Yesteryear A Beautiful Mystery ~ Grave by the Lake

Story

Photos by Kathi Caldwell-Hopper

“Where the Great Lake’s sunny smiles Dimple round its hundred isles, And the mountain’s granite ledge Cleaves the water like a wedge, Ringed about with smooth, gray stones, Rest the giant’s mighty bones…”

From The Grave by the Lake by John

Greenleaf Whittier

Was he real? How did he live, and how did he die? Who was he?

Those questions will probably never be answered, but for decades, a special, if somewhat mythical figure, has captured the imaginations of many people.

Should you travel through Melvin Village on Rt. 109, near the shores of Lake Winnipesaukee, you will see the Melvin Village Community Church. The pretty building has been there for years, but long before it was around, a discovery took place in about 1808 or 1809. At that time, a group of men were digging a pathway to Lake Winnipesaukee by the Melvin River. They came across, when digging, a grave with a male skeleton. The man was about 7 ft. tall, and it was surmised he was Native American. Thus began the mystery of the grave by the lake; no one could tell how long he had been buried there or his name.

According to town historian, Mary Hunter, “There are two stories: the first was that the Indian was found buried in a sitting position, looking out over the lake. The other story is that he was encapsulated in stone. I like to think he was sitting, gazing over the lake. I also think he was likely a person of some repute; due to his height and the place he was buried.”

As a lifetime member of the Tuftonboro Historical Society and a member of the NH Historical Society, Hunter knows the history of the Indian and his resting place, named the Grave by the Lake.

Over the years, as the area of Mel- vin Village/Tuftonboro grew, in 1834 a cemetery was added in back of the church. Years went by but the story of the Grave by the Lake was not forgotten.

The story became a legend and after the Civil War, well-known poet John Greenleaf Whittier summered in nearby Center Harbor. He heard about the story of the 7 ft. tall Indian and was inspired to write a poem about him and the discovery of his body. The poem was called The Grave by the Lake, and it is likely this gave more exposure to the legend.

Fast forward to the 1950s, when the story caught the attention of Harold Ley. A resident of the Bald Peak homes near the golf club/course in Moultonborough, Ley saw the potential for tourism in the area and he was interested in helping attract visitors.

Ley hit upon the idea of a marker for The Grave by the Lake. He bought and paid for a stone marker which was placed at a corner of the graveyard by the church. Ley also ordered and had

• Yesteryear continued on page 25 placed by the road in front of the church, a bronze silhouette/sign of an Indian. It is an attractive piece, featuring an Indian in feathered headdress. He is shooting an arrow, and the image has an aura of strength and beauty.

Perhaps

Ley surmised a memorial to the Grave by the Lake and the unnamed native person would be of interest to tourists, or maybe he was just intrigued by the story.

There was a dedication ceremony when the marker was placed in the summer of 1955, and it was a big deal event. At the ceremony, New Hampshire Governor Lane Dwinell and his wife attended, as well as other local and state officials. A group of young men from the nearby caddy camp at Bald Peak Colony Club put on a skit. To add to the drama, they arrived by canoe from the Melvin Village River. Also at the dedication was an Abenaki Indian chief who traveled from Canada to be there.

The program from the 1955 event was a quality item. At the time, most programs and printed items were done on standard mimeograph machines, but the program for the dedication was quite different. “It was printed on quality paper, and it was a real print job,” says Hunter. Indeed, it was a notch above any printed piece of its time, underscoring the importance of the event to Ley and the townspeople.

The marker and bronze sign were dedicated at the event and there was music, speakers, and a chance to meet the Governor and his wife.

Surely Governor Dwinell was impressed with the event and the fact that the marker attracted so many people. He decided to encourage people in other New Hampshire towns to apply for a historic marker. Thus was the start of the markers seen in many towns all over the state today.

Years later, when the church applied for a historic marker for The Grave by the Lake, they had to get approval from the head of the Native American Council of New Hampshire. After receiving the okay, part of the process was writing information for the historic marker. A Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR)/church member got involved with the historic marker dedication, and asked a local member of the DAR, Helen Hartshorn, to do the history for the marker text.

The historic marker dedication took place on May 3, 2023, at the Melvin Village Community Church. The event paid homage to the native man who had captured the imagination of so many. The Winnipesaukee Chapter of the DAR, the Tuftonboro Historical Society, the NH Commission on Native American Affair’s Anne Jennison, and NH Division of Historic Resources representatives attended. Abenaki comments were presented by Rep. Sherry Gould of the Nulhegan Band of the Coosuk. Hunter gave a history of the Grave by the Lake.

It is up to each person who hears the history to decide for themselves if, long ago, a native man was buried overlooking Winnipesaukee, or if it is just a story. Many people like to think the man in the Grave by the Lake was someone special to his tribe. One local person surmised, “I like to think of him buried sitting up and looking out over the lake; what could be better than that? I believe he was a man of impor- tance.”

There is no way to know how long the grave of the man was around, undisturbed until the early 1800s. Perhaps it was hundreds of years or less before the grave was found. There also is no way to know if the man was a leader among his people, or what tribal community and area he called home.

The questions are many, with no real and solid answers except the belief that a man who once lived and probably loved the area, made use of Lake Winnipesaukee for water, food and travel. We don’t know his name, or when he was born, or how he died.

We know only that if not for him, there would be no Grave by the Lake. He has captured our imaginations and will continue to do so for years to come.