Sleeper Island on Lake Winnipesaukee

Island History

May 23, 2002 - Ed Hart

HISTORY OF SLEEPERS ISLAND, LAKE WINNIPESAUKEE

Sleepers Island, a parcel of land containing approximately 110 acres is located in Belknap County, New Hampshire, lying between the westerly shore of Lake Winnipesaukee and Rattlesnake Island to the northward.

Between 1766 and 1770 a plan of the lake and the islands was made. The islands were divided up and allotted to (15) "proprietors." No further changes were made until December 24, 1781 when the proprietors met in Portsmouth to formally divide the unallotted territory in the Winnipesaukee lakes region. The plan that was submitted at the meeting was called "Draft of the Islands in Winipiseokee Pond, as numbered and coupled in the first plan". The final plan indicates that some of the larger islands had been subdivided and the smaller ones had been grouped together. The objective of the 1781 meeting was to confirm and ascertain the title of previous grantees. According to the final plan, Sleepers Is. (then called Flanders Is. and thought at that time to be 79 acres) was part of Lot #1 and belonged to Tomlinson and March, the original grantees. Also included in Lot #1 was the following: (4) Barn Door Is. at 50 acres, 11 acres, 9 acres and 8 acres; the easterly end of Rattlesnake Is., 40 acres; and Diamond Is., 10 acres.

Some time prior to 1869, Sleepers Is. was purchased by Jonas and George Sleeper. The reference to Flanders Is. is changed to Sleepers Is. On October 22, 1869, Jonas and George Sleeper conveyed the property to Sarah W. Worster for the sum of $10.00 (most likely an heir of the Sleepers) since Sarah conveyed the property to James Littlefield three days later for the sum of $1400.00.

The island went through a foreclosure on June 14, 1877 and the property was transferred to the administrator of the James Littlefield estate and then on to Cyrus Littlefield. Cyrus sold the island to William P. and Edward B. Hale on May 22, 1894. Edward B. Hale sold his interest to William P. Hale on February 3, 1904. William P. Hale took out two mortgages with the Merrimack River Savings Bank for the two purchases in the amounts of $2000.00 and $4500.00. It is possible that some of this money was also used to build the stone house. William P. Hale had taken a trip to Europe and saw the castles on the Rhine. He liked them so much that he constructed the stone house to look like them.

On May 8, 1939, June C. Hale (wife of William P. Hale) sold the island to Ivar Swenson, William having passed away. At the time of this transaction, the property was transferred for the sum of $1.00 and take over payments of the existing mortgage of $3500.00 with the Merrimack River Savings Bank. At this point, reference is made to a boat house, wharf and rights of way to the highway on the main land in Rollins Cove. This property was now included with Sleepers Island.

Ivar Swenson emmigrated from Sweden to the U. S. in 1902. He learned English and studied electrical engineering at Columbia University. After college, he went to work for the General Electric Co. He was given the job of estimating the cost to lay a power cable over to Sleepers Island. This first cable was run over on the ice and the cable sank to the lake bed when the ice melted. The island was not for sale but he fell in love with it. After William Hale passed away, his wife lost interest in going to the island. Ivar Swenson purchased the island in 1939 just after the hurricane had hit the area. There was a tremendous amount of tree damage on the island and a good deal of work was necessary to put the property back into good condition.

A camp had been established on Treasure Is. called "Camp Mishe Mokwa" (the name for "great white bear" in Hiawatha) and it operated as a boys camp between 1913 and 1950. In 1950, the island was sold to the Girl Scouts of America and it operated as a Girl Scout camp for about ten years. During this time, Ivar Swenson engineered a power cable for Treasure Is. After the cable was installed, Ivar was made an honorary Girl Scout!

Ivar's grand daughter (Karen, now my wife), vacationed on the island during the 1950s and early 1960s. There are many happy childhood memories of the island and out buildings. The boat used during this time was a 14 foot Old Town runabout. It was a beautiful boat, all natural wood on the forward deck and the inside. It was powered by a 25 hp Evinrude motor. When not at the island, the boat was kept in the boat house in Rollins Cove. The boat house has been refurbished but still sits on the same foundation adjacent to the cement pier and sandy beach. Ivar would keep a glass in the boat house at the castle and would often take a glass of water from the lake, remarking how wonderful it tasted.

The barn behind the house was a fun place for the children to play. It had horse stalls on the lower level. Also in the lower level was a 1930 Buick Victoria Coupe. The car had been driven over the ice to the island. The car had very low mileage and was in excellent mechanical condition. A rear wheel had been removed and pulley was installed to drive a saw mill. The interior was still in the car but badly mildewed. In the upper level there was a servant's quarters. There was also a working player piano with many music paper rolls. One of the children's favorite songs was an Eskimo love song, "Oogi,Oogi, Wawa"!

Ivar passed away in 1962 and the island passed to his son, John Swenson. The island and all the contents was sold the following year. There was a great concern for forest fires and fire insurance for the property was too costly. The island was sold to a developer who had inquired about purchasing the island a few years before.

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