Lake History

The closest mills were owned by the White family, who also acquired the dam and flowage rights of Lake Monomonac. Private ownership of the latter became contentious, as inadequate dam maintenance and control of the water levels affected every Lake Monomonac property owner, whether in MA or NH.

Today water levels are determined by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and are controlled by a dam and a spillway, both in the Massachusetts end of the lake. Click here for resources dam section.

The pronunciation and spelling of “Monomonac” has been, and still is today, a frequent topic of discussion. Variations exist depending on who you are speaking with and how long they have been in the area.

It is safe to say that it is of Indian origin, likely the Nipmuc tribe, who were early inhabitants of this area. It has been translated to mean “island and place.” Spellings include Wonomennock, Monomonock, Monomonoc and Monomonac.

Early Homes

Between 1870–1890, many urban dwellers sought relief from their industrial environment and vacationed in rural areas to get back to nature. As a result, some of the larger NH lakes, like Sunapee, Winnipesauke and Newfound, saw huge hotels built on their shores to accommodate these vacationers.

This occurred on a much smaller scale in Rindge, spurred on by the establishment of a West Rindge station of the Boston and Maine Railroad. Visitors arriving at the station were met by a stagecoach, where they and their luggage were driven to small inns, boarding houses or private homes offering rooms on or near the lake. Early activities included swimming, canoeing and rowing. Owners of lake-shore property enthusiastically lent their water frontage to vacationers as a way to supplement their income, derived mainly from farming or lumbering operations.

Other early cottages were known as “Pocono Cottage,” “Audubon,” “Sweet Fern,” and “Cygnet.” Most of these original buildings remain today in one form or another.

Christ Church Camp

In the late 1880s, the Christ Episcopal Church in Fitchburg held picnics in Coot Bay on land rented from Henry Wellington. A small building was constructed to accommodate them. Shortly later, a second-floor sleeping loft was added.

After several years, the church purchased and moved to a large parcel of land (over 100 acres) on the east side of the lake and started building facilities for summer campers. It commenced operations in 1923 as a camp for boys and featured a boys’ and a men’s choir. Sometime in the 1950s, it added separate two-week sessions for girls. It became co-ed at some point in the 1970s.

Camp Starfish purchased the property in 1998. It is a summer-only camp offering a safe, fun, structured therapeutic experience for kids aged six to 22 who are experiencing social, emotional, behavioral or learning challenges. It is one of only a few summer camps to offer one-to-one camper-to-counselor enrollment.

Monomonac Lake Sailing Association (MLSA)

On July 12, 1952, 16 sailboat enthusiasts gathered for the first meeting of the recently formed MLSA. It was held on the beach in front of the Faulkners’ cottage (just south of Swan Point). They elected Roland (Rollie) Blake as the Association’s first Commodore and held their first race on July 20th, 1952. MLSA has been sponsoring and running races continuously since. Currently, the Association opens and closes each season with a combined business and social meeting, each a must-attend event. It publishes a yearly newsletter, Jib Sheet, for its members.

Most of the early boats on the lake were homemade Sunray sailboats. Today, commercially produced boats are popular, and a mix of Lasers, Sunfish, catamarans and others can be seen at the starting line on any given race day.

MLSA holds an annual blueberry pancake breakfast on what is known as Commodore Island. Gas grills and cooking supplies are transported to the island, where MLSA members prepare and serve breakfast. Diners arrive by boat for a to-go breakfast of pancakes, sausage, juice and coffee. The MLSA also sponsors an annual boat parade on July 4th.