Lake Ronkonkoma group looks for a new home, repairs to Princess of the Lake sculpture

When a landmark sculpture of the legendary Princess of the Lake lost her arms, members of the Lake Ronkonkoma Historic Commission knew they could not leave her to decay.

The commission has contacted a sculptor and structural engineering firm in hopes of repairing and moving the 32-foot-tall wooden sculpture, which overlooks the lake from the property of Virginia Schutte, who owns a flower shop just feet away.

The sculpture was carved between 2015 and 2021, from a European copper red beech that was one of five trees shipped from England and planted near Lake Ronkonkoma more than 200 years ago. It stands where the tree was planted. 

Historic commission president Ellyn Okvist believes the statue’s arms, which were carved holding a cormorant, fell Nov. 30.

Members of the historical commission say the wood is rotting and expressed hope that the princess could be preserved somewhere indoors.

“Time has just added to [the carving’s] demise,” Okvist said. “We’d like to save it, of course. It’s very important to our town.”

She said the group plans to hold a public meeting to discuss action after the commission evaluates options, and in a statement asked residents to hold off on “monetary donations until a proper account is secured.”

Mournful legend

The legend of the Princess of the Lake claims that in the 1600s, an Algonquin woman named Tuskawanta killed herself in the waters of Lake Ronkonkoma over a forbidden love.

The legend further claims that her spirit returns each year to claim a man’s life as she waits for her love, as Newsday has reported.

True or not, the lake has become infamous for its drownings. Okvist, who is writing a book about the subject, said she has been able to identify more than 120 over the years.

Of the five trees shipped from England, three survived and were designated historic landmarks by the Suffolk County Legislature, Newsday has reported. After one of those died, the Lake Ronkonkoma Historic Commission in 2015 asked a local sculptor to help preserve it by carving a homage to the princess.

The group hosted a healing ceremony in 2019 to symbolically appease the spirit from further drownings.

“The princess's energy is believed to reside in the sculpture as a result of the healing ceremony in 2019, so for that reason alone we must find a way to make her whole again and then implement an ongoing maintenance plan to properly care for the sculpture,” Okvist said in a statement.

“People are very upset. They’re worried, they’re concerned, what are we doing about it?” she added in an interview.

'Part of the legacy'

Ric Statler, a shaman who conducted the ceremony, said the princess "has become an embodiment of the lake" and "represents the history there."

Repairing the statue is "important to the legacy" of the princess and her culture's history around the lake, he said. "It's part of the legacy of that part of Long Island."

Leif Easterson, a historical society member who runs a Facebook group called “Love the Lake” that publishes pictures of the lake, said the princess faces a similar statue of her father, about 2 miles away, on the other side of the lake.

“Where she’s looking is at her father, and her father is looking back,” he said. “Now we’re hoping to reclaim both of these wood pieces and find a place where they can look at each other forever in a nice protected environment. We want the Venus de Milo of Ronkonkoma to get her Louvre.”

Debra Cristino, who is part of the Lake Ronkonkoma Historical Commission, has hosted several presentations about the folklore and history of the hamlet for Cub Scout troops she supervises. She highlighted the value of passing traditions and stories, like the legend of Princess Ronkonkoma, to future generations.

“It’s important to know what history is,” she said. “They need to know the foundation of where they come from.”

Could there be a kernel of truth to the infamous story? Cristino isn’t sure about that. But, like many others in the community, she isn’t taking any chances.

“The legend is the legend. Do I let my boys go in the lake? Absolutely not. Thirty-eight years I’ve been here; my kids are not allowed to go near the lake, nor are my grandchildren allowed near the lake,” she said.

By Brianne Ledda

brianne.ledda@newsday.com@brianne_ledda

Brianne Ledda covers the Town of Islip for Newsday. She previously covered Southold and Greenport for The Suffolk Times and is a graduate of Stony Brook University.