Harveys Lake was entered into the Geographic Names Information System on August 2, 1979.
Its identifier in the Geographic Names Information System is 1200085.
Lake Township is named after the lake.

Harveys Lake is named after Benjamin Harvey, a member of the Sons of Liberty and among the first settlers of the Wyoming Valley.
Harvey inadvertently discovered the lake in 1781, while returning home after being held as a prisoner of war in Fort Niagara.
The first resident in the vicinity of the lake was Matthew Scouten, who arrived in the early 1790s, but the first settlers were the Worthingtons, who arrived in 1806.
The lake was first surveyed by Christopher Hurlbert in 1794, and the first person of European descent to explore the lake by canoe was Andrew Bennett, in 1800.

The early settlers in the vicinity of Harveys Lake mainly engaged in lumbering and farming, which was a common occupation.
At one point during the 1800s, the mills of Hollenback & Urquhart were cutting more than a million board feet of lumber annually at the lake.
However, by 1853, summer resorts used by Wyoming Valley residents began appearing near the lake.
Hotels such as the Lake House Hotel and later the Rhoads Hotel, the Lake Grove Hotel, and the Grand Hotel Oneonta were among the hotels on the lake in the late 1800s.
Grand Hotel Oneonta was especially prominent in the early 1900s, and former United States President Theodore Roosevelt visited the hotel in August 1912.
In the early 1900s, there were three hotels, two hundred cottages, and sixty boathouses on the lake, most of them at least 15 feet (4.6 m) above the water line.

The Harvey Lake and Towanda Branch of the Lehigh Valley Railroad was constructed in the late 1800s.
It ran directly from Wilkes-Barre to Harveys Lake.
In the 1890s, railroad lines were constructed from the lake to the communities of Pittston and Towanda.

Harveys Lake has been popular for recreational purposes since the late 1800s.
Places such as Warden Place and Sandy Beach were popular recreational areas near the lake in the early 1900s.
Around this time period, there were four steamboats on Harveys Lake.
They were used for carrying passengers and freight.
Recreational steamboat rides on the lake were popular between 1900 and 1920.
A 60-foot (18-meter) high Shoot the Chute was built in the area by Charles Shelley in 1910.
It was one of the largest attractions in the lake's vicinity.
A casino near the lake was opened by Frank Devlin in May 1924, but was demolished in 1980.
Devlin also opened the largest bowling alley in northeast Pennsylvania near the lake.
Throughout the 20th century, prior to and after World War II, the lake attracted thousands of visitors yearly.

In the early 1900s, Harveys Lake was used as a water supply for Nanticoke, as a private ice supply, and as a summer resort.

Harveys Lake has been the subject of scientific studies since the late 1940s, when C. B. Reif conducted limnological studies on it.
By the 1960s, Harveys Lake began to develop environmental problems.
It was the subject of a number of studies in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
These studies indicated that the lake was eutrophic.
Algae blooms caused it to be closed to swimming in 1981 and 1990.
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection completed a phosphorus TMDL for the lake in 2002.

In modern times, the main recreational uses of Harveys Lake include swimming, fishing, and boating.
However, it lacks public access locations for SCUBA diving.
According to its TMDL document, the lake is "one of the most heavily used lakes in the area".
It has been situated within the borough of Harveys Lake since January 1, 1968, when the borough was incorporated.
In 2004, a plan to dredge and develop a patch of wetland for 30 boat slips near the lake was opposed due to safety concerns (poor visibility) as well as environmental concerns.
Harveys Lake was entered into the Geographic Names Information System on August 2, 1979. Its identifier in the Geographic Names Information System is 1200085. Lake Township is named after the lake.
Harveys Lake is named after Benjamin Harvey, a member of the Sons of Liberty and among the first settlers of the Wyoming Valley. Harvey inadvertently discovered the lake in 1781, while returning home after being held as a prisoner of war in Fort Niagara. The first resident in the vicinity of the lake was Matthew Scouten, who arrived in the early 1790s, but the first settlers were the Worthingtons, who arrived in 1806. The lake was first surveyed by Christopher Hurlbert in 1794, and the first person of European descent to explore the lake by canoe was Andrew Bennett, in 1800.
The early settlers in the vicinity of Harveys Lake mainly engaged in lumbering and farming, which was a common occupation. At one point during the 1800s, the mills of Hollenback & Urquhart were cutting more than a million board feet of lumber annually at the lake. However, by 1853, summer resorts used by Wyoming Valley residents began appearing near the lake. Hotels such as the Lake House Hotel and later the Rhoads Hotel, the Lake Grove Hotel, and the Grand Hotel Oneonta were among the hotels on the lake in the late 1800s. Grand Hotel Oneonta was especially prominent in the early 1900s, and former United States President Theodore Roosevelt visited the hotel in August 1912. In the early 1900s, there were three hotels, two hundred cottages, and sixty boathouses on the lake, most of them at least 15 feet (4.6 m) above the water line.
The Harvey Lake and Towanda Branch of the Lehigh Valley Railroad was constructed in the late 1800s. It ran directly from Wilkes-Barre to Harveys Lake. In the 1890s, railroad lines were constructed from the lake to the communities of Pittston and Towanda.
Harveys Lake has been popular for recreational purposes since the late 1800s. Places such as Warden Place and Sandy Beach were popular recreational areas near the lake in the early 1900s. Around this time period, there were four steamboats on Harveys Lake. They were used for carrying passengers and freight. Recreational steamboat rides on the lake were popular between 1900 and 1920. A 60-foot (18-meter) high Shoot the Chute was built in the area by Charles Shelley in 1910. It was one of the largest attractions in the lake's vicinity. A casino near the lake was opened by Frank Devlin in May 1924, but was demolished in 1980. Devlin also opened the largest bowling alley in northeast Pennsylvania near the lake. Throughout the 20th century, prior to and after World War II, the lake attracted thousands of visitors yearly.
In the early 1900s, Harveys Lake was used as a water supply for Nanticoke, as a private ice supply, and as a summer resort.
Harveys Lake has been the subject of scientific studies since the late 1940s, when C. B. Reif conducted limnological studies on it. By the 1960s, Harveys Lake began to develop environmental problems. It was the subject of a number of studies in the late 1980s and early 1990s. These studies indicated that the lake was eutrophic. Algae blooms caused it to be closed to swimming in 1981 and 1990. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection completed a phosphorus TMDL for the lake in 2002.
In modern times, the main recreational uses of Harveys Lake include swimming, fishing, and boating. However, it lacks public access locations for SCUBA diving. According to its TMDL document, the lake is "one of the most heavily used lakes in the area". It has been situated within the borough of Harveys Lake since January 1, 1968, when the borough was incorporated. In 2004, a plan to dredge and develop a patch of wetland for 30 boat slips near the lake was opposed due to safety concerns (poor visibility) as well as environmental concerns.
Harveys Lake (Pennsylvania)