Oviedo's earliest settlers grew citrus and celery on the area's mucky, rich topsoil. While citrus was the dominant crop for sometime, celery took the lead after the Great Freeze of 1894-1895, which destroyed many citrus groves in the Central Florida area. Oviedo's celery industry flourished, especially during World War II, and thus contributed to Central Florida's unprecedented growth and development during that period.]]>
Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.]]> Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.]]> Oviedo Historical Society Collection, Oviedo Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.]]> Adobe Acrobat Reader]]> Oviedo Historical Society by Thelma Lee Clonts.]]> RICHES of Central Florida for educational purposes only.]]>

White's Wharf marks the approximate location where John Bartram and William Bartram camped during their excursion along the St. Johns River in 1765-1766. William g. White migrated to the area in the late 1870s and built a store here in 1879. White moved his store to Orlando in the 1880s. The site was also known as Clifton Springs, which is a name in honor of the hometown of Dr. Henry Foster, a wealthy grower from Lake Charm in Oviedo. Many Oviedo residents used the site as the location for their annual May picnics, which began in 1880. The picnics were hosted by a joint committee of the local Baptist and Methodist churches. The wharf is now known as Hiley's Fish Camp.]]>
Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.]]> Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.]]> Oviedo Historical Society Collection, Oviedo Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.]]> Adobe Acrobat Reader]]> Oviedo Historical Society by Thelma Lee Clonts.]]> RICHES of Central Florida for educational purposes only.]]>
The Oviedo Heritage, a supplement for The Oviedo Outlook, published on June 30, 1977. The Oviedo Outlook was published every Thursday at 173 West Broadway Street in Oviedo, Florida. The newspaper was operated by the NPN Corporation, president and general manager Lawrence E. Neely, vice president and managing editor James "Randy" R. Noles, and secretary-treasurer and business manager Marilyn Neely. Topics discussed in various articles in this issue include the history of Oviedo, Andrew Duda and his family, the history of the Citizens Bank of Oviedo, and the life of Dr. Theodore Luqueer Mead (1852-1936).]]> The Oviedo Heritage, June 30, 1977: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.]]> The Oviedo Outlook]]> The Oviedo Heritage, June 30, 1977.]]> Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.]]> Oviedo Historical Society Collection, Oviedo Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.]]> Adobe Acrobat Reader]]> The Oviedo Outlook.]]> The Oviedo Outlook and is provided here by RICHES of Central Florida for educational purposes only.]]> The Oviedo Heritage, a supplement for The Oviedo Outlook, published on June 30, 1977. This article, by Donna Neely of the Oviedo Historical Society, chronicles the history of Oviedo, Florida. According to the article, Oviedo began on the south shore of Lake Jessup as a settlement called Solaria's Wharf. Some of its early settlers include Dr. Henry Foster, Joseph Watts, and Steen Nelson. Citrus and celery dominated the area's farmland, although Central Florida suffered a severe freeze in 1894. Oviedo suffered another disaster in 1914 when a fire wiped out much of the downtown section. Disaster hit again in 1929 with the Wall Street Crash and the beginning of the Great Depression. That same year, Oviedo's fruit crops were decimated by a fruit fly infestation. Another fire destroyed the Wheeler Fertilizer Plant in 1946. Nonetheless, Oviedo continued to grow, with new paved roads going to Geneva and Chuluota and the opening of the Citizens Bank of Oviedo in 1948. In 1949, Oviedo began receiving once-a-day bus service to Orlando from Greyhound Lines. By 1950, Oviedo was the second largest town in Seminole County, following Sanford. The Oviedo City Hall was built that same year and in 1968, Florida Technological University (present-day University of Central Florida) opened, bringing new residents to the area.]]> The Oviedo Heritage, June 30, 1977: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.]]> The Oviedo Outlook]]> The Oviedo Heritage, June 30, 1977.]]> The Oviedo Heritage '77, June 30, 1977." RICHES of Central Florida. https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/items/show/5702.]]> Oviedo Historical Society Collection, Oviedo Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.]]> Oviedo Historical Society Collection, Oviedo Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.]]> Adobe Acrobat Reader]]> The Oviedo Outlook.]]> The Oviedo Outlook and is provided here by RICHES of Central Florida for educational purposes only.]]>