Donald Houston at Belair Grove
Dublin Core
Title
Donald Houston at Belair Grove
Alternative Title
Houston at Belair
Subject
Sanford (Fla.)
Citrus--Florida
Agriculture--Florida
Description
Donald Houston at Belair Grove in Sanforrd (present-day Lake Mary), Florida, around 1891.
In 1870, Henry Shelton Sanford (1823-1891) purchased 12,547.15 square acres of land known as the Sanford Grant. Sanford established an experiment station on a portion of the land, located three miles southwest of the city of Sanford. This is an image of Donald Houston, who acted as Sanford's superintendent and grove manager for Belair. Belair Grove extended across 145 acres; 95 of the acres produced orange growth representing a wide range of orange species known to Florida and 50 acres were lemon trees. In Belair alone, Sanford introduced over 140 varieties of citrus plants and worked to determine if Florida citrus growers could introduce new varieties into the growing citrus market. Sanford also grew exotic plants acquired from Central and South America, many of which survived the 1886 freeze.
Sanford mainly used Belair as his own experiment station, but ultimately the findings and reports would be used by other citrus growers throughout Florida. After Sanford's death in 1891, Houston continued to correspond with Gertrude Dupuy Sanford, Sanford's widow, about the state of the groves. The 1894-1895 freezes destroyed most of the citrus crop, leaving frozen oranges covering the grounds because the weakened branches could not support the heavy frozen fruit. Following the great freeze of 1894-1895, Gertrude sold Belair to John Sanford, who in turn sold it to Sydney Octavius Chase (1860-1941) in 1902. Chase & Company did not grow citrus crops again until 1904, when Chase's brother and business partner, Joshua Coffin Chase (1858-1948), came back from an extended stay in California.
In 1870, Henry Shelton Sanford (1823-1891) purchased 12,547.15 square acres of land known as the Sanford Grant. Sanford established an experiment station on a portion of the land, located three miles southwest of the city of Sanford. This is an image of Donald Houston, who acted as Sanford's superintendent and grove manager for Belair. Belair Grove extended across 145 acres; 95 of the acres produced orange growth representing a wide range of orange species known to Florida and 50 acres were lemon trees. In Belair alone, Sanford introduced over 140 varieties of citrus plants and worked to determine if Florida citrus growers could introduce new varieties into the growing citrus market. Sanford also grew exotic plants acquired from Central and South America, many of which survived the 1886 freeze.
Sanford mainly used Belair as his own experiment station, but ultimately the findings and reports would be used by other citrus growers throughout Florida. After Sanford's death in 1891, Houston continued to correspond with Gertrude Dupuy Sanford, Sanford's widow, about the state of the groves. The 1894-1895 freezes destroyed most of the citrus crop, leaving frozen oranges covering the grounds because the weakened branches could not support the heavy frozen fruit. Following the great freeze of 1894-1895, Gertrude sold Belair to John Sanford, who in turn sold it to Sydney Octavius Chase (1860-1941) in 1902. Chase & Company did not grow citrus crops again until 1904, when Chase's brother and business partner, Joshua Coffin Chase (1858-1948), came back from an extended stay in California.
Source
Original 2 x 1 inch black and white photograph: Henry S. Sanford Collection, Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
Publisher
Ensminger Brothers Photographers
Date Created
ca. 1891
Is Format Of
Digital reproduction of original 2 x 1 inch black and white photograph.
Is Part Of
Henry S. Sanford Collection, Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
Sanford Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
Format
image/jpg
Extent
79.2 KB
Medium
2 x 1 inch black and white photograph
Type
Still Image
Coverage
Belair Grove, Lake Mary, Florida
Accrual Method
Donation
Mediator
History Teacher
Economics Teacher
Geography Teacher
Provenance
Originally published by the Ensminger Brothers Photography.
Rights Holder
Copyright to this resource is held by the Ensminger Brothers Photography and is provided here by RICHES of Central Florida for educational purposes only.
Curator
Hazen, Kendra
Cepero, Laura
Digital Collection
Source Repository
External Reference
Westgate, Philip J., and R. Bruce Ledin. "Belair Groves, Sanford, Pioneer in Sub-Tropical Horticultural Introductions." Florida State Horticultural Society 66 (1953): 184-187.
Some Account of Belair. Sanford, Florida: 1889.
Fry, Joseph A. Henry S. Sanford: Diplomacy and Business in Nineteenth-Century America. Reno, NV: University of Nevada Press, 1982.
Molloy, Leo T. Henry Shelton Sanford 1823-1891. A Biography. Derby, CT: Valley Historical Research Committee, 2009.
Sanford Historical Society, Inc. Sanford. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2003.
Still Image Item Type Metadata
Original Format
1 black and white photograph
Physical Dimensions
7 x 4.25 inches
Collection
Citation
“Donald Houston at Belair Grove,” RICHES, accessed May 20, 2024, https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/items/show/4221.