
Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg, also known as Lake Chaubunagungamaug for short, or Webster Lake for shorter, is a body of water less than 1 hour from Boston.
Chargoggagoggmanchauggauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg is exactly 45 letters long, holding the title for the longest name of any geographic location in America. The lake itself has a surface area of 1,442 acres. stretching 3 miles in length and over 1 mile in maximum width. It is the third-largest lake in Massachusetts and the second-largest natural body of water in the state.
The name, “Chargoggagoggmanchauggauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg,” is an Algonquin word. It has been known to hold several meanings:
- You fish on your side; I fish on my side; nobody fishes in the middle
- Fishing place at the boundaries, neutral meeting grounds
- Lake divided by islands
Webster Lake has about 8 islands within it, some of the islands habitable, with small houses occupying the land. The lake is somewhat of a national treasure. Located on the border of Massachusetts and Connecticut, the lake is not only nationally recognized as having the longest name of any geographic figure in the nation, but also one of the longest names globally.