This community has a long history at North Lake, Washtenaw County Michigan

One Man’s dream Became Inverness Resort (Excerpts from an article in Chelsea standard written by Kathy Clark)

 

     In 1916 Douglas A. Fraser bought 160 acres of land on N. Territorial Rd. bordering North Lake from Fred Glenn after selling the business he was president of, "American Brass and Iron Company" in Detroit. In 1920 at the age of 37 and moved his wife, Laura Etta (Lumley) and their daughter, Lauretta (Sockow), then 6, to the property. They lived on North Territorial, farmed the land and raised registered animals the first five years. His discovery of allergies to livestock resulted in a needed change to Fraser’s occupation. He pursued his dream to subdivide the property and build a golf course. Landscape engineers and architects from Detroit were hired (J. French Paddock and Conklin & Hampekin).

 

Fraser advertised his new project in 1925: “Inverness” – The Lake Resort, Golf and Country Club of most unusual features and advantages”. He offered moderately priced building lots with a nine-hole course, several beachfront lots, a few existing cottages and more than 50 lots, with lake access, in “Parklawn Subdivision”. An attractive lagoon was dredged out leaving an original log cabin on a small island. Buyers received a membership in the Golf and Country Club. The 12 room clubhouse, tenant’s house, dairy and horse barns were left by descendants of John Glenn (1836) who settled farmland extending along both sides of N. Territorial Rd. from Stouffer Rd. to Hankered Rd. A clay tennis court was added to the east of the existing clubhouse. The property was advertised extensively and people came from the cities, enjoying chicken dinners in the clubhouse, horse and pony rides, golfing, swimming and cottages to rent. A second daughter, Barbara Ann (Root) was born in 1924. In 1927 “Inverness” opened. Fraser had bought 40 more acres from his brother-in-law, Nat Lumley, on Riker Rd. to complete the course.

 

Scottish Influence

Most of this story is from an interview with Lauretta (Fraser) Sockow, who is retired and living in Chelsea. Her dad’s Scottish background shines through his creation. Doug Fraser, born in Sarnia Ontario, had and ancestors from Inverness Scotland. Laura Etta was born in Glencoe, Ontario. Inverness (population 58,849) lies on the River Ness in a lowland scenic agricultural area near Loch Ness. Roads in the Parklawn Subdivision with Scottish backgrounds are Glenco, Aberdeen, Lombardy and Bramble Brae. Historians believe golf probably developed into the game as we know it in Scotland, with the first organized golf club being in Edinburgh in 1744. They played with a leather covered ball stuffed with feathers. The term Birdie could have started then.

 

Revisiting the Subdivision

Loretta and I toured all over the roads around North Lake winding back-and-forth past Wild Goose Lake and past the Burt Shurly Camp on a high ridge and down through private roads between houses. I noticed many log homes. Loretta said some were built in 1930s and some earlier. I’m Glencoe Drive we came to a stop in front of the “Athletic Bowl”. That was a natural indentation envisioned by Fraser for community sports with hillside seating. Laurette remembers ice-skating there. Our destination was the lagoon and island of which we carried a photo. After a sharp turn in front of a large cottage that her dad built (“ slept there from May to September”). There it was, the lagoon had docs and boats inside. Picnic tables were on the island. The lake beach was Sandy with a gentle slope.

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We drove back to where the old clubhouse stood (now a brick ranch). I put it out some stone pillars and the white picket fence running under a few walnut trees in the front yard. “Dad built that” “I used to sit on top of those pillars and crack walnuts with a hammer”. West of the clubhouse Lauretta recalled a small general store selling sandwiches coffee and sodas, opened in the 1930s by Mary Wright, it eventually became Inverness Inn restaurant with a log addition (now Inverness Tavern).

Loretta remembered dances in the barn in the late 30s using popular records spun on a windup Victrola. Square dancing next box truck and waltzes started in the beautiful old clubhouse in the 30s; playing tennis with Sue Westgate, Betty Gray, Harold Goodyear, Tom Brown and others, the clay-court and barns are all gone; as is riding her horse “Ned”.

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Doug (many neighbors called him Uncle Doug) could yodel. He loved Scottish music, particularly by vocalist and comedian Sir Harry Louder. Lauretta said his favorite song was “Roman in the Gloamin” ... on the Bonnie banks O’Clyde... wae my lassie by my side.”

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A neighbor, Warren Eisenbeiser, recalls “Every Friday after high school football games we would go out to the Inverness to dance”. The band was Al Piper, Ellie (Gilbert) Reynolds, (whose residence is on West Aberdeen), Mike Hudson and a drummer. I remember that Doug Fraser started a hardware store after the depression, across from the Inverness Inn.

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The Inverness venture started in 1925 and I should’ve guessed, the ending of Doug Fraser’s dream, The Great Depression, started in 1929 and took it’s toll. Fraser’s beginning adventure never regained its early momentum. The golf course was turned over to the membership in the early 30s. However the North Territorial farm was left to Laura Etta by her brother, and she died in 1966.

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The golf course continues to be a private club. A homebuyer in Parklawn Beach Subdivision can join the course at the time of purchase of a home, anyone else goes on a waiting list to join.

Doug Fraser is remembered as a very gentle kind man who is on top of everything.