Lake Kenosia
{{Infobox body of water
| name = Lake Kenosia
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| image = Lake-Kenosia-Resort.jpg
| caption = Summer resort on Lake Kenosia (1908)
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| location = Danbury, Connecticut
| coordinates = {{coord|41.3829446|-73.4991576|format=dms|type:waterbody_region:US-CT|display=inline, title}} {{cite gnis|208263|Lake Kenosia}}
| type = Lake
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| area = {{convert|59.5|acre|abbr=on}}
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| elevation = {{convert|146|ft|abbr=on}}
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| pushpin_map = Connecticut#USA
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| pushpin_map_alt = Location of Lake Kenosia in Connecticut, USA.
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{{maplink|frame=yes|zoom=13|id=Q31810660|type=shape|stroke-color=#808080|fill=#808080|fill-opacity=0.0|text=Interactive map of Lake Kenosia}}
Lake Kenosia is a lake located in Danbury, Connecticut, United States. The lake covers {{convert|59.5|acre|abbr=on}}.{{cite web | title = Lake Kenosia Boat Launch | publisher = Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection | url = https://portal.ct.gov/DEEP/Boating/Boat-Launches/Lake-Kenosia-Boat-Launch | accessdate = February 17, 2022}}
History
The lake was originally called Mill Plain Pond because the dam of a nearby mill had flooded the swamp located there.{{cite book | last = Bailey | first = James Montgomery | title = History of Danbury, Conn., 1684-1896 | publisher = Burr Printing House | year = 1896 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=RcbiAAAAMAAJ | pages = 6, 7}}
In 1860, a resort hotel called the Kenosia Hotel opened at the lake. It was destroyed by fire the same year.
In the late 1800s, the Danbury and Bethel Street Railway, which owned the shortest electrified trolley system in Connecticut, purchased {{convert|12|acre|abbr=on}} of land on Lake Kenosia to build an amusement park.{{cite news | last = Milano | first = Lou | date = May 12, 2021 | title = Lake Kenosia in Danbury Was Once a Tourist Destination for Amusement Park Fans | url = https://hudsonvalleycountry.com/lake-kenosia-in-danbury-was-once-a-tourist-destination-for-amusement-park-fans/ | work = Hudson Valley Country}} The company extended their trolley line to the lake, and opened Lake Kenosia Amusement Park in 1895. The park featured a wooden roller coaster, a carousel, a 1,000 seat open-air performance center, and the three-story Kenmere Resort Hotel. A 30-seat steamboat called Montgomery was brought to the lake, where it became "problematic because it was far too big for Lake Kenosia". Fire destroyed the hotel in 1927, and the park's popularity diminished following the opening of Candlewood Lake in the 1920s.
In 2016, drought conditions caused Danbury's water reservoirs to approach "critically low levels", and the city was permitted to temporarily draw water from Lake Kenosia.{{cite news | date = November 25, 2016 | title = Danbury To Draw From Lake Kenosia As State Declares Water Supply Emergency | url = https://dailyvoice.com/connecticut/danbury/news/danbury-to-draw-from-lake-kenosia-as-state-declares-water-supply-emergency/687061/ | work = Danbury Daily Voice}}
Lake Kenosia.jpg|Late 1800s
Recreation
Lake Kenosia Park is a {{convert|25|acre|abbr=on|adj=on}} park located on the north side of the lake, with a playground, benches and soccer fields.{{cite web | title = Lake Kenosia Park | publisher = City of Danbury | url = https://www.danbury-ct.gov/government/departments/parks/ | accessdate = February 17, 2022 | archive-date = September 4, 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210904221254/https://www.danbury-ct.gov/government/departments/parks/ | url-status = dead }} Parking is available, and there is a boat launch for non-motorized boats. Swimming in not permitted in Lake Kenosia.