GLOVER — The historical significance of Shadow Lake and Dam and its importance to the community was recently highlighted in a press release by town administrator Theresa Perron.
“Shadow Lake, located in Orleans County in the Town of Glover, Vermont, is a small but deep inland lake nestled within the hills. This area, historically known as Slab City, offered farmland, sawmills, cider mills, blacksmithing, ice harvesting and woodworking shops. The Shadow Lake dam provided both the power and the people necessary to support this robust little community. The mill is long-gone, but the dam and the Shadow Lake Community remain. Residents at the lake can be seen swimming, boating, fishing, waterskiing, paddling and walking around Shadow Lake in the summer. In the winter, ice fishermen populate the frozen landscape and the serene beauty of Shadow casts its spell on those that remain. It’s a community where people know each other and look forward to the peace and tranquility of the lake in every season.”
According to Perron the July floods of 2023 and 2024 took a severe toll on the 200-year-old dam, creating a 5-foot by 5-foot sinkhole in the embankment, and a small sinkhole in front of the granite block wall. The dam is now rated a “significant hazard” by the Vermont Dam Safety Program. The sinkhole has since temporarily stabilized with state oversight. Preparations for future work to bring the dam into compliance are being made by the town, which has signed a contract with Weston and Sampson, an engineering company, to perform an analysis study on the embankment at the dam. This includes nine tasks which can be seen on the proposal page of the Town of Glover website, townofglover.com.
This repair will cost the town $69,500 and the analysis will be done by spring of 2025. This summer the town will work on getting permits to do the work on the dam. Renovations of the dam will begin in 2026. In the meantime, the lake will stay lowered by two feet.
Perron expressed the importance of community involvement, stating “Doing nothing will cause economic, physical, and social damage beyond the loss of the tax base. Loss of the lake would be an enormous loss to the Town of Glover, devastating the community. Please support the Town of Glover, preserving Shadow Lake and the dam. Visit our website: shadowlakedam.org”
The Town of Glover has organized a fundraising event, Jam for the Dam, to support the Shadow Lake Dam Fund. The event will take place Friday, Feb. 21, at the Orleans Municipal Building. Students and community members will present a show featuring rock, folk, blues classics and original songs. The concert will include music by Led Zeppelin, Metallica, Trombone Shorty, The Temptations, Adele, Goodbye June, Weezer and more. Admission will be charged at the door.
Raymobda Parchment is a Hardwick Gazette reporter. She recently graduated from Vermont State University - Castleton with a Bachelor’s in English. She is a strong supporter of freedom of speech, and the right to publish information, opinions, and ideas without censorship or restraint. She is a lifelong lover of the written word, and is excited to join the team as a staff member.