Jew Pond’s Name Is Officially Changed
A federal board has changed the name of a pond in a small New Hampshire town from Jew Pond to Carleton Pond.
The name change by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names comes six months after Mont Vernon residents voted for the name change, which honors one of the town’s founding families.
The move to change the name of the recreational water hole began two years ago by the town’s health officer, Richard Masters, after he investigated an algae bloom on the pond, learned its official name and called for it to be changed, saying that the name was disrespectful and offensive.
The body of water had been known as Jew Pond since the 1920s, though there are no signs to that effect. The name, however, does appear on maps.
Dug near a hotel and golf complex, the manmade pond originally was called Spring Pond. It reportedly became known as Jew Pond after two Jewish businessmen bought the hotel and its grounds. They intended to make the pond bigger and call it Lake Serene, according to the Associated Press.
The pond is now located in Carleton Park on land donated by George O. Carleton.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and the protests on college campuses.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.