The History of Sedgewood Cove
Sedgewood Cove is located on a historic piece of property. In the
mid 1800's, the United States government promoted
homesteading claims to settle the newly formed State of Illinois.
Hundreds traveled by wagon and some by existing waterways, to
settle present day Lake Villa Township. The areas first settlers
were of English, Scoth-Irish, and German decent, migrating west
from New York, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania to stake their
claims. These settlers traveled on the very barren wagon trails,
which ran along the Grand Avenue and Deep Lake Road
intersection.
Sedgewood Cove's first settlers arrived in the late 1840's. They
included Horatio Stevens; a Farmer who settled the northwestern
section and paid $100 for 80 acres, including what eventually
became Peacock Camp. Another settler, David Sherman, a
Massachusetts born farmer, purchased the western portion of the
property. He paid $50 for the 40-acre section, which now
comprise the center of the community.
Nelson Sherman, who paid $100 for 80 acres of farmland, settled
the south and southeastern portion.
These early farmers faced tremendous economic hardship and
had to mortgage their farms just to pay for seed, feed and tools.
After harvest, they would pay off the mortgages and go back in
debt the next season, quite a vicious circle. The newly formed
community was responsible for its own schools, churches, and
other organizations. In 1841, the surrounding local families got
together and built the areas first one room schoolhouse. The
schoolhouse was made of mud and was located near the Sand
Lake Cemetery off Grand Avenue. The area was originally part of
the Antioch Township and was serviced by the Sand Lake Post
Office. Three homes were originally built on the property. The first
two homes were built around 1880 on the corner of Grand
Avenue and Munn Road The third house was built around 1861,
and was located just south of the present day entrance to
Sedgewood Cove. The three original Crooked Lake homesteads
changed hands a few times until they were all united in the mid
1880's.
The next chapter in the history of Sedgewood Cove was written
by Ernest Johann (E.J.) Lehmann. Lehmann was the founder of
the Fair Department Stores located on State, Adams and
Dearborn Streets in downtown Chicago. The Fair Department
Store "The Largest Variety Store on Earth" was on par with
Marshall Fields and Sears in its day.
Lehnamn had a dream to create the Midwest's greatest resort, a
resort to rival Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Lehmann purchased A.H.
Stewart's farm and watering hole located on Cedar Lake and built
the 150 room Lake City Resort (1883) with sweeping verandahs
and bowling alleys. The Lake City Resort (site of Cedar Village)
had a clubhouse on an island in Cedar Lake during the turn of the
century. There are rumors that S35,000 of hidden loot is still
buried the island from a raucous era of drinking and gambling. E.
J. purchased many of the surrounding tracts of land for above
market prices to enlarge the
resort, including the Crooked Lake Parcel. The Crooked Lake
parcels were used for horseback riding and horse breeding. The
original horse barn was located near the tennis court at
Sedgewood Cove. Worldly merchants and foreign dignitaries
often patronized the area.
The Lake City Hotel billing advertised:
*The most popular summer resort, had been arranged, regardless
of expense, for the accommodations and comfort of guests, with
commodious cottages, which will be rented either furnished or
unfurnished for the season. Lake City presents more Picturesque
Scenes, Romantic Ravines, Historical Hills, Beautiful Lake, Lovely
Lawns, Mammoth Oaks, and more extensive Hunting and Fishing
Grounds, than all the other advertised resorts combined."
A decade into his grand project, E.J.'s health started to decline
and tee suffered a nervous breakdown. In 1890, a court order was
issued and placed E.J. in the custody of his wife, and he was sent
to Bloomingdale Sanitarium in New York. E.J. died in
1900, one year before Lake Villa was incorporated. E.J.'s final
dream was laid to rest when the Lake City Hotel was destroyed by
fire in 1915.
E.J.'s, three boys, Ed Otto, and Ernest, also acquired neighboring
land parcels on their own. Edward purchased 1,100 acres west
and north of Deep Lake to raise horses, and named it Longwood
Farm. Otto inherited the Lake City's Hotel on Fox Lake. He called
the 575-acre parcel, Chesney Farms. Emest purchased several
hundred acres on Sand Lake and built Lindenhurst Farm. After his
death, his estate was subdivided and became the Village of
Lindenhurst. E.J.'s daughter Emilia inherited the parcel south and
east of Deep Lake up to Crooked Lake.
Emilia Lehmann married Charles D. Peacock, son of the founder
of C.D. Peacock Jewelers in Chicago. Their tract was called The
Peacock Estate. Emilia and Charles had three daughters;
Katherine who married Maurice Reynolds and had an estate on
Grand Avenue, just east of the present day Citco Service Station;
Mildred who married William Haerther and built an estate on Deep
Lake Road, which stands today with a 9-hole golf course; and
Margaret married George W. Reynolds, who then created the
estate which Sedgewood Cove now sits upon.
Margaret and George built a large 5 bedroom, 5 bathroom, pink
Spanish style stucco house with French doors in the 1930's. The
pink mansion with its swimming pool was located near the south
end of the Sedgewood Cove nature trails. The Reynolds had a
large apple orchard planted along Grand Avenue and Munn
Road, which remains today.
Mrs. Mildred Peacock Reynolds donated the northern portion of
the estate to the Peacock Camp for Crippled Children in 1939.
In 1975, Bertram W. Coltman, Jr. purchased the property and was
forced to tear down the then vandalized pink mansion, which was,
sadly, beyond renovation. In the late 1980's, Mr. Coltman and
Red Seal Development joined talents to produce a new type of
planned unit development in harmony with Sedgewood Cove's
natural surroundings. Where most new communities today begin
by simply paving over a cornfield, Sedgewood Cove is designed
to complement the area's natural beauty, not to exploit it. Red
Seal began by setting aside the most desirable areas creating
Sedgewood Coves reserved natural areas. The homes were then
laid out in clusters, so each homeowner would have a unique,
tranquil view of Crooked Lake and its surroundings. One of the
greatest aspects of Sedgewood Cove is that every homeowner
has an equal share in enjoying the lakefront and its surrounding
scenic trails.
I was so intrigued by the whole development, that my wife Sarah
and I purchased a home here at Sedgewood Cove.
Dear Mr. Lehmann:
If you were alive today, I would want to thank you for your dream.
I don't think you were that crazy after all. You would be as proud
as we are of this new housing development. The memory of the
Lake City Resort still lives on here at Sedgewood Cove on
Crooked Lake.
Sincerely,
Kevin K, Coltman