Whitney Road

    You are now on Whitney Road, named for the Whitney family who had their farm along this stretch. Levi Whitney and his family came from New York and settled here by the lake in 1839. When the land came up for sale by the government in 1841, he purchased the forty acres of lakefront property for the sum of only $50. His farm ran a quarter mile along the lake, and with additional land he purchased , it soon totaled over 100 acres running south. The farm stayed in the same family for five generations until 1957. In  the 1920s, the Whitneys opened a picnic grove with  swimming and boat rentals. This  included all the property between this road and the lake. When you reach the end of Whitney Road, you have finally walked around the whole lake and are back at Paulus Park. At the beginning of the tour you will recall we mentioned the Spunner farm. The original barn for the farm was located  where the community center barn is on your right, and as you take the sidewalk ahead through the old oak trees you will be at the spot where the old farmhouse once stood. A boulder lies where the old well once was. At the end of the sidewalk, you are back at the parking lot where you started, and your walk is done. We at Ela Historical Society hope you enjoyed it, and perhaps came away with just enough historical curiousity to make you want to learn more about our  past. Come by and visit our museum in town at 95 E Main St., open Saturdays from 12-3,  or visit  our website at elahistoricalsociety dot com. Please consider showing support for Ela Historical Society by becoming a member. We hope to see you soon.