Corporate Farming: How Chase & Company Has Grown Into a Dominant Force in Florida Agri-Business
Sanford (Fla.)
Chase, Sydney Octavius, 1860-1941
Agriculture--Florida
Corporate farms
Farming
Citrus--Florida
Citrus fruit industry--Florida
Celery
Celery industry
Fruit industry--Florida
Packing industry
Packing houses--United States
Fertilizers--Florida
Fertilizer industry--Florida
A pamphlet about the history and structure of Chase & Company. One of the first vendors to lease a stall at the first Sanford State Farmers' Market, Chase & Company was established by brothers Sydney Octavius Chase and Joshua Coffin Chase in 1884. 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. By 1886, the Chase brothers purchased several citrus groves to expand their business, including Isleworth Grove in Windermere, Florida. Isleworth Grove covered a total of 1,300 acres along the Butler Chain of Lakes. Between 1894 and 1895, Central Florida was hit by several freezes and most of the citrus crop was destroyed. Chase & Company did not grow citrus crops again until 1904 when Joshua came back from an extended stay in California. Between 1894 and 1900, different types of pesticide equipment was created, including equipment driven by steam, machines, and horses.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. The Isleworth property stayed in the Chase family until 1984 when Franklin Chase, the son of Sydney Chase, sold the property to famed golfer Arnold Palmer.
Original pamphlet: "Corporate Farming: How Chase & Company Has Grown Into a Dominant Force in Florida Agri-Business": Agricultural Collection, Celery 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.
application/pdf
eng
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Sanford, Florida
Zellwood, Florida
Belle Glade, Florida
Chase & Company: Packers and Distributors of Florida Fruits and Vegetables Exclusively
Sanford (Fla.)
Jacksonville (Fla.)
Chase and Company (Sanford, Fla.)
Packing-houses--United States
Packing-houses--United States
Citrus fruit industry--Florida
Citrus--Florida
Insurance--Florida
A newspaper advertisement for Chase & Company, the largest and oldest distribution agency in Florida and one of the first vendors to lease a stall at the first Sanford State Farmers' Market when it opened in 1934. The article states that the company conducts business in most shipping districts in Florida and ships to markets across the United States and Canada. Chase & Co.'s main office was located in Jacksonville at the time that the article was published in 1910. There were also offices in Cincinnati, Chicago, New York, St. Louis, Minneapolis, and Washington, D.C. In addition to citrus packing and processing, Chase & Company also did business in insurance. <br /><br />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.
Original newspaper article: "<a href="http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/CFM/id/120255" target="_blank">Chase & Company: Packers and Distributors of Florida Fruits and Vegetables Exclusively</a>." <em>The Sanford Chronicle</em>, Industrial Edition, Winter 1910. <a href="http://www.sanfordfl.gov/index.aspx?page=456" target="_blank">Sanford Museum</a>, Sanford, Florida.
Holly, R. J.
<a href="http://mysanfordherald.com/" target="_blank"><em>The Sanford Herald</em></a>
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Chase & Company Office, Sanford, Florida
Chase & Company Office, Jacksonville, Florida
Chase and Company Advertisement
Sanford (Fla.)
Chase and Company (Sanford, Fla.)
An advertisement for Chase & Company from Sanford High School's <em>Salmagundi</em> yearbook for the 1920-1921. One of the first vendors to lease a stall at the first Sanford State Farmers' Market, 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.
Original yearbook advertisement: <a href="http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/CFM/id/123409" target="_blank"><em>Salmagundi, 1921</em></a>: <a href="http://www.sanfordfl.gov/index.aspx?page=456" target="_blank">Sanford Museum</a>, Sanford, Florida.
<a href="http://www.seminolehs.scps.k12.fl.us/" target="_blank">Sanford High School</a>
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Chase & Company Office, Sanford, Florida
FACTS: Seminole Florida: The Celery County
Seminole County (Fla.)
Agriculture--Florida
Agricultural clubs
Celery
Celery industry
Farming
Farmers--Southern States
A pamphlet produced by the Seminole Agricultural Club and the Oviedo Agricultural Club about the Better Farming Show, which was planned to "promote greater agricultural efficiency in Seminole County." The pamphlet outlines the challenges facing farmers during the Great Depression under four headings: financial, production, transportation, and marketing. Following Stock Market Crash of 1929, the amount of money that farmers could borrow from banks was limited and the majority of growers were forced to give crop liens to banks, co-operatives, and marketing organizations in order to supplement their finances. The pamphlet also states that, despite advances in technique, the cost of producing celery is almost equal to the profit. According to the pamphlet, the increase in freight rates for transportation for celery, despite the decrease in rates for the citrus industry, has also contributed to the problems faced by growers in Seminole County during this time period. Finally, the pamphlet cites the unstable consumer demands for celery size that makes it difficult for farmers to market according to consumer expectations. The pamphlet closes by describing the objectives of the Seminole Agricultural Club and the Oviedo Agricultural Club: to "further the best interests of the [celery] industry and expend every effort to solve the problems of finance, production, transportation and marketing" for the benefit of all citizens of Seminole County, Florida.
Photocopy of original pamphlet: <em>FACTS: Seminole Florida: The Celery County</em>. (Seminole County, FL: Seminole Agricultural Club and Oviedo Agricultural Club): Celery Collection, Agricultural 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>.
Seminole Agricultural Club
Oviedo Agricultural Club
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Seminole County, Florida
Oviedo, Florida
R. W. Estes Celery Company Ledger, 1947-1950
Oviedo (Fla.)
Agriculture--Florida
Farming
Farms--Florida
Farmers--Southern States
Celery
Celery industry
Shipping--Florida
Accounting--United States
An account ledger for the R. W. Estes Celery Company, Estes' personal accounts, and the personal accounts of Estes' wife, Ruth H. Estes. R. W. Estes Celery Company was a celery growing and shipping business in Oviedo, Florida. The R. W. Estes Celery Company Precooler Historic District is located at 159 North Central Avenue and was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on September 20, 2001.
R. W. Estes Celery Company
Original ledger: <a href="http://oviedohs.com/" target="_blank">Oviedo Historical Society</a>, Oviedo, Florida.
Sladek, Megan
application/pdf
eng
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R. W. Estes Celery Company, Oviedo, Florida
Letter from Joshua Coffin Chase to S. M. Crowell (June 5, 1930)
Chase, Joshua Coffin, 1858-1948
Elections--Florida
Election campaigns
An original letter of correspondence between Joshua Coffin Chase and S. M. Crowell, a laborer at Isleworth Grove. Topics discussed in the letter include former Ocoee grower W. H. Reams' campaign for Orange County Commissioner of District 3 and Chase's request for Crowell and others to support Reams.
Chase & Company was established by brothers Sydney Octavius Chase and Joshua Coffin Chase in 1884. 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. By 1886, the Chase brothers purchased several citrus groves to expand their business, including Isleworth Grove in Windermere, Florida. Isleworth Grove covered a total of 1,300 acres along the Butler Chain of Lakes. Between 1894 and 1895, Central Florida was hit by several freezes and most of the citrus crop was destroyed. Chase & Company did not grow citrus crops again until 1904 when Joshua came back from an extended stay in California. Between 1894 and 1900, different types of pesticide equipment was created, including equipment driven by steam, machines, and horses.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. The Isleworth property stayed in the Chase family until 1984 when Franklin Chase, the son of Sydney Chase, sold the property to famed golfer Arnold Palmer.
Chase, Joshua Coffin
Original letter from Joshua Coffin Chase to S. M. Crowell, June 5, 1930: box 49, folder 20.84, <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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eng
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Chase & Company Office, Orlando, Florida
Isleworth Grove, Windermere, Florida
Letter from Joshua Coffin Chase to Sydney Octavius Chase (October 14, 1919)
Windermere (Fla.)
Chase, Sydney Octavius, 1860-1941
Chase, Joshua Coffin, 1858-1948
Chase and Company (Sanford, Fla.)
Citrus fruit industry--Florida
Citrus--Florida
Labor--Florida--Orlando
An original letter of correspondence between brothers and business partners Joshua Coffin Chase and Sydney Octavius Chase. Topics discussed in the letter include a clause in the Chase & Company's contract dealing with fruit prices and labor wages.<br /><br />Chase & Company was established by brothers Sydney Octavius Chase and Joshua Coffin Chase in 1884. 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. By 1886, the Chase brothers purchased several citrus groves to expand their business, including Isleworth Grove in Windermere, Florida. Isleworth Grove covered a total of 1,300 acres along the Butler Chain of Lakes. Between 1894 and 1895, Central Florida was hit by several freezes and most of the citrus crop was destroyed. Chase & Company did not grow citrus crops again until 1904 when Joshua came back from an extended stay in California. Between 1894 and 1900, different types of pesticide equipment was created, including equipment driven by steam, machines, and horses.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. The Isleworth property stayed in the Chase family until 1984 when Franklin Chase, the son of Sydney Chase, sold the property to famed golfer Arnold Palmer.
Chase, Joshua Coffin
Original letter from Joshua Coffin Chase to Sydney Octavius Chase, October 14, 1919: box 49, folder 20.84, <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.
application/pdf
eng
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Chase & Company Office, Jacksonville, Florida
Chase & Company Office, Sanford, Florida
Isleworth Grove, Windermere, Florida
Oral History of Ida Boston
Oral history--United States
Oviedo (Fla.)
Education--Florida
Schools
Churches--Florida
Baptists--Florida
Segregation--Florida
Cemeteries--Florida
Graveyards
Civil rights--Florida
An oral history of Ida Boston, conducted by Porsha Dossie on April 18, 2015. Boston is a resident of Oviedo, Florida, and a retired school bus driver for the Seminole County Public Schools. In 1956, she married her husband, Russell Boston, who is the grandson of Prince Butler Boston, a leading figure in Oviedo's black community. In this oral history, Boston discusses the legacy of Prince Butler Boston, establishing a colored cemetery, funding colored schools in the Oviedo area, and the Antioch Missionary Baptist Church. Boston also discusses black life in Oviedo, including membership in the Oviedo Citizens in Action Committee (OCIAC), which desegregated public places in Oviedo and fought for integration of Oviedo's schools.
Boston, Ida
Dossie, Porsha
Boston, Ida. Interviewed by Porsha Dossie, April 18, 2015. Audio/video record available. Oviedo History Harvest, <a href="http://oviedohs.com/" target="_blank">Oviedo Historical Society</a>, Oviedo, Florida.
<a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES of Central Florida</a>
video/mp4
application/pdf
eng
Moving Image
Oviedo Colored School, Oviedo, Florida
Antioch Missionary Baptist Church, Oviedo, Florida
Home of the Boston Family, Oviedo, Florida
Home of Prince Butler Boston, Oviedo, Florida
Boston Hill Cemetery, Oviedo, Florida