Silver Lake is a lake in Wyoming County, New York. It is located on New York State Route 39 south of the village of Perry in the Town of Castile. It is named for the nearby lake to the west, which extends from the village of Perry south to Silver Lake State Park near Silver Springs. Its main attractions include its scenery, fishing and boating, and its location near Letchworth State Park.
History
Silver Lake was the focus of a legend surrounding a sea serpent that was reportedly seen in the nearby lake in the mid-19th century. According to an affidavit sworn by four men who were out fishing on July 13, 1855,[3] it was a 60-foot-long (18 m) serpent with glowing, red eyes. The resulting frenzy that came from this story created an immense boom for the nearby town of Perry and Silver Lake. After this incident, about 100 other people claimed to see the giant beast. This phenomenon lasted throughout the summer and was last seen towards the end of the season. Despite the lack of appearance, it remained one of the most popular places in America.
One of the main beneficiaries of the sea serpent was A. B. Walker, the owner of the Walker Hotel in Silver Lake. When the Hotel burned down in 1857, firemen discovered the remains of the legend: a large mass of canvas. He had constructed the entire monster in order to attract business to the lake. It was said he got the idea from a Native American legend.[3] The town holds a festival dedicated to the serpent even though it is now a harmless cartoon, similar to the Loch Ness Monster.[4]
The community is home to the Silver Lake Institute Historic District on the east bank of the lake, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.[5]
Silver Lake Institute Historic District is a national historic district located at Silver Lake in Wyoming County, New York. The district consists of 13 acres (5.3 ha) and is historically significant because of its association with the Silver Lake Institute, a Methodist-affiliated camp facility established in 1873. The properties reflect the evolution of the institute from a Methodist Revivalist summer camp in the 1870s and 1880s to a cultural, educational, and religious summer institute in the Chautauqua tradition during the 1880s and 1890s, and finally to a secular summer cottage community in the early 20th century. The focal point of the community is the 2.03-acre (0.82 ha) Burt Park and the district includes 72 additional properties including 70 cottages.[2]
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.[1]
Nearby towns :
Towns
Arcade
Attica
Bennington
Castile
Covington
Eagle
Gainesville
Genesee Falls
Java
Middlebury
Orangeville
Perry
Pike
Sheldon
Warsaw
Wethersfield
Villages
Arcade
Attica
Castile
Gainesville
Perry
Silver Springs
Warsaw (county seat)
Wyoming
Census-designated places
Bliss
Pike
Strykersville
Hamlets
Portageville
Silver Lake