Victoria was first settled as a pioneer camp in the 18th century. In the 1950s, when coal mines began to appear in Southern Indiana, woodlands in that part of the county were replaced by vast strip mines. The mines were abandoned in 1977, when coal prices dropped and the resources were exhausted. The land lay unnoticed until Newburgh grew large enough to support suburbs. Several homes were built around the now water-filled strip mines. The homes received a boost in land value when Victoria National Golf Club was built by Tom Fazio in 1996.