Lockes Island: From Sheep Pasture to Lake Winnipesaukee Legacy

A Little Island With a Long Memory

There are places on Lake Winnipesaukee that feel like they exist outside of ordinary time, and Lockes Island is one of them. Tucked close to the mainland near Glendale in Gilford, this roughly 42-acre island is reached only by boat, which means every arrival feels like a small adventure. But the island's story stretches back far longer than most visitors realize, winding through sheep pastures, $10 camp leases, morning ice runs, and the kind of unhurried summer life that people have been chasing on New Hampshire's largest lake for well over a century.

From Thompson's Little Island to Lockes

According to the island history preserved by Gilford Public Library, the recorded ownership story begins in 1817, when the entire island sold from John Pierce's estate to Thomas Thompson for just $621. It was known then as Thompson's Little Island, a humble name for a piece of land that would eventually change hands and identities more than once. A later chapter in that same history records it being called Smith's Island before Daniel Locke purchased it in October 1837, and the name that stuck was his.

For most of the 19th century, the island served a purely practical purpose. Smith describes its pre-1890 use as summer pasture for sheep, cattle, and retired horses, with some cutting of firewood along the way. It was working land, not a retreat. The transformation into a summer destination happened gradually, beginning right at the close of that century.

Ten Dollars a Year and a Front-Row Seat on the Lake

According to Smith's account, the Locke widow and her daughter, Cora Roberts, began leasing land for camps around 1890, charging $10 annually for the privilege. That modest figure set the tone for what the island would become: an unpretentious, community-minded place where families returned summer after summer and put down roots that lasted generations.

Early camps had names that still carry a certain charm. Pine Grove Cottage dates to 1890. Sunrise followed in 1907, Point O' Pines in 1911, and Wee Inn in 1922. These weren't grand estates. They were honest camps, built close to the water, shaped by the families who used them.

Smith recalled the island's interior in 1912 as largely open, dotted with wild strawberries and scattered large pines, with trees only gradually reclaiming the old pasture. It's a vivid picture of a landscape still caught between its farming past and its vacation future.

Everyday Life Required a Little Ingenuity

What made island living genuinely distinctive, then as now, was the logistics. According to Smith's history, getting groceries wasn't a quick errand. It meant rowing to Glendale, boarding a train to Lakeport, then catching a trolley into Laconia, and reversing the whole journey on the way home. Ice was collected at Glendale each morning along with the mail, carried back by boat to keep food cold in camp iceboxes. The commute was part of the rhythm.

The hub of this daily routine was the Glendale shore, presided over by Noah Goss, who ran the general store, served as stationmaster, and worked as a game warden. Smith remembered that when the train whistle blew, Goss would swap his straw hat for a railway cap without missing a beat. It's the kind of detail that makes history feel alive.

Not every memory is about practicality, though. Smith also recalled the Walscheids arriving in style, riding in wicker chairs while their uniformed boat chauffeur steered. Island life, it seems, accommodated both the rustic and the refined.

Built by Hand, Saved by Neighbors

The camps themselves became part of island lore. Smith records that the Bates family built their boat, the Mary Jane, right on a camp porch, steaming and bending its wooden ribs there before launching it on the lake. And when fire broke out at Camp Sunrise in 1941, residents formed bucket brigades and eventually brought a pump over from Glendale to protect neighboring camps. Community was not just a feeling on Lockes Island. It was a fire line.

By 1928, a camp and its motorboat together sold for $2,800, a sign that island property was already something people valued and held onto.

Keeping the Past in the Walls

One of the loveliest modern threads in the island's story comes from a home featured in the Lakes Region Parade of Homes. After a tree destroyed the original camp, the owners rebuilt, but they didn't start from scratch in spirit. They salvaged the camp's original front door, a Queen Anne-style window, and siding from the old bunkhouse, weaving those pieces into the new structure. The history of the place literally lives in the walls.

That instinct, to preserve rather than erase, says something meaningful about who comes to Lockes Island and why they stay.

For those interested in the living oral history of the island, a 2025 episode of the Lake Lore podcast features a conversation with David Hackett about his family's long connection to the island, their camp, and childhood boating memories. It's a wonderful companion to the written record.

Lockes Island Properties for Sale

Rarely do Lockes Island properties come to market. When they do, they offer something that new construction simply cannot replicate: a foothold in one of Lake Winnipesaukee's most storied island communities.

12 Lockes IslandActive

• Price: $775,000
• Beds: 2 | Baths: 1
• Square feet: 992
• Acreage: 0.29 acres
• Year built: 1899
• Waterfront: Lake Winnipesaukee

Built in 1899, this cottage is among the oldest standing camps on the island, and the long-range views and crystal-clear water in front of it are as good as any on the lake. Arriving at the large dock with breakwater already feels like stepping into an earlier era, when the pace of summer was set by the morning ice run and the sound of an oar in the water. The bones of this property carry more than a century of island memory.

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14 Lockes IslandSold

• Sold for: $850,000 (listed at $889,500)
• Beds: 3 | Baths: 1
• Square feet: 1,037
• Acreage: 0.27 acres
• Year built: 1952
• Waterfront: Lake Winnipesaukee

With 150 feet of pristine lake frontage, this mid-century island home offers the rare combination of genuine waterfront access and true island seclusion. Three bedrooms give it enough room for a family to settle in properly, and the Glendale shore is just a short boat ride away, much as it has been for every generation of islanders before.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How do you get to Lockes Island?

Lockes Island is accessible only by boat. Most residents and guests arrive via the Glendale area in Gilford, which has been the island's connection to the mainland since the earliest camp days. The short boat trip is considered part of the experience, and many islanders consider that built-in separation from the mainland one of the island's greatest charms.

How big is Lockes Island and where exactly is it?

Lockes Island covers approximately 42 acres and sits in Gilford, New Hampshire, near the Glendale area. It is one of the island communities on Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire's largest lake.

When did Lockes Island transition from farmland to a summer retreat?

According to the island history preserved by Gilford Public Library, the island was used as summer pasture for sheep, cattle, and horses through most of the 1800s. Around 1890, the Locke family began leasing land for summer camps at $10 per year, and the recreational community grew steadily from there over the following decades.

How often do Lockes Island properties come up for sale?

Lockes Island properties are rarely listed, which makes any available property noteworthy. The island's small size and tightly held community mean that homes here change hands infrequently. When a property does come to market, it tends to attract buyers who are specifically seeking island living on Lake Winnipesaukee.

What is everyday life like on Lockes Island?

Island life means doing everything by boat, from commuting to picking up groceries. Historically, islanders rowed to Glendale each morning for mail, ice, and supplies. Today the logistics are more convenient, but the fundamental character of the place remains the same: a close-knit waterfront community where the lake is always part of daily life.

Curious about waterfront homes on Lake Winnipesaukee? View all homes for sale →