Pelham Lake Park
Each spring, we look forward to the ice being off of Pelham Lake and the snow disappearing and I thought it would be nice to remember Pelham Lake Park’s beginnings. The following was taken from The History of Rowe by Percy Whiting Brown and Nancy Newton Williams.
“On December 27, 1955 The Town of Rowe received a deed from Percy Whiting Brown for 485 acres of land, including parts of Todd and Adams Mountain, Pelham Lake, Mill Pond and the surrounding areas. This donation came with the following instructions: To be forever held in trust of the people of Rowe upon and subject to the following restrictions and covenants: that the premises herein donated and conveyed to the Town of Rowe (1) shall forever be kept for and as a town forest and park and for public recreation purposes, (2) shall forever be kept in their natural wild sate and as a sanctuary for wild beasts and birds. (3) that the use of firearms, trapping and hunting, not including fishing, shall forever be prohibited upon or within the same.”
A longtime friend of Rowe, Percy Brown purchased the old Foliated Talc property in 1927 and by 1928 had repaired the two dams and had the old talc mill demolished. Pelham Lake dam had been condemned in 1925, and the County Commissioners ordered the water drained. The townspeople tried unsuccessfully to save it. Percy Brown restored this wonderful resource to the townspeople. Piece by piece, he bought the adjoining land that makes up the full acreage of this gift.
On January 6, 1956, the town voted to accept the Brown property and established at the next election a three member park commission whose duties would be to administer and operate the town forest and park areas.
The first project, enlarging the swimming area, was completed with worker bees of townspeople and summer residents. Brush was replaced with hundreds of yards of fill and sand to make a beach with the help of time and trucks donated by local contractors. Twenty children took advantage of the first swimming lessons there.
At Old Home Day 1960 a Percy Brown Memorial was established on the point of land by the causeway, an area now known as Percy’s Point. Commemorating Percy’s gift is a large native stone with an attached bronze plaque.
Now more than 60 years later we have an expanded park that offers so much to those who visit. We can thank Percy Brown for his vision and love for the town we call home.
Text by Joanne Semanie. Photos from the Museum archive.