A history of Highland Lake

Highland Lake is one of the largest bodies of fresh water in Connecticut. It lies about 150 feet above downtown Winsted and is over 900 feet above sea level. The lake was originally referred to as Long Lake or Long Pond but was renamed Highland Lake, by popular vote, around 1889. 

 Highland Lake covers an area of over 450 acres, is nearly three miles long and forms three distinct bays. The deepest known section is located in second bay, at about 65 feet deep, and the width of the lake varies up to one mile. Highland Lake has excellent fishing, and its shores abound with vegetation and wildlife. Cattle once grazed on open land at second and third bays, and the area served as a summer encampment and hunting ground for local Indians. 

 Beginning in the mid-1700s, settlers were attracted to the lake’s natural beauty, as well as its water power to run early forges and mills. In later years, the lake proved convenient to the downtown area and rail and trolley lines, and it served as the town’s only public water source. In 1860, the lake’s level was raised four feet to provide water for Winsted’s increased domestic, industrial and firefighting needs. The level was raised again, in 1875, when use of water by factories along the lake stream peaked. In 1894, a 3,200-foot tunnel was opened that diverted water from Rugg Brook and Crystal Lake reservoirs through Sucker Brook to Highland Lake. The tunnel not only provided for the town’s future water needs, but it enabled the lake to be developed as a pleasure resort. 

 In the late-1880s Winsted officials used a gift from the estate of Colebrook farmer Harvey Wakefield to build Wakefield Boulevard, a seven-mile road around the lake. The road began at West Lake Street and proceeded to the intersection of East Lake and Hurlbut streets. Construction began in 1886 and was completed in 1892. Local residents, tourists, and town officials were delighted with the boulevard, as it offered greater access to the lake. 

 During the same decade that the road opened, Highland Lake Park was established on the east side of third bay, along with a trotting park and fairgrounds at Sucker Brook. Around the same time, boats began ferrying passengers across the lake and offering sightseeing tours. Use of the lake soared in 1897, when the Winsted and Torrington trolley ran a spur from Burrville to third bay.

 In the 1920s, several amusement parks and beaches opened on the lake, including Woodland Park and Holland Beach at first bay and The Pavilion at third bay. The parks offered concerts, dancing, roller skating, arcades, food, and swimming, and they were enormously popular. During the same decade, telephones started to appear. By the 1930s, the trolley line disappeared, but electricity was installed around the lake. In the 1940s, car races and horse races were held on the ice in the winter, and sailboat races were held in the summer months. During the same decade, Wakefield Boulevard was tarred over, paving the way for more automobiles. Motorboats began to appear in the 1950s. 

 During its heyday, thousands of visitors flocked to Highland Lake, and property was readily available for a reasonable price. William L. Camp was reportedly the first to build a cottage and summer there, around 1892, and Peter Nelson became the first year-round resident in 1918. Throughout the years, many successful businesses operated on the lake, including boat shops, camps, ice houses, inns, markets, restaurants, and more. 

 The amusement parks are long gone, but Highland Lake continues to be a popular year-round destination. In 2010, the Highland Lake Watershed Association compiled “Highland Lake Reflections: A Collection of Personal Stories, Photographs and History of Highland Lake.” To view this book and other resources on the lake, please visit the Genealogy and Local History Room at Beardsley and Memorial Library. 

Verna Gilson is the genealogy and local history research assistant at the Beardsley and Memorial Library in Winsted, co-author of “Winsted & Winchester” and author of “Brains, Money, and Pluck.” Both books are about the town’s history.