Lake Elise news

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Lisa and Bill Keys sit on the new granite bench installed at Lake Elise June 26, 2026. It is a memorial to their son Will, a U.S. Navy Corpsman who died in an April 2011 car accident at the age of 22. Will loved to fish at Lake Elise. (Marjorie Needham photo)

By JANINE SULLIVAN-WILEY

Lake Elise has several new additions thanks to an Eagle Scout project and to those wanting to honor the memory of the late Will Keys. In May 2026, Thomas Zold completed his ambitious Eagle project there, installing two Adirondack style benches for those who want to stop and enjoy the views, as well as building a kiosk near the main entrance. The latter will soon offer information about this preserve. These additions are closest to the Long Meadow Road entrance.

A beautiful new granite bench with an arched back sits closest to the Middlebury Road entrance across from Tranquillity Road. It memorializes the late William “Will” James Keys, who grew up in Middlebury with his parents, William “Bill” Jeffrey and Lisa (Matino) Keys and sister Caitlin. Will was a U.S. Navy Corpsman with the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Division who returned home from Afghanistan in October 2010. In April 2011, he died tragically in a car accident at the age of 22.

Initially, his family and friends donated a wooden memorial bench and installed it on the western shore of Lake Elise. It was later replaced with a new one on the north shore. As reported in the May 2026 issue of this newspaper, that bench was vandalized, and pieces of wood from it were burned in an illegal fire earlier this year.

Determined to create a less vulnerable memorial, his family and friends raised money for the new granite bench that was installed on June 26, 2026, in the same north side location as the destroyed bench. Will’s parents, who now live in Pennsylvania, drove to Middlebury to oversee the installation and to conduct a small private dedication ceremony. Lisa said of the new bench, “I love it. It is beautiful and strong like he was.” Lisa thanked the Middlebury Land Trust for their support and all those who helped fundraise for or donated to the bench’s purchase, particularly the Walsh, Rowland and Pacileo families.

Lake Elise itself is a relatively new addition to Middlebury. It didn’t exist until 1900. That’s when Elise Hamilton Myers Bristol noticed her friends, the Whittemores, who lived up the hill from her, had a wonderful view of Lake Quassapaug from their home. Elise lacked a similar view, so her devoted husband, William Henry Bristol, created Lake Elise so his wife could have a water view of her very own from their house.

William did this by having Lake Elise Dam built. The earth dam, standing 12 feet high and 320 feet long, captured water from Long Meadow Brook resulting in a 15-acre reservoir. William was quite the early builder. He also built Fenn Pond and Whittemore Road from the green to roughly where the road bends at Turtle Pond, also a MLT property. If you are hiking around Lake Elise, you may wonder where Elise’s former house is. It still stands at 121 Upper Whittemore Road, but her view of the lake no longer exists. Trees and other homes now fully block it.

Lake Elise is possibly one of the best-known parks in Middlebury, used by many folks who enjoy regular walks around the lake. Many of them may not realize the lake is privately owned. The town does not own it. Instead, it is part of the Middlebury Land Trust’s (MLT) John A. Largay Memorial Preserve, a 59.93 acre tract that includes the lake and surrounding property, extending from Route 64 down Long Meadow Road to Judd Hill Road.

This writer hopes that the many people who enjoy the Lake Elise / Largay preserve will take a moment to sit and reflect on the wonders of nature, and the goodness of so many people. Catch and release fishing is allowed for members of the MLT (easy and inexpensive to join) and, per MLT rules, leashed dogs are always welcome.

Happy hiking! For questions or comments, contact this writer at jswspotlight@gmail.com. You can visit the Middlebury Land Trust on Facebook or the website at middleburylandtrust.org. Marjorie Needham contributed to this column.