Lake Andrews is the pond near the heart of the Bates campus. In winter, it is a mecca for ice skaters; in warmer months, students, staff, and faculty members enjoy the landscaping around Lake Andrews, the Burgoyne Lakeside Walk, and the granite steps of the nearby Florence Keigwin Amphitheater. Much of the Lake Andrews restoration was made possible by Jack '59 and Beverly Keigwin.

In the late 1940s, Bates College landscaped a boggy area on the north side of campus — known for years in the student vernacular as Lake Andrews — to create a real pond that legitimized that campus nickname, which honored Delbert Andrews, of the Bates Class of 1910, who was bursar of the College in the 1910s.

When Lake Andrews was drained to begin a restoration process in 1998, workcrews found many interesting objects, including old hockey pucks and three 30-pound snapping turtles (they were relocated to a nearby pond). Bulldozers and dump trucks removed approximately 5,000 cubic yards of silt, then placed clean sand to a depth of six inches. Additionally, 250 tons of river rock were placed around the perimeter of Lake Andrews. Wetland species and drifts of ornamental grasses and wildflowers were combined to suggest a natural setting.

Aquatic biologist and consultant Scott Williams '71 and members of the Bates Physical Plant staff also relocated ducks and fish to other natural habitats prior to draining the lake. The Physical Plant staff cared for a family of ducks until they learned how to fly.

Other facts:
• The 500 tons of granite used to build the Florence Keigwin Amphitheater came from an abandoned quarry in Lincolnville, Maine, which was reopened specifically for this project.

• The surface area of the lake is 2.5 acres.
• There are approximately 3,350,000 gallons of water in the lake.
• The depth of the lake varies from 3.9 feet to 5.6 feet.
• The Marjorie Burgoyne Lakeside Walk is 1,396 feet; 3.75 turns around the lake make a mile.
• On the east side of the lake, a granite seating area beneath the pine trees in front of Smith Hall memorializes Philip Otis of the Bates Class of 1995, a park ranger who died in 1995 on a rescue mission on Mount Rainier. He is also remembered at Bates through the Philip J. Otis Endowment, which supports opportunities for faculty and students to research the connection between the environment and spirituality.
• Another granite seating area, overlooking Lake Andrews between Olin Arts Center and Page Hall, honors the legacy of Charles H. Sampson, a beloved administrator from 1943 to 1957. After World War II, Bates installed temporary apartment houses near that site for veteran students and their families, and Sampson was a landlord, mentor, and friend for those families.
• Trees:  56 plants, 15 varieties (native plants used:  red oak, white pine)
• Shrubs: 609 plants, 30 varieties (native plants used:  buttonbush, sheep laurel, bearberry)
• Perennials: 1937 plants, 30 varieties (native plants used:  joe pye weed, blue flag iris, cinnamon fern)