Every Lake
Lily Pons Fish Ponds
Named for an opera singer who stopped by the lily ponds in 1936.
- 5 ft · first step
- 9 ft
- 14 ft
- 18 ft
- 23 ft
- 28 ft · bottom
About Lily Pons Fish Ponds
The ponds began as a commercial fish hatchery in the early 1900s, dug in a series of shallow basins fed by local streams near Hagerstown, Maryland. The operation later expanded into growing water lilies and other aquatic plants for mail-order sale, a business that shipped stock across the country. The community that grew up around the ponds took the name Lilypons after opera singer Lily Pons visited the property in 1936.
The ponds today are a patchwork of separated cells rather than one continuous body of water, spread across roughly 148 acres with about 3 miles of combined shoreline. Depths stay shallow throughout, reaching an estimated 28 feet at the deepest points, consistent with basins built for cultivating plants and raising fish rather than for boating or swimming. Visitors and locals know the site for its rows of lily pads and koi rather than open-water recreation.
- 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.
Lily Pons Fish Ponds depth chart, in wood
This is a Lily Pons Fish Ponds depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 5 ft, 9 ft, 14 ft, 18 ft, 23 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 28 ft. The lake covers about 0.3 square miles. The shape of the bottom is the real one from published soundings, so anglers recognise their drop-offs and points.
A Lily Pons Fish Ponds 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 Lily Pons Fish Ponds 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 Lily Pons Fish Ponds.
Lily Pons Fish Ponds 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 Lily Pons Fish Ponds; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Lily Pons Fish Ponds 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 28 ft
- 0.3 square miles of water
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
