Every Lake
Middle Reservoir
One of three Winchester reservoirs, still on the MWRA's emergency water supply list.
- 7 ft · first step
- 14 ft
- 21 ft
- 28 ft
- 35 ft
- 42 ft · bottom
About Middle Reservoir
Middle Reservoir sits inside the Middlesex Fells Reservation, on the Winchester–Stoneham line a few miles north of Boston. It is one of three linked reservoirs, North, Middle, and South, built in the late 1890s as part of Winchester's municipal water system and later folded into the Metropolitan Water Works. The Middlesex Fells Reservoirs Historic District that includes it still holds remnants of the era's stonework, spillways, and gatehouses among the trees.
The reservoir is now closed to swimming and boating and kept in reserve as part of the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority's emergency water supply, rather than serving day-to-day use. Access is mostly on foot, along the fire roads and trails that hug its shoreline and connect to the North and South Reservoirs nearby, a stretch popular with birders and trail runners. At roughly 106 acres with about three miles of shoreline, it keeps a mostly wooded, undeveloped edge, with no cottages or docks breaking the tree line.
- 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.
Middle Reservoir depth chart, in wood
This is a Middle Reservoir depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 7 ft, 14 ft, 21 ft, 28 ft, 35 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 42 ft. The lake covers about 0.2 square miles. The shape of the bottom is the real one from published soundings, so anglers recognise their drop-offs and points.
A Middle 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 Middle 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 Middle Reservoir.
Middle 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 Middle Reservoir; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Middle 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 42 ft
- 0.2 square miles of water
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
