Every Lake
Merimere Reservoir
The reservoir behind Hubbard Park, where an 1897 visit inspired a German playwright's Sunken Bell.
- 8 ft · first step
- 15 ft
- 23 ft
- 31 ft
- 39 ft
- 47 ft · bottom
About Merimere Reservoir
Merimere Reservoir sits in the Hanging Hills of Meriden, Connecticut, wedged between East Peak and South Mountain and broken by a small landmass called Mine Island. Walter Hubbard donated the surrounding land to the city, and Hubbard Park was dedicated around the reservoir on October 29, 1900. In 1897 the German playwright Gerhart Hauptmann visited the site and used its setting as the backdrop for his drama The Sunken Bell, a detail the city still points to as the reservoir's best-known claim.
The reservoir covers about 52 acres with roughly two miles of shoreline and a modeled maximum depth near 47 feet, small next to the natural lakes of northern New England but notable for how tightly it's boxed in by traprock ridges. Meriden borders it directly, with Waterbury a short drive west. Hikers use the Metacomet Trail along its edges, and the park draws dog walkers, trail runners, and families treating the reservoir as an extension of the city's public park system rather than a resort destination.
- 7 roads engraved around the shore, 2 of them labeled
- 6 depth layers, each step engraved with its depth in feet
- Compass rose, title block with coordinates, max depth and area; keyhole hanger on the back
Turn it in your hands
Live 3D of the actual cut files — drag to orbit, pinch to zoom. Every road you see is engraved on the real thing.
Viewer not showing? Open it full screen.
Merimere Reservoir depth chart, in wood
This is a Merimere Reservoir depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 8 ft, 15 ft, 23 ft, 31 ft, 39 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 47 ft. The lake covers about 0.1 square miles, and 7 shore roads are engraved around it. The shape of the bottom is the real one from published soundings, so anglers recognise their drop-offs and points.
A Merimere Reservoir map for the wall — or a gift
Most of these go to a cabin wall, a lake house entry, or a home office; a lot are gifts — the family that has been on Merimere Reservoir for three generations, the retirement move, the first boat. The 12-inch is the desk-and-shelf size; the 24- and 30-inch boards read across a room. Add a line under the title and star your place on the shore, and it becomes the map of your Merimere Reservoir.
Merimere Reservoir map — the details
How big is the map?
Four sizes: 12, 17, 24 and 30 inches on the long side, from $149. Every size is cut from the same depth data of Merimere Reservoir; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Merimere Reservoir is cut layer by layer from published bathymetric soundings — each layer of birch is a depth contour, so the shape of the bottom is the real one, not decorative.
Can I add my own place on it?
Yes. At checkout you can add a line under the title (a family name, a cabin name, a year) and star the spot on the shore that matters to you.
How long does it take?
Made to order in Waterford, Pennsylvania and shipped in 7–10 days; shipping is free in the lower 48.
Can you make a lake that isn't listed?
Any lake in the United States — we hold depth data for 104,419 of them. Search for yours; if it isn't built yet we build it when you order.
- 6 depth layers down to 47 ft
- 0.1 square miles of water
- 7 shore roads engraved, 2 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
