Originally known as Reesor Lake and then Middleton Lake at the turn of the 20th century, the are was ultimately named after the Preston family who owned the property around 1900. George and Annie Preston operated a summer tourist resort around the lake that is located at the northeast corner of Woodbine Avenue and Bloomington Road. A number of dance halls had been built in this area but burned down, the last in the late 1950s. In 1955, Group of Seven artist, A.J. Casson painted the Hennessey Homestead which, although it no longer resembles the Casson painting, still stands opposite Abbotsford Road. The painting is called “Farm Near Vandorf.”