Congamonster's Victims

REMEMBRANCE

"Though the waters took them, they remain with us in quiet remembrance."

From the days when this place was known as Southwick Ponds to today’s Congamond Lake, lives were tragically lost to its depths. Local legend speaks of the Congamonster, a mysterious creature said to haunt the waters—a reminder of the lake’s hidden dangers. 

 

Yet it is the victims we remember here, their stories rising quietly to the surface, whispered in the ripples and mirrored in the stillness, keeping their memory alive so they are never forgotten.

Rest In Peace

† Mary Langdon: d. July 15, 1809 

† Julana "Julia" Stratton: d. July 15, 1809

† Charlotte Cannon: 1793 – July 15, 1809 

† Orpha Cannon: 1798 – July 15, 1809

† James Loomis: body found June 27, 1845

† Unknown O'Neal: d. May 22, 1846 (horse he was riding stepped off the side of a bridge)

† Seth Wells Parker abt. 1819 – March 18, 1864

† Matthew Parker abt. 1847 – March 18, 1864

† Myron Parker abt. 1850 – March 18, 1864

† Nellie Barry: abt. 1863 – August 14, 1886 (see separate story)

† Newell Edwards: abt. 1843 – March 18, 1891

† Fred Morand: abt. 1869 – July 4, 1894 

† Terrence Monaghan: abt. 1868 – July 4, 1896

† Thomas Toohey: abt. 1868 – July 4, 1896

† John Rennie: abt. 1866 – body found June 13, 1901 (had been dead a few weeks)

† Robert M. DeGarmo: December 24, 1865 – abt. August 3, 1907 
† John Kapre: abt. 1873 – August 1907 
† David Fowler Churchill: 1884 – August 4, 1908 (see separate story)

† Frank Belleveau: d. August 30, 1909 (murdered, body dumped in lake)  

† Unknown Ice Cutter: missing January 1911; body found May 18, 1911 

† Arthur E. Brown: September 28, 1883 – March 1, 1913 (body found March 2)

† Unknown Ice Cutter: d. March 1, 1913 (body found April 20) 

† Unknown Ice Cutter: d. March 1, 1913 (body found in 1914) 

† Unknown Ice Cutter: missing around January 23, 1914; body found August 12, 1915 

† Matthew N. Malone: body found July 5, 1916

† George W. Curtis: July 2, 1881 – September 10, 1921 (see photo below)

† Carl Holm: abt. 1872 – July 24, 1922

† Hilding Niles Oscar Bjorkman: 1906 – December 16, 1924

† Marie Strupney: 1904 – July 25, 1927

† Gordon E. Werder: abt. 1919 – July 30, 1927
† Peter Vincent Taragowski: October 19, 1893 – February 11, 1928

† Clarence Edward Cortis: March 28, 1896 – July 4, 1928
† James Joseph Clark: 1900 – July 16, 1928
† Mary Andrews: abt. 1904 – July 16, 1928 

† Helen J. Welch: abt. 1904 – July 16, 1928

† Walter Smith: abt. 1907 – June 18, 1929 (body found June 20)  

† Walter Regnier: abt. 1913 – June 30, 1929
† Harold James Reeves: July 18, 1909 – July 4, 1929

† Alphonse Casavant: abt. 1903 – August 18, 1929 (see photo below)

† Rose Gainfelice: abt. 1912 – August 3, 1930

† Vincent Ripka: d. February 6, 1932 (ice cutter)
† Charles Neurath: d. June 26, 1935 (body found July 3)

† Rene Byron: December 28, 1891 – July 14, 1935  

† Roland Cote: July 16, 1916 – May 31, 1937 

† Thomas F. Murphy Jr.: September 1898 – August 15, 1937

† Richard Ivan Jensen: abt. 1922 – September 5, 1937

† Daniel J. Connor: September 13, 1922 – June 14, 1938 

† Joseph Wojick: abt. 1913 – June 26, 1938

† Frank Adamski: abt. 1912 – August 8, 1938 (broke neck after diving in shallow water)

† Enrico Sartini: abt. 1914 – September 26, 1941 (body found October 11)
†Louis (Motak) Bilek: 1889 – July 3, 1942 (see separate story)

† Wilbur Mullings: abt. 1919 – June 13, 1943 
† Walter O. Gagon: abt. 1913 – June 29, 1944

† Henry J. Holzheimer Jr.: abt. 1918 – July 25, 1944

† Joseph Novello: abt. 1915 – May 6, 1945
† Egidio G. Oriol: December 1, 1900 – December 15, 1945

† Dudley W. Renfrew: August 26, 1896 – July 20, 1946

† Richard E. Condon Jr.: November 5, 1929 – July 27, 1946

† William Hallington: abt. 1924 – September 6, 1948 (body found September 9)

† Merrill Chamberlain: abt. 1908 – July 15, 1949  

† George R. Baillargeon: abt. 1895 – July 24, 1949 (drowned after boat caught fire)
† Alice L. (Wright) Corbin: 1925 – July 4, 1951

† Ernest Grenier: abt. 1906 – September 16, 1951

† Shirley Yvonne Kennedy: February 2, 1935 – July 30, 1952 (body found July 31)

† Alice Lucille LaBarre: 1952 – July 17, 1953 

† William Joseph Schiessl Jr: April 26, 1946 – August 13, 1953 (body found August 15)  

† Madeline J. Cooke: abt. 1900 – June 5, 1959

† Samuel Sico Jr.: July 1, 1930 – July 15, 1962
† Seth Wells Parker: d. March 1964 (drowned with his two sons)
† Unknown Parker: d. March 1964
† Unknown Parker: d. March 1964

† David L. Jordan: d. May 19, 1964 (body found June 23)
† Richard Douglas Brooks: November 20, 1949 – July 1, 1966

† April Mary Kingsbury: September 8, 1958 – July 3, 1966

† Vernon MacQueston: May 5, 1924 – January 15, 1967 

† Robert K. Turgeon: December 30, 1935 – May 20, 1967

† Michael Leo Corliss: September 6, 1959 – June 9, 1968 (see separate story)

†Brian Karl Corliss: September 25, 1960 – June 9, 1968 (see separate story)
† Frederick Bennett: abt. 1924 – August 8, 1969 

† Gregory A. Bowditch: abt. 1953 – June 19, 1971
† Charles Russell Belcher: 1954 – June 21, 1971

† Manuel Vasquez: abt. 1968 – July 4, 1971

† Edward F. Martin: September 22, 1950 – October 2, 1971

† Reuben Marquez: abt. 1953 – July 29, 1973   

† Steven A. Irwin: abt. 1955 – May 22, 1974

† Anthony Krupa: abt. 1954 – July 4, 1974 (hit by a boat while swimming)
† Michael Germain: February 28, 1957 – December 29, 1976

† Francis X. Martone: July 13, 1958 – January 11, 1977 (body found January 15; see photo below)

† Christopher S. Coventry: September 3, 1971 – June 27, 1979 

† Juan N. Diaz: abt. 1942 – July 12, 1980 (body found July 20)

† John C. Wirth: abt. 1961 – October 15, 1994 (body found October 16)

† Unknown: d. August 26, 2000

† Larry Cauley: abt. 1989 – June 19, 2011

† Kevin J. Major: April 8, 1992 – July 11, 2011

† Dongsoo Kim: July 16, 1966 –  September 24, 2011

† Michael Chace: abt. 1984 – June 10, 2017 

† Joseph C. Sullivan: June 27, 1992 – June 12, 2020

Congamond Lake

Alphonse Casvant
(may have had a heart attack while swimming)

Francis Martone
(drowned Jan. 11, 1977)

George W. Curtis
(drowned Sept. 10, 1921)