| Lake Kenosia | |
| Coordinates: | 41.3829°N -73.4992°W |
| Area: | 59.5acres |
| Elevation: | 146feet |
| Pushpin Map: | Connecticut#USA |
| Pushpin Map Alt: | Location of Lake Kenosia in Connecticut, USA. |
Lake Kenosia is a lake located in Danbury, Connecticut, United States. The lake covers 59.5acres.[1]
The lake was originally called Mill Plain Pond because the dam of a nearby mill had flooded the swamp located there.[2]
In 1860, a resort hotel called the Kenosia Hotel opened at the lake. It was destroyed by fire the same year.[2]
In the late 1800s, the Danbury and Bethel Street Railway, which owned the shortest electrified trolley system in Connecticut, purchased 12acres of land on Lake Kenosia to build an amusement park.[3] The company extended their trolley line to the lake, and opened Lake Kenosia Amusement Park in 1895.[3] The park featured a wooden roller coaster, a carousel, a 1,000 seat open-air performance center, and the three-story Kenmere Resort Hotel.[3] A 30-seat steamboat called Montgomery was brought to the lake, where it became "problematic because it was far too big for Lake Kenosia".[3] Fire destroyed the hotel in 1927, and the park's popularity diminished following the opening of Candlewood Lake in the 1920s.[3]
In 2016, drought conditions caused Danbury's water reservoirs to approach "critically low levels", and the city was permitted to temporarily draw water from Lake Kenosia.[4]
Lake Kenosia Park is a 25acres park located on the north side of the lake, with a playground, benches and soccer fields.[5] Parking is available, and there is a boat launch for non-motorized boats.[1] [5] Swimming in not permitted in Lake Kenosia.[5]