Step back in time to the charm of yesteryear at Paradise Cove, a historic gem nestled on the shores of Lemon Bay. Built in 1937, this picturesque property was originally a homestead, offering a glimpse into Englewood's rich heritage. Situated in an area steeped in history, where the first plats were laid in 1896, Paradise Cove invites you to experience the nostalgia of a bygone era while enjoying modern comforts and conveniences. Paradise Cove on Lemon Bay has had the same owner since 2008.
Paradise Cove on Lemon Bay is part of what was a larger homestead of the Curwood Family. Charles (Chas) Curwood and his wife Stella first settled on McCall Rd. in 1926, where they built and ran "Curwood Cottages Camp". McCall Rd was originally a main roadway in Englewood prior to the completion of SR 776. Chas and Stella were later joined by their son GE (Guy) and his wife Esther Curwood, along with their children and later grandchildren. Chas and Guy were both in the construction industry and contributed to many early settler homes in the area. Guy Curwood also began the first Boy Scout Troop in Englewood in 1935. He was also a Director in the Inaugural year of the Englewood Chamber of Commerce in 1941. Guy & Esther's son Gerald went on to become a building inspector for the City of Venice. Guy also was one of the builders of Community Presbyterian Church on McCall Rd. that still stands today. Tragically, Guy and Esther would suffer the loss of their 7-year-old daughter, Joanne Marie, in 1938. There is a fountain built in her memory on the property located at 670 S. McCall Rd—directly next door to Paradise Cove.
Chas Curwood's brother was James Oliver Curwood. At the time of his death at 49 in 1927, James Oliver Curwood was considered the most well-read, well-known adventure writer in the world. He has always been put in the same elite class with Zane Grey and Jack London, although his name is not as well known today as Grey’s or London’s. The author came to visit and wrote his last book in Englewood, “Green Timber”, although it was left unfinished at his death. There was great excitement in Englewood about his celebrity presence, especially when it was rumored that the famous writer sat at a kitchen table working in one of his brother’s cottages, with his feet in a bucket of ice water, supposedly to set the mood for the great frozen north he was writing about. James Oliver Curwood passed away after an infection that occurred during his stay at Curwood Cottages. It has been said he was fishing in the Lemon Bay when he was stung by something.
At least one hundred and eighty motion pictures have been based on or directly inspired by his novels and short stories; one was produced in three versions from 1919 to 1953. At the time of his death, Curwood was the highest-paid (per word) author in the world. Curwood set many of his works in the wilds of the Great Northwest and often used animals as lead characters (Kazan; Baree, Son of Kazan, The Grizzly King, and Nomads of the North). Many of Curwood's adventure novels also feature romance as a primary or secondary plot consideration. This approach gave his work broad commercial appeal; his novels ranked on many best-seller lists in the early and mid-1920s. One of his most successful books was his 1919 novel, The River's End. The book sold more than 100,000 copies and was the fourth best-selling title of the year in the United States, according to Publishers Weekly.
Over one hundred and eighty movies have been based on or inspired by Curwood's novels and short stories. Curwood's story "Wapi the Walrus" was adapted for film three times. The first was as Back to God's Country (1919), starring Nell Shipman as a brave and adventurous woman in the wilds of the North. Another version by the same title was released in 1927, and again by this title in 1953. A young John Wayne and Noah Beery Jr. starred in the 1934 film The Trail Beyond, based on Curwood's novel The Wolf Hunters. Filmmakers produced a film series featuring Kirby Grant as Mountie Corporal Rod Webb, assisted by his dog Chinook; they made a total of ten films. In the late 20th century, French director Jean-Jacques Annaud adapted Curwood's 1916 novel The Grizzly King as the film The Bear (1988). The film's success prompted a revival of interest in Curwood's books.
In an interview with Rose Tate Kyle in 2003, Englewood was mainly clustered around Dearborn Street. "There were few homes between the corner at Kelly's Bar and the sharp curve known as Dead Man's Curve. It really lived up to its name, though it has since been corrected to some degree," she said. Just past the curve, there was a cluster of winter cottages along the road and fronting Lemon Bay. They were the homes of a group of folks from Conneaut, Ohio. As Kyle said, "Somebody must have gone back home and told their friends about our beautiful little village! Curwood's Cottages were among them, probably the closest thing we had to a real motel back in the '30s."
Many of the Curwood family are buried in Lemon Bay Cemetery.