M. V. Dillard and Company Garage
Dublin Core
Title
M. V. Dillard and Company Garage
Alternative Title
Dillard & Co. Garage
Subject
Winter Garden (Fla.)
Retail industry
Description
The M. V. Dillard and Company Garage, located on the corner of Plant Street and Main Street, just north of the Shelby Hotel, in Winter Garden, Florida. The garage was owned by James Lafayette Dillard (1858-1943), a local icon in Winter Garden. The garage was managed by Dillard's son, Marvin Dillard, who also worked as a taxi driver, transporting young men between Winter Garden and Orlando on Saturday nights. The second floor was occupied by a Cuban couple from Ybor City, who were hired by Dillard to make cigars. Some time later, the second floor became an armory.
Dillard migrated to Central Florida from Virginia with his wife, Mattie Showalter, in 1887. He established himself primarily as a citrus and vegetable grower, but he also operated the M. V. Dillard and Company Garage, which was managed by his son, Marvin Dillard. In addition, he founded the Bank of Winter Garden, served as Wnter garden City Commissioner and a Florida State Legislator, and helped rebuild Downtown Winter Garden after two destructive fires in 1909 and 1912. Some of the buildings that Dillard helped construct include the Dillard and Boyd General Merchandise Store, the Shelby Hotel, and the Mann and Mills Dry Goods Store. He also donated land to the First Baptist Church of Winter Garden.
Dillard migrated to Central Florida from Virginia with his wife, Mattie Showalter, in 1887. He established himself primarily as a citrus and vegetable grower, but he also operated the M. V. Dillard and Company Garage, which was managed by his son, Marvin Dillard. In addition, he founded the Bank of Winter Garden, served as Wnter garden City Commissioner and a Florida State Legislator, and helped rebuild Downtown Winter Garden after two destructive fires in 1909 and 1912. Some of the buildings that Dillard helped construct include the Dillard and Boyd General Merchandise Store, the Shelby Hotel, and the Mann and Mills Dry Goods Store. He also donated land to the First Baptist Church of Winter Garden.
Source
Original black and white photograph: Up From the Ashes Exhibit, Winter Garden Heritage Foundation, Winter Garden, Florida.
Date Created
ca. 1912-1943
Is Format Of
Digital reproduction of original black and white photograph.
Is Part Of
Up From the Ashes Exhibit, Winter Garden Heritage Foundation, Winter Garden, Florida.
Up From the Ashes Collection, Winter Garden Heritage Foundation Collection, Winter Garden Collection, RICHES of Central Florida., Winter Garden Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
Format
image/jpg
Extent
312 KB
Medium
1 black and white photograph
Language
eng
Type
Still Image
Coverage
Winter Garden, Florida
Accrual Method
Donation
Mediator
History Teacher
Economics Teacher
Geography Teacher
Rights Holder
Copyright to this resource is held by the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation and is provided here by RICHES of Central Florida for educational purposes only.
Curator
Bowers, Katherine
Cepero, Laura
Digital Collection
Source Repository
External Reference
Cappleman, Kay, and Rod Reeves. Sundays in the South: Touring West Orange County. Winter Garden, FL: Winter Garden Heritage Foundation, 2009.
"Welcome." City of Winter Garden. http://www.cwgdn.com/.
Winter Garden Heritage Foundation. All Aboard!: A Journey Through Historic Winter Garden, 1880-1950. Winter Garden, FL: The Foundation, 1997.
Transcript
M. V. DILLARD & CO. GARAGE.
Collection
Citation
“M. V. Dillard and Company Garage,” RICHES, accessed April 24, 2024, https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/items/show/4318.