Unique Lake County neighborhood celebrates 90 years of history
Many residential areas have been built on or near water in Lake County, but there isn't a neighborhood with a history like that of Countryside Lake, west of Mundelein.
Samuel Insull, founder of Commonwealth Edison and Peoples Gas and once one of the most powerful businessmen in the U.S., created a 142-acre lake by damming Indian Creek and building a house on one of two islands.
Decades later, a subsequent owner counted actor Marlon Brando, who had family in the area, as one of his carousing visitors, according to local lore.
The other island was owned by Larry Benson, the man credited with solving the great Rondout train robbery of 1924 - one of the largest in U.S. history. He found respite from his job as head of police for the Milwaukee Road railroad on the island, accessible only by boat.
That's some heady history, though the origins of the area may not be known to many who live in the exclusive, private community. To celebrate the 90th anniversary of the Countryside Lake Association, longtime residents Sue Nierman and Rosemary Aitken want to share the background and create interest in improving the namesake lake.
"We are gathering as a lake community to celebrate 90 years of growth and share history from its beginnings and the amazing connection to this influential man, Sam Insull," Nierman said of a resident-only event planned for Aug. 4.
The day of activities will include a pig roast and boat regatta. Nierman and Aitken also plan to display aerial and historic photos, maps, blueprints and other items regarding the community's origin, evolution and connection to the area.
"We want to make everyone around here aware of it, and that it is part of the history around us," Nierman said.
Insull came to the U.S. from England as personal secretary to Thomas Edison. He moved to Chicago to manage company operations and became a titan of business, overseeing an expansive empire of utilities, railroads and land holdings that included thousands of acres in the Libertyville, Mundelein and Vernon Hills areas.
His vision was to extend the railroad and develop rural areas to sell electricity and products. In 1923, he assembled what became the Countryside Lake Association to create a lake from a low lying, marshy area bordered by woods and prairies.
A news account at the time described the plan for 1,800 acres as "one of the largest land development projects ever to be launched in Lake County."
A country house on the water - one of the five remaining original structures in Countryside Lake - was built by Insull as a lodge/retreat/entertainment center for family, friends and business associates.
"Rumor has it, he picked the oak tree as the high point," to create what originally was known as Scilly Island, Aitken said. She has owned that property for 30 years and lived there full time since 1995.
"He named it in honor of the place that he liked," she added. The Isles of Scilly are off the southwest coast of England. Another owner renamed it Ship Shape Island but Aitken calls it Morningside.
Accessible by a bridge next to the private beach, it is far different from Insull's ornate country residence in Vernon Hills known as the Cuneo Mansion & Gardens.
"It was party time," Aitken said.
Insull's empire crumbled beginning with the stock market crash in 1929 and subsequent Great Depression. Countryside Lake languished and, eventually, large tracts of land changed owners and were divided into smaller pieces for sale.
Association membership jumped from 65 to 199 after a 1980s growth spurt. It now is estimated at about 360, representing more than 1,200 residents.
As part of the upcoming celebration, Nierman and Aitken want to plant seeds of interest for stewardship of the lake and to revive a lake management committee.
"In turn, we are bringing attention to the importance of this lake in our neighborhood and educate what we as a lake community need to do to ensure the lake's health and longevity into the future," Nierman said.