Oral Memoirs of Benjamin Franklin Wheeler III
Oviedo (Fla.)
Citrus--Florida
Citrus fruit industry--Florida
Packing-houses--United States
Agriculture--Florida
Celery
An oral history interview of Benjamin Franklin Wheeler III, a descendant of the Wheeler and Lawton families in Oviedo. The interview was conducted by Desta Lee Horner at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida, on June 18th, 2019. Some of the topics covered include the family history of the Lawtons and Wheelers, the significance of the pine timber industry in Oviedo, the career path of Benjamin Franklin Wheeler, Sr., the role of Benjamin Franklin Wheeler, Sr. in the incorporation and development of Oviedo, withstanding freezes and destruction of crops and trees, shipping citrus on the railroads and the decline of the citrus industry in Oviedo, working in packing houses, varieties of citrus production in Oviedo, transitioning from citrus to celery production, how packing houses served a social function, building a railroad on muck land and dealing with derailed trains, how Seminole County was formed and the consequences of its formation, George Kelsey and enforcing the law in a small town, eccentric characters and interesting stories from Oviedo, how churches influenced life in Oviedo, how the Oviedo lights became an urban legend, how being a bedroom community shaped the City of Oviedo, how the Oviedo Fire Department evolved, his experience with race relations in Oviedo, how Alafaya Trail became a paved road, deciding on where to build Florida Technological University, and his closing remarks.
Wheeler, Benjamin Franklin III
Horner, Desta
Wheeler III, Benjamin Franklin. Interviewed by Desta Lee Horner, June 18, 2019. Audio record available. <a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES of Central Florida</a>, Orlando, Florida.
<a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES</a>
video/mp4
application/pdf
eng
Moving Image
Five Points Operations Complex, Sanford, Florida
Florida Technological University, Orlando, Florida
Holler Chevrolet, Winter Park, Florida
Memorial Building, Oviedo, Florida
Nelson and Company Packing Plant, Oviedo, Florida
Oviedo, Florida
Oviedo Depot, Oviedo, Florida
Oviedo Drug and Meat World, Oviedo, Florida
Orlando-Winter Park Railroad
Railroads--Florida--Passenger traffic
Rollins College (Winter Park, Fla.)--History
Railways
Railroad lines
Orlando (Fla.)
Winter Park (Fla.)
Seminole County (Fla.)
Oviedo (Fla.)
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 opening of the railroad, Francis B. Knowles became president of the Orlando-Winter Park Railroad Company. The original track spanned six miles from Orlando to Winter Park. The Dinky Line made eight round-trips per day and charged fifteen cents a ride. Students from Rollins College nicknamed the railroad the Dinky Line. By 1891, the Dinky Line extended to Oviedo. All of the tracks were removed by 1969 due to the popularity of the automobile.
Coordinates compiled as part of a <a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES</a> student project.
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Goldenrod, Florida
Winter Park, Florida
Oviedo, Florida