Crystal Lake: A Brief History
By Srdjan S. Nedeljkovic, Crystal Lake Task Force
September 23, 2009
An overview of Crystal Lake
Newton’s Crystal Lake is a 33-acre “great pond” located about 10 miles west of Boston Harbor and the Atlantic Ocean. A “great pond” in Massachusetts is defined as any pond or lake that contained more than 10 acres in its natural state. The location coordinates are 42.32 degrees north latitude and 71.20 degrees west longitude. The elevation of Crystal Lake is approximately 141 feet above sea level. In American colonial times, the name of this lake was Wiswall's Pond. In the 1800’s, the lake was one of three lakes in Newton used for ice harvesting, along with Bullough’s Pond and Chandler Pond. Known in the mid 1800’s as Baptist Pond, the lake had another name change to make the ice of the lake more attractive for sale for refrigeration, and the name was changed to Crystal Lake. The total volume of water in Crystal Lake is about 142 million gallons and the lake is 31 feet deep at its deepest point. It measures about 1200 feet from north to south and 1000 feet from east to west. The circumference of the lake is about one mile. The sources of water for Crystal Lake are rainwater and subterranean sources, which make the lake virtually one large spring. As for its outlet, there is a brook that passes under the railroad tracks east of the lake and then goes in a culvert on the south side of Paul Street. The brook then passes under Parker Street, Jackson Street, and Boylston Street, joining another brook at the Great South Meadow. From there, the water drains westward into the Charles in Newton Upper Falls, from which it flows to the ocean.
During the winter, Crystal Lake freezes over most reliably between January and February. However, the lake may freeze as early as the beginning of December and may remain frozen into early April. Although once commonly used for skating, the lake has not been utilized for skating in recent years as the city has shifted its skating resources over to Auburndale Cove instead. In the two decades between 1990 and 2009, Crystal Lake has frozen over for a minimum of 32 days (2001-02) to a maximum of 115 days (2002-03) during a winter season. The average date of ice-out for Crystal Lake in the first decade of the 2000’s (March 16) has been about 10 days later than ice out in the 1990’s (March 6). The latest ice-out since 1886 to the present (2009) likely occurred in 1926, when ice out happened between April 10 and April 14.
Early History of the Lake
With the settlement of Massachusetts by the British, in 1634 John Haynes was granted 1000 acres of land in the area including Crystal Lake and extending to Newton Upper Falls. Haynes later went on to become the governor of the colony and then moved to Connecticut, where he also served as governor. The land owned by Haynes was leased first by Captain Thomas Prentice and then by Thomas Wiswall, who purchased 300 acres of the Haynes land holdings and who was the first actual settler on the property. Wiswall built his house in 1654 on the Dedham Trail, which is now known as Centre Street, on the south side of the lake near present-day Paul Street. What is now Newton was then administratively part of Cambridge. Wiswall worked to make Newton a separate community and distinct from Cambridge, donating some of his land for a meetinghouse so that people would not need to walk to Cambridge to worship. Wiswall died in 1683. For many years, his was the only house in the immediate area, and the pond next to it became known as Wiswall’s Pond. The Wiswall family were active in colonial Massachusetts and took part in the Revolutionary War. The original Wiswall house was taken down in 1744.
The north side of the Lake was granted to Jonathan Hyde, whose house was located between Commonwealth Avenue and Homer Street. Hyde was a road builder and laid out a road from Centre Street north of the Lake to near present-day Lake Avenue. The road was one rod wide, or 16.5 feet. One of his 21 children, a son by the name of Samuel Hyde built a house on Moreland Avenue in 1702. His estate passed to the Blanden family in 1725. The Hyde and Wiswall houses were the only dwellings in the vicinity of Crystal Lake during the time of the Revolutionary War.
In the early 1800’s, the Wiswall estate passed to the Paul family and the Blanden estate was subdivided into a number of smaller parcels. Stagecoaches began running between Newton Upper Falls and Boston passing the Lake as they went via Newton Centre. In the early 1850’s, the railroad between Boston and Newton Upper Falls was constructed, later called the Charles River Railroad. The railroad was used to transport fill and gravel from the Needham flats to Boston’s Back Bay in the late 1800’s, with trains moving along the line 24 hours per day. The Charles River line was later acquired by the Boston and Albany Railroad and in 1882, the Riverside branch opened via Newton Highlands. This led to a significant building boom over the next several decades, during which many of the houses were built in the village. A number of private schools also arose near the Lake in the mid-1800’s. In 1781, descendant of Thomas Wiswall gave a parcel of land near the lake to the Baptist community. A Baptist meetinghouse was erected between Centre Street and the Lake, near the site of old Rogers Road and Centre Street. In 1836, a new church was built on the corner of Beacon and Centre Streets. The present-day Baptist Church was built in 1887 on the site of the older church. Designed by John Lyman Faxon, it was built in the Richardsonian Romanesque Style. The pond which had been known as Wiswall’s Pond was briefly called Silver Lake and then became known as Baptist Pond in the late 1800’s, as the First Baptist Church used the pond for its baptisms.
The Newton Centre Improvement Association was established in 1878 by a group of citizens who were interested in improving the public facilities in Newton Centre. As such, the group was instrumental in creating the Newton Centre Playground in the 1890s, hiring Frederick Law Olmstead to lay out the grounds. The group also took interest in matters related to the Lake in the late 1800’s. In 1863, a seawall and gas lighting were put in place at Cronin’s Cove and in 1883, the embankment on Lake Avenue was constructed. The gas lighting was used for winter nighttime ice skating. In those days, the annual celebration of the July 4th holiday was held at Crystal Lake, with people gathering on the Lake Avenue embankment and enjoying water sports, a band concert, and a fireworks display. Canoes and rowboats were common on the Lake and public swimming became established in the remote southern corner. In the late 1800’s, skating and ice hockey were popular sports on the lake, with these activities also taking place on winter nights. In 1871, the Commissioners on Inland Fisheries leased the lake to a group from Newton including its first mayor, J.F.C. Hyde and began stocking the Lake with black bass, then later salmon, and still later perch. With all of these activities taking place, the Improvement Association began to explore options to build a public bathhouse on the lake. Meanwhile, between 1904 and 1907, the railroad tracks were lowered as at-grade crossings were eliminated in Newton. Rogers Street was moved to its current location crossing over the railroad tracks, eliminating the old Rogers Street that traversed the present-day bathhouse property and connected to Lake Avenue near the present day intersection of Rogers Street and Lake Avenue. The Newton sewer system was built in 1891, resulting in a significant lowering of water levels at the Lake. Both the lowering of the railroad and the building of the sewer system led to a reduction in water levels at the Lake.
The Crystal Lake Ice House existed near the corner of Centre Street and Norwood Avenue. The name “Crystal Lake” was given to many ponds in the late 1800’s to make their ice sound appealing to customers who purchased it throughout the year. Originally, ice harvesting started in the early 1800’s, when the land near the lake was owned by the Paul family. The ice harvesting business was taken over by George Ellis and it operated into the 1930’s. Just off of Norwood Avenue, across the street from Ellis’s house, was the site of a building for an ice harvesting business in the 1850’s until it burned down in 1915 when its insulating materials caught fire. However, the Crystal Lake Ice Company continued to function afterwards until the 1930’s. The ice was harvested in the winter and packed in sawdust which kept it frozen throughout the year. Ice was delivered door-to-door using horse-drawn wagons and tongs to assist homeowners with refrigeration in the days before electric systems were in place. The first electric refrigerators that were built in 1915 were expensive, costing $900, which was the price of an automobile in those days.
Otherwise, the late 1800’s and early 1900’s witnessed the building of many of the existing houses surrounding the Lake and in its immediate neighborhood. Some of their inhabitants traveled by train to jobs in Boston. Occupations such as “bookkeeper,” “cashier,” and “salesman” were common. Many houses were listed in the name of the wife in the household, probably to protect the homestead from lawsuits and bankruptcy if the business of the husband were to fail. Challenges were made over the jurisdiction of the Lake. In 1908, in response to a claim by the estate of the Lake’s original owner, John Haynes, the matter was settled when the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled that Crystal Lake was and shall remain in the public domain.
In 1874, there were just 3 houses around Crystal Lake. The house owned by Moses Crane was built in 1860 and is at 219 Lake Avenue, on the corner of Lake Avenue and Rogers Street. Crane, who was a mechanical engineer, owned the land where the present-day bathhouse sits. In the late 1800’s, this was the site of a machine shop and factory that made fire alarms and telegraphs, sending them via the rail line to Boston and elsewhere. Moses Crane and his wife Emeline also owned the land on the lake directly across from their house. This parcel, consisting of 21,950 sq ft of land, was donated to the city of Newton in 1894 and later became known as Levingston Cove. At the start of the 1900’s, the focal point of community activity was on the north side of the lake adjacent to Lake Avenue, at what would later become known as Cronin’s Cove. It was at that location that an embankment had been built at a cost of $500 that “reserved to the public a very accessible part of the shore.” Cronin’s cove was named after baseball player Joe Cronin, who lived near the cove that would bear his name. Joseph Cronin (1906-1984) played for the Boston Red Sox from 1935 to 1945, also served as manager of the club from 1935 to 1947, and then continued as general manager until 1959. He was president of baseball’s American League from 1959 to 1973. Joseph and Mildred Cronin lived at 77 Lake Avenue, on the corner of Lake Avenue and Laurel Street from the time their Colonial style house was built by Cedar Building Corporation in 1939 until they sold the property to David and Diana Reisen for $120,000 in 1975.
On the railroad side of the lake, passenger service on the trains began to run from Newton Upper Falls to Boston via Needham in 1911, as there was an effort to promote development in Needham. Newton Upper Falls maintained passenger service on the line until 1927. The last steam locomotives used the Boston and Albany Railroad in 1958. On July 4, 1959, the Riverside line was opened for passenger trolley service. Since then, trolley cars and then light rail vehicles using pantographs have rolled past Crystal Lake transporting thousands of passengers daily past the Lake.
Municipal History of Public Bathing at Crystal Lake
In 1916, a private bathhouse was built for swimmers at Crystal Lake on the south shore of the lake on land belonging to George Miller and Charles Hatch, formerly that of the Crane estate near what was the Newton South Storage Company building at the time. Advocacy groups, supporters, and opponents of having the city construct a public bathhouse debated the issue from 1916 to 1930. In 1917, Newton’s Board of Aldermen appointed a special committee to consider the need for a bathing facility near Newton Centre and Newton Highlands. The committee was to survey the community for their opinion on the need for such a facility. In addition, the committee was to consider whether a bathhouse should be built on the shores of Crystal Lake or whether a public swimming pool should be built in the Newton Centre playground. Being that this was during World War I, the committee concluded that public funds should not be used to acquire land or build a bathing facility during a time of war.
In the early 1900’s, a bathhouse had been erected for use by the public on the land of George Miller and C.W. Hatch and was maintained by the city. In 1916, the supervision of this bathhouse was transferred to the Playgrounds Commission. Meanwhile, some of the residents near Crystal Lake were bothered by the nuisances related to public swimming at the lake and were prepared to seek legal counsel as a result. The Playgrounds Commission submitted a petition recommending that the city purchase land at the lake and construct a new bathhouse. At a public meeting, however, 24 voted in favor of having a public bathhouse at Crystal Lake and 40 voted against the petition. The Newton Highlands Improvement Association held a second meeting in late 1916, with the majority of attendees expressing their opposition to having a public beach or bathhouse at Crystal Lake. However, there continued to be an interest in promoting swimming in the Lake and in 1917, the mayor of Newton presented a petition with 599 signatures asking for a resumption of bathing at Crystal Lake and an appropriation to purchase land and build a new bathhouse. It was noted that over 15,000 swimmers used Crystal Lake during the summer season of 1916, beginning July 9 and ending September 23.
The debate continued for a number of years, with the final recommendation of the aldermanic committee in June, 1918 being neither to build a swimming pool in Newton Centre nor a bath house at Crystal Lake. Instead, the committee opted to endorse having public swimming along the Charles River. It was felt that building a new bathhouse in Newton Highlands and encouraging swimming at the lake would have an undesirable effect on the neighborhood, would lower property values, and would generally be a nuisance. The minority, however, supported a new bathhouse at Crystal Lake, one that was architecturally harmonious with the neighborhood. The minority report, which was written by George Angier, concluded that should a new bathhouse be built, the use of the facility should be limited to residents of Newton who were willing to comply with rules established by the Playground Commission. The Newton Centre Civic Association, in their 1911 “Historical Sketch of Crystal Lake” suggested that the city acquire additional land westward from the bathhouse area to the cove donated by the Crane family to the city.
The current Crystal Lake Bathhouse was built in 1930 and designed by a local architect, Herbert Colby. The bathhouse was constructed in stucco in a Spanish eclectic style with an arcaded porch facing the water and an entry with a curved parapet facing the street. During its first year of operation, in 1930 there were 215,000 summer visitors and 80,000 winter skaters on the lake. Tickets were issued that were valid for one hour. In its early years, the bathhouse was used during the winter as a popular facility for ice skating. During World War II, night-time ice skating was discontinued on the lake due to dim-out regulations. The city encouraged servicemen stationed at Boston College to use the lake for swimming. In the 1940’s, a path existed which allowed people to walk completely around the lake. The strong tradition of ice skating on Crystal Lake continued into the 1950’s, as the 1956 Olympic Gold Medalist in figure skating, Tenley Albright who was born in Newton Centre, practiced skating on the lake. Dr. Albright later went to Harvard Medical School and became a general surgeon. The bathhouse had restrooms, locker rooms, showers, and a recreation room. In the later years of the 20th century, the bathhouse was known as the Gil Champagne bathhouse.
Recent History of Crystal Lake
As noted, even in the early 1900’s, the Newton Centre Improvement Association envisioned that the entire south side of Crystal Lake would be used for public recreational purposes. The land between the railroad, the site of the bathhouse facility, and the cove donated by Moses and Emeline Crane to the city was described as open space in their 1911 “Historical Sketch of Crystal Lake.” Although the land immediately adjacent to the railroad became the site of the 1930 Colby-designed bathhouse and later its concrete block addition, the two parcels between the bathhouse and the cove passed into private hands. A colonial-style house was constructed at 20 Rogers Street in 1924. The parcel at 20 Rogers Street, which consisted of 44,429 square feet of land passed by deed from Lucy A. Adalian to William E. Waterhouse in 1927, and then from George M. Paulson to M. David Freedman in 1959. The property then was sold to Joseph and Virginia Viola in 1983 for a sum of $245,000.
In August 2002, the property was acquired by Patrick Hannon for a sum of $3,000,000. However, foreclosure proceedings were commenced against the owner in 2006 due to a lien related to the mortgage on the property. A number of battles ensued between Mr. Hannon and city officials over issues such as the right to drive a snowmobile on the lake, plans to tear down the house on the property after two fires, and quality of the water at the public beach. At one point, the argument forced a temporary shutdown of an aerator designed to remove contamination from the water. Hannon informed the city that he had an offer to sell the property for use as a camp. When the alleged deal fell through, Hannon vowed to build an affordable housing complex on the site. Mr. Hannon then attempted to sell the property for $4,500,000 but was unsuccessful. In 2007, the City of Newton acted on an order to repair the retaining wall between the 20 Rogers Street property and the public beach at the lake. In 2006, the Newton Parks and Recreation Commission voted to recommend that the City use CPA funds to acquire the private property at 20 Rogers Street in order to expand the public swimming and recreation area. Upon the recommendation of the Community Preservation Committee, the Mayor of Newton, and in the opinion of the Board of Aldermen, the property was acquired by the City of Newton by eminent domain in May 2007. A sum of $2,300,000 was provided to Mr. Hannon. In January 2008, the colonial style house on the 20 Rogers Street property was demolished.
The parcel at 230 Lake Avenue has also been privately owned, originally measuring 23,432 square feet. In 1921, a house was built in the Italianate style by noted Boston architect Henry Keyes. The house was known for its Italian marble foyer with circular staircase and sun-filled parlor with massive fireplace. The dining room’s muraled walls were another of this home’s distinctive features. The property was deeded to Marlene Goralnick until 1959, at which time it passed to the ownership of Janusz and Lorraine Sciegienny. After Janusz’s passing in 2005, the property was put for sale. Initially priced at $2.5 million, it was sold in 2008 for $1.9 million in a three-way transaction that involved sale of the house and 15,032 square ft lot to a private owner, Semyon Dukach, and sale of the remaining 8,400 feet adjacent to the 20 Rogers parcel to the City, which paid $875,000 to the new owner of 230 Lake Avenue to acquire a portion of the lot for public use. With this transaction, most of the grove of cedar trees and a portion of a landscaped fountain and patio that were part of the 230 Lake Avenue property were deeded to the City under a conservation restriction, such that the deeded lot is to be kept in its natural state. In addition, the city was granted an easement for a public path along the Lake from several feet behind an existing stone wall adjacent to the waterline extending 10-15 feet back towards the house at 230 Lake Avenue and Lake Avenue itself. This public pathway will connect the City property at Levingston Cove to the newly acquired public lands on the eastern part of 230 Lake Avenue and extending to the 20 Rogers Street parcel and the bathhouse. As part of the agreement between the private owner and the city, the owner of 230 Lake Avenue agreed to maintain the existing fountain with minimal disruption to the city parcel under the conservation restriction.
As city officials were debating whether to purchase additional property related to 20 Rogers Street and the sale of 230 Lake Avenue, community based advocacy was instrumental in securing the addition of more land for the park. One such group advocating for acquiring all or part of 20 Rogers Street and 230 Lake Avenue to create a contiguous park on the south shore of Crystal Lake was “Better Lake” headed by local architect Robert Fizek. The Crystal Lake Conservancy, which included Robert Fizek, Janice Bourque, Barbara Wales, Schuyler Larrabee and Srdjan S. Nedeljkovic continued to advocate for acquiring 230 Lake Avenue after the Rogers Street parcel was taken by the city by eminent domain. Eventually, after several contentious meetings at the Board of Aldermen, the solution outlined above was the result.
Between 2007 and 2009, a group appointed by Mayor David Cohen, the Crystal Lake Task Force engaged in a process to evaluate and recommend a master plan for the newly enlarged public land holdings at Crystal Lake. Headed by Janice Bourque and with the assistance of architectural consultants RDA Architects and Marion Pressley for landscape design, the Crystal Lake Task Force held monthly meetings during 2007-2009 and participated in other community outreach in developing a proposal for a newly expanded bathhouse and park at Crystal Lake. In September 2009, the Task Force presented a plan for further consideration that included demolition of the existing bathhouse that dates from 1930. A minority opinion offered an option that would involve preserving the original lakeside portion of the building, renovating it, and constructing an addition. Both plans call for a reconfiguration of the 24-space parking lot and for an expanded beach area. The new Crystal Lake Park will be connected to Levingston Cove by a pedestrian easement along the lake through the 230 Lake Avenue parcel. It is envisioned that the facility will be available for year-round use.
Regulatory History of Crystal Lake
Crystal Lake is classified as a “Great Pond,” being a body of water in Massachusetts greater than 10 acres. It is 33 acres in size and is state owned, as are all such “great ponds” in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. In the late 1800’s the City of Newton acquired two parcels of land next to the Lake, with one donated by Moses and Emeline Crane and the other adjacent to the Lake Avenue embankment. Currently, there are 18 direct private property abutters to Crystal Lake and the lake can be accessed on three sides, with the fourth side being the MBTA railroad right of way. There are three city-owned properties on Crystal Lake. These include the parcel that consists of the bathhouse, the 40 Rogers Street parcel and a portion of the 230 Lake Avenue parcel. The other two properties are the land at Louise Levingston cove and the site of Cronin’s cove.
As a “great pond,” the public has access to Crystal Lake via city-owned property. According to statute, Crystal Lake “shall be public for the purpose of hunting or boating and shall be open to all inhabitants of the commonwealth for fishing purposes. All persons shall be allowed reasonable means of access to such points for the purposes aforesaid.” The Newton Parks and Recreation Commission has the sole authority to regulate the use of Crystal Lake for swimming, boating, and fishing (Chapeter 243, rules of 1924). The commission “may from time to time make rules and regulations governing boating, bathing, skating, and other recreational activities on Crystal Lake.”
Per Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 131, section 45, Crystal Lake is required to be open to the public for purposes of “hunting, fishing, and boating.” In 1991, the rules governing the use of Crystal Lake were updated by the Massachusetts Department of Fisheries and Wildlife again reconfirming that the Newton Parks and Recreation Commission must to allow public access to the lake for boating and fishing. Three sets of regulations govern the use of Crystal Lake: the “Special Act” (1924), the “Rules and Regulations” of the Newton Playground Commission (1929), and the “Rules and Regulations for Boating and Fishing on Crystal Lake” (1991).
The Act of 1924, Chapter 243, is “An Act Relative to the Control of Crystal Lake in the City of Newton.” This statute authorized the City’s Playground Commission (now the City’s Parks and Recreation Commission) to make rules and regulations governing fishing, boating, bathing, skating, and other recreational activities on Crystal Lake. Enforcement was proscribed such that “any police officer may patrol the lake and shall have authority to arrest any person violating any rule or regulation established under this Act.” Fines for transgression of the Act of 1924 were “not more than twenty dollars.”
In 1929, the Newton Playground Commission set forth “Rules and Regulations for the Government and Use of Crystal Lake.” Of the rules, rule #1 states that “no person shall enter or leave Crystal Lake except at beaches where the City owns the land, or at other designated places.” The rule continues to state that “All inhabitants have equal rights, subject to payment of charges fixed under these rules.” An exception allowing use of the lake was made for abutters, their guests and servants on their own respective beaches. Rules #8 and #13 indicate that bathing “is limited to ‘ticket holders’ and that “all bathers must use facilities provided by the City of Newton” when bathing. It was established that “no person shall bathe except in proper costume, and at designated place, or bathe in any other seasons or hours than are posted at designated beach.” Perhaps in order to satisfy the needs to the neighborhood, many of whom had voted against having a bathing facility at Crystal Lake because it may create a “nuisance” in the neighborhood, the 1929 statute established a code of conduct at the Lake. Those using the Lake may not “annoy another person, utter profane of threatening language, drink liquor or play any game of chance, lie down or go to sleep on a bench or a boat, and play any musical instrument.” There was a focus on using the Lake as a facility to teach children how to swim and therefore, bathing until 6 PM was “restricted to children and to parents or guardians having young people in their charge.” After 6 PM, older people were permitted to bathe, subject to using the bathhouse for dressing, showers before entering the lake, and a time limit of one hour per day. Skating was permitted on Crystal Lake, but only on days posted and at places designated by ropes or lanterns. Hockey was not permitted except in specially marked areas. As for boating, the 1929 rules allowed boating only with a written permit from the Newton Playground Commission. Boats were not allowed to exceed a speed of 8 miles per hour. No fishing was allowed from December 1 until June 30.
In 1991, the regulations affecting Crystal Lake were updated by the Massachusetts Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Environmental Law Enforcement agency. The 1991 “Rules and Regulations” supercede any inconsistent rules from 1929. The rules reinforce that access to Crystal Lake for boating and fishing is allowed, with the public access point being Cronin’s Cove. “All boats must be put in the water by hand at the designated area on Cronin’s Cove. Boats may not be put in the lake from any other site, except for boats belonging to owners or property abutting the lake, which may be launched from the abutter’s property.” However, swimming from boats is prohibited. The types of boats allowed to use Crystal Lake include car top boats, canoes, kayaks, rowboats, wind surfers, and inflatable boats with a carrying capacity greater than 300 pounds. Motor boats are permitted only if the have electric motors that do not exceed 3 horsepower or 30 pounds of thrust. Specifically forbidden are the use of jet skis, crew sculls, water skiing, and boats with internal combustion engines. However, the 1991 rules state that with regards to boats, “cities and towns cannot prohibit all motorized access, thus allowing unobtrusive and non-polluting engines.” The landing of boats on private property is forbidden, except by abutters on their own property. Boats may not be moored after dusk and boating activities may not interfere with access to the lake at any point. The number of boats in the lake at any given time is limited to 20. Boats must be equipped with personal flotation devices for each person on board and these must be worn at all times. No person under age 12 is allowed to operate a boat unaccompanied and boating is not allowed in buoyed swimming areas, near the aerator, or within 150 feet from the bathing beach. Those who engage in fishing on Crystal Lake must have a valid license. Scuba fishing and spear fishing is prohibited. Ice fishing is prohibited when the ice is determined unsafe for skating and also prohibited in areas planned for skating. The 1991 code of conduct includes prohibitions against littering, stone thowing, the use of firecrackers, gambling, drug use, obscene language, alcoholic beverages, fires and grilling on public lands or in boats, and the thowing of cigarettes and matches. The rules stipulated that City of Newton police and Newton Parks and Recreation officials shall enforce these rules. Violations are subject to a $50 fine, payable to the City of Newton. State laws are enforced by the Director of the Division of Law Enforcement of the Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Environmental Enforcement and can be enforced by Environmental Police Officers and State Police, who may impose a fine of $50 for violations.
The 1929 rules continue to be in effect with regards to swimming in Crystal Lake. The rules state that “No person shall enter or leave Crystal Lake except at beaches where the City owns the land or at such other places as the Parks and Recreation Commission may specially designate.” The rules further state that the Commission “may regulate access, season, days, and hours for swimming. Swimming is limited to ticket holders, but tickets are available to all inhabitants of the Commonwealth.”
Currently, the Newton Parks and Recreation Department provides seasonal swim permits. These are available only for Newton residents and are valid at both Crystal Lake and the Gath Pool. Daily swim permits may be purchased by non-Newton residents as well. Lessons are offered for swimming to children, and those under age 18 must sign in at the bathhouse. Proper bathing attire is necessary for swimming, with no street clothes allowed. Children must pass a swim test to swim in deep areas. No diapers, snorkels, fins, masks, inner tubes, or inflated toys are allowed. Also not permitted are beach chairs, umbrellas, baby carriages, blankets, or glass containers on the beach. The rules prohibit dogs, food, drink, alcohol, drugs, ball games, or activities that involve jumping. The beach season generally lasts from mid June to late August, with hours from 10:30 AM to dusk on weekdays and 1 PM to dusk on weekends. Currently, there are no provisions that allow for swimming in the Lake prior to or after the official swim season at the bathhouse. Similarly, there are no provisions that allow swimming in the Lake to non-abutters from access points other than at the bathhouse.
References:
A Comprehensive Historical Sketch of Crystal Lake. Newton Centre Improvement Association, Stetson Press, Boston, 1911.
City of Newton Report of Special Committee of the Board of Aldermen on Bathing Facilities at Crystal Lake and Other Parts of Newton, The Graphic Press, Printers, June 24, 1918.
Ice Out at Crystal Lake, by Srdjan S. Nedeljkovic, Newton Highlands, March 2009.
Newton Highlands Neighborhood Council, Crystal Lake Information and Regulations. Community meeting held at the Hyde Center, May 26, 2004.
A Stroll Around Crystal Lake, by Lucy Caldwell-Stair, Newton Historical Society, Newton History Museum, June 2006.
September 23, 2009
An overview of Crystal Lake
Newton’s Crystal Lake is a 33-acre “great pond” located about 10 miles west of Boston Harbor and the Atlantic Ocean. A “great pond” in Massachusetts is defined as any pond or lake that contained more than 10 acres in its natural state. The location coordinates are 42.32 degrees north latitude and 71.20 degrees west longitude. The elevation of Crystal Lake is approximately 141 feet above sea level. In American colonial times, the name of this lake was Wiswall's Pond. In the 1800’s, the lake was one of three lakes in Newton used for ice harvesting, along with Bullough’s Pond and Chandler Pond. Known in the mid 1800’s as Baptist Pond, the lake had another name change to make the ice of the lake more attractive for sale for refrigeration, and the name was changed to Crystal Lake. The total volume of water in Crystal Lake is about 142 million gallons and the lake is 31 feet deep at its deepest point. It measures about 1200 feet from north to south and 1000 feet from east to west. The circumference of the lake is about one mile. The sources of water for Crystal Lake are rainwater and subterranean sources, which make the lake virtually one large spring. As for its outlet, there is a brook that passes under the railroad tracks east of the lake and then goes in a culvert on the south side of Paul Street. The brook then passes under Parker Street, Jackson Street, and Boylston Street, joining another brook at the Great South Meadow. From there, the water drains westward into the Charles in Newton Upper Falls, from which it flows to the ocean.
During the winter, Crystal Lake freezes over most reliably between January and February. However, the lake may freeze as early as the beginning of December and may remain frozen into early April. Although once commonly used for skating, the lake has not been utilized for skating in recent years as the city has shifted its skating resources over to Auburndale Cove instead. In the two decades between 1990 and 2009, Crystal Lake has frozen over for a minimum of 32 days (2001-02) to a maximum of 115 days (2002-03) during a winter season. The average date of ice-out for Crystal Lake in the first decade of the 2000’s (March 16) has been about 10 days later than ice out in the 1990’s (March 6). The latest ice-out since 1886 to the present (2009) likely occurred in 1926, when ice out happened between April 10 and April 14.
Early History of the Lake
With the settlement of Massachusetts by the British, in 1634 John Haynes was granted 1000 acres of land in the area including Crystal Lake and extending to Newton Upper Falls. Haynes later went on to become the governor of the colony and then moved to Connecticut, where he also served as governor. The land owned by Haynes was leased first by Captain Thomas Prentice and then by Thomas Wiswall, who purchased 300 acres of the Haynes land holdings and who was the first actual settler on the property. Wiswall built his house in 1654 on the Dedham Trail, which is now known as Centre Street, on the south side of the lake near present-day Paul Street. What is now Newton was then administratively part of Cambridge. Wiswall worked to make Newton a separate community and distinct from Cambridge, donating some of his land for a meetinghouse so that people would not need to walk to Cambridge to worship. Wiswall died in 1683. For many years, his was the only house in the immediate area, and the pond next to it became known as Wiswall’s Pond. The Wiswall family were active in colonial Massachusetts and took part in the Revolutionary War. The original Wiswall house was taken down in 1744.
The north side of the Lake was granted to Jonathan Hyde, whose house was located between Commonwealth Avenue and Homer Street. Hyde was a road builder and laid out a road from Centre Street north of the Lake to near present-day Lake Avenue. The road was one rod wide, or 16.5 feet. One of his 21 children, a son by the name of Samuel Hyde built a house on Moreland Avenue in 1702. His estate passed to the Blanden family in 1725. The Hyde and Wiswall houses were the only dwellings in the vicinity of Crystal Lake during the time of the Revolutionary War.
In the early 1800’s, the Wiswall estate passed to the Paul family and the Blanden estate was subdivided into a number of smaller parcels. Stagecoaches began running between Newton Upper Falls and Boston passing the Lake as they went via Newton Centre. In the early 1850’s, the railroad between Boston and Newton Upper Falls was constructed, later called the Charles River Railroad. The railroad was used to transport fill and gravel from the Needham flats to Boston’s Back Bay in the late 1800’s, with trains moving along the line 24 hours per day. The Charles River line was later acquired by the Boston and Albany Railroad and in 1882, the Riverside branch opened via Newton Highlands. This led to a significant building boom over the next several decades, during which many of the houses were built in the village. A number of private schools also arose near the Lake in the mid-1800’s. In 1781, descendant of Thomas Wiswall gave a parcel of land near the lake to the Baptist community. A Baptist meetinghouse was erected between Centre Street and the Lake, near the site of old Rogers Road and Centre Street. In 1836, a new church was built on the corner of Beacon and Centre Streets. The present-day Baptist Church was built in 1887 on the site of the older church. Designed by John Lyman Faxon, it was built in the Richardsonian Romanesque Style. The pond which had been known as Wiswall’s Pond was briefly called Silver Lake and then became known as Baptist Pond in the late 1800’s, as the First Baptist Church used the pond for its baptisms.
The Newton Centre Improvement Association was established in 1878 by a group of citizens who were interested in improving the public facilities in Newton Centre. As such, the group was instrumental in creating the Newton Centre Playground in the 1890s, hiring Frederick Law Olmstead to lay out the grounds. The group also took interest in matters related to the Lake in the late 1800’s. In 1863, a seawall and gas lighting were put in place at Cronin’s Cove and in 1883, the embankment on Lake Avenue was constructed. The gas lighting was used for winter nighttime ice skating. In those days, the annual celebration of the July 4th holiday was held at Crystal Lake, with people gathering on the Lake Avenue embankment and enjoying water sports, a band concert, and a fireworks display. Canoes and rowboats were common on the Lake and public swimming became established in the remote southern corner. In the late 1800’s, skating and ice hockey were popular sports on the lake, with these activities also taking place on winter nights. In 1871, the Commissioners on Inland Fisheries leased the lake to a group from Newton including its first mayor, J.F.C. Hyde and began stocking the Lake with black bass, then later salmon, and still later perch. With all of these activities taking place, the Improvement Association began to explore options to build a public bathhouse on the lake. Meanwhile, between 1904 and 1907, the railroad tracks were lowered as at-grade crossings were eliminated in Newton. Rogers Street was moved to its current location crossing over the railroad tracks, eliminating the old Rogers Street that traversed the present-day bathhouse property and connected to Lake Avenue near the present day intersection of Rogers Street and Lake Avenue. The Newton sewer system was built in 1891, resulting in a significant lowering of water levels at the Lake. Both the lowering of the railroad and the building of the sewer system led to a reduction in water levels at the Lake.
The Crystal Lake Ice House existed near the corner of Centre Street and Norwood Avenue. The name “Crystal Lake” was given to many ponds in the late 1800’s to make their ice sound appealing to customers who purchased it throughout the year. Originally, ice harvesting started in the early 1800’s, when the land near the lake was owned by the Paul family. The ice harvesting business was taken over by George Ellis and it operated into the 1930’s. Just off of Norwood Avenue, across the street from Ellis’s house, was the site of a building for an ice harvesting business in the 1850’s until it burned down in 1915 when its insulating materials caught fire. However, the Crystal Lake Ice Company continued to function afterwards until the 1930’s. The ice was harvested in the winter and packed in sawdust which kept it frozen throughout the year. Ice was delivered door-to-door using horse-drawn wagons and tongs to assist homeowners with refrigeration in the days before electric systems were in place. The first electric refrigerators that were built in 1915 were expensive, costing $900, which was the price of an automobile in those days.
Otherwise, the late 1800’s and early 1900’s witnessed the building of many of the existing houses surrounding the Lake and in its immediate neighborhood. Some of their inhabitants traveled by train to jobs in Boston. Occupations such as “bookkeeper,” “cashier,” and “salesman” were common. Many houses were listed in the name of the wife in the household, probably to protect the homestead from lawsuits and bankruptcy if the business of the husband were to fail. Challenges were made over the jurisdiction of the Lake. In 1908, in response to a claim by the estate of the Lake’s original owner, John Haynes, the matter was settled when the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled that Crystal Lake was and shall remain in the public domain.
In 1874, there were just 3 houses around Crystal Lake. The house owned by Moses Crane was built in 1860 and is at 219 Lake Avenue, on the corner of Lake Avenue and Rogers Street. Crane, who was a mechanical engineer, owned the land where the present-day bathhouse sits. In the late 1800’s, this was the site of a machine shop and factory that made fire alarms and telegraphs, sending them via the rail line to Boston and elsewhere. Moses Crane and his wife Emeline also owned the land on the lake directly across from their house. This parcel, consisting of 21,950 sq ft of land, was donated to the city of Newton in 1894 and later became known as Levingston Cove. At the start of the 1900’s, the focal point of community activity was on the north side of the lake adjacent to Lake Avenue, at what would later become known as Cronin’s Cove. It was at that location that an embankment had been built at a cost of $500 that “reserved to the public a very accessible part of the shore.” Cronin’s cove was named after baseball player Joe Cronin, who lived near the cove that would bear his name. Joseph Cronin (1906-1984) played for the Boston Red Sox from 1935 to 1945, also served as manager of the club from 1935 to 1947, and then continued as general manager until 1959. He was president of baseball’s American League from 1959 to 1973. Joseph and Mildred Cronin lived at 77 Lake Avenue, on the corner of Lake Avenue and Laurel Street from the time their Colonial style house was built by Cedar Building Corporation in 1939 until they sold the property to David and Diana Reisen for $120,000 in 1975.
On the railroad side of the lake, passenger service on the trains began to run from Newton Upper Falls to Boston via Needham in 1911, as there was an effort to promote development in Needham. Newton Upper Falls maintained passenger service on the line until 1927. The last steam locomotives used the Boston and Albany Railroad in 1958. On July 4, 1959, the Riverside line was opened for passenger trolley service. Since then, trolley cars and then light rail vehicles using pantographs have rolled past Crystal Lake transporting thousands of passengers daily past the Lake.
Municipal History of Public Bathing at Crystal Lake
In 1916, a private bathhouse was built for swimmers at Crystal Lake on the south shore of the lake on land belonging to George Miller and Charles Hatch, formerly that of the Crane estate near what was the Newton South Storage Company building at the time. Advocacy groups, supporters, and opponents of having the city construct a public bathhouse debated the issue from 1916 to 1930. In 1917, Newton’s Board of Aldermen appointed a special committee to consider the need for a bathing facility near Newton Centre and Newton Highlands. The committee was to survey the community for their opinion on the need for such a facility. In addition, the committee was to consider whether a bathhouse should be built on the shores of Crystal Lake or whether a public swimming pool should be built in the Newton Centre playground. Being that this was during World War I, the committee concluded that public funds should not be used to acquire land or build a bathing facility during a time of war.
In the early 1900’s, a bathhouse had been erected for use by the public on the land of George Miller and C.W. Hatch and was maintained by the city. In 1916, the supervision of this bathhouse was transferred to the Playgrounds Commission. Meanwhile, some of the residents near Crystal Lake were bothered by the nuisances related to public swimming at the lake and were prepared to seek legal counsel as a result. The Playgrounds Commission submitted a petition recommending that the city purchase land at the lake and construct a new bathhouse. At a public meeting, however, 24 voted in favor of having a public bathhouse at Crystal Lake and 40 voted against the petition. The Newton Highlands Improvement Association held a second meeting in late 1916, with the majority of attendees expressing their opposition to having a public beach or bathhouse at Crystal Lake. However, there continued to be an interest in promoting swimming in the Lake and in 1917, the mayor of Newton presented a petition with 599 signatures asking for a resumption of bathing at Crystal Lake and an appropriation to purchase land and build a new bathhouse. It was noted that over 15,000 swimmers used Crystal Lake during the summer season of 1916, beginning July 9 and ending September 23.
The debate continued for a number of years, with the final recommendation of the aldermanic committee in June, 1918 being neither to build a swimming pool in Newton Centre nor a bath house at Crystal Lake. Instead, the committee opted to endorse having public swimming along the Charles River. It was felt that building a new bathhouse in Newton Highlands and encouraging swimming at the lake would have an undesirable effect on the neighborhood, would lower property values, and would generally be a nuisance. The minority, however, supported a new bathhouse at Crystal Lake, one that was architecturally harmonious with the neighborhood. The minority report, which was written by George Angier, concluded that should a new bathhouse be built, the use of the facility should be limited to residents of Newton who were willing to comply with rules established by the Playground Commission. The Newton Centre Civic Association, in their 1911 “Historical Sketch of Crystal Lake” suggested that the city acquire additional land westward from the bathhouse area to the cove donated by the Crane family to the city.
The current Crystal Lake Bathhouse was built in 1930 and designed by a local architect, Herbert Colby. The bathhouse was constructed in stucco in a Spanish eclectic style with an arcaded porch facing the water and an entry with a curved parapet facing the street. During its first year of operation, in 1930 there were 215,000 summer visitors and 80,000 winter skaters on the lake. Tickets were issued that were valid for one hour. In its early years, the bathhouse was used during the winter as a popular facility for ice skating. During World War II, night-time ice skating was discontinued on the lake due to dim-out regulations. The city encouraged servicemen stationed at Boston College to use the lake for swimming. In the 1940’s, a path existed which allowed people to walk completely around the lake. The strong tradition of ice skating on Crystal Lake continued into the 1950’s, as the 1956 Olympic Gold Medalist in figure skating, Tenley Albright who was born in Newton Centre, practiced skating on the lake. Dr. Albright later went to Harvard Medical School and became a general surgeon. The bathhouse had restrooms, locker rooms, showers, and a recreation room. In the later years of the 20th century, the bathhouse was known as the Gil Champagne bathhouse.
Recent History of Crystal Lake
As noted, even in the early 1900’s, the Newton Centre Improvement Association envisioned that the entire south side of Crystal Lake would be used for public recreational purposes. The land between the railroad, the site of the bathhouse facility, and the cove donated by Moses and Emeline Crane to the city was described as open space in their 1911 “Historical Sketch of Crystal Lake.” Although the land immediately adjacent to the railroad became the site of the 1930 Colby-designed bathhouse and later its concrete block addition, the two parcels between the bathhouse and the cove passed into private hands. A colonial-style house was constructed at 20 Rogers Street in 1924. The parcel at 20 Rogers Street, which consisted of 44,429 square feet of land passed by deed from Lucy A. Adalian to William E. Waterhouse in 1927, and then from George M. Paulson to M. David Freedman in 1959. The property then was sold to Joseph and Virginia Viola in 1983 for a sum of $245,000.
In August 2002, the property was acquired by Patrick Hannon for a sum of $3,000,000. However, foreclosure proceedings were commenced against the owner in 2006 due to a lien related to the mortgage on the property. A number of battles ensued between Mr. Hannon and city officials over issues such as the right to drive a snowmobile on the lake, plans to tear down the house on the property after two fires, and quality of the water at the public beach. At one point, the argument forced a temporary shutdown of an aerator designed to remove contamination from the water. Hannon informed the city that he had an offer to sell the property for use as a camp. When the alleged deal fell through, Hannon vowed to build an affordable housing complex on the site. Mr. Hannon then attempted to sell the property for $4,500,000 but was unsuccessful. In 2007, the City of Newton acted on an order to repair the retaining wall between the 20 Rogers Street property and the public beach at the lake. In 2006, the Newton Parks and Recreation Commission voted to recommend that the City use CPA funds to acquire the private property at 20 Rogers Street in order to expand the public swimming and recreation area. Upon the recommendation of the Community Preservation Committee, the Mayor of Newton, and in the opinion of the Board of Aldermen, the property was acquired by the City of Newton by eminent domain in May 2007. A sum of $2,300,000 was provided to Mr. Hannon. In January 2008, the colonial style house on the 20 Rogers Street property was demolished.
The parcel at 230 Lake Avenue has also been privately owned, originally measuring 23,432 square feet. In 1921, a house was built in the Italianate style by noted Boston architect Henry Keyes. The house was known for its Italian marble foyer with circular staircase and sun-filled parlor with massive fireplace. The dining room’s muraled walls were another of this home’s distinctive features. The property was deeded to Marlene Goralnick until 1959, at which time it passed to the ownership of Janusz and Lorraine Sciegienny. After Janusz’s passing in 2005, the property was put for sale. Initially priced at $2.5 million, it was sold in 2008 for $1.9 million in a three-way transaction that involved sale of the house and 15,032 square ft lot to a private owner, Semyon Dukach, and sale of the remaining 8,400 feet adjacent to the 20 Rogers parcel to the City, which paid $875,000 to the new owner of 230 Lake Avenue to acquire a portion of the lot for public use. With this transaction, most of the grove of cedar trees and a portion of a landscaped fountain and patio that were part of the 230 Lake Avenue property were deeded to the City under a conservation restriction, such that the deeded lot is to be kept in its natural state. In addition, the city was granted an easement for a public path along the Lake from several feet behind an existing stone wall adjacent to the waterline extending 10-15 feet back towards the house at 230 Lake Avenue and Lake Avenue itself. This public pathway will connect the City property at Levingston Cove to the newly acquired public lands on the eastern part of 230 Lake Avenue and extending to the 20 Rogers Street parcel and the bathhouse. As part of the agreement between the private owner and the city, the owner of 230 Lake Avenue agreed to maintain the existing fountain with minimal disruption to the city parcel under the conservation restriction.
As city officials were debating whether to purchase additional property related to 20 Rogers Street and the sale of 230 Lake Avenue, community based advocacy was instrumental in securing the addition of more land for the park. One such group advocating for acquiring all or part of 20 Rogers Street and 230 Lake Avenue to create a contiguous park on the south shore of Crystal Lake was “Better Lake” headed by local architect Robert Fizek. The Crystal Lake Conservancy, which included Robert Fizek, Janice Bourque, Barbara Wales, Schuyler Larrabee and Srdjan S. Nedeljkovic continued to advocate for acquiring 230 Lake Avenue after the Rogers Street parcel was taken by the city by eminent domain. Eventually, after several contentious meetings at the Board of Aldermen, the solution outlined above was the result.
Between 2007 and 2009, a group appointed by Mayor David Cohen, the Crystal Lake Task Force engaged in a process to evaluate and recommend a master plan for the newly enlarged public land holdings at Crystal Lake. Headed by Janice Bourque and with the assistance of architectural consultants RDA Architects and Marion Pressley for landscape design, the Crystal Lake Task Force held monthly meetings during 2007-2009 and participated in other community outreach in developing a proposal for a newly expanded bathhouse and park at Crystal Lake. In September 2009, the Task Force presented a plan for further consideration that included demolition of the existing bathhouse that dates from 1930. A minority opinion offered an option that would involve preserving the original lakeside portion of the building, renovating it, and constructing an addition. Both plans call for a reconfiguration of the 24-space parking lot and for an expanded beach area. The new Crystal Lake Park will be connected to Levingston Cove by a pedestrian easement along the lake through the 230 Lake Avenue parcel. It is envisioned that the facility will be available for year-round use.
Regulatory History of Crystal Lake
Crystal Lake is classified as a “Great Pond,” being a body of water in Massachusetts greater than 10 acres. It is 33 acres in size and is state owned, as are all such “great ponds” in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. In the late 1800’s the City of Newton acquired two parcels of land next to the Lake, with one donated by Moses and Emeline Crane and the other adjacent to the Lake Avenue embankment. Currently, there are 18 direct private property abutters to Crystal Lake and the lake can be accessed on three sides, with the fourth side being the MBTA railroad right of way. There are three city-owned properties on Crystal Lake. These include the parcel that consists of the bathhouse, the 40 Rogers Street parcel and a portion of the 230 Lake Avenue parcel. The other two properties are the land at Louise Levingston cove and the site of Cronin’s cove.
As a “great pond,” the public has access to Crystal Lake via city-owned property. According to statute, Crystal Lake “shall be public for the purpose of hunting or boating and shall be open to all inhabitants of the commonwealth for fishing purposes. All persons shall be allowed reasonable means of access to such points for the purposes aforesaid.” The Newton Parks and Recreation Commission has the sole authority to regulate the use of Crystal Lake for swimming, boating, and fishing (Chapeter 243, rules of 1924). The commission “may from time to time make rules and regulations governing boating, bathing, skating, and other recreational activities on Crystal Lake.”
Per Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 131, section 45, Crystal Lake is required to be open to the public for purposes of “hunting, fishing, and boating.” In 1991, the rules governing the use of Crystal Lake were updated by the Massachusetts Department of Fisheries and Wildlife again reconfirming that the Newton Parks and Recreation Commission must to allow public access to the lake for boating and fishing. Three sets of regulations govern the use of Crystal Lake: the “Special Act” (1924), the “Rules and Regulations” of the Newton Playground Commission (1929), and the “Rules and Regulations for Boating and Fishing on Crystal Lake” (1991).
The Act of 1924, Chapter 243, is “An Act Relative to the Control of Crystal Lake in the City of Newton.” This statute authorized the City’s Playground Commission (now the City’s Parks and Recreation Commission) to make rules and regulations governing fishing, boating, bathing, skating, and other recreational activities on Crystal Lake. Enforcement was proscribed such that “any police officer may patrol the lake and shall have authority to arrest any person violating any rule or regulation established under this Act.” Fines for transgression of the Act of 1924 were “not more than twenty dollars.”
In 1929, the Newton Playground Commission set forth “Rules and Regulations for the Government and Use of Crystal Lake.” Of the rules, rule #1 states that “no person shall enter or leave Crystal Lake except at beaches where the City owns the land, or at other designated places.” The rule continues to state that “All inhabitants have equal rights, subject to payment of charges fixed under these rules.” An exception allowing use of the lake was made for abutters, their guests and servants on their own respective beaches. Rules #8 and #13 indicate that bathing “is limited to ‘ticket holders’ and that “all bathers must use facilities provided by the City of Newton” when bathing. It was established that “no person shall bathe except in proper costume, and at designated place, or bathe in any other seasons or hours than are posted at designated beach.” Perhaps in order to satisfy the needs to the neighborhood, many of whom had voted against having a bathing facility at Crystal Lake because it may create a “nuisance” in the neighborhood, the 1929 statute established a code of conduct at the Lake. Those using the Lake may not “annoy another person, utter profane of threatening language, drink liquor or play any game of chance, lie down or go to sleep on a bench or a boat, and play any musical instrument.” There was a focus on using the Lake as a facility to teach children how to swim and therefore, bathing until 6 PM was “restricted to children and to parents or guardians having young people in their charge.” After 6 PM, older people were permitted to bathe, subject to using the bathhouse for dressing, showers before entering the lake, and a time limit of one hour per day. Skating was permitted on Crystal Lake, but only on days posted and at places designated by ropes or lanterns. Hockey was not permitted except in specially marked areas. As for boating, the 1929 rules allowed boating only with a written permit from the Newton Playground Commission. Boats were not allowed to exceed a speed of 8 miles per hour. No fishing was allowed from December 1 until June 30.
In 1991, the regulations affecting Crystal Lake were updated by the Massachusetts Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Environmental Law Enforcement agency. The 1991 “Rules and Regulations” supercede any inconsistent rules from 1929. The rules reinforce that access to Crystal Lake for boating and fishing is allowed, with the public access point being Cronin’s Cove. “All boats must be put in the water by hand at the designated area on Cronin’s Cove. Boats may not be put in the lake from any other site, except for boats belonging to owners or property abutting the lake, which may be launched from the abutter’s property.” However, swimming from boats is prohibited. The types of boats allowed to use Crystal Lake include car top boats, canoes, kayaks, rowboats, wind surfers, and inflatable boats with a carrying capacity greater than 300 pounds. Motor boats are permitted only if the have electric motors that do not exceed 3 horsepower or 30 pounds of thrust. Specifically forbidden are the use of jet skis, crew sculls, water skiing, and boats with internal combustion engines. However, the 1991 rules state that with regards to boats, “cities and towns cannot prohibit all motorized access, thus allowing unobtrusive and non-polluting engines.” The landing of boats on private property is forbidden, except by abutters on their own property. Boats may not be moored after dusk and boating activities may not interfere with access to the lake at any point. The number of boats in the lake at any given time is limited to 20. Boats must be equipped with personal flotation devices for each person on board and these must be worn at all times. No person under age 12 is allowed to operate a boat unaccompanied and boating is not allowed in buoyed swimming areas, near the aerator, or within 150 feet from the bathing beach. Those who engage in fishing on Crystal Lake must have a valid license. Scuba fishing and spear fishing is prohibited. Ice fishing is prohibited when the ice is determined unsafe for skating and also prohibited in areas planned for skating. The 1991 code of conduct includes prohibitions against littering, stone thowing, the use of firecrackers, gambling, drug use, obscene language, alcoholic beverages, fires and grilling on public lands or in boats, and the thowing of cigarettes and matches. The rules stipulated that City of Newton police and Newton Parks and Recreation officials shall enforce these rules. Violations are subject to a $50 fine, payable to the City of Newton. State laws are enforced by the Director of the Division of Law Enforcement of the Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Environmental Enforcement and can be enforced by Environmental Police Officers and State Police, who may impose a fine of $50 for violations.
The 1929 rules continue to be in effect with regards to swimming in Crystal Lake. The rules state that “No person shall enter or leave Crystal Lake except at beaches where the City owns the land or at such other places as the Parks and Recreation Commission may specially designate.” The rules further state that the Commission “may regulate access, season, days, and hours for swimming. Swimming is limited to ticket holders, but tickets are available to all inhabitants of the Commonwealth.”
Currently, the Newton Parks and Recreation Department provides seasonal swim permits. These are available only for Newton residents and are valid at both Crystal Lake and the Gath Pool. Daily swim permits may be purchased by non-Newton residents as well. Lessons are offered for swimming to children, and those under age 18 must sign in at the bathhouse. Proper bathing attire is necessary for swimming, with no street clothes allowed. Children must pass a swim test to swim in deep areas. No diapers, snorkels, fins, masks, inner tubes, or inflated toys are allowed. Also not permitted are beach chairs, umbrellas, baby carriages, blankets, or glass containers on the beach. The rules prohibit dogs, food, drink, alcohol, drugs, ball games, or activities that involve jumping. The beach season generally lasts from mid June to late August, with hours from 10:30 AM to dusk on weekdays and 1 PM to dusk on weekends. Currently, there are no provisions that allow for swimming in the Lake prior to or after the official swim season at the bathhouse. Similarly, there are no provisions that allow swimming in the Lake to non-abutters from access points other than at the bathhouse.
References:
A Comprehensive Historical Sketch of Crystal Lake. Newton Centre Improvement Association, Stetson Press, Boston, 1911.
City of Newton Report of Special Committee of the Board of Aldermen on Bathing Facilities at Crystal Lake and Other Parts of Newton, The Graphic Press, Printers, June 24, 1918.
Ice Out at Crystal Lake, by Srdjan S. Nedeljkovic, Newton Highlands, March 2009.
Newton Highlands Neighborhood Council, Crystal Lake Information and Regulations. Community meeting held at the Hyde Center, May 26, 2004.
A Stroll Around Crystal Lake, by Lucy Caldwell-Stair, Newton Historical Society, Newton History Museum, June 2006.
