The cottage was built by my great-grandfather in 1924. He willed the property to my sister Jean and me when he died in 1941, even though we were only five and six years old.  My parents maintained the property until I got out of the US Navy in 1957. Shortly thereafter I purchased Jean's half since she had settled in Virginia and was unable to use the property.

Although you reach Cedar Island via a bridge over Cedar Creek, the "Island" is really a peninsula since the eastern end is connected to the mainland by a narrow strip of land. When I was a child, this was a very swampy area, but has since been filled in and a house built on the site.

We have a lovely sand beach here, and are able to walk 100/150 feet into the lake before the water is shoulder depth.

In 1958, the place was much the same as when it was first built:  One-half of the ground floor was a screened in porch (open to the weather), and only one power outlet and one light switch existed in the building.  The entire electrical system consisted of just two circuits.  It did have a "flush" toilet, but it was located in the "bathhouse" in the back yard.  An electric pump on a shallow well supplied water to the toilet and three sinks in the main building.

I have made the modernization of the cottage one of my life works.  Over the years I have glassed in the porch area, modernized the electrical and water systems, added two half baths and two showers and rebuilt the kitchen.  I replaced all the original windows and sided all the soffit and eaves.  98% of this was done using "sweat equity", with some help from my sons.  I would have sealed and painted the cement blocks by now, but my boys have threatened to disown me if I did!  I'm sure I'll be leaving some of the work to them since the summers just aren't long enough for me finish all the projects around the place.