Before the Lake House: Legate’s Central Grove
— A Southwick Time Machine Original | Revisited
Frederick W. Legate of Southwick, Massachusetts, was a farmer and butcher who specialized in quality cuts of beef and veal at reasonable prices. During the mid-to-late 1870s, he suffered a series of setbacks. At about 10:30 p.m. on August 15, 1876, it was discovered that one of Legate’s tobacco barns was on fire, possibly caused by a spark from a passing train. The barn and its contents were destroyed, at an estimated loss of $2,000. A little over a year later, on September 27, 1877, disaster struck again when two more of his barns burned, taking with them roughly fifteen tons of hay as well as several wagons and sleighs, an additional loss of about $1,000. All three barns were only partially insured.
Around this same period, activity at Southwick Ponds (today’s Congamond Lake), already a popular summer destination that attracted thousands of tourists arriving by rail, was growing. By the late summer of 1878, that number was about to explode significantly, thanks in part to Fred Legate. Earlier that year, he began constructing a new hotel on Lake Road (today’s Congamond Road) across from Saunders.
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The Lake House (left) Note: The Crystal Ice House can be seen in the background. |
Described as having a genial country character, the hotel was the largest at Southwick Ponds, measuring roughly forty feet wide and thirty feet deep. Its size attracted considerable attention from visitors, and its prominent location led it to become loosely known as the Central Grove House; some simply called it Legate's. The first floor consisted of an office, dining room, and several sleeping rooms, while the entire second floor was a dance hall. A dedication dance, with an orchestra providing the music, marked the hotel’s grand opening on August 15, 1878.
The arrival of Legate’s large hotel helped accelerate development around the lake. The following year, the New Haven and Northampton Railroad opened a handsome first-class hotel, and other proprietors soon followed as Southwick Ponds rapidly expanded as a summer tourist destination.
Despite early popularity, Legate’s venture at the lake was brief. In September 1879—just over a year after construction—he sold the property for $1,000 to Marcus Wheeler, a Connecticut taverner and caterer, and returned to farming and butchering. The reasons for the sale remain unclear, but the transfer began a long succession of changing ownership at the property.
Under Wheeler, the Central Grove House—soon called Wheeler’s Grove—gained a reputation for its delicious and unrivaled shore dinners. Drawing on his experience as a caterer, Wheeler opened the feasts not only to hotel guests but also to the general public. For fifty cents, visitors could enjoy lobster, clams, roast chicken, and vegetables, quickly establishing the grove as one of the region’s most popular destinations during the early era of lakeside tourism. Wheeler even permitted visitors to bring their own food and use his picnic grove free of charge.
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| The Lake House's Boat Launch |
The summer tourist season at Southwick Ponds was short, and the weather sometimes forced delays in opening for the season. In 1884, Wheeler’s Central Grove did not open until July 4.
The following summer brought legal troubles when, on August 2, 1885, a Massachusetts state detective visited Southwick Ponds and served warrants on Wheeler and several other hotel proprietors for violating state liquor laws, primarily for serving alcohol on the Lord’s Day. Appearing in Westfield Police Court on August 4, they pleaded not guilty and furnished $100 bonds each for their appearance before Judge Fuller on August 11.
Marcus Wheeler died suddenly in Southwick on October 6, 1885, leaving a substantial estate to his widow and children. His death marked a turning point for the popular property. Daniel Hall owned the Central Grove House in 1886, and like Wheeler, was a caterer. Around this time, references began appearing to “Wheeler’s Lake House Grove,” signaling the gradual emergence of the name that would eventually become simply known as the Lake House, one of the most recognizable landmarks at Southwick Ponds.
By the mid-1880s, the lakeshore was entering a new phase, marked by changing ownership and increasingly ambitious hotel proprietors. Among those entering the scene was Walter Dobbins, an infamous hotelier whose reputation included repeated arrests for illegal liquor sales. In 1884, Dobbins bought the Southwick Hotel (today’s Southwick Inn) and immediately had the exterior painted.
Dobbins fell severely ill sometime around 1887–1888. His recovery was slow, possibly prompting him to sell the Southwick Hotel to Henry Smith in early 1888. The $5,400 sale included the hotel, farm, outbuildings, and furnishings. After recovering, Dobbins purchased the Lake House at Southwick Ponds later that same year.
The Lake House’s famous shore dinners had ended shortly after the passing of Marcus Wheeler, but under Walter Dobbins, it became known for its grand clambakes. Over time, the building underwent various renovations, including the addition of a third floor and the conversion of the original second-floor dance hall into sleeping rooms, with dancing relocated to its own hall in the grove.
Frederick W. Legate: January 18, 1842 — November 15, 1916
This article is based on original primary-source research, including but not limited to official records, census data, journals, death certificates, and period newspapers. Southwick Time Machine stories are living documents. Research is ongoing, and this account may evolve as new information comes to light.
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Edited Out/Author's Additional Research Notes
One source listed the tobacco barn fire at a loss of $1,000. However, $2,000 appears correct.
At the time, Southwick Ponds had a lot of day visitors. Folks would camp or rent a cabin.
Fred Legate's Train Ride
Legate’s later years were marked by both misfortune and controversy. In
late 1880, while returning from Boston on the Boston & Albany
Railroad, he reportedly fell into a deep sleep and could not be awakened
when the train reached Westfield, Massachusetts. With the assistance of
a brakeman, the conductor carried him from the train and left him lying
on the platform. Legate later filed a $10,000 lawsuit against the
railroad, claiming that a previously broken leg—injured when he jumped
from a carriage in May 1879—had been fractured again during the
incident.
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