The original Silver Lake was known as Fresh Pond, up until 1860. During the 19th century, a casino and saloon once existed on the property and several companies harvested ice. The lake's body of water was used for boating and ice skating. In February 1897, Silver Lake hosted the National Skating Amateur Championship races.
When the population was growing, Silver Lake Park was created for families and their children to have recreational grounds to play on.
As ice harvesting became old news, the lake was drained and converted to a working reservoir by the Board of Water Supply in 1913. Less than five years later, Silver Lake Reservoir became the endpoint of the city’s Catskill water supply system.
| Facilities | |
|---|---|
| Baseball Fields | Golf Courses |
| Basketball Courts | Playgrounds |
| Bathrooms | Soccer Fields |
| Dog-friendly Areas | Sprinklers |
| Football Field | Tennis Courts |
A golf course was added and completed in 1929. The land that the golf course currently occupies, was once a cemetery. Other recreational facilities were added as State Island continued to develop. The reservoir was used for potable water until 1971 when an underground storage tank system was completed. Today the reservoir is used as part of the drainage system for the tanks. (nycgov.com)
Posted by Tom Crimmins Realty, Ltd. on
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