Lake Chaubunagungamaug is not a typo error or didn’t jump fingers on the keyboards, in reality, it is an actual name of a lake which is situated in the town of Webster in Massachusetts, United States, few people call it by its alternate name “Lake Chaubunagungamaug” while many of them prefer to call it simply Lake Webster, after the name of the town.
The 45-letter name is actually one of the longest place names in the world & the United States. The place name is so bizarre that although the authorities couldn’t spell it. Many road signs pointing to Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg have spelling mistakes in them. The lake has been known, from early times, by a variety of names such as Chaubanagogum, Chabanaguncamogue, and Chaubunagungamaug, but historians believe that all these names stand the same meaning – “Fishing Place at the Boundary”.
This great pond, actually divided by narrow channels into three larger bodies of water, was famous throughout the area and was the central gathering place for the Nipmuc Indians and their friends. The current name came from when English colonists arrived in the area, an Englishman Samuel Slater started operating a mill at the nearby village of Manchaug, a corrupted version of “Monuhchogoks”. The Indians began calling the lake Chargoggaggoggmanchoggagogg which meant “Englishmen at Manchaug.” soon after, the name found its way into the map of 1795 showed the town of Dudley.
In 1831, both Dudley and Oxford, which adjoined the lake, gave the pond as Chargoggagoggmanchoggagogg, but a survey of the lake done in 1830 listed the name as Chaubunagungamaugg, the ancient name. After that, someone decided to add the original Indian descriptive name Chaubunagungamaug to the newer name Chargoggagoggmanchoggagogg, and the entire designation becomes “Englishmen at Manchaug at the Fishing Place at the Boundary” or Chargoggagoggmanchauggagogg chaubunagungamaugg.
The Lake actually was formed by the retreat of glaciers during the last ice age and is replenished from underwater springs and streams. Anyway, visiting the vicinity is a great way to spend some time with nature. A hiking trail called the Walkabout Trail in the area with some great views. Many tourists often enjoy the swamps around the edges of the lake as good spots to look for wildlife. Moreover, swimming and boating are very popular activities on the lake.
If you’re looking for something a little more thrilling, there is whitewater rafting on the Quinebaug River. Go in the springtime for the fastest water. The greatest resort period in the Lake’s history most likely occurred from 1895 to 1930 when a fleet of boats was in operation each summer to take thousands of passengers to the cool spots where picnics, clambakes, bowling, dancing, swimming, and canoeing flourished.
