Last fall, the Geneva Lake Conservancy (GLC) dedicated its newest parcel of land conservation on the shore of Lake Ivanhoe, six miles east of Lake Geneva. The 42-acre parcel consists of two wetland areas and two wooded areas, and it adjoins additional, state-conserved lands to make a total protected area of around 120 acres. The new preserve is named the Anglin Family Nature Preserve, in honor of pioneering Lake Ivanhoe developer Frank Anglin, who, along with partners Jeremiah Brumfield and Bradford Watson, founded the community of Lake Ivanhoe in 1926 as a safe space for Black families to enjoy a vacation area free of the racial discrimination prominent at the time.
The three men originally purchased an 83-acre farm on the shores of what was then known as Ryan Lake, and divided the property into buildable lots, naming many of the streets after famous Black figures like Frederick Douglass, Major General Oliver Otis Howard and General Clinton B. Fisk. They also constructed a large pavilion overlooking the lake which hosted community events and concerts, including one by jazz legend Cab Calloway. The Lake Ivanhoe community continued to thrive as a majority-Black vacation community through the 1990s, when a housing program shifted the demographics in the area.
At the dedication ceremony last October, representatives of the Geneva Lake Conservancy appeared alongside members of Anglin’s family, including his granddaughter Paula Anglin, who spoke of her childhood summers spent on Lake Ivanhoe and the impact that experience has had on her. Peter Baker, longtime resident of Lake Ivanhoe and president of the Lake Ivanhoe Homeowners’ Association, spoke on his recent efforts to commemorate the pioneering community, including the 2022 placement of an historical marker from the Wisconsin Historical Society.
Karen Yancey, executive director of the GLC, says the site’s importance is both historical and ecological. “The new Anglin Family Nature Preserve protects the rare wetland plants and fens on these parcels as well as honors the history of the property as Wisconsin’s first African American resort community,” she says. “We are grateful to Paula Anglin and all those who helped us protect this important property.”
The Anglin Family Nature Preserve was made possible by two grants, the Department of Natural Resources Knowles Nelson grant and Ducks Unlimited’s North American Wetland Conservation Act grant, as well as donations from many private donors. It will open to the public this fall. For more information, visit genevalakeconservancy.org.
