Did You Know this about Windermere?

by Kirsti K. Gomen

• The Town of Windermere Logo — Fish Caught With Gold Hooks:

windermereThe town of Windermere logo represents its Windermere, England, namesake.

Did you know that the logo of the town of Windermere is based on a town in Windermere, England? There are four quadrants to the logo. The top left quarter shows three Windermere, England, yachts. The top right corner is symbolic of the ancient gate denoting Windermere as the gateway to the Lake District. The bottom left quarter represents the flag of Saint George, the patron saint of England. The
bottom right quarter, according to various sources, represents three char fish. Char were perceived as a luxury — a rare and delicious species of trout that were caught in Lake Windermere, England, using gold lures.

• Lake Down or Lake Dawn?

In Windermere, did you know that due to a typographical error, Lake Down, part of the Butler Chain of Lakes, was originally named Lake Dawn? A map designer in the early 1900s did not catch the typo, and published and distributed maps with the error.

• Windermere was a fishing resort town:

Did you know that Windermere was a resort area in the early 1900s?  Many fishing cabins were built for visitors to enjoy the winter months, fishing among the crystal clear water and fish-filled lakes.

• Windermere was somewhat of a recreational kids summer camp in the late 1930s:

Did you know that it was not uncommon for young boys to gather a group of buddies and be dropped off along the dirt roads on the east side of Lake Down to camp and fish for weeks at a time, living off the land, the fish and the fresh water of the lake? As my father would tell the story to his grandsons and me, once a week during the summer months, his father would drive down the dirt roads amid the orange trees in his grove truck (most likely the first of its kind), check on the boys,  drop off a couple of loaves of bread and a few other fishing supplies — leaving the boys to survive on the land — and only return in a week to 10 days to check on them again. My father claimed that those were the best summers of his life.

• Windermere and the war:

Did you know that in front of Windermere Town Hall, there is a 30-foot metal flagpole that was erected in 1991 and is a memorial to three Windermere boys killed in World War II? Next to the flag is a time capsule that was buried April 30, 1975, and will be opened in 2025. 💓