Pawtuckaway Lake Association

Dwight and Ellie Crow have provided the PLIA with a fascinating collection of letters from 1935-1936 that show how residents fought the Power Company from draining Pawtuckaway Lake every summer and eventually germinated the idea for the State Park. This may also have been the beginning stages of the Pawtuckaway Lake Improvement Assocation.

This entertaining collection of letters reveals the debate between the Power Company, The State of NH Planning & Development Commission, and a group of Pawtuckaway land owners. Residents included Dwight Crow Sr., Hans (John) Brustle, and Thomas Badger. These letters show the fight over lake water rights that raged during the mid-1930's.

The power company routinely drained the lake 16 feet during June and August to generate hydro-power from the Lamprey River in Newmarket. Local residents lobbied the State to change the lake from a reservoir for hydro-power to a recreational area.

These letters present a very interesting view of a time in NH's past where the economy was transitioning from lumber, light manufacturing, and water power to a vacation and recreation based economy.

These letters are best read in order from a) to k). You can find PDF files of the letters in the Downloads section of the web site in the Documents Folder under "Pre-Lake Association Letters". Or, click here to go directly to the files: Letters