Hickory Hills Lake, Lunenburg, Massachusetts

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Hickory Hills Lake

Hickory Hills Lake is the largest private lake in Massachusetts, located in the town of Lunenburg in Worcester County. [1]

Lake A body of relatively still water, in a basin surrounded by land

A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land, apart 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, and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are also larger and deeper than ponds, though there are no official or scientific definitions. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams, which are usually flowing. Most lakes are fed and drained by rivers and streams.

Massachusetts State of the United States of America

Massachusetts, officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It borders on the Atlantic Ocean to the east, the states of Connecticut and Rhode Island to the south, New Hampshire and Vermont to the north, and New York to the west. The state is named after the Massachusett tribe, which once inhabited the east side of the area, and is one of the original thirteen states. The capital of Massachusetts is Boston, which is also the most populous city in New England. Over 80% of Massachusetts's population lives in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, a region influential upon American history, academia, and industry. Originally dependent on agriculture, fishing and trade, Massachusetts was transformed into a manufacturing center during the Industrial Revolution. During the 20th century, Massachusetts's economy shifted from manufacturing to services. Modern Massachusetts is a global leader in biotechnology, engineering, higher education, finance, and maritime trade.

Lunenburg, Massachusetts Town in Massachusetts, United States

Lunenburg is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 10,086 at the 2010 census.

Contents

History

Prior to 1925, Hickory Hills Lake was just a swampy area along Mulpus Brook. Charles P. Dickinson owned the land and prepared to turn the area into his own private lake. In the summer of 1925 he had all of the trees cleared so that the area could be constructed into an earthen dike. By 1926 the dike began to fill with water, creating the Dickinson Reservoir. [1]

Dickinson died in 1935 leaving the lake to his son Arnold Dickinson. He went on to sell the lake and much of the surrounding property to the Hickory Hills Lake Corporation which consisted of a small group of incorporators. Al Bowron was among the incorporators and took the initiative in building the lake community by draining the lake and building new roads on the property. [1]

After Al Bowron’s death in 1971, his son Scott followed in his father’s footsteps by taking over management of the lake community. The community had struggled and needed much attention to bring it back to its original condition. Despite great efforts, Scott found it difficult to expedite maintenance of Hickory Hills’ community and went on to put the lake up for sale in 1978. This drove a group of residents to join together and form the Hickory Hills Landowners, Inc. They went ahead to buy all of Hickory Hills Lake and the community surrounding it. From here on out the residents of the Hickory Hills were to band together and hold responsibility over their own community. [1]

Lake

The lake is 319 acres (1.29 km2) in area with an average depth of 12 ft (3.65 m) and a maximum depth of 20 ft (6.09 m). It is owned by Hickory Hills Landowners, Inc. who own the three beaches and surrounding property. The three beaches are for public use of any residents of the HHLI. [2]

Boating

There is a boat docking area permitted for use by any of residents who do not own lakefront property by issue of boat stickers and identification cards. The boats permitted for use on the lake are as followed: Kayaks, Canoes, Sail Boats, Electric Motored Boats, and Power Boats. There are horsepower and speed restrictions for motored boats of no more than 8HP and a limit of 9.9HP for Pontoon Boats. Jet Skis and water skiing are not permitted. [2]

Hickory Hills has an annual boat parade on the 4th of July.

Fish species

Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Chain Pickerel, Yellow Perch, Brown Bullhead, Golden Shiner, Sunfish, and Bluegill. [2]

Issues

In January 2009 the Board of Directors approved the formation of a Lake Management group to evaluate every aspect of the lake’s environment and identify any issues that could affect the quality and health of the lake. As of 2012 the group has identified a handful of problems including erosion problems along the shorelines and many of the islands. Most recently, the invasive weed species of Fanwort has been detected in two locations of the main lake. [3]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Hickory Hills Landowners, Inc., n.d. Web. 3 Dec 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 Freerksen, Scott. "Hickory Hills Lake." Lakes of Massachusetts. MLS Property Information Network, n.d. Web. 3 Dec 2012
  3. ↑ Lake Management Committee Hickory Hills Lake. Hickory Hills Landowners, Inc., n.d. Web. 3 Dec 2012

Coordinates: 42°36′40″N71°42′25″W / 42.61111°N 71.70694°W / 42.61111; -71.70694

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