New Cigar Factory: Sanford Will Be Center for Clear Havana Cigars in Future
Sanford (Fla.)
Cigar industry--Florida
Cigar bands and labels--United States
Factories--Florida
Cigars
A newspaper article about Florida-Cuba Cigar Company, a new cigar factory coming to Sanford, Florida, in 1919. The article describes the strategic location of the city for the growing cigar industry. The new factory was located on the second floor of Bishop Block, located at 301-309 East First Street in Downtown Sanford, and has churned out new cigar brands, such as the Tampa Trail, the Peg, the Some Brush, and others. <br /><br />The cigar industry was first brought to Florida by Cuban immigrants in the 1830s and became one of the most important industries in the Southeast by the last quarter of the 19th century, with Tampa serving as the cigar manufacturing center in the state. In the late 1800s, cigar factories began to appear in various other Florida cities, such as Jacksonville and Tallahassee. Cigar manufacturing first appeared in Sanford sometime between 1909 and 1912. The Florida cigar industry came to its peak in the first quarter of the 20th century, but then declined during the Great Depression and World War II, due to the accumulation of labor union conflicts over the years, the mechanization of production, and changing consumer demands. The industry was revitalized during the 1950s as production soared, despite the decline of the number of workers. Following the Cuban Revolution of the late 1950s and the U.S. embargo on Cuban products in 1962, the Florida cigar industry again declined. The Cuban embargo included tobacco, thus forcing American cigar rollers to begin using Dominican tobacco.
Photocopy of original newspaper article: "New Cigar Factory: Sanford Will Be Center for Clear Havana Cigars in Future." June 6, 1919: Cigars Collection, <a href="http://www.seminolecountyfl.gov/departments-services/leisure-services/parks-recreation/museum-of-seminole-county-history/" target="_blank">Museum of Seminole County History</a>, Sanford, Florida.
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Florida-Cuba Cigar Company, Downtown Sanford, Florida
"Dec. 6, 1878 to Mar. 14, 1940" Manuscript
Chase, Sydney Octavius, 1860-1941
Chase and Company (Sanford, Fla.)
Citrus--Florida
Citrus fruit industry--Florida
An original manuscript written by Sydney Octavius Chase to be read at the Waverly Silver Jubilee on March 14, 1940. The manuscript chronicles Chase's career with topics including his first work on Belair Grove in December 1878, the cold spell of December 1878 to January 1879, traveling to Tampa by foot with Silas B. Carter, purchasing land in present-day Winter Haven, and his planting his first grove near Sanford in 1881.
Chase & Company was established in 1884 by brothers Sydney Octavius Chase and Joshua Coffin Chase. The company sold insurance and later invested in storage facilities and fertilizer sales. Chase & Company was known mainly for its agricultural interests and maintained a series of citrus groves throughout Central Florida. The company was based out of Sanford and became one of the city's largest employers into the early twentieth century. Randall Chase joined in the family business soon after his brother, Sydney Chase, Jr., did in 1922. Randall became the president of Chase & Company from 1948-1965.
Chase, Sydney Octavius
Original manuscript by Sydney Ocatvius Chase: "Dec. 6, 1878 to Mar. 14, 1940," 1940: box 173, folder 9.52, <a href="http://web.uflib.ufl.edu/spec/pkyonge/chase.htm" target="_blank">Chase Collection (MS 14)</a>, Special and Area Studies Collections, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.
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Belair Grove, Lake Mary, Florida
Sanford, Florida
Apopka, Florida
Palm Springs, Wekiva Springs, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Kissimmee, Florida
Plant City, Florida
Tampa, Florida
Manatee, Florida
Fort Meade, Florida
Bartow, Florida
Saddle Creek, Lakeland, Florida
Winter Haven, Florida
Waverly, Florida
Davenport, Florida