Additional information
by Tennyson Dickinson (Author)
Lake Winnepesaukah has played an important role in the region's history for centuries. The lake was constructed by the Indigenous peoples, who built a narrow earthen dam at the head of several hundred springs, creating the six-acre lake. It later became a gristmill used by area farmers for grinding corn into meal. During the Civil War, the lake was contended for and subsequently became the campground for the Union army. It later became a hunting reserve until it was bought by Carl and Minette Dixon in 1924. Their vision, combined with hard work and a sense of play--the same for three succeeding generations--brought the land and the lake to be a setting for the premier family-owned amusement park and water park it is today.
Author Biography
Notable in its 100-year history is that for the vast majority of those years, Lake Winnepesaukah Amusement Park has been operated by the female members of each successive generation. The family kept an abundance of history of the park, from mementos and records to pictures and oral narratives handed down, and the stories have been kept and cherished and are now shared. Tennyson Dickinson, great-granddaughter of the founders, grew up living on the property and returned decades later to help the business "temporarily" for the past 26 years. Dickinson offers a unique yet personal perspective on the business of providing Lake Winnepesaukah's timeless mission of providing safe, "old-fashioned" fun for children of all ages.
