Mayfield is an
unincorporated community
An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...
on the southern shore of
Lake Mayfield
Lake Mayfield is a reservoir located near Mossyrock, Washington, in Lewis County. It was created by Mayfield Dam on the Cowlitz River, one of the dams in the Columbia River watershed.
The Mayfield Dam was constructed in 1963 as a concrete arch ...
in
Lewis County,
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...
. It is located off
U.S. Route 12
U.S. Route 12 (US 12) is an east–west United States Numbered Highways, United States highway, running from Aberdeen, Washington, to Detroit, Detroit, Michigan, for almost . The highway has mostly been superseded by Interstate 90 (I-90) an ...
, east of
Silver Creek.
The Mayfield Dam, which supplies hydroelectricity to
Tacoma and its neighboring cities, sits 1-mile west of the area.
History
Before the arrival of non-native settlers, the location was used as a village for Native American people.
A post office for the territory was established in 1890 or 1891 and named Ferry, in recognition of
Washington state's first governor.
The community's eponym changed to Mayfield in either 1891 or 1895 and was done so in homage to the location's first postmaster, H.T. (or W.H.) Mayfield.
The original center of the town was vacated and razed, with homes relocated to the surrounding area, beginning in 1955 during the building of the Mayfield Dam. The post office would be moved, but quickly close, in 1962 when the area was flooded over that year just as the dam neared completion; the old town is permanently underwater.
References
Populated places in Lewis County, Washington
Unincorporated communities in Lewis County, Washington
Unincorporated communities in Washington (state)
{{LewisCountyWA-geo-stub