September 2022--Call it preservation. Call it an obsession. Whatever it is...it all began with a plate.
A small, white decorative plate given to me by a dear friend. The front of the plate had a line-drawn illustration of an old-time hotel. I remember being a little confused but looking at her and saying, “Thanks, this is nice.” I think she could still tell I was a little baffled about why she gave me this plate. She immediately said, ‘Turn it over!”
All it took was that one turn and I was hooked.
The inscription on the back read: “The old Reid Hotel stood of the east shore of “Barren” (later spelled Barron) Lake, now the site of Kugler’s Beach. The main structure, built before the Civil War, had porches and southeast wing added in 1902. It was popular among Chicagoans as a summer resort. It was razed in 1949.” The plate is one of five commemorative plates commissioned by the Barron Lake Association from 1984 to 1989.
After reading the inscription, I looked at her with a bit of excitement and said, “This is where my house is now. I’m on the old Kugler’s Beach!” She smiled and said yes, she was aware of that and that was the reason she got me the plate on one of her antiquing excursions.
I never gave it much thought as to what was on my property before Kugler’s Beach. I remember when we first bought on the lake in 1993, we knew of the beach and that it was just a stone’s throw away from our home. I also remember it closed and several homes were built at that location. (We moved from our first location and now live where the beach used to be.) But that’s all I knew.
That was then. This is now.
I set out to the Niles Public Library to see what I could learn about the land my home was now occupying. Like I said, I always knew it was a public beach. I had heard Niles native Tommy James (of the group Tommy James and the Shondells) had spent quite a bit of time on the beach—but I never knew what was there before the beach.
I found a lot of information at the library about the people who owned the land—the Reid family, the hotel/resort they built and about all the people from surrounding areas—some as far as Detroit and Chicago—who would come to visit. I found a photo from decades ago when people affiliated with the Chicago Cubs traveled via a Model-T to spend time in the sun and water. And I found photos and articles about Battles of the Band that happened right where we plop our chairs now to enjoy the view of the lake.
With each article and photograph I found, I got more excited. I decided to make a scrapbook (yes, it was in the 1990s when scrapbooks were all the rage) with copies I had made of the photographs that showed people lounging at the resort, playing on the beach and enjoying themselves at the dance hall. Big bands were big deals decades ago and people traveled to our lake from near and far for a night of dancing. I remember just sitting on my couch and thinking about all the people from more than 75 years ago enjoying their vacation time on the sand and in the water and on the land....on what is now the land on which my home sits.
As time went on, I would meet people living on the lake and listen with great intent as they told stories about how “things on the lake used to be.” Hearing people talk inspired my desire to expand my learning to more than just my property. This lake is rich with history and I wanted to be able to know more about it. Again, not just my property but the entire lake and surrounding area.
Listening to those stories got me thinking and inspired the writer me and I suppose even the back-room historian in me.
There was Lee Lawson. Lee had been around the lake for around 80 years and knew more about the lake than I could ever hope to learn. She agreed to sharing her lake memories with me. I could see the joy in her face while she told her stories.
I was totally engrossed—and loved hearing how “things used to be” on the lake so much so that I asked her if I could write a story based on our conversation. She consented. And the first story was written sharing people’s stories of their lake memories. That was in 2017. I think I’m on number 16 now with a few more in the works. Sadly, Lee passed away in March of 2022. I was so happy I was able to preserve her legacy on the lake. I think that’s important. Lee was a huge part of this lake—she was very active here and remembered fondly by all her knew her.
I think it’s important to preserve the history of this lake and I'm obsessed. People share their stories, their memories and I publish them on the Barron Lake Association website so others can relive their memories while newcomers can learn more about the area, as well. They talk about things you won’t always find in a history book. (Come to think of it, I don’t believe there is a history book about Barron Lake—hmmm….maybe a new project for me?)
Things about small businesses that once thrived in this area—like a grocery store, resorts, taverns, a skating rink, and dance halls. What holidays were like, what summers were like. And what it was like when farmhouses dotted the shorelines, only to be replaced by cottages with no indoor plumbing and now contemporary homes with three or more bathrooms.
We’ve been on this lake for 29 years—full-time for a year. I have a lot of wonderful memories of my children playing “Bay Watch” jumping off the boat in what we called the cove, learning to water ski, laughing as they tubed around the lake, making s’mores at a campfire, building sandcastles, fishing off the pier, watching the magnificent sunsets and midnight cruises on the pontoon.
And of us always entertaining—whether it was our children’s friends, other family members and friends of ours. And our 4th of July parties--filled with dozens and dozens of people and the evening topped off with fireworks—a display that sometimes rivaled the professionals’ shows. Now, we’re enjoying it with our grandchildren and hoping they’re enjoying making memories the way their parents did, the way we did.
It’s a funny thing the way history repeats itself. We’ll keep making those memories and I’ll keep sharing everyone’s memories…
Take it one day at a time.
<If you’d like to read some of the memories shared by those who lived those memories, you can do so at the Barron Lake Association website.>
jodi marneris
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