This generous gift of land ensures the permanent protection of one of the state’s largest mostly undeveloped lakes (234 acres). This reservation surrounding Grafton Pond was the gift of an anonymous donor who wanted to preserve the wilderness pond and its seven miles of shoreline as one of the remaining sanctuaries for nesting loons. An advisory committee was formed that year to raise funds to create an endowment for the management of the property and to offer advice on land use and initial programs.

More than 100 years ago, the rugged natural beauty of Land Sunapee’s shores inspired American author and diplomat John M. Hay to build a summer retreat in Newbury. John Hay had been a private secretary to Abraham Lincoln and secretary of state under two presidents (William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt).