land along the northern shore of Summersville Lake as Summersville Lake State Park.

[7] Governor Justice announced the bill and the plans to create the state park on August 6, 2023.