Highland Lake (Warren Center, Pennsylvania)

Highland Lake is a small lake near Warren Center [http://pennsylvania.hometownlocator.com/PA/Bradford/Warren-Center.cfm] in Bradford County, Pennsylvania,41.9048, -76.1649 whose shore is home to both yearly and seasonal residents.Fact|date=April 2008 Highland Lake is also the Location of the Highland Gun Shop. [http://national.citysearch.com/profile/map/8885218/warren_ctr_pa/highland_gun_shop.html]

History

Warren Township was settled in the first years of the 19th century by people from New England. One of America's first "conglomerates" divided a large tract of land into 50 acre lots and proceeded to recruit settlers from the Providence, RI, area. A first endeavor was to create a dam for water power at the "Lake and Meadow." This larger body of water in the eastern part of the town still exists, has an equal history of summer recreation and family reunions, is shared with its neighbor Susquehanna County and has also moved to the stage of privately owned lake-front lots.

But on the other side of the township, the citizenry developed a smaller body of water known locally as Warren Pond. Welsh neighbors from Neath to the southeast also had an interest in this pond. Roy James (ca. 1889-1973) used to relate his experience with other boys in the 1890s skimming silver dollars across the ice of Warren Pond in the winter. Then they had to skate fast to retrieve the dollar before it melted into the ice and sunk out of sight in the lake. [wjh, 9/08]

In the early 20th century the lake was renamed Highland Lake. The Daily Review of Towanda carried this note on October 6, 1933. "Harry Bosworth’s cottage at Highland Lake, formerly known as Warren Pond, burned Tuesday."

The Lake was home to a summer Boy Scout troop camp. (Jerry Quigley, Orleans, Mass. was one of the scouts who came with a troop from Ithaca, NY.) Locals somewhat derisively referred to the "city boys" who came out to spend a week or two at the camp. Local farm boys, of course, had no time for such extravagance as two weeks away from farm work during the busy summer growing season. There were also accusations that vandalism to the Morris brick house (just south of the camp) was always the work of the boys from the Scout camp. After the camp was purchased from the Boy Scouts, it was divided up and sold off in lots to people who wished to live on the lake.Fact|date=April 2008 Some of the boy scouts' old huts are still standing today as well as the old mess hall.Fact|date=April 2008 The mess hall is mentioned as the rented site for a Dunham family reunion in August during the 1930s. Minutes of those reunions can be read at Joyce Tice's Warren Township genealogical site.

The camp was on the south side of the lake. The west and north sides were the domain of small private camps where locals and their relatives came to spend an evening, a weekend, or longer beside the still waters. The east side had a fewer number of rustic camps.

Events

Every Summer on the 3rd Saturday of the month of July the Highland Lake Association gathers for their annual meeting. Also during that day the annual games are held for the children as well as a boat parade.

A list of the people who have owned camps at the pond would be of interest: Harry Bosworth, Arthur and Hazel Green, Rulison and Margaret Green, Alan and Susan Gamble, Richard Taylor, _______ Abell.