Did you know that Lake Carroll was not always known by that name? Some of the many names for the lake included Horse Pond, Horseshoe Lake, Sunset Lake, and Lake Brorein. Mrs. Catherine Cunningham, who grew up on the east side of the lake, told about some exchanges during and before her family’s many years of residence on property formerly owned by the Jackson family. Her family settled there before the 1920s.
Mrs. Cunningham shared that a family living on the lake’s north end came up with the name Lake Carroll. That family was friends with Charles Carroll of Carrollton, who was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.
“In the days when cattle and horse were allowed to roam at will, with no fence laws in effect, Lake Carroll was one of the few lakes that had plenty of water even in the dry years. So when the farmers found their animals near Lake Carroll, the name became Horse Pond,” she explained.
According to Mrs. Cunningham, her family didn’t like such a beautiful lake having a name such as that. Because they lived on the east side of the lake, they enjoyed beautiful sunsets and named the lake Sunset Lake.
In later years, the Barclays opened a public swimming beach on the lake’s south end and called it Horseshoe Beach, so the lake became known as Horseshoe Lake.
Later, the Boy Scouts opened a camp on the lake. Because Carl Brorein was a significant contributor to the Boy Scouts, the lake was called Lake Brorein.
Mrs. Cunningham explained, “After all the confusion in names we decided that Carroll was the early name and was the name of a very famous person. We started pulling for the name of Lake Carroll, and today that name has stood the test of time. It is registered in the books as Lake Carroll.”