Crystal Lake is a natural pond near Bodwell Road and Corning Road in south Manchester, New Hampshire

Manchester, New Hampshire

Manchester is the largest city in the U.S. state of New Hampshire, the tenth largest city in New England, and the largest city in northern New England, an area comprising the states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. It is in Hillsborough County along the banks of the Merrimack River, which...

. Crystal Lake is a popular place for residents to enjoy swimming, boating and fishing.

Geography

The lake lies near the southeastern corner of Manchester at an elevation somewhat over 200 feet (61 m) above sea level. The lake's outlet stream flows west to Cohas Brook

Cohas Brook

Cohas Brook is a river located in southern New Hampshire in the United States. It is a tributary of the Merrimack River, part of the Gulf of Maine watershed....

, a tributary of the Merrimack River

Merrimack River

The Merrimack River is a river in the northeastern United States. It rises at the confluence of the Pemigewasset and Winnipesaukee rivers in Franklin, New Hampshire, flows southward into Massachusetts, and then flows northeast until it empties into the Atlantic Ocean at Newburyport...

, which flows south and east to the Gulf of Maine

Gulf of Maine

The Gulf of Maine is a large gulf of the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast of North America.It is delineated by Cape Cod at the eastern tip of Massachusetts in the southwest and Cape Sable at the southern tip of Nova Scotia in the northeast. It includes the entire coastlines of the U.S...

 and the Atlantic Ocean

Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...

.

History

Crystal Lake was historically known as Skenker’s Pond and later as Mosquito Pond. In 1919, the City of Manchester built a public bathing area at the north end of the pond. The main entrance area consisted of a bathhouse and picnic grounds near the beach. The lake was the site of city-sponsored swim meets for children in the 1920s. Eventually, due to the lake's growing popularity, the facilities at Crystal Lake had to be expanded. In 1942 a new bathhouse was constructed and the beach was extended by the Works Progress Administration

Works Progress Administration

The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...

. In 1987, the fieldstone-constructed bathhouse underwent a renovation sponsored by the City Parks and Recreation Department and still stands at the site today.

Hermit of Mosquito Pond

The story of the Hermit of Mosquito Pond is about a man who lived secluded on Crystal Lake for 60 years. Charles Alan Lambert came to Manchester in the 1840s. After a slew of heartbreaks he retreated to the woods to live a life of solitude. He purchased over 40 acres (16.2 ha) of land, on which he built a house out of logs he found on the property. He also grew his own food and herbs. He used the herbs to barter with local apothecaries. Over the years his hermit lifestyle made him into a kind of local celebrity, and he became the object of great curiosity. Despite his secluded lifestyle he would be visited by hundreds of people every summer. Mr. Lambert lived at his hermit homestead for over 60 years, spending the last two years of his life with the Sisters of Mercy at the House of St. John for aged men. He died in 1914, and his body now lies in St. Joseph Cemetery marked by a plain white tombstone, inscribed “The Hermit”.

External links

• Crystal Lake at City of Manchester website