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People began heavily altering this site’s natural water systems in the 1850s, when a logger named James S. Howe dammed Webb Creek and expanded Upper Lake — then a natural sag pond — into a millpond.
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Later, estate owner Dr. Harry L. Tevis made Upper Lake deeper and more round, and constructed cisterns, dams and pipes to store 11 million gallons of water to keep his gardens lush. Tevis also built water features for enjoyment; his estate boasted a massive aqueduct with an artificial waterfall, a swimming pool in stately Roman style and a lily pond for quiet reflection.