About the cottage.
Built in 1941, Sunset Trail Cottage has been gently maintained across three generations; grandmother, mother, and daughter. Its walls hold stories, seasons, and the soft kind of silence that only comes with time. Tucked into the foundation is a time capsule, placed there by the original couple who built the cottage. It’s a quiet gesture of hope for the future, still felt in the morning light and the hush of the trees.
About Ogden Dunes.
Founded in 1925, Ogden Dunes emerged as an exclusive resort community on the southern shore of Lake Michigan, quickly becoming a retreat for Chicago's elite during the Roaring Twenties. Initially accessible primarily by boat and rail, the town's relative isolation added to its allure, offering a pristine escape amid the natural beauty of the Indiana Dunes. Over the years, Ogden Dunes evolved from a summer haven to a year-round residential community, all while preserving its unique charm, recreational, ecological and architectural heritage.
Images from the book "Images of America, Ogden Dunes" - Dick Meister, Ken Martin and the Historical Society of Ogden Dunes.
About the proprietor.
Ashley Szybala is the third woman in her family to care for this quiet cottage by the lake.
Ashley didn’t renovate the cottage so much as listen to it. She kept what mattered, polished what was waiting to be seen, and let the rest breathe. There’s nothing flashy here. Just thoughtful details, timeworn textures, open windows, and the kind of ease that lives only in places that remember who they are.
She returns whenever she can to catch a sunset, open the windows, and slow down. Sunset Trail is part of her story, and now, if only for a while, it’s part of yours too.
