Lake Massapoag facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lake Massapoag |
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Lake Massapoag
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 Lake Massapoag
Location in Massachusetts
Lake Massapoag
Location in the United States
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| Location | Sharon, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 42°6′4″N 71°10′37″W / 42.10111°N 71.17694°W |
| Type | natural freshwater lake |
| Primary inflows | springs |
| Primary outflows | Canoe River Massapoag Brook |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Surface area | 353 acres (143 ha) |
| Average depth | 13 ft (4.0 m) |
| Max. depth | 45 ft (14 m) |
| Surface elevation | 249 ft (76 m) |
Lake Massapoag is a 353-acre (1.43 km2), natural, springfed lake located in Sharon, Massachusetts. The name Massapoag is Algonquin, meaning "large water".
Lake Massapoag is the headwater of the Canoe River, which flows south to join the Taunton River and empty into Narragansett Bay. It is also the headwaters of the Massapoag brook, which flows into the Neponset River.
History
In the 18th century, workers deepened the outlet of the lake to draw the water down in order to extract bog iron for the smelting industry.
Lake Massapoag was the site of a large 19th-century ice business, with an enormous wooden icehouse at the eastern end of the lake.
Because of the lake and the fact that Sharon is at a slightly higher elevation than the surrounding towns, and because it is located on the main rail line going south from Boston, the shores of the lake developed into a minor summer resort with several large hotels, summer camps and cottage colonies. Temple Adath Sharon was built as a summer synagogue, and the houses around it, now occupied year-round, were once summer cottages.
In June 2020, two girls saved a man in distress 40 yards away from shore. The girls were recognized by the town for their heroic acts.
Recreation
The site of the former ice house is now a large town beach. The beach was created by trucking in quantities of sand after the ice house burned down.
The lake is also popular for sailing and sailboarding. The Wheaton College Sailing Team, Sharon High School Sailing Team, and Dover Sherborn High School Sailing Team train on Lake Massapoag.
