Lake Ella was originally called Bull Pond. Records for this name date back as far as 1867 when some local black churches held baptisms in its clear waters. In 1867 some 2000 "freedmen" gathered there for a day-long political rally. In the early 20th century Lake Ella became part of the "Old Spanish Trail", a coast-to-coast highway extending from San Diego to St. Augustine, Fl. This was one of a network of named roads, so named to promote tourism. On the west bank of the lake are several cottages that were once part of the Tallahassee Motor Hotel, a hotel opened by Gilbert S. Chandler in 1925 to cater to this tourist trade. Around the same time the lake was renamed Lake Ella. The cottages were once used as lakefront honeymoon rooms but are now occupied by local businesses. On the north shore of the lake is American Legion Post 13.
Recreation
Lake Ella is incorporated into the 6.5 acre Fred Drake Park. The park has picnic shelters, a site for community activities such as amateur astronomy and exercising, and a paved walking trail that completely encircles the lake. Visitors can walk, skate, or skateboard the 0.6 mi around the lake. Visitors also enjoy feeding the many ducks, geese, pigeons, and turtles that live at the lake. On Jan 24, 2009, Lake Ella hosted a group of Tibetan monks on their visit to Tallahassee. They spent a week creating a sand mandala at The Mary Brogan Museum of Art and Science. The monks then destroyed the mandala in a "special dissolution ritual" and brought the sand to Lake Ella "so that its healing energies would be dispersed throughout the world." On December 13, 2010, the monks arrived in Tallahassee for another visit, and dismantled the new mandala on December 19.
Stormwater control
In 1986, Lake Ella underwent extensive rehabilitation including sediment removal, reshaping of the shoreline, reducing the number of stormwater inflow pipes, and installation of an automatic alum treatment system. Lake Ella receives stormwater runoff from an urbanwatershed that is approximately 157 acres in area. During a typical year the lake treats somewhere around 250 million gallons of stormwater runoff. During normal water elevations the lake stores approximately 27 million gallons of water. During excessive rain events the lake can store an additional 9 million gallons. Pollutant treatment is obtained through an automated system that doses alum at six locations based on the volume of stormwater entering the lake. Alum, which is a substance used by some communities to treat drinking water, mixes with incoming stormwater and causes pollutants to settle to the lake bottom. Lake Ella sometimes floods after severe storms, which can cause the surrounding roads to be closed for a few days.
