Man at Belair Grove After Freeze

Man at Belair Grove After Freeze

Frozen Orange Grove

Lake Mary (Fla.)

Sanford, Henry S. (Henry Shelton), 1823-1891

Citrus fruit industry--Florida

Agriculture--Florida

Freezes (Meteorology)--Florida

Belair Grove after the Great Freeze of 1885-1886. Henry Sanford made his last trip to Belair Grove during the winter of 1890-1891. Most of Sanford's visit was spent in Charles Armory's vacation home because of his poor health. This photograph and several others were taken of Sanford and his family to commemorate his last visit to Belair Grove. Sanford along with his wife and daughter left Florida in mid-May. Just days later Sanford died on May 21, 1891, in Healing Springs, Virginia. In 1870, Henry Shelton Sanford purchased 12,547.15 square acres of land, known as the Sanford Grant. The acreage included an experiment station called Belair Grove, located just three miles southwest of the city named after Sanford. By 1889, Sanford extended his land purchase to 145 acres and contained mainly orange and lemon trees. In Belair alone, Sanford introduced over 140 varieties of citrus plants. All were tested to determine if Florida citrus growers could introduce new varieties into the growing citrus market. Sanford also grew exotic plants acquired from Central and South America, many of which survived the 1886 freeze. Sanford mainly used Belair as his own experiment station, but ultimately the findings and reports would be used by other citrus growers throughout Florida. Eventually, following Sanford's death in 1891, his wife, Gertrude Sanford, handed over the operations of Belair to Sydney and Joshua Chase.

Written on back of photograph, "Belair Grove after the freeze of 1885, Jan. 10 - This was then the property of Henry S. Sanford the founder of Sanford."

Ensminger Bros.

Original black and white photograph by Ensminger Bros., January 10, 1886: Chase Collection (MS 14), box 211, folder 3.3A, item CC84, Special and Area Studies Collections, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.

Ensminger Bros.

1886-01-10

Digital reproduction of original black and white photograph by Ensminger Bros., January 10, 1886.

Chase Collection (MS 14), box 211, folder 3.3A, Special and Area Studies Collections, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.

Belair Collection, Citrus Collection, Chase Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.

Folder referenced in Chase Collection finding guide, http://web.uflib.ufl.edu/spec/pkyonge/chase.htm.

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185 KB

1 black and white photograph

eng

Still Image

Lake Mary, Florida

28.779371, -81.301996

1886-01-10/1886-01-10

Donation

History Teacher

Economics Teacher

Geography Teacher

Entire Chase Collection is comprised of four separate accessions from various donors, including Cecilia Johnson, the granddaughter of Joshua Coffin Chase and the children of Randall Chase.

The displayed collection item is housed at Special and Area Studies Collections at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida. Rights to this item belong to the said institution, and therefore inquiries about the item should be directed there. RICHES of Central Florida has obtained permission from Special and Area Studies Collections at the University of Florida to display this item for educational purposes only.

Special and Area Studies Collections, University of Florida

Digital Collections (UFDC), University of Florida

Marra, Katherine

University of Florida, Special and Area Studies Collections

Westgate, Philip J., and R. Bruce Ledin. "Belair Groves, Sanford, Pioneer in Sub-Tropical Horticultural Introductions." Florida State Horticultural Society 66 (1953): 184-187.

Some Account of Belair, Also of the City of Sanford Florida, With a Brief Sketch of Their Founder. Sanford, Florida: 1889.

Fry, Joseph A. Henry S. Sanford: Diplomacy and Business in Nineteenth-Century America. Reno, NV: University of Nevada Press, 1982.

Molloy, Leo T. Henry Shelton Sanford (1823-1891). Derby, CT: Valley Historical Research Committee, 2009.

Sanford Historical Society, Inc. Sanford. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2003.

"Belair Groves, Sanford, Pioneer in Sub-Tropical Horticultural Introductions"

1 black and white photograph