Eastmorland and Lake Edge: Madison's southeast side near Monona Drive and Cottage Grove Road

Where the neighborhoods came from

Before Madison grew here, this was the Town of Blooming Grove, which the Historic Blooming Grove Historical Society says was organized in 1850 and included what became the City of Monona. Monona incorporated as a village in 1938 and as a city in 1969, and the society notes that much of the eastern township was later claimed by Madison and Monona.

The society's street-name guide gives each neighborhood a different start:

• Lake Edge: marketed in 1912 to 1915 by the Lake Edge Park Co. as "The Model Suburb," near Cottage Grove Road and Monona Drive, on the site of an earlier dairy. The society says it was Madison's first suburban development in the area. Buckeye Road was once called Main Avenue here, and by 1942 the name had reverted.
• Eastmorland: developed from 1954 by Aaron Elkind, Albert McGinnis and Donald B. Sanford on about 75 acres, with 314 houses. The name was chosen for market appeal, imitating the west side's Westmorland, and streets such as Sussex, Bradford and Cumberland evoke England. See Midvale and Westmorland for that other neighborhood.
• Elvehjem: named for Elvehjem Elementary School, dedicated December 12, 1962, in honor of Conrad Arnold Elvehjem, a biochemist who discovered niacin and later served as University of Wisconsin president. Acewood, platted in 1959, was the first subdivision in the area.
• Glendale: named for the Glendale Development Corporation, owned by Phil and Norm Herro and Oscar Seiferth. Many street names honor local residents.

The same guide notes that Cottage Grove Road forms the northern boundary of the Lake Edge area, that a Royster Guano plant at Dempsey and Cottage Grove roads ran from 1948 to 2006, and that Buckeye Road (County Highway AB) was long the main route into Madison from the southeast.

Edna Taylor Conservation Park

Edna Taylor Conservation Park, 802 Femrite Dr., is 60.27 acres built around a glacial drumlin rising above a wide marsh. The city lists about 1.4 miles of trails, a boardwalk and a small parking lot, with oak savanna and wetland restoration under way. The Aldo Leopold Nature Center and Dr. Virginia Henderson Elementary School, formerly Glendale School, use it for environmental education.

A city news release says the city bought 37 acres from Edna Taylor, a teacher, writer, dairy farmer and landowner, in 1972. On the drumlin's east side are six linear mounds and one panther effigy mound from the Phlaum-McWilliams group, dated 650 to 1100 A.D.; the city designated them a landmark in 1990, they are on the National Register of Historic Places, and state law protects them as a cemetery. Stay on the trail. The park is open from 4 a.m. to 10 p.m., and the city offers free volunteer-led nature walks through its Bird and Nature Adventures program.

Neighborhood parks

Other city parks nearby, as the city lists them:

• Eastmorland Park, 99 Silver Rd.: 13.81 acres with two playgrounds, a large octagonal shelter, a basketball court and a multipurpose field.
• Lake Edge Park, 511 Park Ct.: 5 acres with a reservable shelter, playground, basketball court and a multipurpose field. A 2016 city release says the park was first dedicated to the Town of Blooming Grove in 1909 on 4.14 acres and came to the city in 1961.
• Elvehjem Park, 1202 Painted Post Dr.: 5.39 acres next to the Elvehjem sanctuary and the elementary school, with a reservable shelter, basketball and tennis courts and an unlined field. The Elvehjem Sanctuary is next door.

For the lake, Olbrich Park and Olbrich Botanical Gardens are on Atwood Avenue just to the north; our lakes guide and parks guide cover them.

Pinney Library

The Pinney Library is at 516 Cottage Grove Rd. Madison Public Library's page lists Community Rooms A and B, a Youth Program Room and a Studio among its event spaces. Check the page for hours; our libraries guide covers cards and the other branches.

Places to start on Monona Drive, Cottage Grove Road and Buckeye Road

These are businesses in our directory, mostly on Monona Drive near the Madison and Monona line and on Cottage Grove Road. Descriptions come from their listings; hours and menus change, so check with each one.

• Crema Cafe: a casual east-side café on Monona Drive since 2007, with breakfast and lunch, Saturday brunch, espresso and its own bakery.
• Meat People Butcher: a whole-animal butcher shop on Monona Drive selling Wisconsin-raised meats and groceries.
• Muskellounge and Sporting Club: a roomy bar on Monona Drive at the Madison and Monona line, with parlor games, beer, cocktails, wine and bar snacks.
• The Tiki Bar on Lake Monona: the East Side Club's seasonal tiki bar on Lake Monona, open to the public April through September, with a summer grill.
• Fired Up Pottery: a walk-in pottery studio on Monona Drive for painting, fusing and sculpting projects.
• Slow Roll Cycles: a bike shop on Monona Drive focused on mountain bikes and e-bikes, with service and demos.
• El Rancho 2 Mexican Grill: a family-owned Mexican grill on Cottage Grove Road cooking family recipes from Puebla, with tortas, lengua tacos and flan.
• Arod's Tex Mex: a Tex-Mex restaurant on Cottage Grove Road with direct delivery and online gift certificates.
• Misty Mountain Games: a game store with trading card singles, weekly events and an online store.
• Wisco Home Goods: an east side shop making soy candles and selling Wisconsin-made gifts.
• Buckeye Barber Shop: an east side barbershop on Buckeye Road where two barbers do men's and kids' cuts, beard work and first responder cuts.
• Hoey Apothecary: a compounding pharmacy and wellness store on Monona Drive serving people and pets.