It Was New Era in 1886

It Was New Era in 1886

It Was New Era in 1886

Sanford (Fla.)

Freezes (Meteorology)

Jacksonville (Fla.)

Oviedo (Fla.)

Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Company

Lake Mary (Fla.)

A newspaper article about Sanford, Florida, during the year of 1913. According to the article, the Sanford community had recovered from the Great Freeze of 1886 and was thriving economically by 1913. This page also included an article on the Ford Model A car and two stops on the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL) at Lake Mary.

The present-day Sanford area was originally inhabited by the Mayaca/Joroco natives by the time that Europeans arrived. The tribe was decimated by war and disease by 1760 and was replaced by the Seminole tribe. In 1821, the United States acquired Florida from Spain and Americans began to settle in the state. Camp Monroe was established in the mid-1830s to defend the area against Seminoles during the Seminole Wars. In 1836, the U.S. Army built a road (present-day Mellonville Avenue) to Camp Monroe during the Second Seminole War. Following an attack on February 8, 1837, the camp was renamed Fort Mellon in honor of the battle's only American casualty, Captain Charles Mellon (1794-1837). The town of Mellonville was founded nearby in 1842 by Daniel Stewart. When Florida became a state three years later, Mellonville became the county seat of Orange County, which was originally a portion of Mosquito County. Citrus was the first cash crop in the area and the first fruit packing plant was constructed in 1869.

In 1870, a lawyer from Connecticut by the name of Henry Shelton Sanford (1823-1891) purchased 12,548 acres of open land west of Mellonville. His vision was to make this new land a major port city, both railway and by water. Sitting on Lake Monroe, at the head of the St. Johns River, the city of Sanford earned the nickname of the Gate City of South Florida. Sanford became not only a transportation hub, but a leading citrus industry in Florida, and eventually across the globe. The Great Fire of 1887 devastated the city, which also suffered from a statewide epidemic of yellow fever the following year. The citrus industry flourished until the Great Freezes of 1894 and 1895, causing planters to begin growing celery in 1896 as an alternative. Celery replaced citrus as the city's cash crop and Sanford was nicknamed Celery City. In 1913, Sanford became the county seat of Seminole County, once part of Orange County. Agriculture dominated the region until Walt Disney World opened in October of 1971, effectively shifting the Central Florida economy towards tourism and residential development.

Print reproduction of microfilmed newspaper article: "It Was New Era in 1887." The Sanford Herald, April 26, 1968, Semi-Centennial Edition, page 4: Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.

ca. 1963-04-26

1963-04-26

1963-04-26

Microfilmed newspaper article: "It Was New Era in 1887." The Sanford Herald, April 26, 1968, Semi-Centennial Edition, page 4.: Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.

Digital reproduction of printed microfilm newspaper article: "It Was New Era in 1887." The Sanford Herald, April 26, 1968, Semi-Centennial Edition, page 4.

Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.

Sanford Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.

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1 newspaper article

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Text

Sanford, Florida

Donation

History Teacher

Economics Teacher

Geography Teacher

Originally published by The Sanford Herald.

Copyright to this resource is held by The Sanford Herald and is provided here by RICHES of Central Florida for educational purposes only.

Hazen, Kendra

Cepero, Laura

The Seminole Herald. Sanford: Our First 125 Years. [Sanford, FL]: The Herald, 2002.

"Sanford: A Brief History." City of Sanford. http://www.sanfordfl.gov/index.aspx?page=48.

Brochure, Sanford: Central Florida's Waterfront Gateway. Sanford, Florida: City of Sanford, 2005.

1 newspaper article