Lake Compounce

About Lake Compounce

Lake Compounce is an amusement park located in Bristol, Connecticut, United States and a part of the neighboring town of Southington, Connecticut; the lake itself lies completely in Southington. It is the oldest continuously operating amusement park in North America, having operated every year since 1846. The park is now in its 162nd season, and covers 332 acres (1.3 km²) of land. The park also has a beach and a waterpark within the actual amusement park for no extra charge. The park is owned by Parques Reunidos, headquarted in Madrid, Spain.

The lake's name is derived from Chief John Compound, a Mattatuck/Tunxis Native American. On December 2, 1684, his wife and several tribal members affixed their waxed fingertip marks to a deed that conveyed the "Compound's Lake" to a group of white settlers, including John Norton, who had migrated to central Connecticut from Massachusetts, for pennies on the dollar and miscellaneous trinkets, including a large copper tea kettle. According to legend, when Compound learned he had been hoodwinked, he paddled into the lake and killed himself. Legend has it that when Chief Compound's blood seeped into the water of the lake, it and the land around it became cursed. Inhabitants of the lake properties claim that late at night they can still hear the splashing of water and the laughter of the tribespeople.

The park's roots trace back to 1846, when a descendant of John Norton, Gad Norton, hired a scientist to perform an experiment using explosives. Though the experiment failed, Norton noted that thousands of people had shown up for the event and was inspired to open a park. He put a path around the lake, set up picnic tables, allowed public swimming and rowing on the lake, built a gazebo for lakeside band concerts and built a few rides. Lake Compounce had officially opened to the public as a picturesque picnic park. The park prospered as a picnic park through the post-Civil War era.