The Whisper of Shadow Lake
A Photo Essay by Emery Vitrano
Photos from the NMH Archives
(1971) Like an old memory, a black and white photograph depicts the sun shining brilliantly onto a lake. The stillness of the photo appeases the eyes, while the shadows display depth into a more concealed part of the lake. Hiding in the trees, a framed warming shed stands on the riverbank. It patiently waits for life, like an animal eyeing its prey. Built by students who attended the Northfield Mount Hermon school, the shed guards the lake like an angel as the trees cast shadows over it.
(1970) Students and faculty float in the lake during a pleasant summer day. Past the haven of the roped swimming area, a raft sits out in the murky waters. The hungry lake bottom engulfs the swimmers’ feet as they wade through the waters, home to hungry leeches.
(1936) “Whatever is growing [on the lake] is some kind of invasive plant” - Peter Weis. Shadow Lake does not look the same as it once did, as a blanket of green covers its uninviting waters. Mother nature has taken control of the lake as it slowly dies away. Perhaps it could use some love, attention, and appreciation.
(1913) An old memory of Shadow Lake illustrates a condition far from the current reality. The life seems to have vanished and the trees form a shield around the lake capturing it in time. The shades of gray paint half of a picture, leaving the imagination to paint the other half.
(1900) Thirteen people, ice, and one big hole. As NMH is blanketed by snow and a surge of cold weather, students in their work jobs harvest ice used to store perishables.
(1965) On a sunny day, thick, dark muck is dredged out from a crater of what used to be a lake. Two men stand by a truck gazing off into the distance. Perhaps they are concentrated at the lake monster hiding in the shadows or the machinery digging into the pit.
(1965) “Pull Pull Pull,” shouts from the boys in the annual rope pull echo across the lake bottom as students compete in a game of tug of war. In the background, three observers view the competition at a distance. In hopes of winning, the boys pull the rope with all their might in a century-long tradition. They jump up and down in celebration, their laughter heard from the heart of campus.