Significant hazard potential if failure occurs.
- No person shall operate a motorboat at a speed exceeding 10 MPH on Millville Lake in Salem, NH. SAF-C 402.50
- Operation of Skicraft - Division of Safety Services RSA 270:74
Millville Lake History
Beginnings
Millville Lake was created by the Arlington Textile Mills of Lawrence, MA in 1917 as storage reservoirs for the Mills. The lake was construct
ed on a branch of the Spicket River known as Flat Rock Brook (or Hitty T***y Brook) at a cost of about $60,000.00 and provided about 100,000,000 gallons of storage. Cottages began to be erected in the early 1920s. Henry Morrison was the first developer at the lake and is credited with changing the name from Hanagan's Pond. He created a dance hall on the lake called the Millville Lake Ballroom. After the dance hall burned lake residents, Ruth and William Seubert opened a variety store called Seubert's Store on the site. The dance hall and variety store were located at the current town beach area. Little Saugus
On the Grove Ave. side of the lake one encounters a large sign with the words "Little Saugus Recreation Field, Inc.. The 'Little Saugus' area has it's roots in 1945 at the Clam Shell tavern in Lynn Mass where Ernest Roy would delightfully tell the local French-American tradesmen about his great cottage on Millville Lake. Over the next ten years couples from Lynn bought plots, built cottages and dirt roads. The Little Saugus association was formed and the tradesmen erected a meeting hall in the neighboring field. Known as the 'Grove' to the residents of Grove, Woodland, Field and Lyndale Avenues many annual events were held. Among these were a fourth of July children's parade with cookout, costume parties and nightly volleyball games. Millville Lake Protective Association
Over the years, the quality of Millville Lake deteriorated. In August of 1980 the lake was considered to be in a eutrophic state. This is a condition where oxygen is consumed and bacterial pollution multiplies. Much of the problem though attributed to natural evolution was also blamed on the conversion of summer to year-round homes and poor home septic systems. The Millville Lake Protective Association was formed in May of 1981 to deal with dam repair and water quality issues. As original president Charles LaRoche stated in an Eagle-Tribune interview: "Improving the lake is what it's all about". After a period of inactivity the non-profit organization re-formed in 2000. In July of 2002 the MLPA won permission from town officials to make the beach available to Salem residents only. The aggreement forbid out-of-towners from using the beach unless they are guests of a Salem resident. Mudville
Click here for Steven Bingel's entertaining story, "Mudville", about his childhood experiences on Millville Lake.
