Andrew Carnegie (left) and Princeton University officials at Lake Carnegie's dedication ceremony on December 5, 1906.
Prior to the construction of the lake, Princeton's varsity crew rowed on the narrow Delaware and Raritan Canal, sharing the busy waterway with commercial shipping. The team had discussed their desire to construct a lake in Princeton, but no plans were ever developed. In 1902, one of the team's former members (Howard Russell Butler, class of 1876) was asked to paint a portrait of noted philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.[7]
While sitting for Butler, Carnegie discussed the many lochs he had built in his native Scotland. Butler relayed the plans he and his teammates had discussed previously to Carnegie, who took an immediate interest in the project. He asked Butler to investigate the potential cost and feasibility of constructing such a lake in Princeton. After working with a New York engineering company, Butler informed Carnegie that the estimated construction costs would be US$118,000.[7]
Carnegie visited the university campus to view the construction site, and soon after authorized Butler to begin construction. In 1903, a group of Princeton alumni began purchasing farmland that occupied areas of the projected basin. They, in turn, sold this land to Carnegie. This was done in order to avoid arousing the suspicions of local residents, and to allow Carnegie to purchase the land for the lowest possible price. By 1905, the needed land was purchased and the work of clearing the area and constructing the bridges and dam began.[7]
Carnegie attended the official opening ceremony on December 5, 1906, arriving by train with dozens of friends. He was met by a group including university president Woodrow Wilson. Carnegie and Wilson led an academic procession into Alexander Hall, where Carnegie was greeted enthusiastically by attending students (who had been given the day off). At one point, a group of students began to sing:[7][8]
Carnegie, Carnegie
He is giving us a lake You can hear the breakers break; Carnegie, Carnegie Andy, Andy, you're a dandy
Carnegie.
Carnegie returned to Princeton the following spring to attend the lake's first regatta. Wilson attempted to secure a second donation from Carnegie, who answered, "I have already given you a lake." Wilson's reported reply was, "We needed bread and you gave us cake."[7][8]
Albert Einstein sailed often on Lake Carnegie during his years in Princeton which began in 1933.[9]
Environmental problems
Due to its initially shallow depth, flooding and siltation (carried by Stony Brook) became problems for the area surrounding Carnegie Lake. Another problem was the rapid deposit of sewage carried by the Millstone River from nearby towns, where expansion of treatment facilities had not kept pace with rapid population growth. The lake has been dredged three times since its opening—first in 1927, in the late 1930s, and most recently in 1971. The 1971 dredging gave the lake a uniform depth of nine feet at a distance of 35 feet from the shoreline.[7][8]
A number of local volunteer groups have undertaken efforts to improve the quality of water in Lake Carnegie and surrounding waterways. These efforts include litter removal, water sample testing, and educational programs.[5][11]
^ ab"Concerns focus on Lake Carnegie". Retrieved October 26, 2006.
External links
Video profile of the US Olympic rowing team's base in Princeton and on Lake Carnegie
May 04, 2023
lake, carnegie, jersey, lake, carnegie, redirects, here, ephemeral, lake, western, australia, lake, carnegie, western, australia, lake, carnegie, reservoir, that, formed, from, millstone, river, northeastern, corner, princeton, mercer, county, jersey, delaware. Lake Carnegie redirects here For the ephemeral lake in Western Australia see Lake Carnegie Western Australia Lake Carnegie is a reservoir that is formed from a dam on the Millstone River in the far northeastern corner of Princeton Mercer County New Jersey The Delaware and Raritan Canal and its associated tow path are situated along the eastern shore of the lake Noted businessman and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie donated money for the construction of the lake which was donated to Princeton University In 1990 the Lake Carnegie Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places Lake CarnegieThe lake with Princeton University s Cleveland Tower in the backgroundLake CarnegieShow map of New JerseyLake CarnegieShow map of the United StatesLocationMercer Middlesex counties New Jersey USCoordinates40 22 13 39 N 74 37 17 57 W 40 3703861 N 74 6215472 W 40 3703861 74 6215472 Coordinates 40 22 13 39 N 74 37 17 57 W 40 3703861 N 74 6215472 W 40 3703861 74 6215472TypeReservoirPrimary inflowsMillstone RiverPrimary outflowsMillstone RiverBasin countriesUnited StatesLake Carnegie Historic DistrictU S National Register of Historic PlacesU S Historic districtNew Jersey Register of Historic PlacesShow map of Mercer County New JerseyShow map of New JerseyShow map of the United StatesLocationRoughly bounded by Lake Carnegie shoreline from Conrail bridge at W end to dam W of Kingston at E end Princeton New JerseyArea262 acres 106 ha Built1906ArchitectPennington Satterthwaite boathouse Landscape architectHoward Russell ButlerArchitectural styleMission GothicNRHP reference No 90001000 1 NJRHP No 1747 2 Significant datesAdded to NRHPJune 28 1990Designated NJRHPJanuary 22 1990The lake which is privately owned is used by the university s rowing team and is home to the US Olympic rowing team 3 4 It is however available for public use for activities such as ice skating fishing and picnicking Fish species include largemouth bass carp pickerel crappie channel catfish and occasionally a few rainbow and brown trout that make their way into Carnegie Lake from Stony Brook Years of pollution have led to a dangerous decrease in the lake s safety levels Efforts to improve the water quality of Carnegie Lake are ongoing 5 6 An aerial view of this lake appears in the opening title sequence of the drama series House M D Contents 1 History 2 Environmental problems 3 Gallery 4 References 5 External linksHistory Edit Andrew Carnegie left and Princeton University officials at Lake Carnegie s dedication ceremony on December 5 1906 Prior to the construction of the lake Princeton s varsity crew rowed on the narrow Delaware and Raritan Canal sharing the busy waterway with commercial shipping The team had discussed their desire to construct a lake in Princeton but no plans were ever developed In 1902 one of the team s former members Howard Russell Butler class of 1876 was asked to paint a portrait of noted philanthropist Andrew Carnegie 7 While sitting for Butler Carnegie discussed the many lochs he had built in his native Scotland Butler relayed the plans he and his teammates had discussed previously to Carnegie who took an immediate interest in the project He asked Butler to investigate the potential cost and feasibility of constructing such a lake in Princeton After working with a New York engineering company Butler informed Carnegie that the estimated construction costs would be US 118 000 7 Carnegie visited the university campus to view the construction site and soon after authorized Butler to begin construction In 1903 a group of Princeton alumni began purchasing farmland that occupied areas of the projected basin They in turn sold this land to Carnegie This was done in order to avoid arousing the suspicions of local residents and to allow Carnegie to purchase the land for the lowest possible price By 1905 the needed land was purchased and the work of clearing the area and constructing the bridges and dam began 7 Carnegie attended the official opening ceremony on December 5 1906 arriving by train with dozens of friends He was met by a group including university president Woodrow Wilson Carnegie and Wilson led an academic procession into Alexander Hall where Carnegie was greeted enthusiastically by attending students who had been given the day off At one point a group of students began to sing 7 8 Carnegie CarnegieHe is giving us a lake You can hear the breakers break Carnegie Carnegie Andy Andy you re a dandyCarnegie Carnegie returned to Princeton the following spring to attend the lake s first regatta Wilson attempted to secure a second donation from Carnegie who answered I have already given you a lake Wilson s reported reply was We needed bread and you gave us cake 7 8 Albert Einstein sailed often on Lake Carnegie during his years in Princeton which began in 1933 9 Environmental problems EditDue to its initially shallow depth flooding and siltation carried by Stony Brook became problems for the area surrounding Carnegie Lake Another problem was the rapid deposit of sewage carried by the Millstone River from nearby towns where expansion of treatment facilities had not kept pace with rapid population growth The lake has been dredged three times since its opening first in 1927 in the late 1930s and most recently in 1971 The 1971 dredging gave the lake a uniform depth of nine feet at a distance of 35 feet from the shoreline 7 8 In its 2002 report on water quality the United States Environmental Protection Agency rated Lake Carnegie as impaired 10 This status indicates that the lake cannot support one or more of its designated uses The sources of this nonpoint source pollution are varied litter chemicals fertilizers and pesticides automotive waste oil and gas and goose droppings have all contributed to the decline in water quality Unsafe levels of mercury in the lake have led to an advisory on fish consumption 5 11 A number of local volunteer groups have undertaken efforts to improve the quality of water in Lake Carnegie and surrounding waterways These efforts include litter removal water sample testing and educational programs 5 11 Gallery Edit Dam forming Lake Carnegie The boathouse home to Princeton Rowing and the US Olympic rowing team The Washington Road bridge Ice skating on the lakeReferences Edit National Register Information System National Register of Historic Places National Park Service July 9 2010 New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places Mercer County PDF New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Historic Preservation Office April 5 2013 p 8 Archived from the original PDF on May 16 2013 Retrieved June 4 2013 Eilerson Nick August 6 2016 American doctor weighs Rio s health concerns wins women s rowing heat Washington Post See also Cooper River New Jersey Sports a b c Exhibit to mark lake s centennial Archived from the original on July 5 2006 Retrieved October 25 2006 Assessing Water Quality Archived from the original on October 1 2006 Retrieved October 25 2006 a b c d e f Exhibition celebrates 100th anniversary of Lake Carnegie Retrieved October 26 2006 a b c Carnegie Lake Retrieved October 26 2006 Einstein Albert Albert Einstein Historical Society princetonhistory org Historical Society Of Princeton Retrieved 20 May 2021 Data accessible by searching http www epa gov waters 305b index html a b Concerns focus on Lake Carnegie Retrieved October 26 2006 External links EditVideo profile of the US Olympic rowing team s base in Princeton and on Lake Carnegie Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Lake Carnegie New Jersey amp oldid 1152363962, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
