Dillard's Grove

James L. Dillard and his daughter, Mabel Dillard, in the two-seater horse drawn carriage at right, are riding through Dillard's grove with Bob and Gladys Waterman. Dillard and his wife, Mattie Showalter, came to Winter Garden from Virginia in 1887 and settled in an area known as Washington Place, now a part of the city. The family homestead was bordered by Plant, Ninth, Boyd, and Tilden Streets. Dillard began to cultivate fruit and vegetables with John Henry Vick, and, in time, became one of the leading fruit and vegetable producers in the area. In addition to his agricultural and commercial pursuits, Dillard was a founding director and vice president of the Bank of Winter Garden, an Orange County Commissioner for eight years, a town council member for several terms, and a state legislator for two terms.