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View of First Street Looking Towards Sanford Avenue
This is an especially dated dry plate photograph of Sanford, Florida in 1887. The majority of Sanford's buildings prior to the fire of 1887 were built of wood, without much structural integrity. The photograph shows signs of flaking emulsion, as…
First Street Looking Towards Sanford Avenue
The purpose of this cityscape is to contrast the drastic transformation the city of Sanford, Florida underwent between 1877 and 1910. Within the space of a single generation, the city had gone from a remote outpost for crackers and the most hardened…
Palmetto House in Sanford
The earliest settlements in the Sanford area consisted of primitive construction materials, many homes were built with little more than palmetto fans and pine saplings. After the fire of 1887, many of the city's buildings were rebuilt with brick, to…
Students at the Little Red School House
The Little Red School House, located at 519 South Palmetto Avenue, is Sanford's oldest standing building. Seminole County bought the land for the two-room school from the Florida Land and Colonization Company. Officially called East Side Primary, the…
First Street Fair in Sanford
A town fair held on First Street following the period in Sanford's history known as the "Decade of Disasters." The "Decade of Disasters" started with a bakery fire in 1887, which destroyed much of the city's east side, including many of the wooden…
Portrait of Clara Louise Guild
Clara Louise Guild, born June 5, 1864, was the first graduate of Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida. Her family originally hailed from Boston, Massachusetts. Her father, William Guild, was a Harvard Medical School graduate and pharmacist. Clara…
PICO Hotel Postcard
Sanford's PICO Hotel, located at 209 North Oak Avenue, was built in 1887 for Henry B. Plant, President of the Plant Investment Company or (PICO). The onion-shaped dome located on the southwest corner of the roof resembled a Turkish minaret. The dome…
Howard-Packard Land Company
The Howard-Packard Land Company offices, based out of the Peoples Bank Building located on 101 West First Street in Sanford, Florida.The building was constructed in 1883 as the Lyman Bank and is the oldest brick building in Sanford's downtown…
Sanford Orange Grove
For many years citrus reigned supreme in Sanford, Florida. From December 1894 to February 1895, Sanford experienced temperatures as low as 18 degrees. The Sanford area experienced what would be known as "The Great Freeze." The hard freezes destroyed…
W. H. Underwood Buggies and Wagons: Harness and Farm Implements
W. H. Underwood established his carriage factory between late 1908 and early 1909, according to a trade news publication from February 1909. The Underwood Factory manufactured carriages, delivery wagons, special-use vehicles, sign painting, and…
Steamboat Caloosa on Lake Monore
The Caloosa was one of many steamboats that operated along the St. Johns River during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Steamboats first appeared on the St. Johns in the 1860s. During the next several decades, the St. Johns River became…
Portrait of Mary Ensminger
This portrait is of Mary Ensmigner, Jefferson Clay Ensminger's eldest daughter. According to History of Buchanan County, Iowa: With Illustrations and Biographical Sketches, Mary was five years old in 1881; this would place her year of birth between…
Recess at Sanford Grammar School
This photograph was incorporated into the Orange County Bicentennial Committee's More than a Memory collection, which explicitly traces the photo's origins to the Sanford Grammar School, located at 301 West Seventh Street in Sanford, Florida. Three…
J. N. Whitner's Celery Farm During Harvest Time
Mecca Hammock Farms during the harvest season in the 1890s . This celery farm was owned by J. N. Whitner and B. F. Whitner Sr. In 1897, the Whitners planted three-quarters of an acre with celery imported from Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Sanford was not…
Sanford was not…
Portrait of Jefferson Clay Ensminger
Self portrait of Jefferson Clay Ensminger, likely taken at the same time as his other portraits. Ensminger was born in 1843 in Stark County, Ohio. His father was a photographer and he likely picked up the trade from the family business based out of…
Dock and Freight Depot
This photograph shows activity at an unidentified dock as the contents of a steamship are unloaded. The scene also includes several locomotives both arriving and departing from the adjacent station. This is image is a prime example of efforts towards…
Portrait of Fredrick Ensminger
This photograph is a portrait of a man in his mid-twenties, wearing the traditional Victorian-era collar, crovat, and three-piece suit. Evidence indicates that the young man in this photograph is Fredrick Ensminger, born 1877.
Jefferson Clay Ensminger's Youngest Son
This photograph is a portrait of a young man in his early teens, wearing a suit, popular in style of the early 1900's. A note on the back of the photograph indicates that the photograph is one of Jefferson Clay Ensminger's son.
Portrait of Carrie Ensminger
This portrait is of Jefferson Clay Ensminger's daughter, Carrie Ensminger, at an unspecified time. Carrie Ensminger was born in 1882 and attended school at the Little Red School House in 1893. She would later become a teacher at Sanford Grammar…
Letter from David Stark to W. R. Vincent (December 30, 1975)
An official project of the Orange County Bicentennial Committee. "More than a Memory" is an insightful scrapbook of Central Florida's history. This letter is a correspondence between one of the book's three editors, David Stark, and W. R. Vincent. In…
Letter from C. M. Tyler to Chase & Company Members (May 26, 1919)
An original letter of correspondence written by C. M. Tyler to employees at Chase & Company in Jacksonville, Florida. Tyler's letter provides information about the internal organization of the Florida Citrus Exchange, a state organization comprised…
Letter from Sydney Octavius Chase to Chase & Company Members (March 11, 1925)
An original letter of correspondence written by Sydney Octavius Chase to employees at Chase & Company in Orlando. In the letter, Chase identifies his dissatisfaction with the Florida Citrus Exchange and its role in negatively impacting the market…
Letter from Sydney Octavius Chase to Chase & Company Members (April 8, 1925)
An original letter of correspondence written by Sydney Octavius Chase to employees at Chase & Company in Orlando. The letter identifies that Chase & Company played an active role in recruiting dissatisfied members from the Florida Citrus Exchange in…
Letter from Sydney Octavius Chase to Chase & Company Members (April 10, 1925)
An original letter of correspondence written by Sydney Octavius Chase to employees at Chase & Company in Orlando. The letter identifies that Chase & Company played an active role in recruiting dissatisfied members from the Florida Citrus Exchange in…
Letter from Sydney Octavius Chase to Chase & Company members (April 13, 1925)
An original letter of correspondence written by Sydney Octavius Chase (1860-1941) to employees at Chase & Company in Orlando, Florida. The letter identifies that Chase & Company played an active role in recruiting dissatisfied members from the…
Letter from Sydney Octavius Chase to Mayo Dade (March 12, 1925)
An original letter of correspondence written by Sydney Octavius Chase to Mayo Dade. Dade worked with Chase & Company and was a respected professional in the Florida citrus industry. In the letter, Chase urges Dade to continue recruiting former…
Letter from Sydney Octavius Chase to Mayo Dade (April 20, 1925)
An original letter of correspondence written by Sydney Octavius Chase to Mayo Dade. Dade worked with Chase & Company and was a respected professional in the Florida citrus industry. In the letter, Chase urges Dade to continue recruiting former…
Letter from Sydney Octavius Chase to Mayo Dade (May 7, 1925)
An original letter of correspondence written by Sydney Octavius Chase to Mayo Dade. Dade worked with Chase & Company and was a respected professional in the Florida citrus industry. The letter shares some of the doubts and distrust Chase & Company…
Letter from Sydney Chase to N. D. Cloward (April 17, 1925)
An original letter of correspondence written by Sydney Chase to N .D. Cloward. Cloward worked as a representative for Babson Park Citrus Growers Association in Lake Wales, Florida. In the letter, Chase is informing Cloward to recruit growers who…
Brumley-Puleston Building
View of the former Brumley-Puleston Building, located at 100 East First Street in Sanford, Florida. Doctors L. A. Brumley and Samuel Puleston commissioned famed builder George A. Fuller to construct the building. Construction began in 1922 and…
PICO Block
View of the former PICO Block from the intersection of North Oak Avenue and West Commercial Street in Sanford, Florida. The building was constructed and opened by the Plant Investment Company (PICO) in 1887 to house the company's local offices. PICO…
Henry B. Lord Building
The Henry B. Lord building, located at 112 South Park Avenue in Sanford, Florida. From its completion in 1895 until 1992, the building was occupied by multiple jewelers. Henry B. Lord established Sanford's oldest jewelry store when he opened H. B.…
First National Bank No. 2
Former First National Bank No. 2 , located at 101 East First Street in Sanford, Florida. Also known as Sanford's first skyscraper, the building was designed by Mowbray & Uffinger of New York. Construction began in 1922 using steel, limestone, brick,…
Hotchkiss Block, 2010
The Hotchkiss Block, located at 213 East First Street in Sanford, Florida, in 2010. The block was named after Frederick Hotchkiss and constructed in the Romanesque Revival style in 1887. The previous brick building erected at this location was…
DeForest Block
The DeForest Block, located at 101 East First Street in Sanford, Florida. The building was constructed in 1887 by Henry L. DeForest as a general store. During that same year, Downtown Sanford along First Street was devastated by a fire that started…
First National Bank No. 1
View of the First National Bank No. 1, located at 101 West First Street in Sanford, Florida. The building was originally constructed in 1883 by Lyman Bank and had a brick facade. In 1887, the bank switched hands and became the First National Bank.…
Masonic Lodge #62
View of the Sanford Masonic Lodge #62, located at 212 North Park Avenue in Sanford, Florida. Sanford established its own Masonic Lodge in 1872 and is one of the oldest in Florida. The building was designed by renowned local architect Elton J.…
PICO Hotel
PICO Hotel, located at 209 North Oak Avenue in Sanford, Florida, was built in 1887 for Henry Bradley Plant, President of the Plant Investment Company (PICO). The onion-shaped dome located on the southwest corner of the roof resembled a Turkish…
St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church
View of St. James AME Church from the intersection of Cypress Avenue and East 9th Street. The church itself was founded in 1867 at another location off of Mellonville Avenue. In 1880, the church purchased land at the current location from the Florida…
Sanford and Lake Eustis Railway
List of latitude and longitude coordinates for the Sanford and Lake Eustis Railway.The Sanford and Lake Eustis Railway. The Jacksonville, Tampa, and Key West Railroad built the road in 1886 and opened it in 1887. The track spanned 29.5 miles and…
Sanford and Indian River Railroad
List of latitude and longitude coordinates for the Sanford and Indian River Railroad.The Sanford and Indian River Railroad was built in 1886 by the South Florida Railroad. The line covered nineteen miles between Sanford and Oviedo and was used by…
Sanford and Everglades Railroad
List of latitude and longitude coordinates for the Sanford and Everglades Railroad.The creation of a railroad through Sanford began when a group of celery growers expressed interest in extending railroad tracks to their farmlands. When the Atlantic…
Sanford and St. Petersburg Railway
List of latitude and longitude coordinates for the portion of the Sanford and St. Petersburg Railway running through Central Florida.Originally called the Orange Belt Railroad, the Sanford and St. Petersburg Railway started in 1885-1889. The tracks…
Jacksonville, Tampa, and Key West Railroad
List of latitude and longitude coordinates for the portion of the Jacksonville, Tampa, and Key West Railroad running through Central Florida. The railroad opened in 1884 and reached Sanford by 1886. William Van Fleet was the railroad's first…
Atlantic Coast Line Railroad
List of latitude and longitude coordinates for the portion of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad running through Central Florida. The Atlantic Coast Line was formally established in 1889 and became a major interstate railway system in the southeastern…
Florida Midland Railroad
List of latitude and longitude coordinates for the Florida Midland Railroad. Tracks were constructed and completed in the 1880s and ran along the current day State Road 434 near Ocoee, Florida. The Florida Midland did not last long , but did have a…
Florida East Coast Railway
List of latitude and longitude coordinates for the portion of the Florida East Coast Railway running through Central Florida. Henry Flagler, prominent entrepreneur known throughout the state of Florida, founded the Florida East Coast Railway (FEC) in…
Orlando-Winter Park Railroad
List of latitude and longitude coordinates for the Dinky Line. The track started in Orlando-Winter Park area and entered Seminole County near Oviedo. The Orlando-Winter Park Railroad officially opened on January 2, 1889. Shortly after the inaugural…
Letter from Joshua Chase to Sydney Chase (October 19, 1934)
An original letter of correspondence written by Joshua Chase to his father and Chase & Company business partner Sydney Chase. The letter discusses a meeting Joshua attended in Lakeland about the specifics on the proposed Federal Marketing Agreement…
Memorandum by Chase & Company (April 8, 1924)
An original memorandum written by representatives from Chase & Company. The memo highlights issues that the Florida Citrus Exchange experienced during the 1923-1924 season, including competition between the citrus industries in California and…
Letter from Sydney Chase, Jr., to Sydney Chase, Sr. and Joshua Chase (June 13, 1933)
An original letter of correspondence written by Sydney Chase, Jr. to other Chase & Company business partners and family members. The letter summarizes a meeting Sydney, Jr. attended relating to the marketing and selling of citrus products throughout…
Gertrude Sanford Picking Oranges at Belair Grove
Henry Shelton Sanford's daughter, Gertrude Sanford, at Belair Grove in 1891. In 1870, Henry Shelton Sanford purchased 23 square acres of land known as the Sanford Grant. The acreage included an experiment station called Belair located just three…
Sanford Family at Belair Grove
Henry S. Sanford with and his wife, Gertrude Dupuy Sanford, and daughter, Gertrude Sanford, at Belfair Grove in 1891. In 1870, Henry Shelton Sanford purchased 23 square acres of land known as the Sanford Grant. The acreage included an experiment…
Southeast Corner of Belair Grove Looking North
Young trees at Belair Grove in 1897. In 1870, Henry Shelton Sanford purchased 12,547.15 square acres of land known as the Sanford Grant. The acreage included an experiment station called Belair Grove, located just three miles southwest of the city…
Southeast Corner of Belair Grove Looking Northwest
Belair Grove in 1897. In 1870, Henry Shelton Sanford purchased 12,547.15 square acres of land known as the Sanford Grant. The acreage included an experiment station called Belair Grove, located just three miles southwest of the city named after…
Original Orange Seedling at Belair Grove
Original orange seedling planted by Henry Sanford at Belair Grove. In 1870, Henry Shelton Sanford purchased 23 square acres of land known as the Sanford Grant. The acreage included an experiment station called Belair located just three miles…
Randall Chase at Belair Grove
Randall Chase, son of Sydney Chase, examining a camellia bush at Belair Grove. In 1870, Henry Shelton Sanford purchased 23 square acres of land known as the Sanford Grant. The acreage included an experiment station called Belair located just three…
Man at Belair Grove After Freeze
Belair Grove after the Great Freeze of 1885-1886. Henry Sanford made his last trip to Belair Grove during the winter of 1890-1891. Most of Sanford's visit was spent in Charles Armory's vacation home because of his poor health. This photograph and…
Belair Grove After Freeze
Belair Grove after the Freeze of 1894-1895.In 1870, Henry Shelton Sanford purchased 12,547.15 square acres of land known as the Sanford Grant. The acreage included an experiment station called Belair Grove, located just three miles southwest of the…
Henry Sanford's Wife at Belair Grove
Gertrude Dupuy Sanford, the wife of Henry Shelton Sanford, at Belair Grove in 1891. The royal palm in the photograph survived the Freeze of 1886, but died in the Freeze of 1894-1895.
Henry Sanford made his last trip to Belair Grove during the…
Henry Sanford made his last trip to Belair Grove during the…
Henry Sanford's Daughter at Belair Grove
Gertrude Sanford, the daughter of Henry Shelton Sanford, at Belair Grove in 1891. Henry Sanford made his last trip to Belair Grove during the winter of 1890-1891. Most of Sanford's visit was spent in Charles Armory's vacation home because of his poor…
Belair Lodge
The Belair home of Henry Sanford and family sometime before 1925. In 1870, Henry Shelton Sanford purchased 23 square acres of land known as the Sanford Grant. The acreage included an experiment station called Belair located just three miles southwest…
Letter from Randall Chase to Sydney Chase (May 12, 1925)
An original letter of correspondence written by Randall Chase to his father and Chase & Company business partner Sydney Chase. Topics discussed in the letter include the marketing of the Sunniland brand, selling celery, and company…
Letter from Randall Chase to Joshua Coffin Chase, Sydney Octavius Chase, Sr., William A. Leffler, and Sydney Octavius Chase, Jr. (January 9, 1934)
An original letter of correspondence from Randall Chase to Joshua Coffin Chase, Sydney Octavius Chase, Sr., William A. Leffler, and Sydney Octavius Chase, Jr. A portion of the letter discusses Harold Mowry and Arthur Forrest Camp's experiments using…
Letter from Randall Chase to Sydney Chase, Joshua Chase, Sydney Chase, Jr., and William A. Leffler (November 9, 1935)
An original letter of correspondence between Randall Chase and a group of business partners from Chase & Company. A portion of the letter discusses the issue surrounding Florida citrus growers and coloring adding. The color-added process involved…
Letter from Randall Chase to Sydney Chase (October 29, 1936)
An original letter of correspondence written by Randall Chase to his father and Chase & Company business partner Sydney Chase. A portion of the letter includes information about Chase & Company's involvement at Wabasso Grove, Vero Beach, and Fort…
Letter from Randall Chase to Sydney Chase, Joshua Chase, and Sydney Chase, Jr. (December 28, 1936)
An original letter of correspondence written by Randall Chase to his father and Chase & Company business partner Sydney Chase. The letter discusses the troubles the Florida citrus industry faced in 1936 in selling grapefruit to its fullest potential.…
Letter from Sydney Chase to Joshua Chase (January 11, 1927)
An original letter of correspondence between brothers and business partners Sydney Octavius Chase and Joshua Coffin Chase. The letter contains information about the Federated Fruit & Vegetable Association of America and how growers from the West…
Letter from Sydney Octavius Chase to Joshua Coffin Chase (March 2, 1927)
An original letter of correspondence between brothers and business partners Sydney Octavius Chase and Joshua Coffin Chase. Topics discussed in the letter include accounts of a wreck involving a train pulling refrigerator cars carrying Seald-Sweet…
Letter from Sydney Chase to Joshua Chase (August 26, 1927)
An original letter of correspondence between brothers and business partners Sydney Octavius Chase and Joshua Coffin Chase. Topics discussed in the letter include the proposed creation of a Clearing House organization led by Chase & Company, and the…
Letter from Sydney Chase to Joshua Chase (August 29, 1927)
An original letter of correspondence between brothers and business partners Sydney Octavius Chase and Joshua Coffin Chase. The letter contains information about an interview Sydney and other members of the Florida Citrus Exchange had with a Mr.…
Letter from Sydney Chase to Joshua Chase (September 2, 1927)
An original letter of correspondence between brothers and business partners Sydney Octavius Chase and Joshua Coffin Chase. Topics discussed in the letter include information about Chase & Company operations, the company's status on growing celery,…
Letter from Sydney Chase to Joshua Chase (February 18, 1928)
An original letter of correspondence between brothers and business partners Sydney Octavius Chase and Joshua Coffin Chase. Topics discussed in the letter include information about an annual banquet held at Penney Farms, and other information about…
Letter from Sydney Chase to Joshua Chase (March 17, 1928)
An original letter of correspondence between brothers and business partners Sydney Octavius Chase and Joshua Coffin Chase. The letter contains information about W. J. Lee, an agent in the Florida Citrus Clearinghouse, and his motive for other Florida…
Letter from Sydney Chase to Joshua Chase (March 27, 1928)
An original letter of correspondence between brothers and business partners Sydney Octavius Chase and Joshua Coffin Chase. Topics discussed in the letter include Eli Walker (the "Granddaddy of the citrus business" in the Vero and Wabasso area of…
Letter from Sydney Chase to Joshua Chase (March 31, 1928)
An original letter of correspondence between brothers and business partners Sydney Octavius Chase and Joshua Coffin Chase. Topics discussed in the letter include Sydney's reaction to a Florida Times-Union article about agricultural businesses in…
Letter from Sydney Chase to Joshua Chase (October 19, 1928)
An original letter of correspondence between brothers and business partners Sydney Octavius Chase and Joshua Coffin Chase. The letter discusses a variety of topics, including Sydney's response to an article in The Tampa Tribune about the relationship…
Letter from Sydney Chase to Joshua Chase (October 18, 1928)
An original letter of correspondence between brothers and business partners Sydney Octavius Chase and Joshua Coffin Chase. Topics discussed in the letter include information on the family's annual move back to Sanford, Florida, from Asheville, North…
Men Clearing Land at Hole 3 Fairway
Workers are seen clearing land from the position of the tee at the Sanford Country Club and Golf Course in 1922. The land for the club and course was originally purchased as a portion of a 20,000-acre tract by General Joseph Finegan for $40. In 1870,…
Hole 9 Looking Towards Green From Center of Fairway
Center of the fairway facing the direction of the green at the Sanford Country Club and Golf Course in 1922. The land for the club and course was originally purchased as a portion of a 20,000-acre tract by General Joseph Finegan for $40. In 1870,…
Hole 7 at Bend Looking Towards Tee
The bend facing the direction of the tee at the Sanford Country Club and Golf Course in 1922. The land for the club and course was originally purchased as a portion of a 20,000-acre tract by General Joseph Finegan for $40. In 1870, Henry Sanford…
Fourth of July Celebration Along Commercial Street in Sanford
Fourth of July celebrations along Commercial Street in 1886. The large building on the right is the Sanford House Hotel, which was built by Henry Sanford (1823-1891) with the intent of attracting tourists and providing housing for would-be wealthy…
Steamer Osceola at Dock in Sanford
Steamship Osceola at a dock in Sanford sometime between 1913 and 1928. The steamer was built in 1913 at Jacksonville's Merill Stevens Shipyard for the Clyde Line Steamboat Company. The ship was captained by T.W. Lund and ran between Jacksonville and…
The Hole #5 Fairway at the Sanford Country Club
Construction of Hole #5 at the Sanford Country Club and Golf Course sometime during 1922 and 1924. The land for the course was originally purchased as a portion of a 20,000-acre tract by General Joseph Finegan for $40. In 1870, Henry Sanford…
Workmen Clear Hole #4 Green
Workmen clearing Hole #4 green at the Sanford Country Club using teams of horses and shovels. Sanford Country Club and Golf Course was originally purchased as a portion of a 20,000-acre tract by General Joseph Finegan for $40. In 1870, Henry Sanford…
Flagpole and Green at Sanford Country Club
Flagpole and green at the Sanford Country Club and Golf Course during construction in 1922. The land for the club and course was originally purchased as a portion of a 20,000-acre tract by General Joseph Finegan for $40. In 1870, Henry Sanford…