Beebe Lake (New York)
lake on the campus of Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, U.S.A.
Beebe Lake /bibi/ is a reservoir in Ithaca, New York, located on the campus of Cornell University. The shallow lake impounds Fall Creek; it has a surface area of roughly 17 acres (6.9 ha) and contains roughly 53 million gallons of water. Most of the land surrounding the lake is a forested preserve managed by the Cornell Botanic Gardens, including one man-made island.
Beebe Lake was initially created in 1838 by the damming of Fall Creek and enlarged in 1898. It has been dredged several times, notably in 1988 and 2000. Throughout the early 20th-century, the lake was a popular site of winter recreation activities, including ice skating and toboggan slide rides. Beebe Lake also hosted games of the Cornell Big Red men's ice hockey team in their early years.
In the first half of the 20th century, the east end of Beebe Lake was a popular site for swimming; however, the swimming hole was closed in 1969 and swimming remains prohibited. The trails around the lake are used for hiking, jogging, and walking; the lake itself is the site of canoeing and kayaking. Water from Beebe Lake also supplies Cornell's hydroelectric plant.
The public source identifies “Beebe Lake (New York)” as lake on the campus of Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, U.S.A. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Beebe, Lake and York.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Beebe Lake (New York)”, the useful work is to connect “lake on the campus of Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, U.S.A” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 25, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q34641504. VIAF identifies the subject as 315139892. Authority coordinates are 42.451, -76.476. 1 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1838, 1898, 1988 and 2000.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Beebe Lake (New York)”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Beebe Lake (New York) primary sources, Beebe Lake (New York) archive and Beebe research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
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- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
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This entry incorporates text from “Beebe Lake (New York)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.