Hidden Lake (Connecticut)

Hidden Lake is one of five villages located within the town of Haddam, Connecticut. It is governed by the bylaws of the Hidden Lake Association.

Hidden Lake is located on the Haddam USGS quad topological map. The latitude and longitude coordinates for thelake are 41.4220, -72.5687 and the altitude is 515 feet (157 meters).

(Information provided with permission from the Haddam Historical Society)

In 1929, Wilbur Lewis of West Haven, Connecticut purchased property from farmers and local residents including the Wilcox and Brooks families, just north of the Killingworth border along what is now Route 81. Lewis' original plan was to build a boys’ camp. However, he decided instead to build the Hidden Lake development; 140 lots surrounding the man-made Hidden lake.

Automobile travel had exploded in the 1930s; families could go to the lake for the summer season. The wives and children would stay for the week while the husbands came on weekends or commuted directly from work.Similar lake communities were built throughout the state in the late 1920s and the early 1930s. These lake communities included Lake Beseck in Middlefield, Connecticut, Lake Hayward in Colchester, Connecticut, and Candlewood Lake in the western part of the state.The Hidden Lake development, billed as one of Connecticut’s finest lake developments, offered city dwellers from Hartford, Meriden, and New Britain a seasonal summer or weekend retreat.

The Hidden Lake Realty Company, Inc. advertised that all the lots were 50 X 100 feet or larger. “Why not join the crowds at Hidden Lake” reads the advertisement from June 1929. With a $20 down payment and $5 per month, an individual could purchase a “Cottage Site” within 300 feet of the shore. Waterfront lots went for $700. Lewis reportedly named all the village streets, including Shore Drive, East Shore Drive, and West Shore Drive. There is a First, Second, and Third Avenue along with Lakeview Road, Beach Road, and Lake Point Road. Lewis erected a log cabin home for himself in the development.

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