Get to the coordinates, have a seat on the bench and take in the view. Beautiful, isn’t it? This is Massapequa Lake, also known as Corroon’s lake to many Massapequans. The cache you are looking for is a small container. Please bring a pen and pin/tweezers to retrieve the log. The cache is not a typical container, but more experienced geocachers probably have seen this type of container before.
This lake has been an important part of Massapequa’s history. In 1837, David S. Jones (a descendent of Massapequa’s colonial settlers) used a creek that flowed into the Great South Bay to create the lake. He named the lake’s island Mary’s Island in honor of his wife Mary Clinton, the daughter of Governor De Witt Clinton. The Jones’ property also included Massapequa Manor (a large mansion east of the lake}, a polo field and a race track. The property was sold to David Jones’s cousin William Floyd-Jones, who later sold it to his relative William Robison. Around 1920, the property was sold outside the family to Richard A. Corroon. In 1947, the Corroon family sold it to a real developer that built private houses around the manor. Many more of the houses east of the lake were built after the manor burned down in the early 50s. In 1969, the lake was drained and a cache of 184 jasper blades was found that is thought to have been put there by Native Americans over 2,000 years ago. You can see more information on Corroon’s Lake at: http://www.massapequaobserver.com/massapequa-manor-of-judges-and-mansions/ ; http://www.massapequapost.com/news/2009-10-21/Columnists/A_lake_in_Massapequa_made_just_for_Mary.html ; http://patch.com/new-york/massapequa/massapequa-historical-society-discusses-towns-past ; http://www.massapequaobserver.com/historical-society-shines/