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Sanford, Florida after the Great Fire of 1887. On September 27, 1887, "The Big Fire" burned and damaged the majority of the east side of Sanford. The fire began at Altree's Bakery on First Street and quickly spread through the wooden buildings in…

Sanford, Florida after the Great Fire of 1887. On September 27, 1887, "The Big Fire" burned and damaged the majority of the east side of Sanford. The fire began at Altree's Bakery on First Street and quickly spread through the wooden buildings in…

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…

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…

Hook and Ladder Company #1 and Hose Company #1 parading along Sanford Avenue on January 1, 1884. The building pictured behind the companies is believed to be Sanford Fire Department, the city's first fire station. On September 20, 1887, the Great…

The City of Sanford riverfront in the 1880s, just before the Great Fire of 1887. The present-day Sanford, Florida, area was originally inhabited by the Mayaca and Joroco tribes by the time Europeans arrived. The tribe was decimated by war and disease…