Lake Mohawk, New Jersey

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP had a total area of 6.172 square miles (15.987 km²), including 5.005 square miles (12.964 km²) of land and 1.167 square miles (3.023 km²) of water (18.91%).[1][2]

The community is located largely within the township of Sparta, with a portion located in Byram Township.[14]

In 1924 tributary streams and natural springs of the Wallkill River were impounded at the northern end of Brogden Meadow in Sussex County. The Arthur D. Crane Company, a real estate development venture in partnership with Herbert Closs, acquired 2,600 ha (6,400 acres) of farmland. In 1926, Brogden Meadow was cleared and work started on a dam that would create Lake Mohawk. The dam was completed August 1926. It took until 1928 for water to fill the lake which now drains into the Wallkill River.[15]

The community is located around Lake Mohawk, the largest artificial body of water in the state of New Jersey that is a private lake. There is the main lake in the mountains of the community and the Alpine Pool, both of which are spring fed. The water for the Alpine Pool cascades down gracefully from a spring that rises from an even higher peak in the mountains. An alpine motif was used throughout the community.[16]

The buildings in the tiny town center resemble little castles, or reflect an alpine architectural style. This distinctive architecture in the town center and of many homes was a major aspect of the listing of Lake Mohawk on the National Register of Historic Places. The town center has restaurants, a post office, and limited shop, service, or professional space. This area is called White Deer Plaza after a Native American who lent her name to the center. A tiered boardwalk was constructed along the northern edge of the lake where the town center exists. A country club dominates the boardwalk near the dam. A landing was provided along the Lake Mohawk Boardwalk that Lake Mohawk residents may use to tie up to a dock while visiting the Country Club facilities. There is an outside restaurant that is open from Memorial Day to Labor Day for members of Lake Mohawk only. Special events are scheduled to keep the children and teens involved. Annual events the Beer and Wine Tasting, German Christmas Market, Holiday Tree Lighting, Easter and Mothers Day buffet, 4 July Buffet and Fireworks.

In the 1950s a movie theater, a stone's throw beyond the main entrance to the lake, called Winona Parkway, was built along the adjacent county roadway, route 15, which leads to the Dutch colonial and revolutionary era mining town of Sparta. The Central Hotel in Sparta drew as many diners for its pizza as did Krogh's Restaurant and the St. Moritz for its finer fare on the plaza overlooking the lake. Some residents would travel to Perona Farms in nearby Andover. Fresh vegetables were sold from the gardens of a nearby abby that developed a white corn strain called, Luther Hill Corn, the likes of which were never sold in a grocery store. The cob was about six inches long with jagged rows of tiny kernels that needed no butter for full enjoyment.

Beaches are provided along the edge of the lakes, spaced to enable residents of Lake Mohawk to walk to the nearest one. Membership in the club is required for owners and renters alike. An issue of exclusion was raised at one point legally, but membership remains a requirement for residents. An attended gated area, resembling castle turrets, exists on the western "trail", which leads to the homes on the islands and along the western shore. A golf course located along the western drive is part of the country club.

Except for the Alpine Pool and the main lake areas that are accessible from an entrance high in the mountains, all of the community is reached by descending from the surrounding mountains of Sussex County. Homes have been built up each face of the enclosing mountains, but the roads to them are accessed only from the main road around the lake. From the Alpine Pool, a panoramic view of the county is possible. On one side almost the entire stretch of the main lake is visible and on the other, the mountains that reach into the states of Pennsylvania and New York.

At the southern end of the lake is a swimming pool and tennis complex originally called the "Marine Pool", that is constructed to resemble the deck of an ocean liner. It is modeled after the likes of SS Normandie, having all of the appointments of a cruise ship, with a galley motif for the restaurant and a great stand of stadium seating with colorful backs for the spectators at swimming events held at the facility. Through the seating is a stairway to the captain's quarters where the managers and lifeguards have quarters and stow special equipment.

The pool is ozone filtered, without a drop of chlorine in the water, and was the first pool in the United States to use corona discharge (CD) ozone to treat its water. The filter system, built in 1937, was designed to resemble the engine room of the ship. The pool is Olympic-size (50 m, with eight lanes) and has a central tower for diving events. The depth of the pool at that portion is ten feet. Both ends of the pool are more shallow, with a kiddie section nearest the tennis courts. On the northern end of the pool near the galley, there used to be a giant water slide that had been featured in television commercials for Zest soap in the 1960s. Beyond the pool to the south are three asphalt tennis courts, with another set of three clay courts in the parking area.

Swimming events at the pool are AAU competitions in all aquatic categories. Celebrities such as Buster Crabbe and Esther Williams were normal fare at the events in the 1940s and 1950s. This was a time when the youngsters of the community could hitch-hike rides along the road from their neighbors without concern.

In the 1940s and 1950s there was an "Indian village" with a souvenir shop, located along the opposite shore of the southern end of the lake that added another attraction depicted in postcards of the day. The development of Lake Mohawk was referred to as a "reservation" in most promotional materials to continue the Indian tribe imagery.

Many of the homes along the water have boathouses and docks. Sail boats and motor boats are a popular way to get around the lake. The "Marine Base", a marina built in the style of the country club, is located at a midpoint along the lake on the eastern shore.

The community used to be composed of summer residences. Few lived there around the year. Many houses were not insulated, nor did they have heating beyond a fireplace for especially cool summer nights. Among those who stayed year round, friends would be hosted for the snowy holidays and winter sports. Driving across the frozen lake was shorter and safer than trying to traverse the steep hills. Even delivery trucks would make the short trip across the ice.

The seasonal residents of the early years included many who showed horses in the English-style regional circuits. Hunters, open-jumpers, and three- and five-gated saddle horses competed in the events. The Lake Mohawk Horse Show drew competitors from New York and Pennsylvania as well as New Jersey. The professional photographer who traveled from show to show along with the competitors throughout the season, maintained his office in Lake Mohawk at a little castle structure opposite the club house. Photographs of the competitors, judges, and winners were available from his files, selected from proofs sent to the subjects or from displays he set up at later shows.

The route to Lake Mohawk was a winding drive up and down through a shady rural and mountainous roadside until after the completion of Interstate Highways connecting the area to the New York metropolitan area. After those high speed connections were established nearby into the county, the community took on a year-round population of entertainers, airline employees and pilots, as well as commuters.

Lake Mohawk Yacht Club

Burgee of Lake Mohawk Yacht Club.

Incorporated in 1938, the club is a private yacht club located in Sparta Township, New Jersey, on Lake Mohawk.[17] Sailing was taking place as an organized activity on the lake as early as 1933. Lake Mohawk Country Club members Charles Gabor and Morgan Reichner decided to adopt the Snipe as the most suitable boat for the lake, and the Snipe fleet (number 10) was chartered on January 23, 1934, by the Snipe Class International Racing Association (SCIRA). In 1938, Charles Gabor won for the fleet the Commodore Hub E. Isaacks Trophy and by 1939 there were fifty-two Snipes in the fleet. In 1940, Kenneth Heitman won the National Junior Championship.[18]

Soon after the Snipes came the Lightnings, another historical fleet chartered by the International Lightning Class Association (ILCA) as fleet #25.[19]

Lake Mohawk
Lake shore view
Lake Mohawk Show map of Sussex County, New Jersey Lake Mohawk Show map of New Jersey Lake Mohawk Show map of the United States
Location	Sussex County, New Jersey
Coordinates	41°0′52″N 74°39′46″W[20]
Lake type	Reservoir
Primary outflows	Wallkill River
Surface area	800 acres (320 ha)
Surface elevation	725 ft (221 m)

Lake Mohawk is an 800-acre (320 ha) reservoir located primarily in Sparta Township and extending into Byram Township of Sussex County, New Jersey.[21] It is the source of the Wallkill River, which then flows north to Rondout Creek in New York. In 1924, the Arthur D. Crane Company acquired 2,600 acres (1,100 ha) of land at the headwaters of the river. This area was previously known as "Brogden's Meadow."[22] A 600-foot dam on the Wallkill River was begun in 1926. The lake was filled in 1928. The dam was privately constructed by the developers Arthur D. Crane and Herbert L. Closs. They controlled the development, sales, and rentals of the entire community.[23]

Soon after the construction of the lake, in the mid- to late 1930s, one of the architects was staying with his family in a seaplane on the lake. A fire broke out on the seaplane. While they escaped by boat, the plane sank to the bottom of the lake. In the late 1990s an Italian team attempted salvage, but according to their reports, the wreck was too deteriorated to be recovered.

White Deer Plaza and Boardwalk District
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district
New Jersey Register of Historic Places
Boardwalk by Lake Mohawk
Location	White Deer Plaza, Winona Parkway, and West Shore Trail
Area	13 acres (5.3 ha)
Architectural style	Tudor Revival, Lake Mohawk Tudor
NRHP reference No.	88001012[24]
NJRHP No.	2630[25]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	July 11, 1988
Designated NJRHP	May 25, 1988

The White Deer Plaza and Boardwalk District is a 13-acre (5.3 ha) historic district encompassing the Lake Mohawk section of Sparta Township along White Deer Plaza, Winona Parkway, and West Shore Trail. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 25, 1988 for its significance in architecture, commerce, and community planning. The district includes 18 contributing buildings, 8 contributing structures, and one contributing site.[26]

• 
  Lake Mohawk Country Club

• Pierson, Duane. Images of Sparta, Minisink Press, Inc., 1981

• Media related to Lake Mohawk, New Jersey at Wikimedia Commons
• "Welcome to Historic Lake Mohawk". Historical Marker Database.
• New Jersey Skylands - Lake Mohawk