Herman & Lela Wilson / Wilson House

In 1915 Herman and Lela Wilson came to Yates Township with twenty-five people from Chicago to inspect the real estate that would become the African American resort of Idlewild. The Wilsons promoted and sold property in Idlewild. In 1921 they moved here permanently. Between July 1922 and August 1925 the couple platted three subdivisions, giving the streets names such as paradise Path, Righteous Road, Wisdom Way and Kindness Avenue. Wilson House Built in 1927, this fieldstone bungalow reflects the prominence of its first occupants, Herman and Lela Wilson, who were among Idlewild’s early promoters and developers. The Wilsons owned motels, seasonal cottages, and a grocery store located behind their house until they built a market kitty-corner from here in 1948. The Wilsons also owned the Paradise Club, which stood directly across Wilson Drive. The club’s Fiesta Room featured the Idlewild Revue, a nationally known floorshow.