Hidden Lake is one of five villages located within the town of

Haddam, Connecticut Haddam is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut. The population was 8,452 at the time of the 2020 census. The town was also home to the now-decommissioned Connecticut Yankee Nuclear Power Plant. History Haddam, in Middlesex County, is locate ...

. It is governed by the

bylaws A by-law (bye-law, by(e)law, by(e) law), or as it is most commonly known in the United States bylaws, is a set of rules or law established by an organization or community so as to regulate itself, as allowed or provided for by some higher authorit ...

of th
Hidden Lake Association
Hidden Lake is located on the Haddam

USGS The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, a ...

quad

topological In mathematics, topology (from the Greek words , and ) is concerned with the properties of a geometric object that are preserved under continuous deformations, such as stretching, twisting, crumpling, and bending; that is, without closing ...

map. The

latitude In geography, latitude is a coordinate that specifies the north– south position of a point on the surface of the Earth or another celestial body. Latitude is given as an angle that ranges from –90° at the south pole to 90° at the north pol ...

and

longitude Longitude (, ) is a geographic coordinate that specifies the east– west position of a point on the surface of the Earth, or another celestial body. It is an angular measurement, usually expressed in degrees and denoted by the Greek lette ...

coordinates for the lake are 41.4220, -72.5687 and the altitude is .

Hidden Lake development

In 1929, Wilbur Lewis of

West Haven, Connecticut West Haven is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. It is located on the coast of Long Island Sound. At the 2020 census, the population of the city was 55,584. History Settled in 1648, West Haven (then known as West Farms) ...

purchased property from farmers and local residents including the Wilcox and Brooks families, just north of the Killingworth border along what is now Route 81. Lewis' original plan was to build a boys’ camp. However, he decided instead to build the Hidden Lake development; 140 lots surrounding the man-made Hidden lake. Automobile travel had exploded in the 1930s; families could go to the lake for the summer season. The wives and children would stay for the week while the husbands came on weekends or commuted directly from work. Similar lake communities were built throughout the state in the late 1920s and the early 1930s. These lake communities included

Lake Beseck Lake Beseck, also known as Beseck Lake, is a body of water in Middlefield, Connecticut, measuring a little less than 1 mile in length and a quarter mile in width. It is owned by the Department of Environmental Protection This article lists subn ...

Middlefield, Connecticut Middlefield is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 4,217 at the 2020 census. The town includes the village of Rockfall in the northeast section. History Middlefield, in Middlesex County, is so named becau ...

, Lake Hayward in

Colchester, Connecticut Colchester is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 15,555 at the 2020 census. In 2010 Colchester became the first town in Connecticut, and the 36th in the country, to be certified with the National Wildli ...

, and Candlewood Lake in the western part of the state. The Hidden Lake development, billed as one of Connecticut's finest lake developments, offered city dwellers from

Hartford Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since t ...

, Meriden, and New Britain a seasonal summer or weekend retreat. The Hidden Lake Realty Company, Inc. advertised that all the lots were 50 X 100 feet or larger. “Why not join the crowds at Hidden Lake” reads the advertisement from June 1929. With a $20 down payment and $5 per month, an individual could purchase a “Cottage Site” within 300 feet of the shore. Waterfront lots went for $700. Lewis reportedly named all the village streets, including Shore Drive, East Shore Drive, and West Shore Drive. There is a First, Second, and Third Avenue along with Lakeview Road, Beach Road, and Lake Point Road. Lewis erected a log cabin home for himself in the development. Lewis build a village clubhouse on Shore Drive for dances, socials, and

fundraiser Fundraising or fund-raising is the process of seeking and gathering voluntary financial contributions by engaging individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies. Although fundraising typically refers to efforts to gathe ...

Bingo Bingo or B-I-N-G-O may refer to: Arts and entertainment Gaming * Bingo, a game using a printed card of numbers ** Bingo (British version), a game using a printed card of 15 numbers on three lines; most commonly played in the UK and Ireland ** Bi ...

and card games were played and any money earned helped support th
Hidden Lake Association
The clubhouse had a stage and

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

star Slim Cox used to play at square dances. There was also a Hidden Lake Fish and Game Club. Lewis also converted a former button factory near the dam into a village store.

Hidden Lake Association

In 1937, th
Hidden Lake Association
was incorporated. Its mission was to “provide for the improvements of the land in said territory and for the health, comfort, protection, and convenience of the inhabitants." Lewis deeded all the village streets, beaches, and the lake itself to the organization. Original deeds noted that village residents had the right to use the lake for boating, bathing, fishing, and recreational purposes. The Association also set strict building regulations in terms of cottage locations, roofs, and siding materials. Association dues were originally $5 for a house and $2 for a lot annually. The village had no electricity until 1939–40. Prior to then, many homes used car storage batteries that were charged by car generators or wind chargers.

Current status

After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, many cottages in the village were converted to year-round residences. The clubhouse was eventually leveled and a private home was built on the site. Today, fewer than 5% of the dwellings are seasonal homes. Residents range from young families to retirees who enjoy

ice skating Ice skating is the self-propulsion and gliding of a person across an ice surface, using metal-bladed ice skates. People skate for various reasons, including recreation (fun), exercise, competitive sports, and commuting. Ice skating may be per ...

and

ice fishing Ice fishing is the practice of catching fish with lines and fish hooks or spears through an opening in the ice on a frozen body of water. Ice fishers may fish in the open or in heated enclosures, some with bunks and amenities. Shelters Longe ...

in the winter and swimming and boating in the summer. Th
Hidden Lake Association
is responsible for the paving, maintenance and plowing of village roads; and the upkeep and protection of the lake and the dam. The board. composed of Association, meets monthly. Only Association members can use the recreational facilities of the lake. Residents now pay taxes to the Lake Association and to the Town of Haddam.

The Lake

The lake is fed by a stream from the north and several springs in the lake bed. The lake is dammed at the south side and feeds into the

cranberry Cranberries are a group of evergreen dwarf shrubs or trailing vines in the subgenus ''Oxycoccus'' of the genus '' Vaccinium''. In Britain, cranberry may refer to the native species '' Vaccinium oxycoccos'', while in North America, cranberry ...

bogs in

Killingworth, Connecticut Killingworth is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 6,174 at the 2020 United States Census. History Killingworth was established from the area called Hammonasset, taken from the local Native American tri ...

. The 40-acre Hidden Lake includes a North Cove, South Cove, West Cove, and Mill Bay. Lake fishing for bass and pickerel in a

catch and release Catch and release is a practice within recreational fishing where after capture, often a fast measurement and weighing of the fish is performed, followed by posed photography as proof of the catch, and then the fish are unhooked and returned ...

program is allowed.

Duck Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfamilies, they are a form ...

osprey The osprey (''Pandion haliaetus''), , also called sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor reaching more than in length and across the wings. It is brown o ...

Canada geese The Canada goose (''Branta canadensis''), or Canadian goose, is a large wild goose with a black head and neck, white cheeks, white under its chin, and a brown body. It is native to the arctic and temperate regions of North America, and it is o ...

, buffleheads,

merganser ''Mergus'' is the genus of the typical mergansers , fish-eating ducks in the subfamily Anatinae. The genus name is a Latin word used by Pliny the Elder and other Roman authors to refer to an unspecified waterbird. The common merganser (''Mer ...

s, and an occasional loon are seen on the lake. The lake depth ranges from three to eight feet. The Board monitors the water quality of Hidden Lake during the summer months; water samples are submitted to the State of Connecticut Labs on a regular basis. In 2009, the Board began a program to monitor and control the lake vegetation and improve conditions for swimming, fishing, and boating. Motor boats are prohibited on the lake. It is part of the Connecticut Water Trails.

References

{{authority control Haddam, Connecticut Villages in Middlesex County, Connecticut Villages in Connecticut Water trails