Aerial photograph of vehicles revealed on lake bed of Lake Massasoit

Evans, Chris · November 6, 2020

This is an aerial photograph of some of the vehicles found during the draining of Lake Massasoit (Watershops Pond) in early November 2020. The photograph is taken from the west, looking over the Valley Homes complex with the parking lots and the rest of campus behind. It shows the lake almost drained, with four vehicles showing above the water . There is a crane parked above the tree line that has one vehicle raised above the ground. There is a path down the bank to the shore to where the vehicles are - a few workmen stand beside it. The lake was drained to allow the dam to be fixed. In 1809, Lake Massasoit was formed by the army by damming the Mill River. The purpose of the dam was to ensure a constant flow of water downstream for the Springfield Armory “Watershops.” The Springfield Armory was America’s first and last National Armory, formed in 1777 and continuing production up until 1968. The formerly named Watershops Pond has 7 miles of shoreline and covers 186 acres. From 1892-1900, the buildings of Springfield College began to come about, and the name was changed to Lake Massasoit by Springfield College officials. The name came from a local hotel, the Massasoit House, owned by Marvin Chapin, a generous benefactor of the college. In 1920, the college purchased a large area of land on the upper end of the pond, and called it the “Freshman Camp.” Since the college was formed, students, faculty and visitors have used the Pond for sailing, swimming, ice skating and fishing. However, the lake was officially closed for swimming in 1984 when the lake was said to be unhealthy. This is a digital photograph. The image was printed and a print copy was placed in a folder within the collection.