Coram Pond in earlier times was called Cornucopia Lake. It was formed by a glacier and is commonly referred to as a kettle hole. Its bottom was 96 feet, which brought it to sea level. It had a thick clay deposit at the bottom. This clay line ran for about a mile in and was used in the making of bricks in the midnineteenth century. Coram Pond was filled by a swamp that drained south by Winfield Davis Drive, across Middle Country Road; then it ran through the Coram shopping center, across Mill Road and Rte. 112. It went north thru the present Wincoram Commons apartment complex (old UA Theater), then over Middle Country Road where the Coram Pond diner stands and north across Rte. 112 down into Coram Pond.
Coram Pond was a place where stagecoaches carrying mail and passengers could stop and water their horses. The road ran on the north side of the pond. It was also a place where local children would go sleigh-riding from Mt. Tabor, which overlooked the pond. Mt. Tabor was once the site of religious revivals at the turn of the century. In later years it was a popular fishing and ice skating area. Many area residents have fond memories of the pond. Mr. Edward Hawkins remembers coming down mount Tabor on moonlit nights with his sled and sliding across the pond. In her 1932 autobiography, Minnie Davis talked of skating on the frozen pond. The local kids would go sleigh riding down the hill in the rear. At the triangle, a fire in a can was the perfect place to bake a potato. Edwin Hawkins (of Coram Rug Works fame) said the sleigh riding was best on a moonlit night. If you hit the pond just right you could slingshot across 112 and right up to the fire can on Middle Country Road.
This beautiful archway and paved brick overlook area was designed by the son of Bill Kelly and built entirely by Kelly Brothers Landscaping.
How the pond was destroyed… The Department of Public works had a problem with flooding. They needed a big sump that would drain the storm water underground and when they took a look at Coram Pond it seemed like a perfect spot. The DPW scooped the clay out of the pond's bottom, clearing trees and widening the hole more than twice the pond's original size. The Department of Public Works chief engineer for Long Island, Austin Saar, said; "They certainly would have drawn back had someone said that the pond had prime natural value." Saar also said, "We could have found an alternate drain point even though the pond was the most economical solution to our problem." Unfortunately by the time naturalists learned of the plan, it had already been completed. So in the hole where Coram Pond once was located, dirt and garbage soon gathered. While at one time it was a place where you could follow the old tracks worn by stagecoaches or hear the sounds of laughing children and enjoy a sunset or walk near the flowers and beautiful trees that surrounded the pond; that time has long passed. Coram Pond is now a pale shadow of its majestic past, but thanks to Bill Kelly of Kelly Brothers Landscaping we have recaptured a bit of its former beauty and can now sit at the beautiful overlook to the Coram Pond and imagine the days of long ago.
Many thanks to Mr. Paul Infranco for assembling from many sources all of the information and pictures contained in this story.
Information found at http://coramcivic.org/resources/CCA_The+Coram+Pond.pdf
This is a quaint little place to come sit, maybe take a lunch or coffee break, and enjoy the view from the overlook. I parked in the corner of the 7-11 lot and followed the trail of rocks back to the left, but I believe you can also pull into the landscaping driveway and park in the little area to the back right, in front of the overlook entrance. You're looking for a tiny black magnetic micro, that blends in well, so pay close attention as you search. Make sure to be respectful of the area, and (obviously) please clean up after yourself if you do decide to take lunch here. Happy caching!
*10/22/15 Hint Updated* PLEASE be sure to re-hide it exactly where you found it.