James and I used to live in some apartments off of Frank Street in Worcester, very close to Lake Quinsigamond. Lake Quinsigamond, also known as Long Pond, is located on the Worcester and Shrewsbury lines. It covers about 772 acres and ranges from 50 to 85 feet deep. The lake is pretty long and narrow and stretches 4 miles long. Lake Quinsigamond has 8 islands, most are privately owned by local citizens. Drake Island is state owned and is the largest of the islands on this lake.
While researching this lake's history, I found out some very interesting things. Development started on the southern shores of the lake because of the construction of the causeway in 1863. In 1894, an amusement park named Lincoln Park opened on the western side of the lake in Worcester. In 1905, a competing amusement park opened on the Shrewsbury side of the lake and it was named White City, hence the name of the shopping center there now. In the 1940s, both parks started to decline in attendance and profits so they shut down starting with White City on Labor Day in 1960 and soon followed by Lincoln Park in 1961. White City was sold that same year and both parks lost buildings in suspicious fires during their last years.
If you drive by the lake today, you will see row teams practicing on the lake. Lake Quinsigamond has become a famous lake for rowing and crew meets. In 1952, the lake hosted the National Olympic rowing trials. More recently, in 2005 the lake hosted the US Rowing Masters Championship. There are several clubs on the lake if you're interested in rowing.
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