Lake Webster is a

fresh water Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the term specifically excludes seawater and brackish water, it does include ...

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

located in

Kosciusko County Kosciusko County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana. At the 2020 United States Census, its population was 80,240. The county seat (and only incorporated city) is Warsaw. The county was organized in 1836. It was named for the Polish ge ...

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Formerly it was known as Boydston Lake. It borders the town of North Webster to the west of the lake.

Geographic place names

*Big Island *Backwater Lake is the body of water south of Webster Lake proper *Dickerson's Point is located on the north shore *Hayden's Point is the point of land before entering Webster Bay * Highbanks *Ruple's Beach is located on the south shore *Webster Bay * Yellowbanks

Attractions

North Webster is home to ''

Dixie Dixie, also known as Dixieland or Dixie's Land, is a nickname for all or part of the Southern United States. While there is no official definition of this region (and the included areas shift over the years), or the extent of the area it cover ...

'', Indiana's oldest sternwheel paddleboat. ''Dixie'' has cruised Webster Lake since 1929, providing tours of the lake to generations of residents and visitors. A number of private owners cared for and operated the boat from 1929 until 2007 when title was transferred to a

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

called ''Dixie'' Sternwheeler Inc., which operates the boat for regular summer cruises from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day and to allow chartered events such as weddings, retirement home outings, and company and community gatherings. Regular cruises last about 75 minutes and are each evening Monday through Saturday and during the afternoon and evening on Sunday. Many of the regular cruises feature period music and a narration with some history of the area, the lake, and ''Dixie''. ''Dixie'' was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 2009.

Historical

Boats

*''Cuban Girl'' (1902-) was a small steam launch approximately in length. *''The City of Webster'' (1906—1913) was a sternwheel paddle boat *''Ethel H'' (1904—1909) was a sidewheel steamboat, approximately in length. The Ethel H was also known to have gone to

Lake Tippecanoe Tippecanoe Lake is a large, glacially created lake in Leesburg, Kosciusko County, Indiana and, at 123 feet deep, is the deepest natural lake in the state. Location Tippecanoe Lake is about two miles west of the town of North Webster, Indiana, a ...

and

Lake James Lake James is a large reservoir in the mountains of Western North Carolina which straddles the border between Burke and McDowell Counties. It is named for tobacco tycoon and benefactor of Duke University James Buchanan Duke. The lake, with su ...

around 1909.

Webster Lake Dam

The Webster Lake dam was created at the southwestern point of the lake and a

gristmill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and Wheat middlings, middlings. The term can refer to either the Mill (grinding), grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist i ...

was built by an Ephriam Muirhead in 1837. This damming created one large lake from as many as seven smaller lakes. In 1842, Thomas Boydston purchased the gristmill. It is said that he is a descendant of Dr.

Zabdiel Boylston Zabdiel Boylston, FRS (March 9, 1679 – March 1, 1766) was a physician in the Boston area. As the first medical school in North America was not founded until 1765, Boylston apprenticed with his father, an English-born surgeon named Thomas Boyls ...

. The mill served as a general store and

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...

in the 19th century. It burned in 1949 and replaced by the current dam.

Yellow Banks

The Yellow Banks hotel was formerly the M.J. France hotel (1902—1905). The Yellow Banks owned several yellow

row boat Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically atta ...

s for the use of its guests. It is said that when the boats were stored on the banks of the hotel property, the

banks A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets. Because ...

appeared yellow. Though unconfirmed, it has been said that

Al Capone Alphonse Gabriel Capone (; January 17, 1899 – January 25, 1947), sometimes known by the nickname "Scarface", was an American gangster and businessman who attained notoriety during the Prohibition era as the co-founder and boss of the ...

and gang stayed at the Yellow Banks hotel in October 1933 or April 1934.

References

Official Dixie WebsiteDixie Boat

External links

* {{authority control Webster Lake Lakes of Kosciusko County, Indiana Tourist attractions in Kosciusko County, Indiana