More than eight hundred acres were purchased. Under authority of the Virginia State Legislature, the lake was created in 1930 by building a massive dam across the mouth of Waters Creek. Today the lake is an integral part of The Mariners' Museum Park. The lake is a comparatively long and narrow body of water with numerous arms extending on both sides. Thick stands of magnificent Virginia pine and beech trees extend to the water's edge, and the five-mile Noland Trail circles the lake.
Pedestrian bridges offer lovely views of the lake and park.
In October 1932 two pairs of carved limestone lions designed by Anna Hyatt Huntington were placed on the ends of the dam. An imposing statuary group was placed near the dam. Through his undertaking this Museum and Park became a possibility and a reality The statue is flanked by life-size figures representing science, art, learning, and industry. The inscription and the seal of the Museum appear on the side of the pedestal facing the road. By September 1931, the level of the lake had risen to the height of the spillway at the dam, ten feet above the James River.