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Place Names
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| Abbott Place: Barsumian partner Alfred W. Bays was general counsel and later vice chairman of the board of Abbott Laboratories, president of the Abbott Foundation, and trustee of the Clara Abbott Trust (wife of Abbott Labs founder) which held the 1st mortgage on Tower Lakes Estates for a time during the depression. Road was platted in 1941. | |
| Abby Ct: named for Abby Groh, resident and daughter of developer Thomas Groh. Future street off Rt 59 in Glen Geary Brae subdivision. Not yet built as of 2002. | |
| Aram Park: named for Nate & Shirley Aram, former residents of nearby 221 Oak St. Nate was a former TLIA secretary (1953-55). Two lots forming most of the park were given to TLIA by Barsumian in 1959. An additional lot to the west was acquired by TLIA in 1962 from Stanley & Mary Kain. | |
| Barclay’s Woods subdivision: 8 lots between Country Club Estates and Rt 59. No information on name. Platted by developer William McClayton and annexed into Village in 1992 as vacant land. Replatted by new developer Jack Lageschulte in 2002. Pebble Creek Dr extension constructed 2010? | |
| Barrington Oaks I subdivision: five lot subdivision on east side of Warwick Rd. Annexed into Village in 1989. Developed in 1990’s by Joe Farella. No oak trees. | |
| Barsumian Dr: named for Nazareth Barsumian, founder and developer of Tower Lakes Estates by his heirs. Street built in 1969 at time of West Hills addition. | |
Barsumian Park: named for Nazareth Barsumian, founder
and developer of Tower Lakes Estates. Park land of 2.5 acres donated to TLIA by Rose Barsumian in
1969 and dedicated Oct 17, 1970. | |
| Bays Place and Bays Park: both named for Prof. Alfred W. Bays, Northwestern University law professor and Abbott Laboratories board member. He was chairman of the law department of the Northwestern University School of Commerce. See also Abbott Place. He assisted N. Barsumian in early development of the community. Park named 1927-9. Street named in 1941 when North Lake area was subdivided, but the street was not built until the 1950's. | |
| Blue Stem Ct: named after native prairie grasses theme by Fenview Estates developer Robert Friedman in 1978. | |
| Bridge Ln: originally West Tower Road. Re-named by Village in Dec 1967 for cross-lake bridge located near foot of the lane (and to avoid confusion with nearby West Tower Drive). | |
| Cambridge Dr: named after Cambridge Univ. in England. One of a series of British names selected by N. Barsumian or his partners in 1926, but unlike the other 7, it is not copied from Kenilworth, IL. The easternmost block was added sometime after 1950. | |
| Circle Dr: circled North Lake until 1966 or 67, when section across causeway was closed to vehicle traffic. Section across causeway was vacated by Village in 1973 and eventually given to TLIA. Circle Dr was platted in 1941, but not paved until at least 1950's. | |
| Cole subdivision: 6 acres, including 3 lots on north side of Leon Dr plus farmhouse on Rt 59 (26612, 26588 & 26564 Leon & 25876 N Rt 59). Annexed into Village in 1991. Owner/residents at the time were Forrest & William Cole. | |
| Country Club Estates subdivision: off Indian Trail Rd. Name selected by new developer John Tracy in 1975. 57 undeveloped acres annexed into Village of Tower Lakes in March 1970. Land was a farm owned by the Davlin family until 1950’s and was not part of the parcel they sold to Tower Lakes developers in the 1920’s. The west half (now Pebble Creek Dr) was planned in the 1950’s as Indian Trail subdivision, which had multiple owners, including a Mr Rein, but no streets or houses were built. In 1969 it was re-platted as Britwood Estates, named by developers Vernie Hill and Hans Liebing. The planned street names were different (see Pebble Creek, Medinah, Rolling Green & Stonehenge). The new developer in 1975 changed both the subdivision name (to Country Club Estates) and the street names. | |
Covek's Crossing: small bridge
added to south end of Toy Island in July 2000. Named in honor of George
& Pat Covek & their children who occupy four homes in the Village.
George served on the TLIA Board 1989-95. Pat has been long time tennis and
grounds beautification committee chair. | |
| Cuba Township: Organized in 1850 as Troy Township, after Troy, New York, the previous home of several of the pioneers including the Hugh Davlin family. Upon finding out from the State that another Township had already taken the name Troy, it was re-named Cuba in 1851. This was in sympathy with an uprising about that time on the island of Cuba. | |
| Cypress Pond: renamed in the 1970's after the stand of bald cypress there. Formerly called Hodek’s Pond for Mary & James Hodek & descendents, who owned the adjacent house at 203 Roberts Rd until the 1980's. Once extended further south. Dredged with a dragline in 1977 and now measures 0.8 acres. Pond is within Gorden Lewis Park. | |
| Davlin’s Pond: 3.3 acres including channel. Widened from Mud Creek in about 1960 by owner Charlie E. Davlin, a former mayor of Wauconda. Donated to TLIA by Marian Hills subdivision developer George Klupar (Davlin's brother-in-law) at time of annexation in 1971. Davlin was a great-grandson of Hugh Davlin, one of the first settlers. His family built one of the oldest houses (1865-9) still standing in Tower Lakes, and owned much of the land that is now Tower Lakes. Pond was dredged again in summer of 1975. | |
| Devil’s Island: no information on name. N. Barsumian said in his autobiography that he once wanted a memorial to Abbott labs founder Dr. & Mrs Wallace Abbott on this island in recognition of their financial assistance. Instead, Devil's Island was preserved in its natural state. It was given to TLIA by Barsumians in 1959, along with south half of main lake. | |
| Devonshire Rd: one of 7 street names copied by N. Barsumian or his partners in 1926 from streets in Kenilworth, IL, which in turn were named after characters or places in Sir Walter Scott's novel Kenilworth, or places related to the author. | |
| Duck Island: originally called Oak Island in the 1920's, then Roslyn Island in 1933, then Reading Island and Spring Island in the late 1930's. The latter because there was an artesian spring or well there. Was also called Turtle Island for some period between 1940-1960. Originally connected to mainland by a narrow strip of land which was removed in the 1920's and then by a rustic log foot bridge in the 1930's which was removed between 1939-1948. It was deeded to TLIA by Barsumian in 1938 along with north half of main lake. | |
| East Gateway Dr: name comes from being main east side entry road. Formerly part of Wauconda - Barrington Rd, then Old Barrington Rd until 1967. Originally connected south to Kelsey Rd. See Rt 59 description above. | |
| East Lake Shore Dr: East, North and West Lake Shore Drives, along with South Hills Dr, were all originally just Lake Shore Dr. East Lake Shore Dr from Roberts Rd to Melrose Dr was originally Melrose Dr extension. A Village road committee renamed several streets in late 1967 & 68 partly at the request of the Post Office and partly to reduce confusion. However, some of the new names had been in use already since before 1965. At that time, Lake Shore Dr was divided into 4 distinct separate streets: East, North and West Lake Shore Drives and South Hills Dr. The block of road from Roberts Rd to NLSD was changed from North Ave to WLSD. The N-S leg of Melrose Dr was changed/added to East Lake Shore Dr in Jan 1968. The E-W portion of ELSD had been called South Lake Shore Dr for a short time in the 1960's. When it became consolidated with the rest of East Lake Shore Dr in 1968, addresses in this section were renumbered to avoid duplicating blocks already used on the north end. However, only the first digits were changed, leading to the unique situation of house numbers progressing in reverse order of blocks in this section of ELSD. | |
| East Tower Drive: named in 1925-6 for the development and the 1920’s steel tower, once located atop Tower Hill, near corner of Summit Dr and Scenic Dr. East Tower Dr is not connected to West Tower Dr, which runs perpendicular and on the opposite side of the lake, but both were called just Tower Dr until Dec 1967. This was an obvious point of confusion which was one of the drivers for the effort to change several street names at that time. | |
| Edward Ln: named for Edward Barsumian, son of founder Nazareth. Built in 1969 by Howard McKee, successor trustee of N. Barsumian estate and Chairman of Wauconda National Bank, who developed the lots on this loop road. | |
| Essex Place: one of 7 street names copied by N. Barsumian or his partners in 1926 from streets in Kenilworth, IL, which in turn were named after characters or places in Sir Walter Scott's novel Kenilworth, or places related to the author. | |
| Esther Dr: originally North Dr on 1941 plat. Renamed by Village in Dec 1967 for Esther Hussissian, wife of developer Khoren Hussissian. The two planned blocks west of Abbott Pl were never built. | |
| Fenview Dr: named for proximity to Wagner Fen by then Fenview Estates developer Robert Friedman in 1978. | |
| Fenview Estates subdivision: off Kelsey Rd. Includes 3 lots on Rose Terrace Ct. See Fenview Dr. Former Ray E. Durham Jr farm. Annexed into Village of Tower Lakes as undeveloped land in Sept 1974. A 45 lot subdivision to be called Durham Woods was proposed in 1977 but did not proceed. Platted as a 36 lot subdivision in 1978/9 by developer Robert Friedman. Further developed in mid 1980’s by John Tracy. The Durham barns, caretaker's house and 6 bedroom farmhouse, last occupied by Dr & Mrs William Holmes, were torn down in the 1970's. |
| Glen Geary Brae subdivision: four lot subdivision off Rt 59 north of Roberts Rd. Developed by Thomas Groh. Name chosen by Tom Groh, refers to a type of Scottish hat. Annexed into Village in March 1996 as undeveloped except for 1 existing house. Includes future Abby Court. | |
Harriet W. Graham Park: named for 1st TLIA president
(1931-32), and original resident of 302 Devonshire Rd.
Her husband James was also TLIA president 1935-8. The park occupied lots 1-3
and 1/2 of lot 4 in Block 16 when it was donated by Barsumian to TLIA in
1938. Rose Barsumian added other 1/2 of lot 4 and lot 5 in 1967. Includes Toy
Island. | |
Khoren L. Hussissian Park: named for Khoren L. Hussissian who assisted N. Barsumian
in
development of community from the 1940's onward and continued after Nazareth’s
death. He was on the TLIA Board, representing the Barsumian's interests,
from 1956-86. He was also the Director of the Tower Lakes Foundation, the
charitable organization started by N. Barsumian, and developed the land left
to the foundation by Mr Barsumian. The park is a soccer/baseball field. It was dug out and refilled with lake dredging
material in 1966. Park name dedicated on July 4, 1977. | |
| Indian Grass Ct: named after native prairie grasses theme by Fenview Estates developer Robert Friedman in 1978. | |
| Indian Trail Rd: was an actual old Indian trail used by Indians making their way to hunting grounds near the Fox River. Shown as a road on 1861 map, but it is uncertain when the name was given. It was also named Givens Rd in the 1930's and Tower Lakes Rd around 1940-41, but name soon reverted to Indian Trail Rd. Junction with Barrington Rd was called Davlin’s Corners in the 1800’s. | |
Gordon Iversen Park: named in 1993 for former TLIA
president (1982-92). Parcel was purchased by TLIA from Nevens family in 1992 and later developed as a children's
playground. | |
| Kelsey Rd: (also called Lake County Rt V49) named in the 1930's for State Rep & State Hwy Commissioner Harold Kelsey, whose family owned a farm near the intersection with Rt 22 from the 1850's to 1970’s. Section north of today’s junction with Old Barrington Rd was called Barrington-Wauconda Rd until 1935 (see Rt 59 story above). | |
Kuskowski's Pathway: bike path and bridge along
Roberts Rd between North Lake
Shore
Dr & East Lake Shore Dr. Project promoted by Village President Len Kuskowski
and built in 2005 with County funds, to improve safety for pedestrians and
bikers going between east and west sides of lake. Formally named in honor of
President Kuskowski after his death in 2006. | |
| Leon Dr: named for Leon Hussissian, grandson of developer Khoren L. (Leon?) Hussissian. Originally called Park Dr in 1968-70, and it ended at 598 (3rd lot). Name changed to Leon Dr on 1970 Marian Hills plat, though the name Park Dr continued to be used until road was extended east through Marian Hills subdivision in about 1977. | |
Gorden D. Lewis Park: named after long time resident and TLIA
legal & grounds committee member
active in reforestation. Six lots containing pond were given to TLIA by
the Barsumians in 1959. Three additional
surrounding lots, for a total of 9, were donated to TLIA by K. Hussissian in
1979. Includes Cypress Pond. | |
| Lathan's Landing: TLIA boat launch off Circle
Drive named after Dick Lathan, TLIA Board member and Grounds Committee Chairman
2000-2004. | |
Lewis Gazebo: named in memory of Lindy Lewis, wife of Bob Lewis
(no relation to Gorden D. Lewis) who
donated the building and property to TLIA in Oct. 1998. | |
| Marian Ct: named for Marian Davlin Klupar, wife of developer George Klupar and sister of Charles E. Davlin who excavated the adjacent pond. Platted in 1971, constructed between 1978-80. | |
| Marian Hills subdivision: 12 lot subdivision along Leon Dr and east side of Marian Ct. Developed in 1970’s by George & Marian Klupar. Vacant land annexed into Village in July 1971, except 4 lots on north side of Leon Dr (see Cole subdivision). Land was owned by William Brooks in the 1880's, then his son-in-law Wm. Toynton, then by Gus Sick (not Zick) between WWI & II, then Cashmore in 1950’s, then Charles E. Davlin in 1960s, then his sister and brother-in-law the Klupars. Marian Davlin Klupar was the schoolgirl author of the 1918 history from the Davlin School. | |
| Medinah Ln: originally named Meadowmak Ct on 1969 Britwood Estates plat. Re-named Medinah Ln after Chicago area golf club by Country Club Estates developer John Tracy in 1975. | |
| Melrose Dr: Named after Melrose, Scotland, home of Sir Walter Scott. One of 7 street names copied by N. Barsumian or his partners in 1926 from streets in Kenilworth, IL, which in turn were named after characters or places in Sir Walter Scott's novel 'Kenilworth', or places related to the author. Formerly included the north leg of East Lake Shore Dr until 1968. | |
| Mud Creek: early name for the creek that flows through Davlin’s Pond and was dammed to form the main lake. Flows into the Fox River near the mouth of Flint Creek, just west of Tower Lakes. Not named on maps in late 20th century. Timber Lake, upstream of Tower Lake, was also formed by damming Mud Creek. | |
| Murray Rd and Murray Park: road named in 1925 for the Murray family. John Murray arrived in 1843 or 44 and bought 80 acres from the US government in 1845. His oldest son Dennis Murray, a veteran of the Civil War, expanded the farm to 144 acres. Dennis' youngest son Ray Murray owned the farm, which occupied the area of West Hills, South Hills and the dam area, when it was sold to Paul Rader in 1925. The last of at least two Murray homes was just below the present main dam site and was torn down in the 1930's. Murray Road was the only street in Tower Lakes paved with bricks. The bricks were in use as recently as the 1970's. Murray Park was created with the TLP subdivision in 1924-25, but not named. In the 1930's it was part of Bobrytzke Park, later called Tower Park, which included the nearby shoreline. It was donated to TLIA in 1938 by Barsumian. The name Murray Park came into use in 19?? | |
| Nodding Flower Ct: named after native prairie grasses theme by Fenview Estates developer Robert Friedman in 1978. | |
| North Lake: 7.4 acre lake named for location relative to main lake. Also called North Tower Lake. Created in late 1930's when a small earthen dam was constructed on former Brooks/Paddock farmland north of the main lake and north of Roberts Rd. The area around this lake (Tower Lakes Estates Unit No. 2) was platted for subdivision in 1941, though by 1960 only one or two houses had been constructed. The lake and adjacent pond and shore lines were donated to TLIA by the Barsumians in 1960. | |
| North Lake Shore Drive: Most of East, North and West Lake Shore Drives, along with South Hills Dr, were all originally just Lake Shore Dr. A Village road committee renamed several streets in late 1967 & 68 partly at the request of the Post Office and partly to reduce confusion. However, some new names had been in use already since before 1965. At that time, Lake Shore Dr was divided into 4 distinct separate streets: East, North and West Lake Shore Drives and South Hills Dr. |
| Oak St: named in 1925, presumably for the stand of oak trees there. | |
| Oxford Rd: one of 7 streets copied by N. Barsumian or his partners in 1926 from street names in Kenilworth, IL, which in turn were named after characters or places in Sir Walter Scott's novel Kenilworth, or places related to the author. The block past the current tennis courts was not constructed until the 1940's or later. Oxford originally connected to Roberts Rd until after 1950. The north block near Roberts was never paved, and eventually was closed in the 50's or 60's. A portion of the block was officially vacated by the Village in 1979. | |
| Paddock Lane: named in 1925 for the William & Florence Paddock family who owned a 120 acre farm in the northwest part of the present town. Florence Paddock was the daughter of pioneer minister James L. Brooks, who bought the farm in 1857 from Curtis Rawley. It occupied the area of North Lake, North Lake Shore Dr and NW portion of the future main lake. The farmhouse was on the north side of Roberts Rd. William and Florence worked the farm for her father and eventually acquired it. Their son, Leslie Brooks Paddock, became editor of the Barrington Review in 1919 at the age of 29. They sold 70 acres of the farm in 1924 to Myron Detrick & William E. Brooks (son of the William Brooks who owned the adjacent farm in 1880's - see Marian Hills). They sold the remainder to Paul Rader in 1925, but kept a small parcel on the south side of Roberts Rd between Paddock Ln and West Lake Shore Dr and built a new home for their retirement. Paddock Lane is actually two parallel streets a few feet apart. Old Paddock Lane was an original 1925 street in Tower Lake Park. The new street was built alongside in 1969 with the West Hills addition. | |
| Pebble Creek Dr: no information on name. Western 2/3 was 1st platted before 1960 and was planned to have a second outlet to Indian Trail near today’s midpoint. Named Morningdale Dr on 1969 Britwood Estates plat. Renamed by developer John Tracy in 1975. Was built in late 1970’s when planned Indian Trail subdivision was absorbed by Country Club Estates. Extension platted into Barclay's Woods subdivision in 2002-2003, but not built yet. | |
| Play Island: originally called Toyland on 1926 Tower Lakes Estates subdivision plat through the early 1940’s. There is a recorded reference to it being "Play Is" in 1947, though the 1951 brochure still called it Toyland. A log bridge from the mainland, built in the 1920's, was replaced in 1933 & again in 1993. The island has always contained a beach. It was deeded to TLIA by Barsumian in 1938 along with the north half of the main lake. | |
| Raleigh Place: Named after Sir Walter Raleigh. One of 7 street names copied by N. Barsumian or his partners in 1926 from streets in Kenilworth, IL, which in turn were named after characters or places in Sir Walter Scott's novel Kenilworth, or places related to the author. | |
| Rest Island: named in 1920's by (N Barsumian?). Reserved for mostly passive use, though since electric power was installed in 2004 it has become the center of the annual Fourth of July festival and other parties. Had a log pagoda/gazebo from 1920's to 1950. A white wooden pergola existed in the 1960's and 70's. In the 1940's there was a boat house on the shore near the suspension bridge to hold a weed cutting barge. The suspension bridge from Play Island was built in the 1920's with log supports. A replacement suspension bridge with concrete supports was finished in 1935. There was a rustic log bridge from the Admin building at 220 ELSD to the north end of Rest Island in the 1920's until the early 1930's. There is no longer a bridge at that point. A new wood bridge to the mainland was added in 1935 on the east side which was replaced with a steel one in 1996 (see Wisniewski Bridge). A stone drinking fountain was dedicated to Nazareth Barsumian in Nov 1957. A mini-plaza called Storyteller's Circle was added in 1998 in memory of former resident Megan O'Connell. The island was deeded to TLIA by Barsumian in 1938. | |
| Roberts Rd: (also called Lake County Rt V45) named for Col. John Roberts, of Roberts & Oakes Packers, who owned a 400 acre estate just northwest of the present Village boundary in the 1920’s & 30’s. The road appears (unnamed) on maps as early as 1861 & 1877. It was called River Rd in the 1920's and 30's from Rt 59 to the present N-S River Rd junction. Name changed to Roberts Rd sometime before 1938. The road jogged north up the present West Dr before a straightening project in the early 1940's took that "kink" out, bypassing West Dr. | |
| Robin Rd: name chosen by Rose Barsumian/ Hussissian/ McKee in 1969 with West Hills addition, streets with bird names. | |
| Rolling Green Dr: originally named Blythewood Ct on 1969 Britwood Estates plat. Renamed Rolling Green Dr after area golf club by Country Club Estates developer John Tracy in 1975. | |
Rose’s Park:named for Rose Barsumian,
wife of Nazareth. Land for Rose's Park near North Lake was donated to TLIA in 1969 by Rose
Barsumian. Later developed as a children's playground. Pond in Rose’s Park is
unnamed, but is sometimes called Bay's Pond. It was created later than North
Lake, sometime between 1939-41. | |
| Rose Terrace, Rose Terrace Ct: both named for Rose Barsumian. Rose Terrace was platted & named in 1959 as part of the South hills subdivision. The court was added at the end of Rose Terrace in the 1970's with the creation of Fenview Estates. The 3 houses on it are part of the Fenview Estates Homeowner's Association, not TLIA. | |
| Roslyn Place: one of 7 street names copied by N. Barsumian or his partners in 1926 from streets in Kenilworth, IL. However, unlike the others, the name does not appear to be related to Sir Walter Scott or his novel Kenilworth, according to the Kenilworth Historical Society. | |
| Scenic Dr: named by N. Barsumian in 1941 for long view across Fox River valley. | |
| Snake Island: no information on name. It was given to TLIA by Barsumians in 1959, along with south half of main lake. | |
| South Dr: road added when South Hills subdivision was platted at the south end of the lake. When named, it was the southernmost street in Tower Lakes, but since the annexation and development of Fenview Estates subdivision, it no longer is. | |
| South Hills Dr: named as the main artery in South Hills subdivision which was built at the south end of the main lake. South Hills Dr was called Lake Shore Dr on original plat. Officially renamed by Village in Dec 1967 when the several disconnected Lake Shore Drives were renamed, but name change had been in use since before 1965. | |
| South Hills subdivision: at south end of the main lake, named for location and relatively high ground. Developed by N. Barsumian, and later Khoren Hussissian, as Unit No. 4 of Tower Lakes Estates in 1959-1980's. Four lots added at end of South Dr in 1985. Excludes the 3 lots at end of Rose Terrace Ct., which are part of Fenview Estates subdivision. | |
| Stonehenge Ln: originally named Morningdale Dr on 1969 Britwood Estates plat. Re-named Stonehenge Ln after area golf club by Country Club Estates developer John Tracy in 1975. | |
| Summit Dr: named on 1941 plat for proximity to Tower Hill, high point of community. The block from WLSD to intersection with Oak St and Bridge Lane was originally called Tower Lane in 1925. Tower Ln changed to Summit Dr extension by Village in Dec 1967. |
| Terrace Dr: originally named Lake Shore Terrace by N. Barsumian in 1926. Changed by Village road committee to Terrace Drive in Dec 1967. | |
| Timber Ct: named by Ken McAloon, developer of 1980's Tower Trails subdivision, possibly for proximity to Timber Lake area. | |
| Tomahawk Ln: no information on name. Was originally named East Drive in 1941. Officially renamed by Village in Dec 1967, but name change had been in use since before 1965. | |
| Tower Lakes, Tower Lakes Estates, Tower Lake Park: all named for two elements constructed in the 1920’s by the first development group – the 68 ft steel observation tower and the lakes. Tower Lake Park (most of west side) was planned and promoted in 1924 and platted in May 1925 by then owner Myron H. Detrick. Tower Lakes Estates Unit No. 1 (east side) was platted in 1926. Together they were the original planned subdivisions developed 1926-70 by Nazareth Barsumian and successors. Tower Lakes Estates Unit No. 2 (North Lake) and Unit No. 3 (Scenic Dr, Summit Dr & adjacent part of WLSD) were platted in 1941. Tower Lakes Estates Unit No. 4 (South Hills) was platted in 1959. The date of construction of the dams is uncertain. A Lake County Surface Water Resource report says a "slough/pothole" was dammed and dredged in 1915 in the area. Sloughs and potholes being common names at that time for open waters amid marsh lands. Charles E. Davlin, who was born in 1902, reported helping his father Vincent build a dam to create the lake. Wauconda real estate partners William E. Brooks and Myron H. Detrick claimed credit for conceiving the idea of creating the lake. The main lake did exist prior to the sale of the surrounding farms in 1924 & 1925, according to the subdivision plats. The main lake is now 78 acres including 3.3 acres in Davlin's Pond and it's channel and 2.7 acres of land on 6 islands. | |
| Tower Trails subdivision: 8 acre, four lot subdivision around Timber Ct. Name probably selected to reflect proximity to Tower Lake and Indian Trail Rd. Annexed to Village of Tower Lakes in Nov 1971 as vacant land. Developed by Ken McAloon in late 1980's, with lot nearest Rt 59 being donated for open space. That lot is presently owned by the State of IL Dept. of Transportation (IDOT). | |
| Toy Island: created in winter of 1934-35 by dredging a channel along Lake Shore Dr through lots 1-3 of Block 16, also known as Harriet W. Graham Park. It was referred to as Canoe Island in 1947-48. Assume name "Toy" was resurrected in 1950's to reflect original name of nearby Play Is. A wood bridge with concrete footings was built to it in 1948. A second bridge was added at the south end in 2000 and named Covek's Crossing, after the Covek families. | |
| Wagner Fen Nature Preserve:
named for Cyril C. Wagner, former TLIA president
(1964-66) and first Village
president (1966-79) and first BACOG president. Wagner Fen is an approx 128 acre wetlands area below
the dam, drained by Mud Creek. A fen is a special kind of wetland, whose
water is alkaline. Wagner Fen is said to be perhaps the best example of a
fen in Lake County. About 1/3 of the fen lies within the Village of Tower
Lakes. 13 acres of this portion is owned by TLIA, donated to them by the Barsumian family &
estate in 1969. Over 1/2 of the fen lies within the Village of Lake
Barrington and the remaining 15% is unincorporated.
Citizens For
Conservation owns 23 acres of the fen in Tower Lakes and 18 more in Lake
Barrington. CFC's Tower Lakes acreage was given to them by the Village in
1980 after the Fenview Estates development was approved. 54 acres in Lake Barrington and 8 acres in unincorporated Lake
County are within
the Lake County Forest Preserve's Grassy | |
Cy Wagner Park: Wagner Park is
the unofficial name for the East Lake Shore Dr boat landing area. Cyril C.
Wagner, former TLIA president and first Village President, helped
expand this park space, which was next to his home at 318 East Lake Shore
Dr, in 1964 when he led TLIA's purchase of a building lot there. A plaque
was placed in his memory there after his death in 1979. | |
| Warwick Rd: one of 7 street names copied by N. Barsumian or his partners in 1926 from streets in Kenilworth, IL, which in turn were named after characters or places in Sir Walter Scott's novel Kenilworth, or places related to the author. Warwickshire is the location of Kenilworth Castle. The block north of Melrose was not added until sometime after 1950. | |
| West Dr: part of River Rd (later called Roberts Rd) until early 1940's, then called Old Roberts Rd after Roberts was straightened. West leg connection to Roberts was closed by 1960. Was re-named West Dr in 1941 when Tower Lakes Estates Unit No. 2 was platted, because it formed the western boundary of the development at that time, however, the name Old Roberts Rd continued in use on signs until the 1970's. A planned northerly extension up to present Esther Dr was never built. Was briefly connected to Circle Dr by a short unpaved lane in the 1960's, which was vacated in 1981. | |
| West Hills subdivision: 36 lots on 93 acres along Barsumian Dr, Robin Rd, Wren Rd and west end of WLSD (former Oriole Rd). Named for location relative to Tower Lake and rolling terrain. Developed by Rose Barsumian, Khoren Hussissian & Howard McKee in 1969 on much larger lots (approx 2 acres+) than Tower Lakes Estates. | |
| West Lake Shore Drive: East, North and West Lake Shore Drives, along with South Hills Dr, were all originally just Lake Shore Dr. A Village road committee renamed several streets in late 1967 & 68 partly at the request of the Post Office and partly to reduce confusion. However, some of the new names had been in use already since before 1965. At that time, Lake Shore Dr was divided into 4 distinct separate streets: East, North and West Lake Shore Drives and South Hills Dr. The block of road from Roberts Rd to NLSD was changed from North Ave to WLSD. A few years later in 1973 the westernmost leg of WLSD was renamed from Oriole Rd (1969-73) to West Lake Shore Dr. | |
| West Tower Drive: named in 1925-6 for the development and the 1920’s steel tower, once located atop Tower Hill, near corner of Summit Dr and Scenic Dr. Section of West Tower from Summit Dr to WLSD was added in 1941 and called Causeway Rd from 1941 until late 1960's, when Village combined them. 1/2 block extension below WLSD was also closed. West Tower Dr is not connected to East Tower Dr, which runs perpendicular and on the opposite side of the lake, but both were called just Tower Dr until Dec 1967. | |
Wisniewski Bridge: Bridge from mainland to Rest
Island named in 1996 for Greg
Wisniewski, former TLIA president (1992-96), who was instrumental in construction of
new steel bridges to Play and Rest Islands in 1993 and 1996. The original
wooden mainland to Rest Island bridge at this location was built in 1935 and
torn down in 1996. There was a log bridge to the north end of Rest Island in
the 1920's till the early 1930's. | |
| Wren Rd: name chosen by Rose Barsumian/ Hussissian/ McKee in 1969 with West Hills addition, streets with bird names. | |
| Zupancic Park: named in memory of Mrs Claudia Zupancic. The Larry Zupancic family, formerly of adjacent 122 Rose Terrace Ct, donated the lot to TLIA in 1991. |
Gone, But Not (Totally) Forgotten
| Bobrytzke Park: Former (1930's) name for Murray Park and nearby shoreline area. Was also briefly called Tower Park. Named by N. Barsumian in gratitude to former Cook County Commissioner (1934-195?) Frank Bobrytzke, the Chairman of Chicago's Milwaukee Ave. National Bank, who held the mortgage on much of Tower Lakes Estates from 1927 to ~1930. He was the original owner of 804 Murray Rd, which was his summer home. He purchased several lots from D&B in 1925, before Barsumian's development started. Frank was TLIA VP (1931-32) and the 2nd TLIA president (1932-34). He was also president of National Milk Co, and a real estate firm. | |
| Blythewood Ct: Now called Rolling Green Drive. | |
| Britwood Estates: Now called Country Club Estates. | |
| Canoe Island: Now called Toy Island. | |
| Causeway Rd: Now part of West Tower Drive, from Robin to West Lake Shore Dr. | |
| Davlin's Corners: Intersection of Indian Trail Rd and Rt 59 (Barrington Rd). Near Davlin farmhouse. Site of current Village Office. Former location of Davlin School (1857-1947), Walker's Blacksmith Shop (1860's), Tea House & Texaco? filling station (1930's), and Real Estate office of Tower Lakes/ Gooch/ Baird & Warner (1930's-1995). | |
| East Dr: Now called Tomahawk Lane. | |
| Givens Rd: Now called Indian Trail Road. | |
| Hodek's Pond: Now called Cypress Pond. | |
| Lake Shore Dr: Former name for South Hills Dr, North Lake Shore Dr and most of East Lake Shore Dr & West Lake Shore Dr. & the defunct South Lake Shore Dr. | |
| Lake Shore Terrace: Now called Terrace Dr. | |
| Meadowmak Ct: Now called Medinah Lane. | |
| Morningdale Drive: Now called Pebble Creek Dr and Stonehenge Lane. | |
| North Ave: Now northernmost block of West Lake Shore Drive. | |
| North Dr: Now called Esther Drive. | |
| Oak Island: Now called Duck Island. | |
| Old Barrington Rd: Now called East Gateway Drive. | |
| Old Roberts Rd: Now called West Drive. | |
| Oriole Rd: Now west end of West Lake Shore Drive. | |
| Park Dr: Now part of Leon Drive. | |
| Reading Island: Now called Duck Island. | |
| River Rd: Now called Roberts Road. | |
| Roslyn Island: Now called Duck Island. | |
| South Lake Shore Dr: Used in the 1960's for what is now the eastern stretch of East Lake Shore Dr. | |
| Spring Island: Now called Duck Island. | |
| Tower Hill: Area around 250 Scenic Dr. Former residence of Nazareth & Rose Barsumian. | |
| Tower Lakes Rd: Now called Indian Trail Road. | |
| Tower Lane: Now northernmost block of Summit Drive. | |
| Tower Park: Former name for Murray Park and nearby shoreline area. | |
| W. Tower Road: Now called Bridge Lane. | |
| Toyland: Now called Play Island. | |
| Turtle Island: Now called Duck Island. |
Back to History of Tower Lakes main page.
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Copyright 1999-2011 Village of Tower Lakes. All rights
reserved. Revised May 1, 2011. |