Wednesday, September 1, 2021

'Turnback Tuesday' (on Wednesday) highlights naming of Lake Zoar

Turnback Tuesday shares the quest of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) in the naming of Lake Humphreys.

In 1921, the Gen. Humphreys Branch of the SAR announced the naming of the lake behind the Stevenson Dam was, in fact, named Lake Humphreys.

At this time, the SAR was a little ahead of themselves. The request had not reached the Connecticut House for approval until 1923, when the House refused to act on the bill to name it “Humphrey’s Lake” and left it to the towns to settle it.

Therefore, the lake to this day remains "Lake Zoar." Before the dam was built, there was a community on the corner of Newtown and Monroe called Zoar.

Thank you to John Babina of the Monroe Historical Society for his expert knowledge of Lake Zoar.


Thanks goes to the Derby Public Library staff for sharing interesting local history each week.

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