Keuka Lake:
Keuka Lake is called the "Lady of the Lakes" because of its natural beauty. The Indian name Keuka means "canoe landing" but it was called Crooked Lake by the early white settlers. It is unique among the Finger Lakes in two ways: it is Y-shaped with a scenic bluff over seven hundred feet above lake level between the two branches of the Y, and it is the only Finger Lake that outlets into another Finger Lake, into Seneca Lake at Dresden.
The inlet is at Hammondsport at the southern end of the twenty mile long lake, and the outlet is at Penn Yan at the northern end of the east branch of the Y. Branchport is at the northern end of the west branch, the branch with the deepest point in the lake, 187 feet. Its average width is three-quarters of a mile, and it is two miles wide at its widest point - the widewaters area just south of the bluff. The shore line of the lake is just under sixty miles long. Keuka Lake is one of the cleanest of the finger lakes, and is rated an excellent sport fishing lake.
Excerpt from "Persons, Places and Things in the Finger Lakes Region" by Emerson Klees.
Shore Acres:
Shore Acres is located on the East side of the lake, half way between Hammonsport and Pen Yann, just south of the Y in the lake. It is an association shared by 17 families. This organization has taken over 45 years to develop and has a rich history.
Originally the plot (now known as Shores Acres) was owned by a gentleman by the name of Charlie Kaiser. Charlie was older, short and built like a bull. At one time Charlie was a professional wrestler. There were originally only six (6) cottages on the plot. These were all owned by Mr. Kaiser, and rented out. A little later, Francis Jackson negotiated with Mr. Kaiser and rented a place from him and moved an old logging camp "house on wheels" and placed it at about the location of where the pump house now stands, on the beach area. That was back in the late 1930's. Many of the renters were from Cameron, as was Francis Jackson. There became a growing interest in the location and eventually as Mr. Kaiser became older and of poor health. Several of the people, who had been renting there for years, got together and bought out Mr Kaiser. Prior to Mr Kaiser selling out he built two more cottages, the one currently owned by Bement and the Dewey cottage.
Shore Acres Association was formed on September 1, 1956.
The following people were the original owners: Nicholas D'Ambrosio, Margaret Kurtz, Philip Sullivan, Edward Sleisiman (illegible), Joseph Yarka, C. Canfield, Robert Sullivan, Richard Carey, Rudolph Schmidt, Frank Freeman, Glen Slingerland, Harold Whitehead, Carlton Dartt, John Blume, Clarence Williams, John Matuszak, Francis Jackson. After Shore Acres was formed a few mobil home trailers were placed on the property. Several cottages were built and those remain today. Somewhere around 1970 or shortly thereafter one of the shares was eliminated and bought out by The Association bringing it to its current level. Somewhere in the interim one other share was added which may have been that of Jack Stocum. Today there are 17 shareholders at Shore Acres. Curently, Frances D'Ambrosio is the only remaining original owner.
Shore Acres is a place that has been enjoyed by many families over the years. It is family oriented and busy with activities May through late September when most of the "winter in Florida" group returns for the mild summer weather. During summer months the association is full of school children staying with parents or grandparents. The association facilities include:
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