Somerset Dam was constructed in 1913. It was built at Peck’s Mill in Somerset to provide water year-round to generating plants, with the construction company projecting the project to last about three years. More than 500 workers were employed during construction, and the company built living facilities for them including two camps—one called the American camp for supervisory personnel and one called the Italian camp for unskilled workers.
The dam stands at 110 feet in height and spans 2,101 feet in length, with a storage capacity of 57,345 acre-feet. It serves multiple purposes including hydroelectric power generation and recreation
While the resevoir provided a beautifule, B.B. Lenoard, the dam’s caretaker provider hikers with food and lodging. According the Long Trail Guide book
"Meals and lodging at caretaker’s house. Address several days in advance, B.B. Leonard, Somerset, Vermont."
The dam proved a popular spot until a trail location in 1930 diverted hikers away from the dam and over Glastenbury Mountain.
Sources
- Long Trail Guide Book. 8th Edition ed. Green Mountain Club, 1930.
- D.K. Young. The History of Stratton Vermont to the End of the 20th Century.
- Rondeau , Mark E. . “Writer tells the history of how railroad changed Vermont.” Bennington Banner, January 17, 2012. https://www.reformer.com/local-news/writer-tells-the-history-of-how-railroad-changed-vermont/article_79e76866-fbcc-55d3-9aa6-d71458c078ff.html.
