Mamanasco Lake:

A Rich History
A Brilliant Future

Mamanasco Lake, Ridgefield's largest body of water, is a mile long and has a town park (Richardson Park), a state boat launch and three beach associations along its beautiful shores. It also shares the pride of Ridgefield's pre-revolutionary war heritage.

Early History:
Mamanasco Lake was the summer home of the Ramapoo Indians - it was kind of like their Hampton (without the traffic.) The winter home was near Main Street, behind where the Elms stands today.

On March 18, 1715, the proprietors of Ridgefield purchased the Mamanasco Lake area from Chief Tackora (of "trail" fame) for four pounds.

Mills:
In 1728, the proprietors of Ridgefield granted Daniel Sherwood the right to operate a grist mill on the eastern shore of Lake Mamanasco. Sherwood operated the mill until his death in 1749, when he turned the job of town miller over to his son, Daniel Jr. Between 1779 and 1865 the mill changed hands frequently. Part of the mill's foundation can still be seen at the foot of Pond Road.

The other famous mill near Mamanasco Lake was a grist and saw mill owned by Isaac Keeler. The mill was burned by British troops who were returning from their raid on Danbury in April of 1777 (just before the Battle of Ridgefield). The British had assumed the mill was being used as a storehouse for American supplies, but local historians insist that the mill housed only barrels of flour and corn. (There does not appear to be any truth to the rumor that the British added butter to the corn and rented a movie before setting the fire.)

Apparently, burning a mill wasn't enough excitement for the British troops, after resting at their encampment near the intersection of North Salem Road and Tackora Trail, they chased cows. One cow escaped by running into Mamanasco Lake where it drowned.

One day, while Dr. Amos Baker was waiting for his grain to be ground at Keeler's mill, he decided to take a stroll through the fields around the lake. He noticed a tree with brightly colored apples and picked one. He was so impressed with the taste of the apple that he took grafts from the tree and began growing his own. The apples he produced became known as the "famous" Baker Apples, apples widely acknowledged as native to Ridgefield.

St. Ignatious Retreat. According to local legend, a wealthy man built two homes in the early 1900's, one for each of his daughters. One of those houses is the building used currently as the St. Ignatius Retreat house at the southeastern corner of the lake; the other still stands as a private home on Christopher Street.

According to a Ridgefield historian, the Inn served as a bootlegging establishment owned by a mobster. In 1977, the building was acquired by the Society of St. Pius, it was purchased by the Jesuits in 1980's, and it became St. Ignatius in 1988.

Today, about 9-12 people live in the retreat year round, including priests, brothers, sisters, at least one novice, postulates and more. In addition, there are week long retreats held there about three times a month. Men's and women's retreats are held, but never together.

Port of Missing Men:
Around the turn of the century, Henry B. Anderson had an idea: he wanted to build an inn that would attract the well-to-do from all over the country and the world. He purchased a total of 1,750 acres of land that butted up against the western shore of Mamanasco Lake and continued into North Salem. He started up a corporation and named it after a best selling novel at the time, The Port of Missing Men (Meredith Nichaolson).

Anderson recruited workers for this massive undertaking from as close as Yonkers, New York, and as far away as Italy. They built ten miles of roads, Hidden Lake (now known as Turtle Pond), and Round Pond. Remains from the barracks that housed the workers can still be seen of Hunt Lane in North Salem.

The Port's main attraction was the large Tea House, situated over the border in New York, with breathtaking views of the surrounding countryside. The Tea House was a prestigious place to eat, and the guest list included people from distant parts of the world - 20,000 people signed the register during the first two years, including Teddy Roosevelt.

Over time, the popularity of the resort began to wane, and in 1946, the Tea House was demolished. However, the Port of Missing Men continues to live on in Mamanasco Lake history, with the Corporation named in many of the deeds of homes and properties located on the west side of the lake.

Anne Richardson's (whom Richardson Park was named after ) was a generous person with an adventurous spirit, who liked to travel the world with her friend Edna Schoyer. When she died in 1965, she left the majority of her estate to the town, including the park and the property where the high school stands.

She did not bequeath the actual house in which she lived. In fact, her will stipulated that her dwelling on Mamamnmasco Farm, "which I lived many years with my beloved (the late Edna Schoyer)� be not occupied by others after my death."

Although Ms. Richardson did not specify in her will that her property would become a park, it is assumed that she would have been delighted to see her estate put to such use. Her trustees donated over $49,000 to Ridgefield for the upkeep. The park was closed in 1981 because of vandalism and later reopened.

Mamanasco Lake Improvement Fund has used the park in the 1990's for The "Farewell to the Weeds Festivals" to raise money and consciousness, when the lake was infested with weeds.

The Peatt Store:
The Peatt family was the second to take up residence on the western shore of Mamanasco Lake, circa 1920 (the Beardsley's were the first to have a home on the lake.) Soon after settling in, the Peatts found themselves entertaining a steady stream of visitors at their cottage, many of whom felt obligated to pay for the meal they were served. The number of visitors increased, so did the custom of paying for their meals - and by a quaint process of evolution, half of the Peatts' cottage became a restaurant and store.

The Peatt's business continued to grow and at one point the family had a dock which extended well into the lake with a fleet of rowboats for rent. The store remained in business until just a few years ago and has since been converted into a lakeside home.

Recent History:
In 1972, Mamanasco Lake Improvement Fund (MLIF) was organized to oversee the quality of the lake. The organization has been vital in overcoming problems in the last decade with weed infestation.

Though the lake had a few difficult years, it has a history of being a thriving recreational jewel in Ridgefield. Ask anyone who's lived here for a long time and they will recall the days when they had trouble finding a place to put a blanket on the sand on the beach. They'll tell you that the lake was "The place to be" then, as we know it is now.

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