Lake Waramaug and the Generations of People Who Made It Their Own

Join the Gunn Historical Museum on Monday, April 18, 2022 at 6:30pm for a Zoom guest lecture with Christine Adams. The Lake Waramaug Association and the Lake Waramaug Task Force are sponsors of the lecture.

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Lake Waramaug, Connecticut’s second largest natural lake, has enchanted those who have visited her shores for thousands of years. Centerpiece of the Litchfield County landscape, the lake has formulated a lasting impression for all who have spent time here. This lecture will focus on the people who have shaped our ever-changing lake culture. Nomadic people followed migratory animals to our shores and woodland tribes made their permanent residence here. The Weantinoge, of which Chief Waramaug was Sachem, used the lake as their summer hunting and fishing grounds. Colonial Settlers such as Daniel Averil and Edward Cogswell, upon the discovery of iron ore on the lake’s west shore, created an industrial townscape; coupled with abutting lakeside farms, the Lake District was a true working community.

Upon the conclusion of the Civil War, the area became one of recreation, when William Hopkins was the first to welcome guests to his boarding house. By the turn of the Century and the arrival of the railroad, as many as a dozen Inns hung their shingles on Waramaug, creating a resort-like atmosphere. Although the use of the Lake has changed, the inherent sense of place conceived by all that dwell here is constant. Its culture has shifted with every generation, but a unique sense of attachment and belonging is felt by all who know and love Lake Waramaug.

Biography of Christine Adams:
Christine Adams serves on the Board of Directors of the Lake Waramaug Task Force. Adams, whose family has kept a cottage on the lake for five generations, served on the Lake Waramaug Association Board of Directors for ten years, and edited their biannual newsletter, for which she authored a popular series of articles pertaining to the rich history of the Lake District. Currently, Chris is in the final stages of a book project, a history of a centuries-old cottage in the Village of New Preston, and is a researcher for the Gunn Historical Museum. She studied English, History and Creative Writing at Gettysburg College, is a certified grant writer and published poet.

About the Lecturer:

Christine Adams serves on the Board of Directors of the Lake Waramaug Task Force. Adams, whose family has kept a cottage on the lake for five generations, served on the Lake Waramaug Association Board of Directors for ten years, and edited their biannual newsletter, for which she authored a popular series of articles pertaining to the rich history of the Lake District. Currently, Chris is in the final stages of a book project, a history of a centuries-old cottage in the Village of New Preston, and is a researcher for the Gunn Historical Museum. She studied English, History and Creative Writing at Gettysburg College, is a certified grant writer and published poet.