Reflecting on Silent Hill's history reveals that the town has overcome many hardships to become the Silent Hill as we know it. Let's look back from the 16th century, when the village that became its roots existed, up to the unforgettable events of 1990.
Pre-16th Century
The local indigenous peoples began using the area as a place of worship for their native faiths.
Topic: The place had no name at this point and was referred to as "The Place of the Silent Spirits."
16th–18th Century
Settlers began arriving.
A majority of the residents were lost to a devastating epidemic. The settlement was soon abandoned.
Around 1810
The town was revived and became known as Silent Hill.
Silent Hill Prison is constructed.
The Brookhaven Hospital was established to combat a spreading epidemic.
Around 1820
The painter Allen Smith created Waterfront Landscape a painting featuring Silent Hill.
Around 1840
Silent Hill Prison was closed.
Around 1850
Coal was discovered at the Wiltse Coal Mine, greatly boosting the town's economy.
1861
The Civil War broke out.
Edward Chester and his son, Patrick, joined the war effort.
1862
Toluca Prison Camp was established to house prisoners of war during the Civil War.
1866
With the end of the Civil War, Toluca Prison Camp was renamed Toluca Prison.
1890
A series of disappearances occurred in Silent Hill.
1900s
A flood hit Silent Hill and Toluca Lake, leading to the spread of disease. Many prisoners died as a result, leading to the closure of Toluca Prison. A new institution, the Silent Hill Historical Society, was established on the grounds of the former prison.
Topic: The founding of the Silent Hill Historical Society may have been driven by the desire to prevent future generations from forgetting this tragic history.
Silent Hill becomes a sightseeing area.
1918
The tourist boat Little Baroness mysteriously disappeared on Toluca Lake.
1938
A ghostly unmanned boat was found adrift on the lake. A group of high school students rowing on the lake at the same time also went missing.
1960s
The mayor of Silent Hill and multiple figures involved in the tourism industry died unexpectedly one after another.
1993
Members of a college occult club discovered the Little Baroness drifting on Toluca Lake.
1990s
Walter Sullivan commits a streak of murders.
Topic: The Walter Sullivan case continued into the 2000s, resulting in numerous victims. Sullivan was eventually arrested, but the case was closed when he committed suicide in his jail cell.