Ressor Lake became Middleton Lake after the Middletons bought the land from the Ressors at the turn of the century. In 1920, the Middletons sold their land to George and Annie Preston who developed the lakeshore as a summer tourist resort in the early 1920s. In 1915, Preston built a large, red brick, eleven-room farmhouse to the north of lot 13 which still stood as of 2008. In 1923, the residence became the first in the area to have electricity, powered by a Delco generator in the basement. Preston's entrepreneurial spirit saw him and his family living in the basement as he used the home for hotel guests during the summers of the 1920s, and since the lane to his house was the only access to the lake, he charged a toll fee of 25 cents for cars and 10 cents for horses and carriages to use the lane for lake access.
