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Pennellwood Resort: Rest and Recreation in the Resort Era. Each year as the weather warms and summer approaches, we begin to think about summer fun and outdoor activities. Tourists have made Michigan a destination for over a century with vacation stops including beaches, parks, hotels, and the numerous resorts that sprinkled the west coast of Michigan. Berrien County possesses its share of resorts; notably Pennellwood Resort located in Berrien Springs. However, historically, resorts were frequented for more than just fun outdoor activity. |
Feature Article|
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Pennellwood: The farmhouse that served as the original resort. |
Pennellwood Cabins: These cabins were later built to accommodate summer guests. |
| By the late nineteenth century, Americans developed a keen interest in health and leisure. As cities grew and America was becoming more urbanized and the workplace a more central part of American lives, Americans nationwide were becoming concerned with their physical and mental well being. As part of this new health concern, new breakfast foods were developed and introduced to the American diet by Post and Kellogg. Also, early gyms with exercise equipment appeared in homes, joining sports clubs were fashionable, and those who could travel to resorts for recreation and relaxation did so. Resort development and attendance were on the increase. For Victorians, a resort served to recreate and provide the needed escape from the stress of the work place.
Pennellwood Resort provided such an escape from the "whirl and strife" of modern life. The resort established in 1893 by Edgar S. Pennell promoted the welfare of people, not only through religion (as the Pennells were strong Baptists), but by establishing a resort where wholesome amusements could be enjoyed in a peaceful natural setting. Pennell and his wife Mary bought their farm in 1879 and by the 1890s were taking in boarders as a means to generate extra income. The evolution of Pennellwood was typical of resort development around the country where farmsteads became boarding houses and later hotels or resort complexes. By the turn of the century the Pennells were operating a full-blown resort with the main farmhouse, several cottages and scores of acres of recreational land. Early promotional literature described the vacation spot as "a high grade farm resort" offering its guests "the privileges of a quiet home and the restfulness of the country." Many also believed that respectable family entertainment and activities could be profitable for resort developers. To remain a viable resort destination, Pennellwood developed a number of outdoor activities ranging from swimming, horseback riding, tennis, golf, boating, and hiking to mention only a few. Like at many other resorts offering summer cottage accommodations and a full schedule of activities, many vacationers returned to Pennellwood year after year. Throughout its long and successful history, Pennellwood has illustrated that providing wholesome amusement could be sound business policy. For over a hundred years, Pennellwood has been a destination for those who wanted to relax in the peaceful rural resort. Today, Pennellwood continues as a resort welcoming guests to its accommodations much as it has always. |
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