PERU- Over the years many changes have taken place at Worthley Pond with people moving in and out, stores opening, closing, trading ownership, homes being built, but one constant remains, it is a place for memories to be made through the generations.

Kathy Hussey, a life-long resident of Peru, shared, “I wanted to live on the pond because water gives me a sense of soothing and calmness. Having grown up in Peru, with two working parents, we seldom made it to the pond, but were very familiar with swimming in the brook. When I was a teenager, my parents did rent a camp one year on East Shore Road and we absolutely loved it, even though the camp was on the opposite side of the road from the pond.”

Kathy continued, “My absolute fondest memory of Worthley Pond was when my dad, Richard E. Vaughn, was in the National Guard and was caretaker of an Amphibian. I remember being in the Amphibian as my dad drove it out Dickvale, down Rt. 108 to Worthley Pond and into the pond and then back home again. I have searched for a picture of that Amphibian as I can still see it in my memory. I also recall my Dad’s distress at the Amphibian being taken to the scrap metal pile.”

For other people like my brother, Tim, it’s a place that continues to make memories for him each year as he and his friends set out a shack and ice fish throughout the winter season, and in the summer, he doesn’t venture far from the shores, either.
My brother has always loved to fish and hunt and just be in the outdoors. And Worthley Pond is the place where most of his adventures still originate today. He still has that excitement of a little kid each time he pulls up a fish, whether from an icy hole with frigid water dripping in the wind or on the end of a pole from the side of a boat in the hot summer heat.

Now, many others of the younger generation may remember the pond as the party spot or the hangout, but for most families, it’s been a place to gather and share laughs and old stories around a campfire. Maybe share a canoe or paddle boat ride to reminisce about a simpler time in their lives.
As I’ve shared my memories, I hope that some of you will dig into your memory archives and send me your thoughts.

Please email me at [email protected].