Major Isaac Lyman Lyman Run State Park is named for the creek that runs through it, which is dammed to form Lyman Run Lake. Major Isaac Lyman, an
American Revolutionary War veteran was one of the first permanent settlers in Potter County. Major Lyman is recognized as the founder of Potter County. He was paid ten dollars for each settler that he convinced to move to Potter County. He built his home in 1809 in nearby Lymansville, now known as
Ladonna. Major Lyman also built the first road to cross Potter County and the county's first
sawmill and
gristmill. Lyman had a colorful personal history. Isaac was married three times and had 17 children. His first wife (Sally Edgecomb Lyman) died in 1791. He divorced his second wife (Laura Pierce Lyman) and started a third family in Potter County with his third wife (Patience Mann Spafford Lyman). The second Mrs. Lyman was determined not to suffer on her own. She sought out the Major, traveled to Potter County, with the help of her son, Burrell who was 18 at the time, and settled. Major Lyman lived with his two families in Potter County. Historical accounts of the living situation vary. Some say that Lyman kept both wives under one roof. Others state that there were two log homes for the families on the same piece of property. The descendants of Major Isaac Lyman still live and work in Potter County.
Modern era In the 1930s, a
Civilian Conservation Corps camp was built at what later became Lyman Run State Park. The grounds of the former CCC camp became a
prisoner of war camp toward the end of
World War II, with
German prisoners of war detained by the U.S. Military there. In 1951, construction began on the state park facilities. ==Recreation==