A brief history of Brookwood, Sand Pond, and the Proctor family
As told by their photographs
Painting by Uncle Charley
The property we know today as Sand Pond was, until about 1925, part of Loch Ada, a much larger property encompassing two lakes and a portion of the valley that descends to the Delaware River. Loch Ada served as a summer residence for William Fash Proctor and his family at the end of the nineteenth century.
Summer residence of William Fash Proctor at Loch Ada, 1917
When William Fash Proctor made his first excursions to the mid Delaware region about 1870, he couldn't have known what a rich and extensive legacy he would leave behind. Although we have little in the way of written history, we have a vivid story portrayed in the photographs that have made their way to us despite all the intervening years. Some of these photographs look back a century or more, and each of them gives us a tiny window into the world in which our ancestors lived.
Beyond all of us, the second most significant legacy of William Fash Proctor is Sand Pond. It is a place that has now been in our family for six generations. Its natural beauty and extensive family legacy instill in us a personal connection to the land. Sand Pond was loved by our grandparents; where our parents spent many of their most valued childhood moments, and where we have taken our children to teach them to appreciate the wonders of nature.
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Charles Edward Proctor was the brother of William Ross and Ada Olive, son of William Fash Proctor. He had a house on the Loch Ada estate which was most likely the boathouse on Loch Ada. There is a watercolor painting by him of this boathouse in Ross Jr.'s house at Sand Pond. He was a professional artist and he painted a range of subjects from landscapes to portraits.
He also left us a wonderful travel log of his "tramping" in the area surrounding Brookwood in the 1890s. One passage I found particularly interesting was about Sand Pond.
In both these lakes there is good fishing, especially in Sand Pond where the gamiest and strongest bass in the state are caught. Salmon trout of good size have been taken, but in late years they seem to have diminished until now they are rarely caught.
Advice as to means of transport is given:
Always having gone on foot myself, I would advise if the party be composed entirely of gentlemen that they tramp it, although ladies in conveyances would doubtless get along splendidly if they are willing to put up with a few necessary inconveniences such as rough roads and not over good accommodations.
Loch Ada and Brookwood 1895 to 1920
Sand Pond and Brookwood in the 1920s
Sand Pond in the 1930s and 1940s
Sand Pond in the 1950s and 1960s
Sand Pond in the 1970s and 1980s
Sand Pond in the 1990s to the present