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The Taylor Family: A Walloon Centennial Family
The Taylor Family of Huntington, Indiana A WALLOON CENTENNIAL FAMILY
RIGHT The Taylor family and friends aboard the “Hoosier,” with Paul Taylor, Sr. at the helm, and wife Magdalena and sister Miriam Taylor Zent in front of him, around 1910-15. (Photo courtesy of the family)
BELOW Martha Hyde Coscina (l) and cousin Marilyn Taylor in front of the Taylor cottage.
By Lauren Macintyre
If you have ever meandered along the North Shore, either on the walking path or along the shore in your boat, chances are you've noticed a picturesque white cottage fronted by a vintage boathouse with long concrete docks, not too far from the Village. Longtime home of the Taylor family, this classic Walloon cottage with its distinctive boathouse is one of Walloon's oldest houses and a very recognizable landmark on the lake.
A visit to the cottage, humorously nicknamed "We-Neda-Rest," is like a step back in time. Filled with family photos and lake memorabilia, the home celebrates the legacy of the Taylor family of Huntington, Indiana. Enos (E.T.) Taylor, an enterprising businessman and banker, came to Walloon in 1897 to fish with a group of friends from Huntington at Indiana Camp on South Shore. Eventually the camp included other Huntington friends such as the Dick, Beck, Bippus and Purviance families.
E.T.'s wife Emma Moore Taylor, however, was fearful of boats and preferred to be within walking distance of the Village. So a few years later, they purchased land on North Shore Drive and built a beautiful home there in 1904. The cottage was barely completed when, alas, disaster struck, as fire broke out in the home while E.T. and son Paul were out fishing in their boat. They returned from their fishing expedition to find their lovely new home burned to the ground.
Not to be discouraged, the Taylors built a new cottage in 1905, the same one the family enjoys today. The iconic boathouse, which also still stands, was added in 1909. Sadly, E.T. was only able to enjoy the cottage for a few years before his death in 1908, but the Walloon tradition he and Emma established was lovingly continued by their children Paul and Miriam.
Ownership of the cottage eventually passed to their son Paul Taylor, Sr., also a banker, who spent summers there with his wife Magdalena Beck. Magdalena's father Adam Beck was yet another of the Huntington businessmen who had favored Walloon and built on South Shore, so it was a union of two Huntington and Walloon families.
Paul Sr. was an avid boater with his beautiful wooden boat, “Hoosier”, as well as a key player in the early days of the Walloon Lake Country Club, serving as president. Paul's sis-
ter Miriam Taylor married Herbert Zent, and eventually they purchased their own home on the lake further up North Shore Drive, establishing yet another branch of Wallooners.
Paul Sr. and Magdalena were the parents of children Edwin, Miriam and Paul, Jr. who grew up spending summers at Walloon. Edwin and his wife Alice had two daughters, Marilyn and Elizabeth. Miriam married Don Hyde and had four daughters, Martha, Marguerite, Cynthia and Melissa. Paul Jr. and his wife Cordela had two daughters, Susan and Patricia. Miriam Hyde eventually bought her own cottage just a few doors away from the family home.
Brought together by Walloon, the cousins were exceptionally close growing up. That warm friendship continues today. Marilyn Taylor, who now owns We-Neda-Rest, and her cousin Martha Coscina, who lives in a nearby house on North Shore, enjoy sharing memories. Another cousin, Martha's sister Cindy, is not far away. In the cottage is a large black and white photograph of the cousins as young girls in 1958, sitting in front of the cottage just as she and Martha still do. "We cousins were so close because of Walloon," comments Marilyn, who comes to the lake every year from Colorado. "We spent so much time together at the lake."
The cousins share memories of their beloved grandmother Magdalena, who presided over the cottage for 45 years after Paul Sr.'s death in 1938. She is remembered for her wit, wonderful family gatherings and expert piloting of the 1954 Chris Craft “Hoosier III”, now owned by the Hyde sisters. Magdalena single-handedly provided a haven for her family to enjoy together over the years.
The cousins also recall walking the path to Renwick's for ice cream, reading, playing board games on rainy days, and, of course, swimming and boating. Marilyn also recalls a charming tradition her grandmother started. "On the last night before we went home, we put our shoes in front of the fireplace. In the morning, we would have a mint patty and a nickel from the ‘Walloon Elf.’ “My sister and I carried on that tradition through our children and my grandchildren.”
Love of Walloon inspired Martha and her sister Cindy to live here yearround. In addition to their personal homes, they and their sisters Marguerite Smith and Melissa Knudson also own the nearby Hyde family cottage, aptly dubbed the "Hydeout." "Walloon is always like coming home," notes Martha. "Can't imagine spending the rest of my life anyplace else."
Much has transpired since the early days of the Taylor family's sojourn on Walloon, when North Shore Drive was a sandy two-track with a cow path, the iceman delivered chunks of ice and the grocers took orders door-to-door. It's a different era today but the great-great-greatgrandchildren of E.T. and Emma - their Taylor, Hyde and Zent descendants - represent the sixth generation of the family to preserve its incredible Walloon heritage.
