Lake Apopka: A Fact Sheet for Public Meetings
A fact sheet, published by the Florida Department of Environmental Regulation (DER), giving a brief timeline of Lake Apopka's environmental history and summarizing key points related to the proposed restoration of the lake. The fact sheet describes the current conditions of the lake, and lists public concerns about the potential impact of the Lake Apopka restoration project. Lake Apopka is one of Florida’s largest lakes and was once considered to be one of the world’s best lakes for bass fishing. The lake’s sport fish population began to decline in the 1960s, with major die-offs occurring almost yearly. The lake’s problems are generally considered to be the result of over-nutrification from various sources. Twenty thousand acres of wetlands bordering the lake’s north shore were drained in the 1940s and used for highly fertile “muck farms.” These farms were routinely flooded to protect the fragile soil, and the fertilizer and pesticide-laden water was then discharged back into the lake prior to each growing season. Other sources of pollution include discharge from citrus processing operations, as well as treated wastewater from sewage plants. The nutrient-rich discharge promoted algae growth in the lake, turning the water to a green color, and blocked sunlight from reaching aquatic vegetation, which provided food and habit to the lake’s fish population. The lake’s bottom soil became increasingly “mucky,” also disrupting aquatic vegetation from taking root. Restoration work on the lake began in the 1960s with attempts by various agencies to remove “trash fish,” such as gizzard shad, from the lake via seining, which would hopefully allow the lake’s sportfish to thrive. The Lake Apopka Restoration Council, an initiative formed under Governor Claude Kirk (1926-2011) in 1967, launched several studies to find methods to improve the lake, though no serious action was taken. Various methods were debated to restore the lake through the 1970s and 1980s, including “drawdown,” which entailed completely draining the lake to allow the mucky bottom to consolidate. Restoration attempts were stalled for lack of funding and research. The Lake Apopka Restoration Council was reformed in 1985 under Governor Bob Graham (b. 1936), and, in 1987, the Surface Water and Improvement Management Act was passed. Together, these actions allowed comprehensive restoration plans to take shape, such as the Marsh Flow-way, a project by the St John’s Water Management District that uses natural methods to remove nutrients from the lake. The Friends of Lake Apopka, a citizen environmental advocacy group, began to push for further restoration efforts in the 1990s. The lake’s north shore muck farms were eventually purchased by the State of Florida, helping to reduce the amount of nutrient entering the lake.
Original 2-page document, 1978: binder 1978, Friends of Lake Apopka Archives, Ginn Museum, Oakland Nature Preserve, Oakland, Florida.
Florida Department of Environmental Regulation
A newspaper article from FloridAgriculture, a magazine published by the Florida Farm Bureau (FFB). The bureau was formed in 1941, when Florida Citrus Growers, Inc. was reorganized as the Florida Farm Bureau, affiliated with American Farm Bureau Federation. The FFB represents Florida farmers in the Florida Legislature, studies agricultural practices, and offers insurance products for its members. This article discusses the history of Lake Apopka and its pollution, and describes research findings by Dr. Richard B. Forbes, a chemist working at the Sanford Agricultural Research and Education Center. The article also describes efforts by the Central Florida Agricultural Institute (CFAI) to stop pollution in the lake. The CFAI was a non-profit corporation formed to represent the Zellwood farmers operating on Lake Apopka's north shore and investigate potential methods to reduce pollution. The article claims that the CFAI had donated $50,000 to the Sanford Agricultural Research and Education Center and was working on reservoir systems to prevent polluted discharge water from entering the lake. Lake Apopka is one of Florida’s largest lakes and was once considered to be one of the world’s best lakes for bass fishing. The lake’s sport fish population began to decline in the 1960s, with major die-offs occurring almost yearly. The lake’s problems are generally considered to be the result of over-nutrification from various sources. Twenty thousand acres of wetlands bordering the lake’s north shore were drained in the 1940s and used for highly fertile "muck farms." These farms were routinely flooded to protect the fragile soil, and the fertilizer and pesticide-laden water was then discharged back into the lake prior to each growing season. Other sources of pollution include discharge from citrus processing operations, as well as treated wastewater from sewage plants. The nutrient-rich discharge promoted algae growth in the lake, turning the water to a green color, and blocked sunlight from reaching aquatic vegetation, which provided food and habit to the lake’s fish population. The lake’s bottom soil became increasingly “mucky,” also disrupting aquatic vegetation from taking root. Restoration work on the lake began in the 1960s with attempts by various agencies to remove “trash fish,” such as gizzard shad, from the lake via seining, which would hopefully allow the lake’s sportfish to thrive. The Lake Apopka Restoration Council, an initiative formed under Governor Claude Kirk (1926-2011) in 1967, launched several studies to find methods to improve the lake, though no serious action was taken. Various methods were debated to restore the lake through the 1970s and 1980s, including “drawdown,” which entailed completely draining the lake to allow the mucky bottom to consolidate. Restoration attempts were stalled for lack of funding and research. The Lake Apopka Restoration Council was reformed in 1985 under Governor Bob Graham (b. 1936), and, in 1987, the Surface Water and Improvement Management Act was passed. Together, these actions allowed comprehensive restoration plans to take shape, such as the Marsh Flow-way, a project by the St John’s Water Management District that uses natural methods to remove nutrients from the lake. The Friends of Lake Apopka, a citizen Environmental advocacy group, began to push for further restoration efforts in the 1990s. The lake’s north shore muck farms were eventually purchased by the State of Florida, helping to reduce the amount of nutrient entering the lake.
Photocopy of original magazine article: White, Earl. "Lake Apopka: Operation Cleanup." FloridAgriculture, May 1973: binder 1973, Friends of Lake Apopka Archives, Ginn Museum, Oakland Nature Preserve, Oakland, Florida.
FloridAgriculture
Lake Charm Fruit Company Packing House, 1942
The Lake Charm Fruit Company Packing House, located along Geneva Road, on the south side of County Road 419 in Oviedo, Florida, in 1942. The Lake Charm Fruit Co. was established on January 22, 1923. Although the backside of the photograph states that the packing house burned down in the 1970s, it was actually destroyed in a fire in 1961. The company officially dissolved on October 21, 1974.
Original black and white photograph, 1942: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
Lake Charm Fruit Company Packing House, Oviedo, Florida
Lake Eola Park in Downtown Orlando, Florida, 2001. Lake Eola and its surrounding park is one of the unusual features that sets Orlando apart from other cities. In the middle of the lake rests the Linton E. Allen Memorial Fountain, Orlando's unofficial symbol. The fountain was installed in 1912, costing $10,000. In 1957, a replacement originally called the Centennial Fountain was installed, costing $350,000. From its earliest days, Downtown Orlando was situated on the west side of the lake. As the town grew into a city, Lake Eola continued to be a focal point for the inhabitants, who used the lake for bathing, swimming and fishing, and its shores picnicking, listening to concerts, and participating in religious services. Much of the land around Lake Eola was donated to Orlando by Jacob Summerlin who designated that it be a public park. It has remained one ever since. The rest of the park land was donated by the Musselwhite Family and Mayor Frank Sperry.
Original color digital image by Thomas Cook, 2001: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
RICHES of Central Florida
Lake Eola Park, Downtown Orlando, Florida
Lake Eola Park in Downtown Orlando, Florida, 2007. Lake Eola and its surrounding park is one of the unusual features that sets Orlando apart from other cities. In the middle of the lake rests the Linton E. Allen Memorial Fountain, Orlando's unofficial symbol. The fountain was installed in 1912, costing $10,000. In 1957, a replacement originally called the Centennial Fountain was installed, costing $350,000. From its earliest days, Downtown Orlando was situated on the west side of the lake. As the town grew into a city, Lake Eola continued to be a focal point for the inhabitants, who used the lake for bathing, swimming and fishing, and its shores picnicking, listening to concerts, and participating in religious services. Much of the land around Lake Eola was donated to Orlando by Jacob Summerlin who designated that it be a public park. It has remained one ever since. The rest of the park land was donated by the Musselwhite Family and Mayor Frank Sperry.
Original color digital images by Thomas Cook, 2007: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
Linton E. Allen Memorial Fountain, Lake Eola Park, Downtown Orlando, Florida
A press release from the Florida Game and Freshwater Fish Commission announcing plans to perform a seining operation in Lake Griffin in Lake County, Florida, as a follow-up to evaluate earlier rough removal programs. Gizzard shad are the main target of rough fish removal programs. Shad removal improves water quality through the removal of nutrients, which promote excessive algae growth. It may also improve quality by reducing water turbidity and preventing sediment suspension.
Original press release: binder 1966, Friends of Lake Apopka Archives, Ginn Museum, Oakland Nature Preserve, Oakland, Florida.
Florida Game and Freshwater Fish Commission
Lake Hill Cemetery, located at 5950 Old Winter Garden Road in Orlando, Florida, in 2001. The cemetery, just west of Orlando, is the site of the remains of various early settlers of the city, including Aaron and Mary Jernigan. Originally called Patrick Cemetery, the graveyard was originally located between Lake Lorna Doone and Rock Lake, and held the remains of members of the Beasley, Ivey, Patrick, and Roberson families. The four families formed the Lake Hill Cemetery Association in 1884 and moved the previously buried remains to the new Lake Hill Cemetery in Orlo Vista.
Original color image by Thomas Cook, 2001: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
Lake Howell High School Football Squad, 1987
The Lake Howell High School football team, called the Lake Howell Silver Hawks, in 1987. Greg Astle, number 54 in the back row, played for Pennsylvania State University after he graduated in 1989. Marquette Smith, number 23 on the bottom left, eventually went on to play for the Carolina Panthers in the National Football Association (NFL) from 1996 to 1997. To the right of Smith is Mike Bisceglia, the head coach. Lake Howell High School is a public high school located at 4200 Dike Road in Winter Park, Florida. Although its mailing address is Winter Park, which is part of Orange County, the school is geographically located in Seminole County and serves students in Winter Springs and Oviedo. The school was established in 1975 and has over 2,000 students.
Original 9.75 x 7.75 inch color photograph: Seminole County Schools Collection, UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida.
Lake Howell High School, Winter Park, Florida
Lake Howell High School Marching Band with Tuskawilla Middle School Band, 1998
The Lake Howell High School marching band performing with the Tuskawilla Middle School band at a football game in 1998. Lake Howell High School is a public high school located at 4200 Dike Road in Winter Park, Florida. Although Lake Howell's mailing address is Winter Park, which is part of Orange County, the school is geographically located in Seminole County and serves students in Winter Springs and Oviedo. The school was established in 1975 and has over 2,000 students. Tuskawilla is located at 1801 Tuskawilla Road in Oviedo, Florida. The majority of Tuskawilla students go on to attend Lake Howell.
Original color photograph, 1998: Private Collection of Nancy Lynn Cepero.
Lake Howell High School, Winter Springs, Florida
Tuskawilla Middle School, Oviedo, Florida
Lake Howell High School Senior Powderpuff Cheerleading Squad, 2005
Lake Howell High School senior Powderpuff cheerleading squad in 2005. Lake Howell High School is a public high school located at 4200 Dike Road in Winter Park, Florida. Although its mailing address is Winter Park, which is part of Orange County, the school is geographically located in Seminole County and serves students in Winter Springs and Oviedo. The school was established in 1975 and has over 2,000 students. The term "powderpuff" is used describe the participation of females in traditionally male sports, such as football, and the participation of males in traditionally female sports, such as cheerleading. Powderpuff football games are a tradition for many American high schools and universities. The first powderpuff football game was held on October 20, 1945, at Eastern State Teachers College in Madison, South Dakota. The idea for a female football team arose out of the lack of male football players due to the military draft during World War II. Powderpuff became popularized in 1972 when two high schools in Connecticut, Mark T. Sheehan High School and Lyman Hall High School, held a game between their female students.
Original color photograph, 2005: Private Collection of Nancy Lynn Cepero.
Lake Howell High School Senior Powderpuff Team, 2005
Lake Howell High School senior Powderpuff flag football team in 2005. Lake Howell High School is a public high school located at 4200 Dike Road in Winter Park, Florida. Although its mailing address is Winter Park, which is part of Orange County, the school is geographically located in Seminole County and serves students in Winter Springs and Oviedo. The school was established in 1975 and has over 2,000 students. The term "powderpuff" is used describe the participation of females in traditionally male sports, such as football, and the participation of males in traditionally female sports, such as cheerleading. Powderpuff football games are a tradition for many American high schools and universities. The first powderpuff football game was held on October 20, 1945, at Eastern State Teachers College in Madison, South Dakota. The idea for a female football team arose out of the lack of male football players due to the military draft during World War II. Powderpuff became popularized in 1972 when two high schools in Connecticut, Mark T. Sheehan High School and Lyman Hall High School, held a game between their female students.
Original color photographs, 2005: Private Collection of Nancy Lynn Cepero.
Lake Howell High School Soccer Player Nick Martin
Lake Howell High School soccer player Nick Martin in 2000. Lake Howell High School is a public high school located at 4200 Dike Road in Winter Park, Florida. Although its mailing address is Winter Park, which is part of Orange County, the school is geographically located in Seminole County and serves students in Winter Springs and Oviedo. The school was established in 1975 and has over two thousand students.
7 x 7 inch print reproduction of original black and white photograph by Wings Staff of 2000: Wings 2000, (Winter Park, FL: Lake Howell High School, 2000): UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida.
Lake Jessup Morning by Bettye Reagan, 2001
A painting of Lake Jesup in 2001 by Bettye Reagan, a local artist in Central Florida. One of the largest lakes in Central Florida, Lake Jesup is located along the middle basin of the St. Johns River. In the 1990s, after decades of pollution, the lake was cleaned up by a coalition consisting of the Friends of Lake Jesup, the St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD), the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). In 2008, the Florida State Road (SR) 46 bridge was constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (CoE) and the FDOT to cross the lake.
Original painting: Reagan, Bettye. Lake Jessup Morning. 2001: Private Collection of Bettye Reagan.
Lake Jessup Morning by Bettye Reagan, 2012
A painting of Lake Jesup in 2012 by Bettye Reagan, a local artist in Central Florida. One of the largest lakes in Central Florida, Lake Jesup is located along the middle basin of the St. Johns River. In the 1990s, after decades of pollution, the lake was cleaned up by a coalition consisting of the Friends of Lake Jesup, the St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD), the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). In 2008, the Florida State Road (SR) 46 bridge was constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (CoE) and the FDOT to cross the lake.
Original painting: Reagan, Bettye. Lake Jessup Morning. 2012: Private Collection of Bettye Reagan.
Lake Lucerne is one of two primary lakes connected with the earliest days of the city of Orlando, Florida. Along with Lake Eola, it defined one of the natural borders of the young town in the 1860s and 1870s. Lake Lucerne sits at the southern end of the Downtown Orlando area. Today Orange Avenue, the main north-south street through the city, crosses the lake on a causeway which nearly divides the lake in half. The East-West Expressway passes directly to the north. The area was one of the first areas developed with houses outside the business district and continues to be one of the jewels of Orlando's park system. The postcard shows two homes, one of which (on the left) is the Dr. Phillips House which was built in 1893 and is currently on the National Register of Historic Places.
Original 5.5 x 3.5 inch color postcard by E. C. Kropp Company: E. C. Kropp Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
Lake Lucerne in Downtown Orlando, Florida, 2001. Lake Lucerne is one of two primary lakes connected with the earliest days of the City of Orlando. Along with Lake Eola, it defined one of the natural borders of the young town in the 1860s and 1870s. Lake Lucerne sits at the southern end of the Downtown Orlando area. Orange Avenue, the main north-south street through the city, crosses the lake on a causeway which nearly divides the lake in half. The East-West Expressway, also known as Florida State Road 408, passes directly to the north. The area was one of the first to be developed with houses outside the business district and continues to be one of the jewels of Orlando's park system.
Original color digital images by Thomas Cook, 2001: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
According to its website, "The Lake Mary Historical Museum exists to preserve and promote the history of the city and the surrounding area. Efforts to maintain and enhance the museum are accomplished by members of the Lake Mary Historical Society and other volunteers. The museum houses a collection of artifacts, photographs, documents and other materials related to the history of Lake Mary and the surrounding communities. The artifacts housed in the museum have either been donated or are on permanent or temporary loan."
Lake Mary Historical Society
Lake Mary Historical Museum 158 North Country Club Road Lake Mary, Florida 32746
Lake Wales Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Depot and Lake Wales Depot Museum
The Lake Wales Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Depot, located at 325 South Scenic Highway, in Lake Wales, Florida, in 2014. The depot was established in 1928 by the R. W. Burrows Construction Company. It was the second station built in Lake Wales since the coming of the railroad in 1911. It continued to operate as a functioning railroad depot for several decades. In 1978, the depot was dedicated as the Lake Wales Depot Museum, housing the local history of the Railroad Depot and the City of Lake Wales.
Original color digital image by Tyler Campbell, February 21, 2014.
Lake Wales Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Depot and Lake Wales Depot Museum, Lake Wales, Florida
Lake Wales Depot Museum Dedication Ceremony
The dedication of the Lake Wales Depot Museum, located at 325 South Scenic Highway, was part of a project in Lake Wales, Florida, to commemorate the Bicentennial of the United States on July 4, 1976. The museum still exists today and houses a variety of exhibits on local and state topics. Mimi Hardman, depicted in the colonial outfit on the right, was instrumental in the renovation project of the train depot and still acts as the head of the Lake Wales Historical Society and runs the depot museum. The Lake Wales Depot Museum is housed in the Lake Wales Train Depot that was built in 1928 by the R. W. Burrows Construction Company along the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL). It was the second station built in Lake Wales since the coming of the railroad in 1911. It continued to operate as a functioning railroad depot for several decades. In 1978, the depot was dedicated as the Lake Wales Depot Museum, housing the local history of the Railroad Depot and the City of Lake Wales.
Original black and white photograph, July 4, 1976: Lake Wales Public Library Archives, Lake Wales Public Library, Lake Wales, Florida.
Lake Wales Depot Museum, Lake Wales, Florida
Landing of STS-56 Space Shuttle Discovery
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (U.S.)
The Space Shuttle Discovery landing at the Shuttle Landing Facility at John F. Kennedy Space Center in Merritt Island, Florida, on mission STS-56. The Space Shuttle was meant as a reusable alternative to the traditional ballistic rockets used to launch manned spacecraft in the 1960s and 1970s. From 1981 to 2011, when the fleet was retired, five shuttles were flown over 130 times. It was the first space launch system that was mostly reusable, as the shuttles themselves and the solid rocket boosters were reused multiple times. Space shuttles were launched from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) and Launch Complex 39B (LC-39B) at John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Merritt Island, Florida.
Original color photographic print, April 17, 1993: Leonard Pugh Collection.
Chronopoints
John F. Kennedy Space Center, Merritt Island, Florida
An autographed portrait of Langston Hughes, which is housed at the Mary McLeod Bethune Foundation, located at 640 Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Boulevard in Daytona Beach, Florida. Hughes was born February 1, 1902, in Joplin, Missouri. He attended Columbia University in New York City, New York ,from 1921-1922, but did not complete a degree. Instead, he received a Bachelor of Arts from Lincoln University, located in Chester County, Pennsylvania, in 1929. Hughes was a very notable poet during the Harlem Renaissance. He also produced plays, short stories, and novels. Hughes and Dr. Mary Jane McLeod Bethune became acquainted with one another when she organized a reading tour for him through photographer Carl Van Vechten. He later described Dr. Bethune as "marvelous as mistress of ceremonies." Hughes passed away from complications after abdominal surgery in New York City on May 22, 1967.
Original black and white photograph: Mary McLeod Bethune Foundation, Daytona Beach, Florida.
Mary McLeod Bethune Foundation, Daytona Beach, Florida
A page from the 1955 City Directory for Lansing, Michigan. The public record served to provide an alphabetical list of citizens by head of household, their address, and relevant occupational information. A spouse’s name is listed next to the head of household. Death dates of those who have been previously listed in the directory, names of employers, and information about migration to other towns are also included. A notable individual listed is Bryce Lafave, who worked as an inspector at the Oldsmobile Factory in Lansing, Michigan, at the time. Born on November 22, 1920, in Bay City, Michigan, Bryce Lafave served in the United States Army Air Corps during World War II. He enlisted on May 26, 1942, and trained at Chanute Field in Illinois. Lafave married Yvonne Coldsnow in 1942, but they divorced in 1951. He later married Jeannette Louise Smith. Lafave fathered seven daughters between his two marriages. He and his wife moved to Florida by 1992, where he settled in the Tampa Bay area. Lafave died on January 22, 1996, and is buried at Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell. In 2017, the University of Central Florida was one of three universities selected to launch the National Cemetery Administration’s Veterans Legacy Program Project. The program engaged a team of scholars to make the life stories of veterans buried in the Florida National Cemetery available to the public. The project engages UCF students in research and writing and fosters collaboration between students, faculty and local Central Florida schools to produce interactive curriculum for k-12 students. The corresponding website exhibit uses RICHES Mosaic Interface to create a digital archive of related data. The public can use the project-developed augmented-reality app at more than 100 gravesites at the Florida National Cemetery, where they can access the UCF student-authored biographies of veterans.
City of Lansing, Michigan
Digital reproduction of original city directory.
Large Rotating Apparatus Plant: Westinghouse, East Pittsburgh
A brochure, produced between 1980 and 1985 to highlight the features of Westinghouse Electric Corporation's Large Rotating Apparatus (LRA) Plant, in East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The LRA Plant opened in 1883 and was one of the first manufacturing plants built by the Westinghouse Electric Company. During most of its history, this factory was used to manufacture and service Westinghouse electric generators. It also housed the headquarters of the Large Rotating Apparatus Division (LRAD) of the Power Generation Group. In the early 1980s, LRAD was integrated with the Steam Turbine Division, which was headquartered at another one of the original Westinghouse plants in Lester, near to Philadelphia. The newly consolidated organization, called Steam Turbine Generator Division, soon moved to its new headquarters in Orlando, Florida, in between 1982 and 1983. The East Pittsburgh plant closed around 1987 or 1988, when generator manufacturing was moved to other Westinghouse plants in Pensacola, North Carolina, and Alabama.
Original 19-page brochure: Private Collection of Harry L. Jaeger.
Large Rotating Apparatus Plant, Westinghouse Electric Corporation, East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Larry Summer Filming the Launch Control Center
Larry Summers filming the Launch Control Center (LCC) at John F. Kennedy Space Center in Merritt Island, Florida. The LCC is used for the supervision of manned mission launches from Launch Complex 39 (LC-39). The first launch to use the LCC was the unmanned Apollo 4 (Apollo-Saturn 501) on November 9, 1967. Apollo 8, the first manned mission, was launched on December 21, 1968.
Original black and white photographic print: Larry Summers Collection.
Lars White Tries Out Job as Oviedo Fire Chief
A newspaper article published in The Oviedo Voice around 2004. The article discusses the appointment of Lars White as acting fire chief of the Oviedo Fire and Emergency Services Department until the city finds a permanent replacement for its retiring chief, Wayne Martin. According to the article, White was considering applying for the permanent position of fire chief. White was hired as one of the department's first paid employees in 1983, after serving for several years as a volunteer. His experience includes his service as a firefighter, a captain, a lieutenant, a battalion chief, the public information officer, a training coordinator, the public education director.
Original newspaper article: "Lars White Tries Out Job as Oviedo Fire Chief." The Oviedo Voice, page 1 and 7: Private Collection of Edwin White and Carolyn White.
Last Barge to Dock at the Standard Oil Terminal on Lake Monroe Before Its Scheduled Closing This Saturday was Seen Today
Lake Monroe (Seminole County and Volusia County, Fla.)
Newspaper article about the last barge docked on the Standard Oil Terminal along Lake Monroe in Sanford, Florida. The terminal opened in 1931 and closed in 1969. The present-day Sanford, Florida, area was originally inhabited by the Mayaca and Joroco tribes by the time 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 settled in the state. Camp Monroe was established in the mid-1830s to defend the area against Seminoles during the Seminole Wars. 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. 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 for 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, Henry Shelton Sanford purchased over 12,000 acres of land west of Mellonville to form the community of Sanford. which he called "The Gateway City to South Florida." Sanford was incorporated in 1877 and absorbed Mellonville in 1883. 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 "The 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. In 2003, Sanford began the redevelopment of the waterfront with the RiverWalk Project to revitalize the city's riverfront.
Original newspaper article, May 28, 1969.
Last Train at the Mount Dora Train Station
The last passenger train at the Mount Dora Train Station, located at 341 North Alexander Street in Mount Dora, Florida, in 2012. 1886 was when the first railroad stopped in Mount Dora, connecting Jacksonville to Tampa. The Mount Dora Depot cost $8,223 to build. The last passenger train left Mount Dora in 1950 and freight was discontinued in 1973. On March 5, 1992, the station was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
Digital reproduction of original color image by Kevin Andrusia on RailPictures.Net, January 2012.
Mount Dora Train Station, Mount Dora, Florida
Launch Complex 37 Pre-launch Preparations for Saturn I
A view inside Launch Complex 37's blockhouse at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) the day before the launch of the Saturn I (SA-7) on its final qualification flight. Saturn I was the first heavy-lift dedicated space launcher used in the United States. The Saturn I rocket was designed to launch payloads into low Earth orbit and was the most powerful launch vehicle used by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to date. The rocket was used for testing rocket motor technology, aerodynamics, flight control and mockups (boilerplate) versions of the Apollo Command/Service Modules. Ten Saturn I rockets were flown until the model was replaced by the Saturn IB.
Original black and white photographic print, September 17, 1964: Larry Summers Collection.
Launch Complex 37, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Cape Canaveral, Florida
Launch Complex 39 at John F. Kennedy Space Center
Launch complexes (Astronautics)--Florida
Launch Complex 39 (LC-39) at John F. Kennedy Space Center was constructed specifically for the Saturn V rockets, which powered Lunar missions of Project Apollo. The complex was originally conceived as at least a three-pad complex in the early 1960s, but only two pads, Launch Pad 39A and Launch Pad 39B, were constructed. This combined with Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), the crawlerway, and Launch Pad 39A and Launch Pad 39B. In this photograph, Launch Pad 39A is in the foreground, with the crawlerway, which connects it to the VAB, in the distance. This is the original Apollo-era configuration.
Original color photographic print: Space Walk of Fame Collection.
Launch Complex 39A, John F. Kennedy Space Center, Merritt Island, Florida
Launch Complex 39B, John F. Kennedy Space Center, Merritt Island, Florida
Launch Control Center and Vehicle Assembly Building at John F. Kennedy Space Center
The Launch Control Center (LCC) and the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Merritt Island, Florida. The Apollo missions and later Space Shuttle missions were launched at the LCC and the Saturn V rocket was assembled at the VAB.
Original black and white photographic print: Private Collection of Dr. Calvin D. Fowler.
Launch Control Center, John F. Kennedy Space Center, Merritt Island, Florida
Vehicle Assembly Building, John F. Kennedy Space Center, Merritt Island, Florida
Launch Control Center During a Skylab Launch
Launch Control Center at John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Merritt Island, Florida, during a Skylab launch. As Project Apollo was winding down and the final three missions (Apollo 18, Apollo 19, and Apollo 20) were canceled, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) looked for ways to repurpose launch vehicles and other equipment. Out of this, Skylab and three space science missions were born. Skylab was conceived by famed rocket designer, Wernher von Braun (1912-1977), to use an unused upper-stage fuel tank and convert it to an orbital laboratory. This was necessitated by NASA's budget being slashed. With the tank becoming the basis of the space station, NASA added solar arrays, a docking adapter, and a space observatory. The Skylab missions were constituted of one mission to put the station in space (Skylab 1), using a modified and last Saturn V to launch, and three crewed missions (Skylab 2, Skylab 3, and Skylab 4) to occupy the lab and perform science, using the smaller Saturn IB booster to launch the three astronaut crews. When launched on May 14, 1973, the station encountered problems immediately. A micrometeoroid shield prematurely deployed and tore off one of the two main solar arrays. NASA engineers went to work and were able to save Skylab and the three crewed missions. Each of the subsequent missions set what were then endurance records for living in space and conducted substantial space science experiments. NASA tried to keep Skylab in orbit after Skylab 4 (SL-4) and until the Space Shuttle could boast its orbit, but with a decaying orbit, it crashed on July 11, 1979.
Launch Control Center During the Launch of Apollo 11
Launch Complex 39's Launch Control Center at John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Merritt Island, Florida, during the Apollo 11 launch. Apollo 11 was the first space mission where humans set foot on another celestial body, the Moon. Launched from Launch Pad 39A at John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Merritt Island, Florida, on July 16, 1969, the Apollo 11 fired the third stage engines two and half hours after launch to leave Earth's gravitational pull. The mission was highlighted by the first lunar landing by human beings and Mission Commander Neil Armstrong's (1930-2012) descent from the Lunar Module (LM) to place his foot on the surface of the Moon. He and Lunar Module Pilot Buzz Aldrin (1930-) spent less than 22 hours on the Moon, including two and half hours outside Eagle, their Lunar Module. The crew, which also included Command Module Pilot Michael Collins (1930-), returned to Earth on July 24, 1969.
Original black and white photographic prints, July 16, 1969: Leonard Pugh Collection.
Launch Control Room at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 14 Blockhouse
During a launch of a Mercury-Atlas mission, these workstations were occupied by workers who monitored critical systems on the rocket and maintained lines of communications with essential locations around the world. Instead of digital readouts and big screen displays, this equipment used various gauges to display readings and dials and buttons to adjust equipment and the rocket. The monitors above the workstations allowed for a video feed on the launch vehicle at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (Cape Canaveral AFS) Launch Complex 14 (LC-14) blockhouse.
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 14 Blockhouse, Cape Canaveral, Florida
Launch Control Simulator Console at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 14 Blockhouse
tHE Launch Control Simulator at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 14 Blockhouse. This console likely allowed the launch team in Launch Complex 14's blockhouse to practice countdowns under simulated conditions. This could have allowed drills for normal and abnormal conditions during the launch.
Launch Crew in the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 14 Launchpad Blockhouse
T. J. O'Malley (1915-2009), who launched astronaut John Glenn (b. 1921) into orbit, is photographed on the left, and Dr. Calvin D. Fowler, who launched Scott Carpenter (1925-2013), Wally Schirra (1923-2007), and Gordon Cooper (1927-2004), is seen on the right. O'Malley, Dr. Fowler, and other unidentified members of the launch crew are photographed here at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 14 Launchpad Blockhouse.
Launch Crew Members in Front of Sigma 7 Mercury-Atlas Launch Vehicle at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 14
A group of launch crew members in front of the Sigma 7 Mercury-Atlas launch vehicle at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 14 Launchpad. Photographed, from the left to right, is: an unidentified individual, of Pan American Safety
Don Pechi, Complex Superintendent for Pan American
Charlie Hodsden, Quality Control Supervisor
Calvin "Cal" D. Fowler, General Dynamics Launch Complex 14 Manager
George P. (last name unidentified), Missile Engineer
Nancy (last name unidentified), Secretary for Pan American
John Filer, Pad Supervisor for Pan American
(first name unidentified) Whitehurst, Second Lieutenant for the U.S. Air Force's 6555th Aerospace Test Group
(first name unidentified) Watson, Pa Supervisor for Pan American
Art Franklin, Complex Supervisor for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Mel Honeycutt, First Lieutenant for the Air Force's 6555th
and (first name unidentified) Meatti, Foreman for the General Dynamics Complex.
Original black and white photographic print, October 8, 1962: Private Collection of Dr. Calvin "Cal" D. Fowler.
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 14 Launch Site, Cape Canaveral, Florida
Laura Agusta Barnett Lee (1851-1940), who migrated to the Oviedo area from Columbia County, Florida. Barnett married James Hiram Lee, Sr. (1844-1920), a veteran of the Confederate military, in 1867 and the couple settled near Lake Charm in the Lake Jesup community (present-day Oviedo) in 1874. Her husband served as an Orange County Commissioner, before Seminole County was established. The county courthouse was constructed in 1892, while Lee was chairman of the commission. Together, the Lees had nine children, including William "Wiley" Lee (1869-1905); John Theodore Lee (1871-1959); Mary Louise Lee (1876-1877); Annie Ethel Lee Carter; James Hiram Lee, Jr. (1890-1959); Charles Simeon Lee (1892-1991), George Lee Wheeler, and Lillian Della Lee Lawton (ca. 1883-1977).
Photocopy of original black and white photograph: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
A postcard depicting Laurel Hill Cut on the New Jersey Turnpike (NJTP). The turnpike opened in 1951 and was intended to be the world's model highway. It is still the most heavily traveled tollway in the United States. This postcard is part of a collection of postcards kept by Lucile Campbell, a schoolteacher in Sanford, Florida, for 30 years. In 1931, she took advantage of a special rate for teachers and sailed to Europe, where she traveled for several months and is thought to have acquired many of these postcards. During the 1940-1941 school year, Campbell taught at Sanford Grammar School. Before her retirement in 1970, she taught at many other area schools, including the Oviedo School, Westside Grammar School, and Pinecrest Elementary School. Campbell used these postcards as aids in her classrooms to teach advanced subjects, such as Shakespearean drama. The collection, along with her other teaching aids, papers, and photographs, was later found at Sanford Grammar School after it became the University of Central Florida's Public History Center. Campbell's postcard collection and photographs provide insight into the life of a respected Florida educator.
Original 3 x 5 inch color postcard: ACC# SM-00-243, file folder 1 (U.S. blanks), box 10A, Lucile (Mary Lucile) Campbell Collection, UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida.
Laurel Oak Court in Sky Lake, located approximately seven miles south of Downtown Orlando, Florida, between Lancaster Road and Sand Lake Road. The Sky Lake residential community was developed in late 1950s and 1960s by Hymen Lake. Houses originally sold in the range of $10,000 to $15,000. In the 1970s, Sky Lake became one of the first housing developments to be racially integrated. This residential community was originally proposed to include one thousand homes within the middle of the square mile block and a ring of commercial developments along the perimeter.
Original black and white photographs: Pine Castle Historical Society, Pine Castle, Florida.
Lauren Dodson Posing in her Mermaid Uniform at the Weeki Wachee Springs Docks
Mermaids--Florida--Weeki Wachee--History
Weeki Wachee Springs mermaid Lauren Dodson in costume with a mermaid tail on posing on the dock of the spring. Lauren Dodson was a mermaid from 2007 to 2012 and is the daughter of Lydia Dodson, who was a Weeki Wachee mermaid in the 1970s. Along with a group of investors, Newton Perry opened Weeki Wachee Springs to the public in October of 1947. At the time, roadside attractions were becoming popular stops along Florida roadways. The attraction consisted of an amalgamation of vendors, an orchid garden, a river boat tour, as well as the star attraction: a mermaid show that took place in an underwater theater. Eventually, the May Museum of the Tropics, an "abandoned Seminole village", a show called “Birds of Prey”, and a petting zoo were added. After peaking in the 1950s and 1960s, attendance began to decline as theme parks and highways changed the dynamics of Florida's tourism. The State of Florida took over the attraction as a state park in 2008. Since then, the park has focused on appealing to a modern audience while preserving its history.
Original color photogrpah of Lauren Dodson, 2007: Private collection of Lydia Dodson.
RICHES
Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, Spring Hill, Florida
Bars (Drinking establishments)--United States
A postcard depicting the Law West of the Pecos in Langtry, Texas. The "Law West of the Pecos" was a nickname for Judge Roy Bean (1825-1903), a Justice of the Peace for Val Verde County. This postcard shows his courthouse, which also served as a saloon called The Jersey Lilly, named in honor of cultural figure Lillie Langtry (1853-1929). This postcard is part of a collection of postcards kept by Lucile Campbell, a schoolteacher in Sanford, Florida, for 30 years. In 1931, she took advantage of a special rate for teachers and sailed to Europe, where she traveled for several months and is thought to have acquired many of these postcards. During the 1940-1941 school year, Campbell taught at Sanford Grammar School. Before her retirement in 1970, she taught at many other area schools, including the Oviedo School, Westside Grammar School, and Pinecrest Elementary School. Campbell used these postcards as aids in her classrooms to teach advanced subjects, such as Shakespearean drama. The collection, along with her other teaching aids, papers, and photographs, was later found at Sanford Grammar School after it became the University of Central Florida's Public History Center. Campbell's postcard collection and photographs provide insight into the life of a respected Florida educator.
Lawn Bowling Handbook, complied and edited by Harold L. Esch and published in 1948. The book contains a history of lawn bowling and a description of the rules. On the last page is an advertisement by the Greater Orlando Chamber of Commerce for lawn bowling at Sunshine Park in Orlando, Florida. The Chamber of Commerce office was located at 113 East Central Avenue.
Esch, Harold L. Lawn Bowling Handbook. Wauwatasa, Wisc: Harold L. Esch, 1948.
A photograph of the Lawton Brothers Store in Oviedo, Florida, in 1910. The man behind the cash register in the photograph is likely Thomas Willington Lawton (1882-1963) or his brother, Winborn Joseph Lawton, Sr. (1881-1971). T. W. Lawton graduated from Rollins College in 1903. He later received his master's degree from Andover Newton College in Boston, Massachusetts. Following college, Lawton returned to Oviedo, where he married Charlotte "Lottie" Lee (1887-1984) and served as the principal of the Oviedo School from 1905 to 1907. In 1916, he became the first elected Superintendent of Schools of Seminole County. He held that post until 1952 and passed away 11 years later in 1963. Lawton Elementary School is named in his honor. W. J. Lawton, Sr. served as a trustee of the First Baptist Church of Oviedo, as well as a secretary and treasurer for the church's Sunday school. He graduated from Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, in 1900. Lawton married Lillian Della Lee (ca. 1883-1977) and had four children: Elizabeth Lawton Laney, Kathryn Lawton, John. K. Lawton, and Winborn Joseph Lawton, Jr. Lawton was in the mercantile business, worked as an insurance agent, and grew citrus.
Original black and white photograph: Private Collection of Bettye Reagan.
The family history the Lawtons of the Summer Oaks plantation in Thomas County, Georgia. This family history centers around Alexander Benjamin Lawton (1809-1861) and his wife, Narcissa Melissa Lawton (1817-1883). Together, the couple had seven children: Alexander Cater Lawton (1841-1921), Winborn Theodore Lawton (1843-1892), Clara J. Lawton (b. 1845), Robert W. Lawton (b. 1847), Benjamin F. Lawton (ca. 1848-ca. 1853), Thomas J. Lawton (b. 1851), and Emma Lenora Lawton (1853-1907). Lawton also had three children from his previous marriage to Elizabeth Brisbane Lawton (1808-1839): Mary Jane Lawton (b. 1832), Martha S. Lawton (b. 1834), and Eusebia Lawton (ca. 1836-ca. 1850). Part I on the book focuses on the Lawton family background, highlighting William Lawton, Joseph Lawton, Benjamin Themistocles Dion Lawton, and Winborn Asa Lawton. Part II details the immediate family of Alexander Benjamin Lawton and his family while living in South Carolina, while Part III discusses the family's migration to the Summer Oaks plantation in Georgia. Part IV describes the location of Summer Oaks and Part V discusses theories about the location of Alexander Benjamin Lawton's resting place. Part VI details the descendants of the Lawtons of Summer Oaks. This family history was compiled by the great-great-great granddaughter of Alexander Benjamin Lawton and Narcissa Melissa Lawton, Stacey Allene Church and her father, Gerald Marshall Church. Many of the descendants of the Lawtons migrated to Oviedo, Florida.
Original book by Stacey Allene Church and Gerald Marshall Church: Private Collection of Bettye Reagan.
Mulberry Grove Plantation, Walterboro, South Carolina
Black Swamp, Robertville, South Carolina
Summer Oaks Plantation, Thomas County, Georgia
A painting by Bettye Reagan, a local artist in Central Florida, inspired by a photograph of the Lawton General Store Oviedo, Florida sometime between 1900 and 1939. The store was run by two brothers: Thomas Willington Lawton (1882-1963) and Winborn Joseph Lawton, Sr. (1881-1971). T. W. Lawton graduated from Rollins College in 1903. He later received his master's degree from Andover Newton College in Boston, Massachusetts. Following college, Lawton returned to Oviedo, where he married Charlotte "Lottie" Lee (1887-1984) and served as the principal of the Oviedo School from 1905 to 1907. In 1916, he became the first elected Superintendent of Schools of Seminole County. He held that post until 1952 and passed away 11 years later in 1963. Lawton Elementary School is named in his honor. W. J. Lawton, Sr. served as a trustee of the First Baptist Church of Oviedo, as well as a secretary and treasurer for the church's Sunday school. He graduated from Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, in 1900. Lawton married Lillian Della Lee (ca. 1883-1977) and had four children: Elizabeth Lawton Laney, Kathryn Lawton, John. K. Lawton, and Winborn Joseph Lawton, Jr. Lawton was in the mercantile business, worked as an insurance agent, and grew citrus.
Original painting: Reagan, Bettye. Lawton's Store. 1998: Private Collection of Bettye Reagan.
Marie Antoinette, Queen, consort of Louis XVI, King of France, 1755-1793
A postcard depicting the boudoir of the Hameau de la Reine, also known as the Queen's Hamlet, which was constructed in 1783 to allow Queen Marie Antoinette, escape from court life. This postcard is part of a collection of postcards kept by Lucile Campbell, a schoolteacher in Sanford, Florida, for 30 years. In 1931, she took advantage of a special rate for teachers and sailed to Europe, where she traveled for several months and is thought to have acquired many of these postcards. During the 1940-1941 school year, Campbell taught at Sanford Grammar School. Before her retirement in 1970, she taught at many other area schools, including the Oviedo School, Westside Grammar School, and Pinecrest Elementary School. Campbell used these postcards as aids in her classrooms to teach advanced subjects, such as Shakespearean drama. The collection, along with her other teaching aids, papers, and photographs, was later found at Sanford Grammar School after it became the University of Central Florida's Public History Center. Campbell's postcard collection and photographs provide insight into the life of a respected Florida educator.
Original 3 x 5 inch black and white photographic postcard: ACC# SM-00-243, file folder 1A (non-U.S. blanks), box 10A, Lucile (Mary Lucile) Campbell Collection, UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida.
The Queen's Hamlet, Petit Trianon, Palace of Versailles, Versailles, Yvelines, Île-de-France, France
A postcard depicting the Jet d'Eau in Geneva, Switzerland, a water jet that was initially created accidentally when a pressure valve created a 30-meter high plume of water. In 1891, the Geneva City Counsel turned the water jet into a tourist attraction and moved it to the port of Eaux-Vives, where it reached a height of 90 meters and was colored by lights, as shown in this postcard. This postcard is part of a collection of postcards kept by Lucile Campbell, a schoolteacher in Sanford, Florida, for 30 years. In 1931, she took advantage of a special rate for teachers and sailed to Europe, where she traveled for several months and is thought to have acquired many of these postcards. During the 1940-1941 school year, Campbell taught at Sanford Grammar School. Before her retirement in 1970, she taught at many other area schools, including the Oviedo School, Westside Grammar School, and Pinecrest Elementary School. Campbell used these postcards as aids in her classrooms to teach advanced subjects, such as Shakespearean drama. The collection, along with her other teaching aids, papers, and photographs, was later found at Sanford Grammar School after it became the University of Central Florida's Public History Center. Campbell's postcard collection and photographs provide insight into the life of a respected Florida educator.
Original 3 x 5 inch color postcard: ACC# SM-00-243, file folder 1A (non-U.S. blanks), box 10A, Lucile (Mary Lucile) Campbell Collection, UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida.
The Lee Family on the front porch of their home along Lake Charm in Oviedo, Florida. Photographed standing, from left to right, are Lillian Della Lee (ca. 1883-1977); William "Wiley" Lee (1869-1905); John Theodore Lee (1871-1959); George Lee; B. F. Wheeler; and James Hiram Lee, Sr. (1844-1920). Seated in the photograph are Annie Ethel Lee; Laura Agusta Barnett Lee (1851-1940); James Hiram Lee, Jr. (1890-1959); and Charlotte "Lottie" Lee (1887-1984). The family patriarch, James Hiram Lee, Sr., was a veteran of the Confederate military, Lee served as an Orange County Commissioner, before Seminole County was established. The county courthouse was constructed in 1892, while Lee was chairman of the commission. Lee's wife, Laura, migrated from Columbia County to Oviedo and married Lee in 1867. The couple settled near Lake Charm in the Lake Jesup community (present-day Oviedo) in 1874 and had nine children. Wiley Lee married Fannie Vaughan Lee (1873-1944) and later committed suicide in 1905. James, Jr. served in the military during World War I. Lottie married Thomas Willington Lawton (1882-1963), the first elected Superintendent of Schools of Seminole County. Lillian married Winborn Joseph Lawton, Sr. (1881-1971), who served as a trustee of the First Baptist Church of Oviedo, a secretary and treasurer for the church's Sunday school, an insurance agent, and a citrus grower. She was also a charter member and the former present of the Oviedo Woman's Club (OWC), the former president of the Woman's Missionary Society, and a lifelong member of the First United Methodist Church of Oviedo. Annie married Walter Pascal Carter (1879-1939). George married Benjamin Franklin Wheeler, a prominent citrus grower, celery cultivator, and politician.
A fireless cooker and Lee Family heirloom in 2003. As of November 2013, the cooker was in the possession of Luticia "Tish" Gormley Lee, who planned to will it to her daughter, Linda Lee Mallaskaski. The fireless cooker was originally owned by Lee's aunt, Mardy Lee, who arrived in Sanford, Florida, in 1910. Mardy would cook stones with a wood stove and then put the stones in the fireless cooker. She would then heat food in the pans and leave it in the fireless cooker overnight so that it would be ready to serve after church on Sundays. Fireless cookers are also known as hay boxes, straw boxes, insulation cookers, wonder ovens, and retained-heat cookers.
Photocopy of original 6 x 4 inch color photographs, September 29, 2003: Private Collection of Luticia "Tish" Gormley Lee
Lee, Luticia "Tish" Gormley
A postcard of the Lee Grant Hotel in Fitzgerald, Georgia. On the back of the postcard is a handwritten message addressed to Miss Louise Irwin of Irwin, Virginia. The message reads, "Spend the day at this hotel and came to [Way] cross to-night […] Are having beautiful warm weather. May go to Valdosta in the morning. Am 15 miles from Jacksonville, Fla. to-night". This postcard is part of a private collection kept by Roger Hipel of St. Cloud, Florida.
Original 5 x 3 black and white postcard: Private Collection of Roger Hipel.
The daughters of James Hiram Lee, Sr. (1844-1920) and Laura Agusta Barnett Lee (1851-1940) at the Wheeler family home, located at 340 South Lake Jessup Avenue in Oviedo, Florida, on February 15, 1942. Photographed from left to right are Charlotte "Lottie" Lee Lawton (1887-1989), Lillian Della Lee Lawton (ca. 1883-1977), Annie Ethel Lee Carter, and George Lee Wheeler. Lottie was married Thomas Willington Lawton (1882-1963), the first elected Superintendent of Schools of Seminole County. Lillian married Winborn Joseph Lawton, Sr. (b. 1881), who served as a trustee of the First Baptist Church of Oviedo, a secretary and treasurer for the church's Sunday school, an insurance agent, and a citrus grower. She was also a charter member and the former present of the Oviedo Woman's Club (OWC), the former president of the Women's Missionary Society, and a lifelong member of the First United Methodist Church of Oviedo. Annie married Walter Pascal Carter (1879-1939) and George married Benjamin Franklin Wheeler, a prominent citrus grower, celery cultivator, and politician.
Original 4 x 7 inch black and white photographic print, February 15, 1942: Private Collection of Vicki Clonts.
Home of Benjamin Franklin Wheeler, Sr., Oviedo, Florida
The daughters of James Hiram Lee, Sr. (1844-1920) and Laura Agusta Barnett Lee (1851-1940) at the Wheeler family home, located at 340 South Lake Jessup Avenue in Oviedo, Florida, in 1964. Photographed from left to right are Charlotte "Lottie" Lee Lawton (1887-1989), Lillian Della Lee Lawton (ca. 1883-1977), Annie Ethel Lee Carter, and George Lee Wheeler. Lottie married Thomas Willington Lawton (1882-1963), the first elected Superintendent of Schools of Seminole County. Lillian married Winborn Joseph Lawton, Sr. (b. 1881), who served as a trustee of the First Baptist Church of Oviedo, a secretary and treasurer for the church's Sunday school, an insurance agent, and a citrus grower. She was also a charter member and the former present of the Oviedo Woman's Club (OWC), the former president of the Women's Missionary Society, and a lifelong member of the First United Methodist Church of Oviedo. Annie married Walter Pascal Carter (1879-1939) and George married Benjamin Franklin Wheeler, a prominent citrus grower, celery cultivator, and politician.
Original black and white photographic print, 1964: Private Collection of Vicki Clonts.
A postcard of the Lee-Grant Hotel in Fitzgerald, Georgia. On the back of the postcard is a handwritten message addressed to H. E. Bennett of "Southeastern" Bedford, Indiana. The message reads, "10-11-17 Dear Friend, Here I am, way down South, and suppose will be in Southern territory all winter. Will not be localed in any one place long at a time. Give my regards to "Smith" [...], ["Dillan"]. Best wishes to you, E. L. [Chunnley]". In the left corner of the message section of the postcard is a note saying, "Box 119 [...]". This postcard is part of a private collection kept by Roger Hipel of St. Cloud, Florida.
Original 5 x 3 colored postcard: Private Collection of Roger Hipel.
A document outlining the conclusions from meeting of the Lake Apopka Technical Committee, held in Leesburg, Florida, circa June 1968. The committee was formed by Florida Governor Claude R. Kirk, Jr. (1926-2011) in 1967 to study and implement a restoration plan for Lake Apopka. C. W. Sheffield served as chairman of the committee. This committee meeting was held as a review of the project. This document thus examines the works completed by the committee as of June 1968. Additionally, it identifies outside projects related to the committee's goals of restoration, such as plans for nutrient removal systems by the Winter Garden Citrus Cooperative. This document also lists recommendations for the committee going forward, both general and specific.
Photocopy of original 5-page typewritten document, 1968: binder 1968, Friends of Lake Apopka Archives, Ginn Museum, Oakland Nature Preserve, Oakland, Florida.
A LEGO structure at Downtown Disney, an entertainment complex located at 1780 East Buena Vista Drive in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, in 1998. Originally called the Lake Buena Vista Shopping Village, the complex opened on March 22, 1975. In 1977, the complex was renamed Walt Disney World Village. Pleasure Island was added to the village on May 1, 1989, and the complex was renamed the Disney Village Marketplace later that year. In 1995, Walt Disney World began to enhance and expand the complex, while also combining the Disney Village Marketplace and Pleasure Island into one district called Downtown Disney, which was introduced on September 7, 1998. On March 14, 2013, Disney announced that Downtown Disney would be revitalized as Disney Springs.
LEGO Imagination Center, Downtown Disney, Orlando, Florida
A ticket stub for concert featuring Leo Kottke (b. 1945) at the Great Southern Music Hall, located at 46 North Orange Avenue in Downtown Orlando, Florida, on August 16, 1979. The ticket was $6.50 and the show began at 8 p.m. Leo Kottke is an innovative acoustic guitar virtuoso from Athens, Georgia, debuting his first album of folk music in 1969. An American folk artist, Kottke's music also blends elements of blues and jazz. The Great Southern Music Hall, which changed its name to the Beacham Theater after renovations in 1976, was a music venue located in Downtown Orlando, Florida. The theater originally opened in 1921 as a vaudeville and movie theater.
Original ticket stub: Private Collection of Carl Knickerbocker.
Great Southern Music Hall, Orlando, Florida
Let's Go to the Show: Entertainment Menu for Week Beginning July 19th
Newspaper sectional on the upcoming entertainment showings at the Milane Theatre for the week of July 19, 1926. Shows included Old Loves and New, The Little Irish Girl, The Fighting Heart, Sweet Daddies, and The Greater Glory. The Milane Theatre was built at 203 South Magnolia Avenue in Sanford, the former location of the Star Theatre, an abandoned movie house. Scroggs and Ewing, architects from Georgia, prepared the plans for the Milane. The name of the new theater was derived from the combination of the presidents of the Milane Amusement Company president and vice president: Frank L. Miller and Edward F. Lane. The Milane opened in July of 1923 and seated 823 patrons. In 1933, the Milane was sold to Frank and Stella Evans, investors from Lake Mary, Florida. The new owners renamed their business the Ritz Theater and held the property until the 1990s. However, the Ritz struggled financially in the 1960s and closed in 1978 due to failure to compete with the new multiplex theaters. The building remained vacant until 1984, when it reopened as the Showtime Cantina. The Showtime Cantina closed in 1988 and remained vacant and in decay. In the mid-1990s, Ritz Community Theater Projects, Inc. acquired the property and began rehabilitation in 1998. On May 6, 2000, the theater reopened as the Helen Stairs Theatre in honor of the citizen who led the restoration project, Helen Stairs. The following year, the location was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2008, additional renovations were completed at the theater was renamed the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center in honor of the Wayne Densch Charitable Trust Fund for contributing to the renovations fund.
Digital reproduction of original newspaper article: Sanford Today, Vol. 01, No. 01, July 17, 1926, page 6: Item number DP0008871. Central Florida Memory. http://digitalcollections.lib.ucf.edu/u?/CFM,120926.
Let's Go to the Show: Entertainment Menu for Week Beginning July 24th
Newspaper article on the upcoming entertainment showings at the Milane Theatre for the week of July 24, 1926. Shows included Mantrap, Eve's Leaves, and Ranson's Folly. The Milane Theatre was built at 203 South Magnolia Avenue in Sanford, the former location of the Star Theatre, an abandoned movie house. Scroggs and Ewing, architects from Georgia, prepared the plans for the Milane. The name of the new theater was derived from the combination of the presidents of the Milane Amusement Company president and vice president: Frank L. Miller and Edward F. Lane. The Milane opened in July of 1923 and seated 823 patrons. In 1933, the Milane was sold to Frank and Stella Evans, investors from Lake Mary, Florida. The new owners renamed their business the Ritz Theater and held the property until the 1990s. However, the Ritz struggled financially in the 1960s and closed in 1978 due to failure to compete with the new multiplex theaters. The building remained vacant until 1984, when it reopened as the Showtime Cantina. The Showtime Cantina closed in 1988 and remained vacant and in decay. In the mid-1990s, Ritz Community Theater Projects, Inc. acquired the property and began rehabilitation in 1998. On May 6, 2000, the theater reopened as the Helen Stairs Theatre in honor of the citizen who led the restoration project, Helen Stairs. The following year, the location was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2008, additional renovations were completed at the theater was renamed the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center in honor of the Wayne Densch Charitable Trust Fund for contributing to the renovations fund.
Digital reproduction of original newspaper article: Sanford Today Vol. 01, No. 02, July 24, 1926, page 4: Item number DP0008872. Central Florida Memory. http://digitalcollections.lib.ucf.edu/u?/CFM,120933.
Letter and Statement from A. W. Macfarlane to Henry Shelton Sanford (October 2, 1885)
A letter from A. W. Macfarlane to Henry Shelton Sanford dated October 2, 1885. Macfarlane was the secretary for the Florida Land and Colonization Company (FLCC) from 1884 until its dissolution in 1892. Presumably, he worked in the company's main office, located at 13 Austin Friars in the business district of London, United Kingdom. Attached to this letter was a small table listing the monetary amount of the company's total sales, property accounts, town improvements, as well as a listing of profit and loss for the years from 1881 to 1885. Macfarlane noted that the company's earnings from sales were appropriated, applying credit to the property accounts to cover the cost of sale as well as an additional quarter of the profit. The remaining balance was then distributed to the shareholders as dividends. Based on the chart, it appears that between 1881 and 1885 the company earned £51,492, of which £28,214 was distributed to shareholders in the form of dividends. The Florida Land and Colonization Company (FLCC) was a joint-stock venture that invested in Florida land development and sales in the 1880s and early 1890s. The company was formed by Henry Shelton Sanford (1823-1891) with help from a group of British investors. The original impetus for the company's formation was Sanford's inability to continue his land acquisition and development efforts in Florida independently. In 1879, faced with financial difficulties, Sanford turned to a trusted associate in the United Kingdom, a Scottish industrialist named Sir William Mackinnon (1823-1893), to help him attract investors. The formation of the company was in large part due to the efforts of MacKinnon, whose reputation and influence helped bring investors on board. Located at 13 Austin Friars, the company was officially registered in London on June 10, 1880. With the formation of the FLCC, all of Henry Sanford's Florida properties were transferred to the company in exchange for a £10,000 cash payment and another £50,000 in company stock. The one-time cash payment was a needed reprieve for Sanford, who faced financial difficulties by the end of the 1870s. The board of directors included Mackinnon, as well as W. C. Gray and Edwyn Sandys Dawes, partners in Gray-Dawes and Company, a London-based banking and investment house. Other directors included Alexander Fraser, Anthony Norris, George A. Thomson, and Eli Lee. Sanford was named President and Chairman of the Board. In 1880, the company owned 26,000 acres scattered across Florida, including in the cities of Jacksonville, St. Augustine, and Sanford, as well as in Alachua County and Marion County. Almost from the outset, there was serious friction between the British board members and Henry Sanford. Disagreements erupted over business strategy, as Sanford frequently proposed initiatives deemed too bold for the cautious British investors. From 1882 to 1892, the company saw steady, if meager, profits. Most of its income came from the sale of lots in the city of Sanford. From 1885 until 1890, the company, while remaining solvent, continued to see declining profits. From 1886 to 1890, the profits were so modest that the company declined to pay dividends on its yearly profits. Needed improvements and developments in the city of Sanford during the late 1880s sapped much of the company's income. Following Henry Sanford's death in 1891, many of the investors lost the motivation to continue. On September 15, 1892, the various directors acted to dissolve the company. Its assets, including roughly 65,000 acres of Florida land, were divided among shareholders.
Original letter and statement from A. W. Macfarlane to Henry Shelton Sanford, October 2, 1885: box 54, folder 1, subfolder 54.1.14, Henry Shelton Sanford Papers, General Henry S. Sanford Memorial Library, Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
Letter and Statement from A. W. Macfarlane to Henry Shelton Sanford (September 29, 1885)
A letter from A. W. Macfarlane to Henry Shelton Sanford dated September 29, 1885. Macfarlane was the secretary for the Florida Land and Colonization Company (FLCC) from 1884 until its dissolution in 1892. Presumably, he worked in the company's main office, located at 13 Austin Friars in the business district of London, United Kingdom. Attached to this letter is a statement listing the various acreage and book values of the company's property in Florida. The statement noted that as of September 1885 the company owned some 79,632.72 acres valued collectively at £84,262.12. At the time, the company owned land scattered throughout Florida in Alachua, Brevard, Hernando, Hillsboro, Manatee, Marion, Monroe, Orange, Polk, Sumter, and Volusia counties. It also owned settlements named Middleground and Anclote. Lastly, the company owned large tracts of land, including the Powell Grant and Sanford Grant, as well as the entire town of Sanford. At the time, the largest single property was the Sanford Grant at 7,813.42 acres. The county with the most scattered land held by the company was Polk County at 21,661.84 acres. The county with the smallest amount of land owned by the company was Volusia County, with only 79.91 acres. The Florida Land and Colonization Company (FLCC) was a joint-stock venture that invested in Florida land development and sales in the 1880s and early 1890s. The company was formed by Henry Shelton Sanford (1823-1891) with help from a group of British investors. The original impetus for the company's formation was Sanford's inability to continue his land acquisition and development efforts in Florida independently. In 1879, faced with financial difficulties, Sanford turned to a trusted associate in the United Kingdom, a Scottish industrialist named Sir William Mackinnon (1823-1893), to help him attract investors. The formation of the company was in large part due to the efforts of MacKinnon, whose reputation and influence helped bring investors on board. Located at 13 Austin Friars, the company was officially registered in London on June 10, 1880. With the formation of the FLCC, all of Henry Sanford's Florida properties were transferred to the company in exchange for a £10,000 cash payment and another £50,000 in company stock. The one-time cash payment was a needed reprieve for Sanford, who faced financial difficulties by the end of the 1870s. The board of directors included Mackinnon, as well as W. C. Gray and Edwyn Sandys Dawes, partners in Gray-Dawes and Company, a London-based banking and investment house. Other directors included Alexander Fraser, Anthony Norris, George A. Thomson, and Eli Lee. Sanford was named President and Chairman of the Board. In 1880, the company owned 26,000 acres scattered across Florida, including in the cities of Jacksonville, St. Augustine, and Sanford, as well as in Alachua County and Marion County. Almost from the outset, there was serious friction between the British board members and Henry Sanford. Disagreements erupted over business strategy, as Sanford frequently proposed initiatives deemed too bold for the cautious British investors. From 1882 to 1892, the company saw steady, if meager, profits. Most of its income came from the sale of lots in the city of Sanford. From 1885 until 1890, the company, while remaining solvent, continued to see declining profits. From 1886 to 1890, the profits were so modest that the company declined to pay dividends on its yearly profits. Needed improvements and developments in the city of Sanford during the late 1880s sapped much of the company's income. Following Henry Sanford's death in 1891, many of the investors lost the motivation to continue. On September 15, 1892, the various directors acted to dissolve the company. Its assets, including roughly 65,000 acres of Florida land, were divided among shareholders.
Original letter and statement from A. W. Macfarlane to Henry Shelton Sanford, September 29, 1885: box 54, folder 1, subfolder 54.1.13, Henry Shelton Sanford Papers, General Henry S. Sanford Memorial Library, Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
Florida Land and Colonization Company, London, England, United Kingdom
Letter from A. B. Cleveland to All Sectional Center Managers of Tampa Districts (November 25, 1975)
A letter from A. B. Cleveland, District Manager for the U.S. Postal Service (USPS). to all Sectional Center Managers of the Tampa District. Cleveland enclosed a photograph of Regional Postmaster General Frank Marcum Sommerkamp III (ca. 1924-2008) for the office of the Sectional Center Managers in Tampa, Florida. It is customary for a post office to display photographs of the USPS chain of command. When Sommerkamp was appointed as the Regional Postmaster General of the Southern Region by President Gerald Ford (1913-2006), his photograph was distributed to the post offices under his charge. In the letter, Cleveland also advises the post office managers how to obtain photographs of President Ford for the same purpose.
Original letter from A. B. Cleveland, November 25, 1975: Private Collection of Texann Ivy Buck.
Letter from A. C. Hahn to L. A. Bryant (December 17, 1968)
A letter of correspondence from A. C. Hahn to L. A. Bryant dated December 17, 1968. At the time that the letter was written, Hahn was the Acting Regional Director of the U.S. Post Office Department and Bryant was the Postmaster for the Downtown Orlando Post Office, located at 51 East Jefferson Street. In the letter, Hahn discusses an Advisory Board meeting that the two attending in New York and wishes Bryant a joyful Christmas and happy new year. The attached photograph shows the Advisory Board meeting.
Original 1-page typewritten letter from A. C. Hahn to L. A. Bryant,December 17, 1968: Private Collection of Texann Ivy Buck.
Downtown Orlando Post Office, Downtown Orlando, Florida
Letter from A. C. Hahn to Lucius A. Bryant, Jr. (December 17, 1968)
A letter of correspondence from A. C. Hahn to Orlando Postmaster Lucius A. Bryant, Jr. (ca. 1919-2012), dated December 17, 1968. At the time that the letter was written, Hahn was the Acting Regional Director of the U.S. Post Office Department. In the letter, Hahn discusses an advisory board meeting that the two attended in New York. After serving in the U.S. Army during World War II, Bryant settled in Orlando's College Park neighborhood. At the time of his death in 2012, Bryant was the longest-serving postmaster for Orlando, a position that he held from 1951 to 1983. In 1952, William Beardall (1890-1984) appointed Bryant to the local aviation advisory board, which he served on for 22 years.
Original letter from A. C. Hahn to Lucius A. Bryant, Jr., December 17, 1968: Private Collection of Texann Ivy Buck.
Letter from A. Q. Lancaster to Randall Chase (August 9, 1919)
An original letter of correspondence between A. Q. Lancaster and Randall Chase. Topics discussed in the letter include a fight between a white laborer's son and a colored laborer at Isleworth Grove. The white laborer was taken to the hospital and the colored laborer was arrested. 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.
Copy of original letter from A. Q. Lancaster to Randall Chase, August 9, 1919: box 49, folder 20.83, Chase Collection (MS 14), Special and Area Studies Collections, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.
Chase & Company Office, Sanford, Florida
Letter from A. W. Macfarlane to F. R. Shelton (January 21, 1885)
Letter from A. W. Macfarlane to F. R. Shelton dated January 21, 1885. Macfarlane was the secretary for the Florida Land and Colonization Company (FLCC) from 1884 until its dissolution in 1892. Presumably, he worked in the company's main office, located at 13 Austin Friars in the business district of London, United Kingdom. In this letter, Macfarlane informs Shelton, a Philadelphia-based lawyer and banker at Manayunk Bank, that he had been elected to the board of directors. Macfarlane reminded Shelton that the FLCC had some $75,000 in land notes housed at the Manayunk Bank and he expressed hope to Shelton that "with your large banking connections, you may be able to negotiate so as to meet the present requirements of the Company." Shelton's addition to the board of directors was a move prompted by Henry Shelton Sanford and the board of director's acquiescence on the matter was done in part in an effort to placate Sanford. The Florida Land and Colonization Company (FLCC) was a joint-stock venture that invested in Florida land development and sales in the 1880s and early 1890s. The company was formed by Henry Shelton Sanford (1823-1891) with help from a group of British investors. The original impetus for the company's formation was Sanford's inability to continue his land acquisition and development efforts in Florida independently. In 1879, faced with financial difficulties, Sanford turned to a trusted associate in the United Kingdom, a Scottish industrialist named Sir William Mackinnon (1823-1893), to help him attract investors. The formation of the company was in large part due to the efforts of MacKinnon, whose reputation and influence helped bring investors on board. Located at 13 Austin Friars, the company was officially registered in London on June 10, 1880. With the formation of the FLCC, all of Henry Sanford's Florida properties were transferred to the company in exchange for a £10,000 cash payment and another £50,000 in company stock. The one-time cash payment was a needed reprieve for Sanford, who faced financial difficulties by the end of the 1870s. The board of directors included Mackinnon, as well as W. C. Gray and Edwyn Sandys Dawes, partners in Gray-Dawes and Company, a London-based banking and investment house. Other directors included Alexander Fraser, Anthony Norris, George A. Thomson, and Eli Lee. Sanford was named President and Chairman of the Board. In 1880, the company owned 26,000 acres scattered across Florida, including in the cities of Jacksonville, St. Augustine, and Sanford, as well as in Alachua County and Marion County. Almost from the outset, there was serious friction between the British board members and Henry Sanford. Disagreements erupted over business strategy, as Sanford frequently proposed initiatives deemed too bold for the cautious British investors. From 1882 to 1892, the company saw steady, if meager, profits. Most of its income came from the sale of lots in the city of Sanford. From 1885 until 1890, the company, while remaining solvent, continued to see declining profits. From 1886 to 1890, the profits were so modest that the company declined to pay dividends on its yearly profits. Needed improvements and developments in the city of Sanford during the late 1880s sapped much of the company's income. Following Henry Sanford's death in 1891, many of the investors lost the motivation to continue. On September 15, 1892, the various directors acted to dissolve the company. Its assets, including roughly 65,000 acres of Florida land, were divided among shareholders.
Original letter from A. W. Macfarlane to F. R. Shelton, January 21, 1885: box 54, folder 1, subfolder 54.1.8, Henry Shelton Sanford Papers, General Henry S. Sanford Memorial Library, Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
Manayunk Bank, Manayunk, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Letter from A. W. Macfarlane to Henry Shelton Sanford (April 28, 1884)
A letter from A. W. Macfarlane to Henry Shelton Sanford dated April 28, 1884. Macfarlane was the secretary for the Florida Land and Colonization Company from 1884 until its dissolution in 1892. Presumably, he worked in the company's main office, located at 13 Austin Friars in the business district of London, United Kingdom. In this letter, Macfarlane made reference to the transfer of 250 company shares to Mr. I. I. Foulkrod. The shares, forwarded at Sanford's request, were valued at £20 each for a total value of £5,000. The Florida Land and Colonization Company (FLCC) was a joint-stock venture that invested in Florida land development and sales in the 1880s and early 1890s. The company was formed by Henry Shelton Sanford (1823-1891) with help from a group of British investors. The original impetus for the company's formation was Sanford's inability to continue his land acquisition and development efforts in Florida independently. In 1879, faced with financial difficulties, Sanford turned to a trusted associate in the United Kingdom, a Scottish industrialist named Sir William Mackinnon (1823-1893), to help him attract investors. The formation of the company was in large part due to the efforts of MacKinnon, whose reputation and influence helped bring investors on board. Located at 13 Austin Friars, the company was officially registered in London on June 10, 1880. With the formation of the FLCC, all of Henry Sanford's Florida properties were transferred to the company in exchange for a £10,000 cash payment and another £50,000 in company stock. The one-time cash payment was a needed reprieve for Sanford, who faced financial difficulties by the end of the 1870s. The board of directors included Mackinnon, as well as W. C. Gray and Edwyn Sandys Dawes, partners in Gray-Dawes and Company, a London-based banking and investment house. Other directors included Alexander Fraser, Anthony Norris, George A. Thomson, and Eli Lee. Sanford was named President and Chairman of the Board. In 1880, the company owned 26,000 acres scattered across Florida, including in the cities of Jacksonville, St. Augustine, and Sanford, as well as in Alachua County and Marion County. Almost from the outset, there was serious friction between the British board members and Henry Sanford. Disagreements erupted over business strategy, as Sanford frequently proposed initiatives deemed too bold for the cautious British investors. From 1882 to 1892, the company saw steady, if meager, profits. Most of its income came from the sale of lots in the city of Sanford. From 1885 until 1890, the company, while remaining solvent, continued to see declining profits. From 1886 to 1890, the profits were so modest that the company declined to pay dividends on its yearly profits. Needed improvements and developments in the city of Sanford during the late 1880s sapped much of the company's income. Following Henry Sanford's death in 1891, many of the investors lost the motivation to continue. On September 15, 1892, the various directors acted to dissolve the company. Its assets, including roughly 65,000 acres of Florida land, were divided among shareholders.
Original letter from A. W. Macfarlane to Henry Shelton Sanford, April 28, 1884: box 54, folder 1, subfolder 1.1, Henry Shelton Sanford Papers, General Henry S. Sanford Memorial Library, Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
Letter from A. W. Macfarlane to Henry Shelton Sanford (August 27, 1884)
A letter from A. W. Macfarlane to Henry Shelton Sanford dated August 27, 1884. Macfarlane was the secretary for the Florida Land and Colonization Company from 1884 until its dissolution in 1892. Presumably, he worked in the company's main office, located at 13 Austin Friars in the business district of London, United Kingdom. In this letter, Macfarlane discussed several possibilities for the usage of company profits earned during the fiscal year ending on June 30, 1884. Macfarlane suggested either directing half of the profits to the reduction of company property values but with no distribution of dividends, or directing a quarter of profits to the reduction of property values, with shareholders receiving a 5% dividend for the year. The Florida Land and Colonization Company (FLCC) was a joint-stock venture that invested in Florida land development and sales in the 1880s and early 1890s. The company was formed by Henry Shelton Sanford (1823-1891) with help from a group of British investors. The original impetus for the company's formation was Sanford's inability to continue his land acquisition and development efforts in Florida independently. In 1879, faced with financial difficulties, Sanford turned to a trusted associate in the United Kingdom, a Scottish industrialist named Sir William Mackinnon (1823-1893), to help him attract investors. The formation of the company was in large part due to the efforts of MacKinnon, whose reputation and influence helped bring investors on board. Located at 13 Austin Friars, the company was officially registered in London on June 10, 1880. With the formation of the FLCC, all of Henry Sanford's Florida properties were transferred to the company in exchange for a £10,000 cash payment and another £50,000 in company stock. The one-time cash payment was a needed reprieve for Sanford, who faced financial difficulties by the end of the 1870s. The board of directors included Mackinnon, as well as W. C. Gray and Edwyn Sandys Dawes, partners in Gray-Dawes and Company, a London-based banking and investment house. Other directors included Alexander Fraser, Anthony Norris, George A. Thomson, and Eli Lee. Sanford was named President and Chairman of the Board. In 1880, the company owned 26,000 acres scattered across Florida, including in the cities of Jacksonville, St. Augustine, and Sanford, as well as in Alachua County and Marion County. Almost from the outset, there was serious friction between the British board members and Henry Sanford. Disagreements erupted over business strategy, as Sanford frequently proposed initiatives deemed too bold for the cautious British investors. From 1882 to 1892, the company saw steady, if meager, profits. Most of its income came from the sale of lots in the city of Sanford. From 1885 until 1890, the company, while remaining solvent, continued to see declining profits. From 1886 to 1890, the profits were so modest that the company declined to pay dividends on its yearly profits. Needed improvements and developments in the city of Sanford during the late 1880s sapped much of the company's income. Following Henry Sanford's death in 1891, many of the investors lost the motivation to continue. On September 15, 1892, the various directors acted to dissolve the company. Its assets, including roughly 65,000 acres of Florida land, were divided among shareholders.
Original letter from A. W. Macfarlane to Henry Shelton Sanford, August 27, 1884: box 54, folder 1, subfolder 1.2, Henry Shelton Sanford Papers, General Henry S. Sanford Memorial Library, Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
Letter from A. W. Macfarlane to Henry Shelton Sanford (December 15, 1886)
A letter from A. W. Macfarlane to Henry Shelton Sanford dated December 16, 1886. Macfarlane was the secretary for the Florida Land and Colonization Company (FLCC) from 1884 until its dissolution in 1892. Presumably, he worked in the company's main office, located at 13 Austin Friars in the business district of London, United Kingdom. In this letter, Macfarlane acknowledged receipt and forwarding of newspaper clippings sent by Henry Sanford and intended for Sir William Mackinnon. Macfarlane also offered a brief update of various remittances for the company's loans. The Florida Land and Colonization Company (FLCC) was a joint-stock venture that invested in Florida land development and sales in the 1880s and early 1890s. The company was formed by Henry Shelton Sanford (1823-1891) with help from a group of British investors. The original impetus for the company's formation was Sanford's inability to continue his land acquisition and development efforts in Florida independently. In 1879, faced with financial difficulties, Sanford turned to a trusted associate in the United Kingdom, a Scottish industrialist named Sir William Mackinnon (1823-1893), to help him attract investors. The formation of the company was in large part due to the efforts of MacKinnon, whose reputation and influence helped bring investors on board. Located at 13 Austin Friars, the company was officially registered in London on June 10, 1880. With the formation of the FLCC, all of Henry Sanford's Florida properties were transferred to the company in exchange for a £10,000 cash payment and another £50,000 in company stock. The one-time cash payment was a needed reprieve for Sanford, who faced financial difficulties by the end of the 1870s. The board of directors included Mackinnon, as well as W. C. Gray and Edwyn Sandys Dawes, partners in Gray-Dawes and Company, a London-based banking and investment house. Other directors included Alexander Fraser, Anthony Norris, George A. Thomson, and Eli Lee. Sanford was named President and Chairman of the Board. In 1880, the company owned 26,000 acres scattered across Florida, including in the cities of Jacksonville, St. Augustine, and Sanford, as well as in Alachua County and Marion County. Almost from the outset, there was serious friction between the British board members and Henry Sanford. Disagreements erupted over business strategy, as Sanford frequently proposed initiatives deemed too bold for the cautious British investors. From 1882 to 1892, the company saw steady, if meager, profits. Most of its income came from the sale of lots in the city of Sanford. From 1885 until 1890, the company, while remaining solvent, continued to see declining profits. From 1886 to 1890, the profits were so modest that the company declined to pay dividends on its yearly profits. Needed improvements and developments in the city of Sanford during the late 1880s sapped much of the company's income. Following Henry Sanford's death in 1891, many of the investors lost the motivation to continue. On September 15, 1892, the various directors acted to dissolve the company. Its assets, including roughly 65,000 acres of Florida land, were divided among shareholders.
Original letter from A. W. Macfarlane to Henry Shelton Sanford, December 15, 1886: box 54, folder 1, subfolder 54.1.19, Henry Shelton Sanford Papers, General Henry S. Sanford Memorial Library, Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
Letter from A. W. Macfarlane to Henry Shelton Sanford (December 23, 1884)
A letter from A. W. Macfarlane to Henry Shelton Sanford dated December 23, 1884. Macfarlane was the secretary for the Florida Land and Colonization Company (FLCC) from 1884 until its dissolution in 1892. Presumably, he worked in the company's main office, located at 13 Austin Friars in the business district of London, United Kingdom. In this letter, Macfarlane described in detail the minutes of the board of directors meeting held the day prior. In discussing the various topics of importance, Macfarlane conveyed the strained relationship between the board of directors and Henry Sanford. In particular, the letter illustrated the mutual misunderstandings and differences of opinion held by Sanford and the London-based investors. On page two, when discussing the financial state of the company, Macfarlane noted that "the Directors desire me to express their regret that you have not indicated to them some practical means of raising money to meet the above requirements [and] the Debentures shortly falling due." The letter reflected the board's lack of trust in the financial strategies advocated by Sanford. The Florida Land and Colonization Company (FLCC) was a joint-stock venture that invested in Florida land development and sales in the 1880s and early 1890s. The company was formed by Henry Shelton Sanford (1823-1891) with help from a group of British investors. The original impetus for the company's formation was Sanford's inability to continue his land acquisition and development efforts in Florida independently. In 1879, faced with financial difficulties, Sanford turned to a trusted associate in the United Kingdom, a Scottish industrialist named Sir William Mackinnon (1823-1893), to help him attract investors. The formation of the company was in large part due to the efforts of MacKinnon, whose reputation and influence helped bring investors on board. Located at 13 Austin Friars, the company was officially registered in London on June 10, 1880. With the formation of the FLCC, all of Henry Sanford's Florida properties were transferred to the company in exchange for a £10,000 cash payment and another £50,000 in company stock. The one-time cash payment was a needed reprieve for Sanford, who faced financial difficulties by the end of the 1870s. The board of directors included Mackinnon, as well as W. C. Gray and Edwyn Sandys Dawes, partners in Gray-Dawes and Company, a London-based banking and investment house. Other directors included Alexander Fraser, Anthony Norris, George A. Thomson, and Eli Lee. Sanford was named President and Chairman of the Board. In 1880, the company owned 26,000 acres scattered across Florida, including in the cities of Jacksonville, St. Augustine, and Sanford, as well as in Alachua County and Marion County. Almost from the outset, there was serious friction between the British board members and Henry Sanford. Disagreements erupted over business strategy, as Sanford frequently proposed initiatives deemed too bold for the cautious British investors. From 1882 to 1892, the company saw steady, if meager, profits. Most of its income came from the sale of lots in the city of Sanford. From 1885 until 1890, the company, while remaining solvent, continued to see declining profits. From 1886 to 1890, the profits were so modest that the company declined to pay dividends on its yearly profits. Needed improvements and developments in the city of Sanford during the late 1880s sapped much of the company's income. Following Henry Sanford's death in 1891, many of the investors lost the motivation to continue. On September 15, 1892, the various directors acted to dissolve the company. Its assets, including roughly 65,000 acres of Florida land, were divided among shareholders.
Original letter from A. W. Macfarlane to Henry Shelton Sanford, December 23, 1884: box 54, folder 1, subfolder 1.4, Henry Shelton Sanford Papers, General Henry S. Sanford Memorial Library, Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
Letter from A. W. Macfarlane to Henry Shelton Sanford (December 29, 1884)
A letter from A. W. Macfarlane to Henry Shelton Sanford dated December 29, 1884. Macfarlane was the secretary for the Florida Land and Colonization Company (FLCC) from 1884 until its dissolution in 1892. Presumably, he worked in the company's main office, located at 13 Austin Friars in the business district of London, United Kingdom. In this letter, Macfarlane discussed various aspects of the company's financial state, noting disappointment in lower-than-expected land sales in Florida. At one point, Macfarlane expressed concern that "[t]he cash on hand in Florida, in the office [and] banks, at the end of November amounted to less than £400 not more than required for the business." The letter conveyed the often tenuous nature of the company's efforts to turn a profit in Florida. The Florida Land and Colonization Company (FLCC) was a joint-stock venture that invested in Florida land development and sales in the 1880s and early 1890s. The company was formed by Henry Shelton Sanford (1823-1891) with help from a group of British investors. The original impetus for the company's formation was Sanford's inability to continue his land acquisition and development efforts in Florida independently. In 1879, faced with financial difficulties, Sanford turned to a trusted associate in the United Kingdom, a Scottish industrialist named Sir William Mackinnon (1823-1893), to help him attract investors. The formation of the company was in large part due to the efforts of MacKinnon, whose reputation and influence helped bring investors on board. Located at 13 Austin Friars, the company was officially registered in London on June 10, 1880. With the formation of the FLCC, all of Henry Sanford's Florida properties were transferred to the company in exchange for a £10,000 cash payment and another £50,000 in company stock. The one-time cash payment was a needed reprieve for Sanford, who faced financial difficulties by the end of the 1870s. The board of directors included Mackinnon, as well as W. C. Gray and Edwyn Sandys Dawes, partners in Gray-Dawes and Company, a London-based banking and investment house. Other directors included Alexander Fraser, Anthony Norris, George A. Thomson, and Eli Lee. Sanford was named President and Chairman of the Board. In 1880, the company owned 26,000 acres scattered across Florida, including in the cities of Jacksonville, St. Augustine, and Sanford, as well as in Alachua County and Marion County. Almost from the outset, there was serious friction between the British board members and Henry Sanford. Disagreements erupted over business strategy, as Sanford frequently proposed initiatives deemed too bold for the cautious British investors. From 1882 to 1892, the company saw steady, if meager, profits. Most of its income came from the sale of lots in the city of Sanford. From 1885 until 1890, the company, while remaining solvent, continued to see declining profits. From 1886 to 1890, the profits were so modest that the company declined to pay dividends on its yearly profits. Needed improvements and developments in the city of Sanford during the late 1880s sapped much of the company's income. Following Henry Sanford's death in 1891, many of the investors lost the motivation to continue. On September 15, 1892, the various directors acted to dissolve the company. Its assets, including roughly 65,000 acres of Florida land, were divided among shareholders.
Original letter from A. W. Macfarlane to Henry Shelton Sanford, December 29, 1884: box 54, folder 1, subfolder 1.5, Henry Shelton Sanford Papers, General Henry S. Sanford Memorial Library, Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
Letter from A. W. Macfarlane to Henry Shelton Sanford (December 9, 1886)
A letter from A. W. Macfarlane to Henry Shelton Sanford dated December 9, 1886. Macfarlane was the secretary for the Florida Land and Colonization Company (FLCC) from 1884 until its dissolution in 1892. Presumably, he worked in the company's main office, located at 13 Austin Friars in the business district of London, United Kingdom. In this letter, Macfarlane acknowledged confirmation of an earlier telegram he sent to Henry Sanford. According to Macfarlane, the earlier telegram noted that William Beardall, the FLCC's local agent based in Sanford, Florida, was offered $40,000 for 2,600 acres and a township in Polk County. The Florida Land and Colonization Company (FLCC) was a joint-stock venture that invested in Florida land development and sales in the 1880s and early 1890s. The company was formed by Henry Shelton Sanford (1823-1891) with help from a group of British investors. The original impetus for the company's formation was Sanford's inability to continue his land acquisition and development efforts in Florida independently. In 1879, faced with financial difficulties, Sanford turned to a trusted associate in the United Kingdom, a Scottish industrialist named Sir William Mackinnon (1823-1893), to help him attract investors. The formation of the company was in large part due to the efforts of MacKinnon, whose reputation and influence helped bring investors on board. Located at 13 Austin Friars, the company was officially registered in London on June 10, 1880. With the formation of the FLCC, all of Henry Sanford's Florida properties were transferred to the company in exchange for a £10,000 cash payment and another £50,000 in company stock. The one-time cash payment was a needed reprieve for Sanford, who faced financial difficulties by the end of the 1870s. The board of directors included Mackinnon, as well as W. C. Gray and Edwyn Sandys Dawes, partners in Gray-Dawes and Company, a London-based banking and investment house. Other directors included Alexander Fraser, Anthony Norris, George A. Thomson, and Eli Lee. Sanford was named President and Chairman of the Board. In 1880, the company owned 26,000 acres scattered across Florida, including in the cities of Jacksonville, St. Augustine, and Sanford, as well as in Alachua County and Marion County. Almost from the outset, there was serious friction between the British board members and Henry Sanford. Disagreements erupted over business strategy, as Sanford frequently proposed initiatives deemed too bold for the cautious British investors. From 1882 to 1892, the company saw steady, if meager, profits. Most of its income came from the sale of lots in the city of Sanford. From 1885 until 1890, the company, while remaining solvent, continued to see declining profits. From 1886 to 1890, the profits were so modest that the company declined to pay dividends on its yearly profits. Needed improvements and developments in the city of Sanford during the late 1880s sapped much of the company's income. Following Henry Sanford's death in 1891, many of the investors lost the motivation to continue. On September 15, 1892, the various directors acted to dissolve the company. Its assets, including roughly 65,000 acres of Florida land, were divided among shareholders.
Original letter from A. W. Macfarlane to Henry Shelton Sanford, December 9, 1886: box 54, folder 1, subfolder 54.1.18, Henry Shelton Sanford Papers, General Henry S. Sanford Memorial Library, Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
Letter from A. W. Macfarlane to Henry Shelton Sanford (February 21, 1885)
A letter from A. W. Macfarlane to Henry Shelton Sanford dated February 21, 1885. Macfarlane was the secretary for the Florida Land and Colonization Company (FLCC) from 1884 until its dissolution in 1892. Presumably, he worked in the company's main office, located at 13 Austin Friars in the business district of London, United Kingdom. In this letter, Macfarlane relayed reports to Sanford sent by the FLCC's local agent in Florida, E. R. Trafford. At the time, Sanford was staying in the German capital of Berlin, presumably due to his participation in the Berlin Conference of 1884-1885 regarding European trade and colonization in Africa. Macfarlane conveyed the small amount of sales achieved in recent months $1980 for the month of December 1884 and only $434.80 for the entire month of January. He noted that the company's agent believed that the fall in company sales was due in part to a general slowing of business, noting that "[e]everything throughout not only the state but the country is dull." The agent also blamed the "New Orleans Exposition [that] seems to have taken the visitors from Florida this winter." The agent was referencing the World's Fair of 1884-1885, based in New Orleans, Louisiana. The report relayed by Macfarlane reflected the challenges of turning a profit from the company's Florida investments. The Florida Land and Colonization Company (FLCC) was a joint-stock venture that invested in Florida land development and sales in the 1880s and early 1890s. The company was formed by Henry Shelton Sanford (1823-1891) with help from a group of British investors. The original impetus for the company's formation was Sanford's inability to continue his land acquisition and development efforts in Florida independently. In 1879, faced with financial difficulties, Sanford turned to a trusted associate in the United Kingdom, a Scottish industrialist named Sir William Mackinnon (1823-1893), to help him attract investors. The formation of the company was in large part due to the efforts of MacKinnon, whose reputation and influence helped bring investors on board. Located at 13 Austin Friars, the company was officially registered in London on June 10, 1880. With the formation of the FLCC, all of Henry Sanford's Florida properties were transferred to the company in exchange for a £10,000 cash payment and another £50,000 in company stock. The one-time cash payment was a needed reprieve for Sanford, who faced financial difficulties by the end of the 1870s. The board of directors included Mackinnon, as well as W. C. Gray and Edwyn Sandys Dawes, partners in Gray-Dawes and Company, a London-based banking and investment house. Other directors included Alexander Fraser, Anthony Norris, George A. Thomson, and Eli Lee. Sanford was named President and Chairman of the Board. In 1880, the company owned 26,000 acres scattered across Florida, including in the cities of Jacksonville, St. Augustine, and Sanford, as well as in Alachua County and Marion County. Almost from the outset, there was serious friction between the British board members and Henry Sanford. Disagreements erupted over business strategy, as Sanford frequently proposed initiatives deemed too bold for the cautious British investors. From 1882 to 1892, the company saw steady, if meager, profits. Most of its income came from the sale of lots in the city of Sanford. From 1885 until 1890, the company, while remaining solvent, continued to see declining profits. From 1886 to 1890, the profits were so modest that the company declined to pay dividends on its yearly profits. Needed improvements and developments in the city of Sanford during the late 1880s sapped much of the company's income. Following Henry Sanford's death in 1891, many of the investors lost the motivation to continue. On September 15, 1892, the various directors acted to dissolve the company. Its assets, including roughly 65,000 acres of Florida land, were divided among shareholders.
Original letter from A. W. Macfarlane to Henry Shelton Sanford, February 21, 1885: box 54, folder 1, subfolder 54.1.11, Henry Shelton Sanford Papers, General Henry S. Sanford Memorial Library, Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
Letter from A. W. Macfarlane to Henry Shelton Sanford (February 3, 1885)
A letter from A. W. Macfarlane to Henry Shelton Sanford dated January 24, 1885. Macfarlane was the secretary for the Florida Land and Colonization Company (FLCC) from 1884 until its dissolution in 1892. Presumably, he worked in the company's main office, located at 13 Austin Friars in the business district of London, United Kingdom. In this letter, Macfarlane explained to Sanford that the board of directors had rejected a scheme proposed by Sanford as a means to paying company debts. Additionally, Macfarlane offered a brief overview of the company's financial state, noting that the land sales from the prior six-month period amounted to $24,798—over $4,000 more than the same period from a year earlier. Despite this moderate success, Macfarlane bemoaned that "the sales for the last three months are disappointingly small amounting to only some $3,000," an occurrence he deemed symptomatic of a "general stagnation of business in the state." The letter reflected the differing and often opposing viewpoints of Sanford and his fellow board members as well as the limited financial successes of the company in the mid-to-late 1880s. The Florida Land and Colonization Company (FLCC) was a joint-stock venture that invested in Florida land development and sales in the 1880s and early 1890s. The company was formed by Henry Shelton Sanford (1823-1891) with help from a group of British investors. The original impetus for the company's formation was Sanford's inability to continue his land acquisition and development efforts in Florida independently. In 1879, faced with financial difficulties, Sanford turned to a trusted associate in the United Kingdom, a Scottish industrialist named Sir William Mackinnon (1823-1893), to help him attract investors. The formation of the company was in large part due to the efforts of MacKinnon, whose reputation and influence helped bring investors on board. Located at 13 Austin Friars, the company was officially registered in London on June 10, 1880. With the formation of the FLCC, all of Henry Sanford's Florida properties were transferred to the company in exchange for a £10,000 cash payment and another £50,000 in company stock. The one-time cash payment was a needed reprieve for Sanford, who faced financial difficulties by the end of the 1870s. The board of directors included Mackinnon, as well as W. C. Gray and Edwyn Sandys Dawes, partners in Gray-Dawes and Company, a London-based banking and investment house. Other directors included Alexander Fraser, Anthony Norris, George A. Thomson, and Eli Lee. Sanford was named President and Chairman of the Board. In 1880, the company owned 26,000 acres scattered across Florida, including in the cities of Jacksonville, St. Augustine, and Sanford, as well as in Alachua County and Marion County. Almost from the outset, there was serious friction between the British board members and Henry Sanford. Disagreements erupted over business strategy, as Sanford frequently proposed initiatives deemed too bold for the cautious British investors. From 1882 to 1892, the company saw steady, if meager, profits. Most of its income came from the sale of lots in the city of Sanford. From 1885 until 1890, the company, while remaining solvent, continued to see declining profits. From 1886 to 1890, the profits were so modest that the company declined to pay dividends on its yearly profits. Needed improvements and developments in the city of Sanford during the late 1880s sapped much of the company's income. Following Henry Sanford's death in 1891, many of the investors lost the motivation to continue. On September 15, 1892, the various directors acted to dissolve the company. Its assets, including roughly 65,000 acres of Florida land, were divided among shareholders.
Original letter from A. W. Macfarlane to Henry Shelton Sanford, February 3, 1885: box 54, folder 1, subfolder 54.1.10, Henry Shelton Sanford Papers, General Henry S. Sanford Memorial Library, Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
Letter from A. W. Macfarlane to Henry Shelton Sanford (January 20, 1885)
Letter from A. W. Macfarlane to Henry Shelton Sanford dated January 20, 1885. Macfarlane was the secretary for the Florida Land and Colonization Company (FLCC) from 1884 until its dissolution in 1892. Presumably, he worked in the company's main office, located at 13 Austin Friars in the business district of London, United Kingdom. In this letter, Macfarlane discussed several recent decisions taken by the board of directors of the FLCC. He explained how the local FLCC agent based in Sanford, Florida, E. R. Trafford, was in the process of purchasing tracts of land on behalf of the company, adding that $15,000 had been raised to facilitate Trafford's purchase. The money raised for the land purchase was loaned from the London-based bank Barclay & Company. Macfarlane noted that, in order to obtain the money, the company needed to offer the bank securities in the form of land notes valued at twice the amount of the loan requested. Macfarlane deemed it necessary to note that, following the most recent loan, the company was indebted to the bank in the amount of £5,144.13, of which £2,000 would be due by April 1885. Macfarlane stated that, with the bank loan and company debentures combined, the FLCC had nearly £30,000 due by the end of the fiscal year in early July. Reflecting the often tenuous nature of the company's finances, Macfarlane added that "[t]he [Florida] agent in his report last June estimated remittances at £14,000 of which as yet only £2,200 has been received." The secretary concluded the matter by stating that "[t]he urgency of making prompt financial arrangements has in no way been relieved and I am directed again to state that the Directors consider they are incurring grave responsibility by having this question open." The stringent financial guaranties needed by the company's bank for further loans are significant. The bank's steep terms possibly reflect both the uncertainty of profitability associated with Florida land sales as well as the uncertain viability of the FLCC. The Florida Land and Colonization Company (FLCC) was a joint-stock venture that invested in Florida land development and sales in the 1880s and early 1890s. The company was formed by Henry Shelton Sanford (1823-1891) with help from a group of British investors. The original impetus for the company's formation was Sanford's inability to continue his land acquisition and development efforts in Florida independently. In 1879, faced with financial difficulties, Sanford turned to a trusted associate in the United Kingdom, a Scottish industrialist named Sir William Mackinnon (1823-1893), to help him attract investors. The formation of the company was in large part due to the efforts of MacKinnon, whose reputation and influence helped bring investors on board. Located at 13 Austin Friars, the company was officially registered in London on June 10, 1880. With the formation of the FLCC, all of Henry Sanford's Florida properties were transferred to the company in exchange for a £10,000 cash payment and another £50,000 in company stock. The one-time cash payment was a needed reprieve for Sanford, who faced financial difficulties by the end of the 1870s. The board of directors included Mackinnon, as well as W. C. Gray and Edwyn Sandys Dawes, partners in Gray-Dawes and Company, a London-based banking and investment house. Other directors included Alexander Fraser, Anthony Norris, George A. Thomson, and Eli Lee. Sanford was named President and Chairman of the Board. In 1880, the company owned 26,000 acres scattered across Florida, including in the cities of Jacksonville, St. Augustine, and Sanford, as well as in Alachua County and Marion County. Almost from the outset, there was serious friction between the British board members and Henry Sanford. Disagreements erupted over business strategy, as Sanford frequently proposed initiatives deemed too bold for the cautious British investors. From 1882 to 1892, the company saw steady, if meager, profits. Most of its income came from the sale of lots in the city of Sanford. From 1885 until 1890, the company, while remaining solvent, continued to see declining profits. From 1886 to 1890, the profits were so modest that the company declined to pay dividends on its yearly profits. Needed improvements and developments in the city of Sanford during the late 1880s sapped much of the company's income. Following Henry Sanford's death in 1891, many of the investors lost the motivation to continue. On September 15, 1892, the various directors acted to dissolve the company. Its assets, including roughly 65,000 acres of Florida land, were divided among shareholders.
Original letter from A. W. Macfarlane to Henry Shelton Sanford, January 20, 1885: box 54, folder 1, subfolder 54.1.7, Henry Shelton Sanford Papers, General Henry S. Sanford Memorial Library, Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
Letter from A. W. Macfarlane to Henry Shelton Sanford (January 24, 1885)
A letter from A. W. Macfarlane to Henry Shelton Sanford dated January 24, 1885. Macfarlane was the secretary for the Florida Land and Colonization Company (FLCC) from 1884 until its dissolution in 1892. Presumably, he worked in the company's main office, located at 13 Austin Friars in the business district of London, United Kingdom. In this letter, Macfarlane acknowledged receipt of a letter sent by Sanford while also relaying relevant information sent to the company's main office from its Florida-based representative, E. R. Trafford. In particular, Macfarlane noted that, in an earlier letter, Trafford cited his earlier request for $15,000 needed for further land acquisition. In his message to Sanford, Macfarlane made clear that Trafford had not sent any confirmation of the finalized land purchase. The Florida Land and Colonization Company (FLCC) was a joint-stock venture that invested in Florida land development and sales in the 1880s and early 1890s. The company was formed by Henry Shelton Sanford (1823-1891) with help from a group of British investors. The original impetus for the company's formation was Sanford's inability to continue his land acquisition and development efforts in Florida independently. In 1879, faced with financial difficulties, Sanford turned to a trusted associate in the United Kingdom, a Scottish industrialist named Sir William Mackinnon (1823-1893), to help him attract investors. The formation of the company was in large part due to the efforts of MacKinnon, whose reputation and influence helped bring investors on board. Located at 13 Austin Friars, the company was officially registered in London on June 10, 1880. With the formation of the FLCC, all of Henry Sanford's Florida properties were transferred to the company in exchange for a £10,000 cash payment and another £50,000 in company stock. The one-time cash payment was a needed reprieve for Sanford, who faced financial difficulties by the end of the 1870s. The board of directors included Mackinnon, as well as W. C. Gray and Edwyn Sandys Dawes, partners in Gray-Dawes and Company, a London-based banking and investment house. Other directors included Alexander Fraser, Anthony Norris, George A. Thomson, and Eli Lee. Sanford was named President and Chairman of the Board. In 1880, the company owned 26,000 acres scattered across Florida, including in the cities of Jacksonville, St. Augustine, and Sanford, as well as in Alachua County and Marion County. Almost from the outset, there was serious friction between the British board members and Henry Sanford. Disagreements erupted over business strategy, as Sanford frequently proposed initiatives deemed too bold for the cautious British investors. From 1882 to 1892, the company saw steady, if meager, profits. Most of its income came from the sale of lots in the city of Sanford. From 1885 until 1890, the company, while remaining solvent, continued to see declining profits. From 1886 to 1890, the profits were so modest that the company declined to pay dividends on its yearly profits. Needed improvements and developments in the city of Sanford during the late 1880s sapped much of the company's income. Following Henry Sanford's death in 1891, many of the investors lost the motivation to continue. On September 15, 1892, the various directors acted to dissolve the company. Its assets, including roughly 65,000 acres of Florida land, were divided among shareholders.
Original letter from A. W. Macfarlane to Henry Shelton Sanford, January 24, 1885: box 54, folder 1, subfolder 54.1.9, Henry Shelton Sanford Papers, General Henry S. Sanford Memorial Library, Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
Letter from A. W. Macfarlane to Henry Shelton Sanford (January 8, 1885)
A letter from A. W. Macfarlane to Henry Shelton Sanford dated January 8, 1885. Macfarlane was the secretary for the Florida Land and Colonization Company (FLCC) from 1884 until its dissolution in 1892. Presumably, he worked in the company's main office, located at 13 Austin Friars in the business district of London, United Kingdom. In this letter, Macfarlane referenced the company efforts to raise a final £3,000 of a needed £5,000 to complete a land acquisition deal in Florida, a deal advanced and encouraged by Henry Sanford. Macfarlane noted that the company's bank, Barclay & Company, refused to provide an advance of funds without a joint guarantee from all of the members of the company's board. Macfarlane noted that some of the board members had objections to this requirement, reflecting a gulf between business strategies endorsed by Sanford and his fellow board members. The Florida Land and Colonization Company (FLCC) was a joint-stock venture that invested in Florida land development and sales in the 1880s and early 1890s. The company was formed by Henry Shelton Sanford (1823-1891) with help from a group of British investors. The original impetus for the company's formation was Sanford's inability to continue his land acquisition and development efforts in Florida independently. In 1879, faced with financial difficulties, Sanford turned to a trusted associate in the United Kingdom, a Scottish industrialist named Sir William Mackinnon (1823-1893), to help him attract investors. The formation of the company was in large part due to the efforts of MacKinnon, whose reputation and influence helped bring investors on board. Located at 13 Austin Friars, the company was officially registered in London on June 10, 1880. With the formation of the FLCC, all of Henry Sanford's Florida properties were transferred to the company in exchange for a £10,000 cash payment and another £50,000 in company stock. The one-time cash payment was a needed reprieve for Sanford, who faced financial difficulties by the end of the 1870s. The board of directors included Mackinnon, as well as W. C. Gray and Edwyn Sandys Dawes, partners in Gray-Dawes and Company, a London-based banking and investment house. Other directors included Alexander Fraser, Anthony Norris, George A. Thomson, and Eli Lee. Sanford was named President and Chairman of the Board. In 1880, the company owned 26,000 acres scattered across Florida, including in the cities of Jacksonville, St. Augustine, and Sanford, as well as in Alachua County and Marion County. Almost from the outset, there was serious friction between the British board members and Henry Sanford. Disagreements erupted over business strategy, as Sanford frequently proposed initiatives deemed too bold for the cautious British investors. From 1882 to 1892, the company saw steady, if meager, profits. Most of its income came from the sale of lots in the city of Sanford. From 1885 until 1890, the company, while remaining solvent, continued to see declining profits. From 1886 to 1890, the profits were so modest that the company declined to pay dividends on its yearly profits. Needed improvements and developments in the city of Sanford during the late 1880s sapped much of the company's income. Following Henry Sanford's death in 1891, many of the investors lost the motivation to continue. On September 15, 1892, the various directors acted to dissolve the company. Its assets, including roughly 65,000 acres of Florida land, were divided among shareholders.
Original letter from A. W. Macfarlane to Henry Shelton Sanford, January 8, 1885: box 54, folder 1, subfolder 54.1.6, Henry Shelton Sanford Papers, General Henry S. Sanford Memorial Library, Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
Letter from A. W. Macfarlane to Henry Shelton Sanford (May 12, 1885)
A letter from A. W. Macfarlane to Henry Shelton Sanford dated May 12, 1885. Macfarlane was the secretary for the Florida Land and Colonization Company (FLCC) from 1884 until its dissolution in 1892. Presumably, he worked in the company's main office, located at 13 Austin Friars in the business district of London, United Kingdom. Based on this letter, it appears that Sanford had previously proposed the construction of a tramway light railway within the company's property in Florida. Macfarlane informed Sanford that the matter had not yet been discussed among board members and that the subject would be discussed at a later date. Macfarlane added that the previous meeting had been dedicated to the reviewing of company accounts. Subsequent correspondence from Macfarlane, resumed in September 1885, did not make further reference to the proposed tramway and it is unclear if the idea was ever pursued. However, based on the strained relationship between Sanford and the other company board members, as well as their general mistrust of Sanford's business proposals, it is possible that the board purposefully delayed discussing the matter with the intent of preventing it from materializing. The Florida Land and Colonization Company (FLCC) was a joint-stock venture that invested in Florida land development and sales in the 1880s and early 1890s. The company was formed by Henry Shelton Sanford (1823-1891) with help from a group of British investors. The original impetus for the company's formation was Sanford's inability to continue his land acquisition and development efforts in Florida independently. In 1879, faced with financial difficulties, Sanford turned to a trusted associate in the United Kingdom, a Scottish industrialist named Sir William Mackinnon (1823-1893), to help him attract investors. The formation of the company was in large part due to the efforts of MacKinnon, whose reputation and influence helped bring investors on board. Located at 13 Austin Friars, the company was officially registered in London on June 10, 1880. With the formation of the FLCC, all of Henry Sanford's Florida properties were transferred to the company in exchange for a £10,000 cash payment and another £50,000 in company stock. The one-time cash payment was a needed reprieve for Sanford, who faced financial difficulties by the end of the 1870s. The board of directors included Mackinnon, as well as W. C. Gray and Edwyn Sandys Dawes, partners in Gray-Dawes and Company, a London-based banking and investment house. Other directors included Alexander Fraser, Anthony Norris, George A. Thomson, and Eli Lee. Sanford was named President and Chairman of the Board. In 1880, the company owned 26,000 acres scattered across Florida, including in the cities of Jacksonville, St. Augustine, and Sanford, as well as in Alachua County and Marion County. Almost from the outset, there was serious friction between the British board members and Henry Sanford. Disagreements erupted over business strategy, as Sanford frequently proposed initiatives deemed too bold for the cautious British investors. From 1882 to 1892, the company saw steady, if meager, profits. Most of its income came from the sale of lots in the city of Sanford. From 1885 until 1890, the company, while remaining solvent, continued to see declining profits. From 1886 to 1890, the profits were so modest that the company declined to pay dividends on its yearly profits. Needed improvements and developments in the city of Sanford during the late 1880s sapped much of the company's income. Following Henry Sanford's death in 1891, many of the investors lost the motivation to continue. On September 15, 1892, the various directors acted to dissolve the company. Its assets, including roughly 65,000 acres of Florida land, were divided among shareholders.
Original letter from A. W. Macfarlane to Henry Shelton Sanford, May 12, 1885: box 54, folder 1, subfolder 54.1.12, Henry Shelton Sanford Papers, General Henry S. Sanford Memorial Library, Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
Letter from A. W. Macfarlane to Henry Shelton Sanford (November 16, 1886)
A letter from A. W. Macfarlane to Henry Shelton Sanford dated November 16, 1886. Macfarlane was the secretary for the Florida Land and Colonization Company (FLCC) from 1884 until its dissolution in 1892. Presumably, he worked in the company's main office, located at 13 Austin Friars in the business district of London, United Kingdom. In this letter, Macfarlane discussed several changing circumstances related to the company. First, he acknowledged that Henry Sanford would travel to America in order "to supervise the Company's affairs in Florida." This development was the result of several years of meager profits deemed "too small a scale to cover expenses [and] interest." As Macfarlane expressed to Sanford, "it is hoped that you may be able to infuse more life into the business." The letter also explained and justified the decision to name William Beardall as the successor to E. R. Trafford as the company's chief agent in Florida. Though Beardall "lacked some essentials for actively pushing sales," his lengthy tenure with the company and prior employment in Sir William MacKinnon's operations in East Africa had rendered him a "steady [and] trustworthy" employee in the eyes of the company. The letter reflected the company's ongoing challenges in finding steady and robust means of profit in its efforts to sell Florida land. The Florida Land and Colonization Company (FLCC) was a joint-stock venture that invested in Florida land development and sales in the 1880s and early 1890s. The company was formed by Henry Shelton Sanford (1823-1891) with help from a group of British investors. The original impetus for the company's formation was Sanford's inability to continue his land acquisition and development efforts in Florida independently. In 1879, faced with financial difficulties, Sanford turned to a trusted associate in the United Kingdom, a Scottish industrialist named Sir William Mackinnon (1823-1893), to help him attract investors. The formation of the company was in large part due to the efforts of MacKinnon, whose reputation and influence helped bring investors on board. Located at 13 Austin Friars, the company was officially registered in London on June 10, 1880. With the formation of the FLCC, all of Henry Sanford's Florida properties were transferred to the company in exchange for a £10,000 cash payment and another £50,000 in company stock. The one-time cash payment was a needed reprieve for Sanford, who faced financial difficulties by the end of the 1870s. The board of directors included Mackinnon, as well as W. C. Gray and Edwyn Sandys Dawes, partners in Gray-Dawes and Company, a London-based banking and investment house. Other directors included Alexander Fraser, Anthony Norris, George A. Thomson, and Eli Lee. Sanford was named President and Chairman of the Board. In 1880, the company owned 26,000 acres scattered across Florida, including in the cities of Jacksonville, St. Augustine, and Sanford, as well as in Alachua County and Marion County. Almost from the outset, there was serious friction between the British board members and Henry Sanford. Disagreements erupted over business strategy, as Sanford frequently proposed initiatives deemed too bold for the cautious British investors. From 1882 to 1892, the company saw steady, if meager, profits. Most of its income came from the sale of lots in the city of Sanford. From 1885 until 1890, the company, while remaining solvent, continued to see declining profits. From 1886 to 1890, the profits were so modest that the company declined to pay dividends on its yearly profits. Needed improvements and developments in the city of Sanford during the late 1880s sapped much of the company's income. Following Henry Sanford's death in 1891, many of the investors lost the motivation to continue. On September 15, 1892, the various directors acted to dissolve the company. Its assets, including roughly 65,000 acres of Florida land, were divided among shareholders.
Original letter from A. W. Macfarlane to Henry Shelton Sanford, November 16, 1886: box 54, folder 1, subfolder 54.1.15, Henry Shelton Sanford Papers, General Henry S. Sanford Memorial Library, Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
Letter from A. W. Macfarlane to Henry Shelton Sanford (November 20, 1886)
A letter from A. W. Macfarlane to Henry Shelton Sanford dated November 20, 1886. Macfarlane was the secretary for the Florida Land and Colonization Company (FLCC) from 1884 until its dissolution in 1892. Presumably, he worked in the company's main office, located at 13 Austin Friars in the business district of London, United Kingdom. This letter concerned a request made previously by Sanford for a "stamped transfer form" meant for the transfer of shares and debentures. According to the letter, Macfarlane had included a set of stamps, which acted as an obligatory duty on the transfer of shares. The stamps, he noted, "can be affixed to a transfer deed after execution." It is unclear what shares or debentures Sanford intended to transfer. The Florida Land and Colonization Company (FLCC) was a joint-stock venture that invested in Florida land development and sales in the 1880s and early 1890s. The company was formed by Henry Shelton Sanford (1823-1891) with help from a group of British investors. The original impetus for the company's formation was Sanford's inability to continue his land acquisition and development efforts in Florida independently. In 1879, faced with financial difficulties, Sanford turned to a trusted associate in the United Kingdom, a Scottish industrialist named Sir William Mackinnon (1823-1893), to help him attract investors. The formation of the company was in large part due to the efforts of MacKinnon, whose reputation and influence helped bring investors on board. Located at 13 Austin Friars, the company was officially registered in London on June 10, 1880. With the formation of the FLCC, all of Henry Sanford's Florida properties were transferred to the company in exchange for a £10,000 cash payment and another £50,000 in company stock. The one-time cash payment was a needed reprieve for Sanford, who faced financial difficulties by the end of the 1870s. The board of directors included Mackinnon, as well as W. C. Gray and Edwyn Sandys Dawes, partners in Gray-Dawes and Company, a London-based banking and investment house. Other directors included Alexander Fraser, Anthony Norris, George A. Thomson, and Eli Lee. Sanford was named President and Chairman of the Board. In 1880, the company owned 26,000 acres scattered across Florida, including in the cities of Jacksonville, St. Augustine, and Sanford, as well as in Alachua County and Marion County. Almost from the outset, there was serious friction between the British board members and Henry Sanford. Disagreements erupted over business strategy, as Sanford frequently proposed initiatives deemed too bold for the cautious British investors. From 1882 to 1892, the company saw steady, if meager, profits. Most of its income came from the sale of lots in the city of Sanford. From 1885 until 1890, the company, while remaining solvent, continued to see declining profits. From 1886 to 1890, the profits were so modest that the company declined to pay dividends on its yearly profits. Needed improvements and developments in the city of Sanford during the late 1880s sapped much of the company's income. Following Henry Sanford's death in 1891, many of the investors lost the motivation to continue. On September 15, 1892, the various directors acted to dissolve the company. Its assets, including roughly 65,000 acres of Florida land, were divided among shareholders.
Original letter from A. W. Macfarlane to Henry Shelton Sanford, November 20, 1886: box 54, folder 1, subfolder 54.1.16, Henry Shelton Sanford Papers, General Henry S. Sanford Memorial Library, Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
Letter from A. W. Macfarlane to Henry Shelton Sanford (October 3, 1884)
A letter from A. W. Macfarlane to Henry Shelton Sanford dated October 3, 1884. Macfarlane was the secretary for the Florida Land and Colonization Company (FLCC) from 1884 until its dissolution in 1892. Presumably, he worked in the company's main office, located at 13 Austin Friars in the business district of London, United Kingdom. In this letter, Macfarlane discussed the minutes from the previous meeting of the board of directors. Sanford, staying in Belgium at the time, was unable to attend. Perhaps the most important board decision, conveyed by Macfarlane, was the transfer of the power to sign deeds. The board decided that it was in the company's best interest to transfer this power from Henry Sanford to E. R. Trafford and William Beardall. Trafford was the company's agent based in Sanford, Florida, while Beardall was sent to Sanford from London to serve as the Assistant Manager in the FLCC's Sanford office. The action, taken by the board, reflected the strained relations between Henry Sanford and his London-based partners. It represented an effort to limit the powers and influence of Henry Sanford in company decision-making and instead to reallocate these powers to two company-appointed agents. The Florida Land and Colonization Company (FLCC) was a joint-stock venture that invested in Florida land development and sales in the 1880s and early 1890s. The company was formed by Henry Shelton Sanford (1823-1891) with help from a group of British investors. The original impetus for the company's formation was Sanford's inability to continue his land acquisition and development efforts in Florida independently. In 1879, faced with financial difficulties, Sanford turned to a trusted associate in the United Kingdom, a Scottish industrialist named Sir William Mackinnon (1823-1893), to help him attract investors. The formation of the company was in large part due to the efforts of MacKinnon, whose reputation and influence helped bring investors on board. Located at 13 Austin Friars, the company was officially registered in London on June 10, 1880. With the formation of the FLCC, all of Henry Sanford's Florida properties were transferred to the company in exchange for a £10,000 cash payment and another £50,000 in company stock. The one-time cash payment was a needed reprieve for Sanford, who faced financial difficulties by the end of the 1870s. The board of directors included Mackinnon, as well as W. C. Gray and Edwyn Sandys Dawes, partners in Gray-Dawes and Company, a London-based banking and investment house. Other directors included Alexander Fraser, Anthony Norris, George A. Thomson, and Eli Lee. Sanford was named President and Chairman of the Board. In 1880, the company owned 26,000 acres scattered across Florida, including in the cities of Jacksonville, St. Augustine, and Sanford, as well as in Alachua County and Marion County. Almost from the outset, there was serious friction between the British board members and Henry Sanford. Disagreements erupted over business strategy, as Sanford frequently proposed initiatives deemed too bold for the cautious British investors. From 1882 to 1892, the company saw steady, if meager, profits. Most of its income came from the sale of lots in the city of Sanford. From 1885 until 1890, the company, while remaining solvent, continued to see declining profits. From 1886 to 1890, the profits were so modest that the company declined to pay dividends on its yearly profits. Needed improvements and developments in the city of Sanford during the late 1880s sapped much of the company's income. Following Henry Sanford's death in 1891, many of the investors lost the motivation to continue. On September 15, 1892, the various directors acted to dissolve the company. Its assets, including roughly 65,000 acres of Florida land, were divided among shareholders.
Original letter from A. W. Macfarlane to Henry Shelton Sanford, October 3, 1884: box 54, folder 1, subfolder 1.3, Henry Shelton Sanford Papers, General Henry S. Sanford Memorial Library, Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
Letter from A. Worley Brown to Pilgrim Black (May 21, 1962)
Letter of correspondence from A. Worley Brown, chairman of the Florida Industrial Commission, to Pilgrim Black written on May 21, 1962. In the letter, Brown informs Black that he has been scheduled for summer agricultural labor outside of Florida, as approved by the Florida State Employment Service. Pilgrim Black was born in 1905, although some records list 1907 as his birth year. Pilgrim and Lula Mae Haynes Black were migrant crew leaders, and thus migrated to Wayne County in Upstate New York in the summers and back to their home in Sanford for the rest of the year. Pilgrim was the son of Harry Black (d. 1911) and Maggie Benjamin Black (ca.1870-ca.1934), who migrated to Sanford from South Carolina in the 1800s. Harry and Maggie had several children: Leckward Black, Mustar Black, Malachi Black, Leatha Black Walker (1889-1976), Pilgrim Black, Margaret Black Jones (1889-1976), and Harriett Black Lawson. In 1911, Harry owned a grocery store at 206 South Sanford Avenue. One day, he came home from work with pneumonia and passed away shortly thereafter. Pilgrim was nine years old when his father passed away. Maggie was the daughter of former slaves, Isaac and Roseanna Benjamin, and the sister of Nathan Benjamin, Pledge Benjamin, Sam Benjamin, Loui Benjamin, Chainey Benjamin, Lara Benjamin, Melvina Benjamin, and Katie Benjamin. Pilgrim had to quit school at age eleven in order to provide for his mother, originally working in a mill house until he was 18n years old. After declining a management position, he traveled to Wayne County to pick cherries, apples, pears, and other crops. He broke a bone after falling from an apple tree his first year and decided to try farm labor on a potato farm in Red Creek, New York, instead. Don Holdridge, the farmer who owned the land, noted Pilgrim's high rate of productivity and offered him a management position supervising up to thirty workers at once, which he accepted. While in Sanford, Pilgrim also worked as a foreman in Sanford for Chase & Company for over 30 years. He married Lula in 1937 and they had several children together, including Vivian Louise Black (1940- ); Lula Yvonne Black (1942- ); Charles Samuel Black (1945- ); Pilgrim Black, Jr. (ca.1947- ), and Patricia Ann Black (1956- ).
Original letter from A. Worley Brown to Pilgrim Black, May 21, 1962: Private Collection of Patricia Ann Black.
Letter from Alan Shepard to Dr. Calvin D. Fowler (August 2, 1963)
After Gordon Cooper (1927-2004)'s Mercury-Atlas 9 mission (MA-9), Alan Shepard's (1923-1998) scheduled Project Mercury's Mercury-Atlas 10 mission (MA-10) was canceled. Shepard wrote to Dr. Calvin D. Fowler, the manager and the Launch Conductor for Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 14 (LC-14), to express his appreciation for some photographs that he had sent, and also to express his regrets about the cancellation of MA-10.
Original 1-page typewritten letter from Alan Shepard to Dr. Calvin D. Fowler, August 2, 1963: Private Collection of Dr. Calvin D. Fowler.
Manned Spacecraft Center, Houston, Texas
Convair/Astronautics, Mission Training Center, Port Canaveral, Florida
Letter from Allen E. Arthur to Gary Sharp (December 9, 1974)
In this letter, Allen E. Arthur, member of the Orange County Board of County Commissioners, expresses his belief that a park in the Gourd Neck Springs area would aid in the restoration process for Lake Apopka. Commissioner Arthur also served as the chairman of the Lake Apopka subcommittee of the Environmental Resources Committee of the Orlando Area Chamber of Commerce. Gourd Neck Springs is a small spring located in the southwest portion of Lake Apopka, in a small cove called “Gourd Neck” due to its distinctive shape. This area of the lake was considered in the 1960s as a potential nursery for fish. The Lake Apopka Technical Committee explored damming the Gourd Neck, separating it from the lake and preventing polluted lake water from entering, but these plans did not materialize. Efforts were also made in the 1960s to have the Gourd Neck area purchased by the State of Florida for use as a public park. The Gourd Neck Springs Park Association was formed in 1961 to study the site’s potential for a park and lobby for support from legislators. The land bordering the area was privately-owned by various individuals. One of these, Gary Sharp, continued seeking support for a park into the 1970s. While the project received support from Florida legislators and environmentalists, the land was never purchased by the state.
Photocopy of original 1-page typewritten letter from Allen E. Arthur to Gary Sharp, December 13, 1974: binder 1974, Friends of Lake Apopka Archives, Ginn Museum, Oakland Nature Preserve, Oakland, Florida.
Letter from Andy Ireland to Harold L. Moody (June 17, 1981)
A letter from U.S. Representative Andy Ireland (b. 1930) to Harold L. Moody, fisheries biologist with the Florida Game and Freshwater Fish Commission (GFC), dated June 17, 1981. In the letter, Rep. Ireland discusses his co-sponsorship of House Resolution 38, which would create an Ad Hoc Committee for Water Resources. Rep. Ireland states that water management programs suffer from mismanagement and lack of coordination at the state and federal levels. He also states that as of the time of writing, there were 12 panels and 29 subcommittees in the U.S. House of Representatives and 10 committees and 21 subcommittees in the U.S. Senate that each deal with water management. Rep. Ireland's proposed Ad Hoc Committee on Water Resources would work towards a coordinated policy at the national level. Although the letter does not state so explicitly, it was likely written in reference to Lake Apopka, which is one of Florida’s largest lakes and was once considered to be one of the world’s best lakes for bass fishing. The lake’s sport fish population began to decline in the 1960s, with major die-offs occurring almost yearly. The lake’s problems are generally considered to be the result of over-nutrification from various sources. Twenty thousand acres of wetlands bordering the lake’s north shore were drained in the 1940s and used for highly fertile “muck farms.” These farms were routinely flooded to protect the fragile soil, and the fertilizer and pesticide-laden water was then discharged back into the lake prior to each growing season. Other sources of pollution include discharge from citrus processing operations, as well as treated wastewater from sewage plants. The nutrient-rich discharge promoted algae growth in the lake, turning the water to a green color, and blocked sunlight from reaching aquatic vegetation, which provided food and habit to the lake’s fish population. The lake’s bottom soil became increasingly “mucky,” also disrupting aquatic vegetation from taking root. Restoration work on the lake began in the 1960s with attempts by various agencies to remove “trash fish,” such as gizzard shad, from the lake via seining, which would hopefully allow the lake’s sportfish to thrive. The Lake Apopka Restoration Council, an initiative formed under Governor Claude Kirk (1926-2011) in 1967, launched several studies to find methods to improve the lake, though no serious action was taken. Various methods were debated to restore the lake through the 1970s and 1980s, including “drawdown,” which entailed completely draining the lake to allow the mucky bottom to consolidate. Restoration attempts were stalled for lack of funding and research. The Lake Apopka Restoration Council was reformed in 1985 under Governor Bob Graham (b. 1936), and, in 1987, the Surface Water and Improvement Management Act was passed. Together, these actions allowed comprehensive restoration plans to take shape, such as the Marsh Flow-way, a project by the St John’s Water Management District that uses natural methods to remove nutrients from the lake. The Friends of Lake Apopka, a citizen environmental advocacy group, began to push for further restoration efforts in the 1990s. The lake’s north shore muck farms were eventually purchased by the State of Florida, helping to reduce the amount of nutrient entering the lake.
Original 1-page typewritten letter from Andy Ireland to Harold L. Moody, June 17, 1981: binder 1981, Friends of Lake Apopka Archives, Ginn Museum, Oakland Nature Preserve, Oakland, Florida.
Letter from Anna M. Sperry DeForest to Henry L. DeForest (November 3, 1881)
Personal letter from Anna M. Sperry DeForest to her husband, Henry L. DeForest (1857-1902). In the letter, Anna discusses the weather, Mr. Day and Ed Shelton, and her son with DeForest. DeForest was born in Derby, Connecticut, and knew Henry Shelton Sanford since childhood. In 1870, DeForest came to Florida seeking better health in the warmer climate. He became Sanford's agent and helped carry out the work of establishing Sanford. He managed the contracted workers for Sanford's groves, especially the contracted Swedes that Sanford brought over in 1871. By the 1880s, he had married Anna M. Sperry, also from Derby, and had become an established businessman and grove owner in Sanford. He built his general store in 1887, which was the second oldest brick building in Downtown Sanford. His general store was the building where the historic September 1887 fire stopped. DeForest built other commercial buildings in downtown. His home, known as "The Palms," was located at 105 Aldean Drive and still stands today.
Original letter from Anna M. Sperry DeForest to Henry L. DeForest, November 3, 1881: DeForest Collection, Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
Letter from Arthur W. Sinclair to C. W. Sheffield (December 22, 1967)
A letter from Arthur W. Sinclair, executive manager of the Winter Garden Chamber of Commerce, to C. W. Sheffield, chairman of the Technical Committee. The committee was formed by Florida Governor Claude R. Kirk, Jr. (1926-2011) to develop plans for the restoration of Lake Apopka. In this letter, Sinclair discusses plans for the possible creation of a recreational park in the Gourd Neck Springs area, at the southwest corner of Lake Apopka. Gourd Neck Springs contains the only natural spring in the lake. Sinclair tells Sheffield of earlier efforts by the Gourd Neck Springs Park Association to rally support for the creation of a state park. Sinclair closes the letter by urging Sheffield to pass along these plans to Governor Kirk.
Original 2-page typewritten letter from Arthur W. Sinclair to C. W. Sheffield, December 22, 1967: binder 1967, Friends of Lake Apopka Archives, Ginn Museum, Oakland Nature Preserve, Oakland, Florida.
Letter from Arthur W. Sinclair to Claude Roy Kirk, Jr. (July 13, 1966)
A letter from Arthur W. Sinclair, Executive Secretary-Manager of the Winter Garden Chamber of Commerce, to Claude Roy Kirk, Jr., the 1966 Republican candidate for Governor of Florida. The letter describes Lake Apopka's current polluted state and its past as a prominent sportsfishing destination, and urges Kirk to take action on restoring the lake if he is elected governor. Kirk was elected as governor that same year, and formed the Florida Department of Environmental Protection during his time as governor.
Original 2-page typewritten letter from Arthur W. Sinclair to Claude Roy Kirk, Jr., July 13, 1966: binder 1966, Friends of Lake Apopka Archives, Ginn Museum, Oakland Nature Preserve, Oakland, Florida.
San Juan de Ulloa Hotel, Orlando, Florida
Letter from Arthur W. Sinclair to the Hyacinth Control Society, Inc. (November 16, 1967)
A letter from Arthur W. Sinclair, executive manager of the Winter Garden Chamber of Commerce, to the Hyacinth Control Society, Inc., requesting information on herbicides to be used on hyacinth and other aquatic plants along the shores of Lake Apopka in Winter Garden, Florida. The water hyacinth is an invasive species, introduced to America in 1884, that quickly overwhelms native life in freshwater lakes.
Photocopy of original typewritten letter from Arthur W. Sinclair to the Hyacinth Control Society, Inc., November 16, 1967: binder 1967, Friends of Lake Apopka Archives, Ginn Museum, Oakland Nature Preserve, Oakland, Florida.
Letter from Bob Entwistle to Gary I. Sharp (April 24, 1975)
A letter from Bob Entwistle, chair of the Orlando Regional Group of the Sierra Club's Florida Chapter, to Gary I. Sharp, dated April 24, 1975. In this letter, Entwistle finds merit in Sharp's proposal to have the Gourd Neck Springs area considered for purchase through the state's Environmentally Endangered Lands Program (EEL). Sharp states that he considers the site to have value in light of future growth projections of Central Florida, and classifies the site as a "high category 2, or low category 1" area. The Environmentally Endangered Lands Program (EEL) was formed in 1972 as part of the larger Land Conservation Act of 1972. The EEL program was initially funded through the sale of state bonds. The program was designed to help the state acquire lands considered environmentally sensitive and was not designed for creating areas for recreational use. Potential sites for acquisition could be suggested by citizens, county and state governments, and nonprofit organizations. After evaluation for environmental value, potential sites would be approved by the Executive Director of the Florida Department of Natural Resources and finalized by the Governor. In 1979, the former Executive Director, Harmon Shields, was indicted on corruption charges involving the lands-acquisition process. Following this scandal, the EEL program was replaced by Conservation and Recreation Lands Program. This change replaced the program's funding with tax revenues instead of bond sales, and formed the Land Acquisition Selection Committee, made up by six executive directors of Florida environmental agencies, to select sites for approval by the governor. The Division of State Lands was also created as a division of the Department of Natural Resources to oversee mapping and evaluation of potential sites for acquisition. Gourd Neck Springs is a small spring located in the southwest portion of Lake Apopka, in a small cove called “Gourd Neck” due to its distinctive shape. This area of the lake was considered in the 1960s as a potential nursery for fish. The Lake Apopka Technical Committee explored damming the Gourd Neck, separating it from the lake and preventing polluted lake water from entering, but these plans did not materialize. Efforts were also made in the 1960s to have the Gourd Neck area purchased by the State of Florida for use as a public park. The Gourd Neck Springs Park Association was formed in 1961 to study the site’s potential for a park and lobby for support from legislators. The land bordering the area was privately-owned by various individuals. One of these, Gary I. Sharp, continued seeking support for a park into the 1970s. While the project received support from Florida legislators and environmentalists, the land was never purchased by the state.
Photocopy of original 1-page typewritten letter from Bob Entwistle to Gary I. Sharp, April 24, 1975: binder 1975, Friends of Lake Apopka Archives, Ginn Museum, Oakland Nature Preserve, Oakland, Florida.
Gourd Neck Springs, Lake Apopka, Florida
Letter from Brockelman Brothers, Inc. to Joshua Coffin Chase (January 24, 1928)
An original letter of correspondence between Joshua Coffin Chase and Brockelman Brothers, Inc. Topics discussed in the letter include the publication of the story of Chase & Company's orange groves at Isleworth Grove, aerial photographs of the Chase property, and the meaning of the term "pine-apple orange." According to the letter, the pineapple orange produces excellent quality juice, but is extremely susceptible to freezes, citrus blight, and preharvest fruit drop. 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 letter from Brockelman Brothers, Inc. to Joshua Coffin Chase, January 24, 1928: box 49, folder 20.84, Chase Collection (MS 14), Special and Area Studies Collections, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.
Chase & Company Office, Orlando, Florida
Letter from C. H. Miller to Randall Chase (May 8, 1963)
An original letter of correspondence between Maintenance Department Manager C. H. Miller and Randall Chase. Topics discussed in the letter include enclosed photographs taken of the delivery of a mule train by Duda from Glades Farm to Hooper Farm in Zellwood, Florida, on May 6, 1963. 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 letter from C. H. Miller to Randall Chase, May 8, 1963: box 215, Chase Collection (MS 14), Special and Area Studies Collections, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.
Letter from C. M. Tyler to Chase & Company Members (May 26, 1919)
An original letter of correspondence written by C. M. Tyler to employees at Chase & Company in Jacksonville, Florida. Tyler's letter provides information about the internal organization of the Florida Citrus Exchange, a state organization comprised of a large number of Florida citrus growers. The purpose of Tyler's letter was to identify the weaknesses of the Exchange and to encourage growers to side Chase & Company rather than join the Exchange. While members who trusted the Exchange praised the organization as a united group of growers that promoted better distribution and marketing of their citrus products, growers such as Chase & Company were hesitant to hand over all of their power to a larger organization with poor marketing strategies. Chase & Company was established 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.
Original letter from C. M. Tyler to Chase & Company Members, May 26, 1919: Chase Collection (MS 14), box 7, folder 14.10A, Special and Area Studies Collections, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.
Letter from C. W. Sheffield to Arthur W. Sinclair (March 7, 1968)
A letter from C. W. Sheffield, chairman of the Lake Apopka Technical Committee, to Arthur W. Sinclair, executive secretary of the Winter Garden Chamber of Commerce. The Technical Committee was formed by Florida Governor Claude R. Kirk, Jr. (1926-2011) in 1967, with C. W. Sheffield to serve as chairman. The committee was tasked with investigating potential methods for the restoration of Lake Apopka. In this letter, Sheffield says he has no objection to Sinclair's use of the committee's weekly reports for a possible news release. The letter also mentions a planned three- or five-year study to investigate the feasibility of funding the removal of rough fish from Lake Apopka through the fish meal industry. Finally, the letter mentions the postponing of the Governor's review of the committee's progress due to an ongoing "school crisis." This is in reference to the statewide Florida Teachers' Strike of 1968, in which 40 percent of Florida teachers resigned their positions in February of that year, in protest of underfunding of the state education system.
Original 1-page typewritten letter from C. W. Sheffield to Arthur W. Sinclair, March 7, 1968: binder 1968, Friends of Lake Apopka Archives, Ginn Museum, Oakland Nature Preserve, Oakland, Florida.
Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission, Tallahassee, Florida
Letter from Carl Arvil Mead to Oscar Winfield Mead
A letter from Carl Arvil Mead to his father, Oscar Winfield Mead, most likely written the winter of 1920 when Carl Mead and his family were in Miami, Florida. He was from Walton, Indiana and his father was from Pekin. In the letter, Carl Mead describes the sandy beaches of the Biscayne Bay area, the cost of house rentals , the Rickenbacker Causeway, the economic development of the city, the drive from Indiana to Florida, the family's trip to Vero, tasting various Florida fruits, and the cost of groceries and gasoline.
Digital transcript of original 3-page letter from Carl Arvil Mead to Oscar Winfield Mead: Private Collection of Ann Wilder.
Letter from Carolyn S. Cope to Dorothy Barbour (September 19, 1979)
A letter from Carolyn S. Cope was sent in response to an inquiry from Dorothy Barbour regarding outparcel land surrounding the Florida Mall. Cope was a real estate broker at of Two XI, Inc., located in Coconut Grove in Miami, Florida. The mall was designed and constructed by the Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation, founded by Edward J. DeBartolo, Sr. (1909-1994) in 1944. Edward J. DeBartolo Jr. (b. 1946) joined his father's business and together they became known as the "kings of the shopping mall." By the late 1980s, the DeBartolo Corporation had constructed 51 shopping malls, including 21 in Florida. The Florida Mall, located on the corner of Sand Lake Road and Orange Blossom Trail, was designed to appeal to Central Florida's large tourist economy and opened in March of 1986. Originally, the mall sat on 250 acres, contained over 1.3 million square feet of shopping space, and featured over 160 stores.
Original 1-page typed letter from Carolyn S. Cope to Dorothy Barbour, September 19, 1979: Pine Castle Historical Society, Pine Castle, Florida.
Two XI, Inc., Coconut Grove, Miami, Florida
Home of Dorothy Barbour, Orlando, Florida
Letter from Cecil A. Tucker II to George Percy (May 15, 1991)
Letter from Cecil A. Tucker II, president of the Seminole County Historical Society, to George Percy, director of the Division of Historical Services, in support of the restoration and preservation of the Sanford State Farmers' Market in 1991. The Sanford State Farmers' Market, at 1300 South French Avenue, was founded in 1934 in order to provide a central location in which farmers would sell their produce directly to consumers. The idea for the Sanford State Farmers' Market was devised by Fred Dorner and Gus Schmach, both members of the Seminole Agricultural Club. Sanford Chamber of Commerce president Harry Papworth also contributed to the development of the market. The Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) authorized construction plans on June 11, 1934. On June 20, 1934, the City of Sanford donated a portion of the Alex V. French properties to the State Marketing Board, which selected the northwest corner of French Avenue and Thirteenth Street. The board approved the installation of telegraph and telephone equipment, as well as a three-pump filling station. The Sanford State Farmer's Market opened on December 18, 1934. By 1939, the Farmers' Market was bringing a total volume of business of $627,065.81. In 1941, business volume reached over $700,000. On April 4, 1957, a fire destroyed the building and caused damages estimated at $2.5 million. Reconstruction began almost immediately and the Farmers' Market was expected to re-open by the fall of 1957. In 1991, plans were created to restore, preserve, and convert the citrus packing house into a museum.
Original letter from Cecil A. Tucker II to George Percy, May 15, 1991: State Farmers' Market Collection, Museum of Seminole County History, Sanford, Florida.
Museum of Seminole County History, Sanford, Florida
Division of Historical Resources, Tallahassee, Florida
Sanford State Farmers' Market, Sanford, Florida
Letter from Charles James McLaren to Northern Pacific Railway Company (1936)
A letter of correspondence from Charles James McLern (1891-1988) to the Northern Pacific Railway Company in 1936. When he initially applied to work for the company, McLaren claimed he was two years older than he was in order to be eligible for an apprenticeship. However, in 1936, he wrote a letter admitting to his correct birth date in order to gain addition employment. His mother went before a public notary to verify his birth date. Born on May 17, 1891, in Seattle, Washington, McLaren grew up in Minnesota before moving to Spokane, Washington, to work for the Northern Pacific Railway Company. He spent decades working for the company, eventually becoming a master mechanic. He enlisted in the United States Navy on May 27, 1918, serving as a Machinist’s Mate, First Class. He remained in the Navy until his discharge on September 30, 1921. After the war, he returned to work for the Northern Pacific Railway. He married the former Anne E. Thomas and fathered a daughter, Carol. He later returned to Washington State, living in both Seattle and Spokane during the 1940s and 1950s. Eventually McLaren and his wife moved to Brevard County, Florida. McLaren died on September 20, 1988, and is buried at the Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell. In 2017, the University of Central Florida was one of three universities selected to launch the National Cemetery Administration’s Veterans Legacy Program Project. The program engaged a team of scholars to make the life stories of veterans buried in the Florida National Cemetery available to the public. The project engages UCF students in research and writing and fosters collaboration between students, faculty and local Central Florida schools to produce interactive curriculum for k-12 students. The corresponding website exhibit uses RICHES Mosaic Interface to create a digital archive of related data. The public can use the project-developed augmented-reality app at more than 100 gravesites at the Florida National Cemetery, where they can access the UCF student-authored biographies of veterans.
Digital reproduction of original 1-page typewritten letter from Charles James McLaren to Northern Pacific Railway Company, 1936.
Letter from Charles O. Andrews to James D. Beggs, Jr. (April 4, 1941)
A letter from Charles O. Andrews (1877-1946) to the Orlando Postmaster, James D. Beggs, Jr. Sen. In the letter, Sen. Andrews requests a brief history of the Downtown Orlando Post Office. He planned to use said information to present that the dedication ceremony for the new building. The original post office was housed in the Federal Building, located 44 East Central Boulevard in Downtown Orlando, Florida, from 1917 to 1941. In 1935, when James D. Beggs, Jr. became the postmaster, he began petitioning to move the post office from its Central Boulevard and Court Avenue location to a more spacious building. In 1939, St. James Catholic Church sold a plot of land of Jefferson Street for the new building. The building was designed by Louis A. Simon in the Northern Italian Palazzo Revival-style, and was constructed by J. P. Cullen & Son. The new building opened in 1941 and housed the post office, the courthouse, and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) offices. The building was named an Orlando Historic Landmark in 1989. However, it was eventually sold back to the St. James Church. In 2003, the building was renovated and came under joint ownership by both the church and the federal government. Today, the building retains its post office services but also includes offices for the Catholic Diocese.
Original letter from Charles O. Andrews to J. D. Beggs, April 4, 1941: Private Collection of Texann Ivy Buck.
Letter from Charles P. Kimball to John M. May (June 7, 1957)
A letter from entomologist Charles P. Kimball to the owner of the May Museum of the Tropics, John M. May, dated June 7, 1957. In the letter, Kimball details an insect trap design that utilizes thin plastic instead of glass, to allow more sunlight into the trap, and to better prevent the insects escaping. As Kimball was an entomologist like May, the letter also expresses that May's father's collection was being taken care of. The May Natural History Museum of the Tropics is a non-profit organization that displays the world’s largest private insect collection. James May acquired the thousands of insects and arthropods that make up the collection from the late 1800s until his death in 1956. John May continued his father’s legacy, building a museum in Weeki Wachee, Florida, that lasted from 1954-1964, and a museum in Colorado that opened in the 1950s and is still open today. John May also took parts of the collection across the United States and Canada to display at fairs and exhibitions. Along with a group of investors, Newton Perry opened Weeki Wachee Springs to the public in October of 1947. At the time, roadside attractions were becoming popular stops along Florida roadways. The attraction consisted of an amalgamation of vendors, an orchid garden, a river boat tour, as well as the star attraction: a mermaid show that took place in an underwater theater. Eventually, the May Museum of the Tropics, an "abandoned Seminole village", a show called “Birds of Prey”, and a petting zoo were added. After peaking in the 1950s and 1960s, attendance began to decline as theme parks and highways changed the dynamics of Florida's tourism. The State of Florida took over the attraction as a state park in 2008. Since then, the park has focused on appealing to a modern audience while preserving its history.
Original 1-page typed letter from Charles P. Kimball to John M. May, June 7, 1957: May Natural History Museum, Colorado Springs, Colorado.
May Museum of the Tropics, Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, Weeki Wachee, Florida