Spofford Lake - Misplaced Pages

Lake in New Hampshire, United States

Spofford Lake
Ware's Grove Beach, October 2019
Spofford LakeShow map of New HampshireSpofford LakeShow map of the United States
Location	Cheshire County, New Hampshire
Coordinates	42°54′44″N 72°26′34″W / 42.91222°N 72.44278°W / 42.91222; -72.44278
Primary outflows	Partridge Brook
Basin countries	United States

Max. length	2.0 mi (3.2 km)
Max. width	1.0 mi (1.6 km)
Surface area	732 acres (2.96 km)
Average depth	30 ft (9.1 m)
Max. depth	66 ft (20 m)
Surface elevation	715 ft (218 m)

Islands	Pierces Island
Settlements	Spofford (town of Chesterfield)

Spofford Lake is a 732-acre (2.96 km) body of water in the town of Chesterfield in southwestern New Hampshire, United States. Water from Spofford Lake flows via Partridge Brook to the Connecticut River. In 2005 the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department named it the cleanest lake in southwestern New Hampshire, despite the amount of motor boating. The village of Spofford is located at the lake's outlet.

History

A popular recreational destination during the late 19th century, the lake figured in a tragedy that received notice well outside its rural environs. On May 26, 1882, while on tour with a company organized by Clara Louise Kellogg, the 19-year-old classical pianist Herman Rietzel, already a concert veteran and considered to be well-launched on a promising career, joined George Conly, a bass singer with the company, for a pleasure outing on the lake. Later that day, their rowboat was found capsized; Reitzel's body was not recovered until the following June 7, and Conly's not until a week later.

Actor-comedian George Carlin spent several summers at Camp Notre Dame on Spofford Lake (along with SNL director Dave "Wacky" Wilson and New Yorker cartoonist Leo Cullum — the camp was owned by the Cullum family) in his childhood; after his death in 2008, he was cremated and part of his ashes were scattered in the lake.

Recreation

Ware's Grove and North Shore are two municipal beaches on the lake. North Shore is for residents only, while Wares Grove, near the southwest end of the lake, along New Hampshire Route 9A, has an entrance fee and is open to the general public. A state-maintained boat ramp is available to the west of Wares Grove, affording access to Pierces Island, managed by the New Hampshire Division of Forests and Lands and offering hiking trails. Pine Grove Springs Country Club is a golf course in Spofford next to the lake.

Fishing is a popular recreational activity on the lake. The lake is classified as a cold- and warmwater fishery, and is known for producing quality smallmouth bass, rainbow trout, northern pike, bullhead catfish and especially largemouth bass. Rock bass were introduced to the lake in the late 1990s and have proven to be a nuisance to anglers.

References

^ "Spofford Lake, Chesterfield" (PDF). NH Fish & Game. Retrieved September 4, 2014.
"George Conly's Sad Fate: Drowned in a New Hampshire Lake with Young Herman Rietzel, the Pianist," The New York Times, May 28, 1882
"Herman Rietzel's Body Found," The New York Times, June 8, 1882
"Manchester, New Hampshire News and Weather - WMUR Channel 9".
"Interesting, Strange & Weird New Hampshire Facts". NHTourGuide.com. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
Staff, NICOLE S. COLSON Sentinel (29 May 2011). "Town beach to become resident-only". sentinelsource.com. Retrieved 20 April 2018.

Connecticut River watershed

Tributaries

Connecticut	Blackledge River Coginchaug River Connecticut River Duck River Eightmile River Falls River Farmington River Hockanum River Hubbard River Jeremy River Lieutenant River Mattabesset River Nepaug River Pameacha Creek Park River Pequabuck River Salmon River Scantic River
Massachusetts	Burnshirt River Chapel Brook Chicopee River Connecticut River Cranberry River Deerfield River East Brookfield River Farmington River Fall River Five Mile River Green River Hubbard River Manhan River Mill River (Northampton) Mill River (Springfield) Millers River Mirey Brook North Branch Millers River North Branch Westfield River North River Otter River Quaboag River Scantic River Seven Mile River Tarbell Brook Ware River Westfield River
New Hampshire	Ammonoosuc River Ashuelot River Blow-me-down Brook The Branch Cold River Connecticut River East Branch Mohawk River Gale River Great Brook Halls Stream Ham Branch Indian River Indian Stream Israel River Johns River Knox River Little River Little Sugar River Mascoma River Millers River Mink Brook Mirey Brook Mohawk River Nash Stream North Branch Gale River North Branch Millers River North Branch Sugar River North Branch Upper Ammonoosuc River Oliverian Brook Otter Brook Partridge Brook Perry Stream Phillips Brook Simms Stream South Branch Ashuelot River South Branch Gale River South Branch Israel River South Branch Sugar River Stocker Brook Sugar River Tarbell Brook Upper Ammonoosuc River West Branch Mohawk River West Branch Upper Ammonoosuc River Wild Ammonoosuc River Zealand River
Vermont	Black River Connecticut River Deerfield River Fall River Green River Halls Stream Leach Creek Moose River Nulhegan River Ompompanoosuc River Ottauquechee River Passumpsic River Rock River Saxtons River Utley Brook Waits River Wells River West River Whetstone Brook White River Williams River Winhall River

Lakes

Connecticut	Barkhamsted Reservoir Lake Beseck Lake Hayward Lake Pocotopaug
Massachusetts	Brooks Pond Browning Pond Lake Monomonac Quabbin Reservoir Lake Wyola
New Hampshire	Ashuelot Pond Back Lake Canaan Street Lake Cedar Pond Christine Lake Comerford Reservoir Connecticut Lakes Crystal Lake Dublin Pond Eastman Pond Echo Lake Lake Francis (Murphy Dam) Goose Pond Grafton Pond Granite Lake Lakes of the Clouds Little Sunapee Lake Mascoma Lake McIndoes Reservoir Lake Monomonac Moore Reservoir Pearly Lake Silver Lake Spofford Lake Lake Sunapee Surry Mountain Lake Lake Tarleton
Vermont	Ball Mountain Lake Comerford Reservoir Harriman Reservoir Harvey's Lake McIndoes Reservoir Moore Reservoir North Hartland Lake Lake Rescue Townshend Lake

Towns

Connecticut	Chester Cromwell Deep River East Haddam East Hampton East Hartford East Windsor Enfield Essex Glastonbury Haddam Hartford Higganum Lyme Middletown Moodus Old Lyme Old Saybrook Portland Rocky Hill South Windsor Suffield Thompsonville Wethersfield Windsor Windsor Locks
Massachusetts	Agawam Chicopee Deerfield Easthampton Gill Greenfield Hadley Hatfield Holyoke Longmeadow Millers Falls Montague Northampton Northfield South Hadley Springfield Sunderland Turners Falls West Springfield Whately
New Hampshire	Bath Charlestown Chesterfield Claremont Clarksville Colebrook Columbia Cornish Dalton Groveton Hanover Haverhill Hinsdale Lancaster Lebanon Littleton Lyme Monroe Northumberland Orford Piermont Pittsburg Plainfield Stewartstown Stratford Walpole West Lebanon Westmoreland Woodsville
Quebec	East Hereford
Vermont	Ascutney Barnet Beecher Falls Bellows Falls Bloomfield Bradford Brattleboro Brunswick Canaan Concord Dummerston Fairlee Gilman Guildhall Hartford Hartland Lemington Lunenburg Maidstone Newbury Norwich Putney Rockingham Ryegate Springfield Thetford Vernon Waterford Weathersfield Wells River Westminster White River Junction Wilder Windsor

Crossings

Categories:

History

Recreation

See also

References