Views from Sylvan Lake and Surrounding Area

Sylvan Lake was a man-made lake created where Goodrich (Montville) creek and Pierce's (Dutch) creek come together.  It was located to the north of the site of "The Old Stone Mill", just to the west of Indian Mound Cemetery.  Construction of a great dam was begun in 1829.  Floods damaged it in 1833, 1863, 1865 and 1905 causing considerable damage to the village below.  The lake gradually filled in with silt and the dam was removed in the 1950's.

Loop road around South end of the lake.

Shown on the map are locations of falls on the two creeks that fed the lake. [1]

Sylvan Lake in its heyday (see back).

If you look close you can see a small dog to the left 1917 (see back)

Looking North towards Pierce's Creek.  Montville Creek is behind the trees to the right (see back).

Bridge over the mill raceway.  The sides of the bridge can still be seen from the cemetery.

Upper Pierce's Falls

(see back).

Upper Pierce's Falls.

Lower Pierce's Falls and the village's first Electric Plant which operated from 1891 to 1904 (see back).

Photo says "Punchbowl Falls, Moravia, NY", c 1910.   This is on Decker creek north of the former lake, near the site of the electric plant (several regular viewers recall swimming here).

Montville Falls (see back).

Late 1800s (from a stereo view)

Close-up of same picture showing two women sitting at the bottom of the falls

About 1900

Montville Falls in the Winter.

Montville Falls.  Photo by Curt Lamphier, about 1950.

Stone Mill

The Stone Mill was located inside the Moravia Village limits across the corner from East Cayuga and Williams streets.  Originally built as a cotton mill in 1829.  By 2004, it was too far decayed to safely restore and was brought down.

[1]

(see back)