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Two recent articles on this website revealed that Rollo Every, as proprietor of the Eagle Point Hotel, was in the minting business. He apparently created tokens that were given out to be redeemed at the resort. Bob Fish found one of the 5-cent pieces in his mother’s belongings–he is donating it to the Clark Lake Community Center to join other lake memorabilia. Pam Chmiel has a bracelet of similar tokens that was given to her by Myrt Eagy and created by Myrt’s husband, Bowser.
This leads our story to its next chapter–and a new direction.
Amy Belcher Bless was given two Eagle Point artifacts–a token similar to the others and a tag from the bathing suit changing area that you would attach to your swim suit.
So what’s the new direction this story takes? Rollo gave these two items to Amy as a gift when she was a girl. Rollo also gave her a gift that he had received from her great-grandfather, William Preece.
William Preece had fashioned a fan, below, and given it to Rollo. Amy explains the fan “was carved from a single piece of wood. He [William Preece] would cut the notches, then slice down the wood to the handle, and soak it in water for several days. Next he would gently spread the fan. It was woven with silk ribbon to hold the shape. William Preece gave a smaller one to his granddaughter (my mother). That small fan perished, when the cottage it was in, burned to the ground. Rollo knew that and wanted me to have this one that William Preece created in about 1932.”
William Preece, and his wife, Julia, played a significant role in Clark Lake history in the early and mid years of the last century. He was a successful entrepreneur who owned a thriving business in Toledo. He combined an investment in Clark Lake rental cottages with providing a summer recreational spots for his large and growing family.
William Preece owned several cottages, probably six. He rented all but one of them. The family stayed in the “big cottage” at 1016 Eagle Point, which exists to this day. The fourth and fifth generation of his family are still found either visiting or living at Clark Lake. They include some names you may recognize: Amy Belcher Bless, Buzz Belcher, Rick Belcher, Mike, Ted, Angel & Beckey Ligibel, and Sally Dandar Lyons.
William Preece was highly respected by his family and definitely was thought of as the Patriarch–with a capital “P”. Below is a photo of William Preece in front of the rental cottage that once stood at 1008 Eagle Point Road. Interesting that both his bloodline, and probably the squirrel’s, are still at Clark Lake today.
