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Belair Historical Marker

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near Lake Mary, Florida.
(side 1)
Belair, located between Crystal Lake and what later became known as Belair Station, a signal stop on the South Florida Railroad, was a 400 acre portion of the original 12,000 acre grant acquired by General Henry S. Sanford in 1870.

When Mr. Sanford found the land at his 100 acre St. Gertrude grove northeast of here unsuitable for oranges due to an impenetrable layer of soil called hardpan, he moved the grove to Belair in 1874. He actively urged agencies in Washington, D.C. to establish an agricultural experiment station in Florida; and in 1881 he offered to donate 100 acres for this purpose. He repeated the offer again in 1884. When this was unsuccessful, he himself established the first experimental station in Florida for testing citrus and tropical plants for their suitability to Florida climate and soils. (Continued on other side) (side 2) (Continued from other side) This experimental station of 145 acres had ninety-five acres devoted to the testing of 140 varieties of citrus imported from around the world, fifty acres to lemons, ten to nursery stock, less than an acre to 60 varieties of pineapple, and one acre to olive trees. In addition there were 200 varieties of grapes, three fig trees, and a large number of young pecan trees. A five acre track with a southern exposure sloping to Crystal Lake contained 60 rare exotics and other flowers and plants ranging from alligator pear (avocado) to varieties obtained from world wide sources.

Here Mr. Sanford built for himself a temporary two story frame lodge located in what is now the middle of the present Chase Groves subdivision. It was destroyed by fire about 1915.

In 1902 Belair was purchased by S.O. and J.C. Chase of Philadelphia. The Chase family continued citrus production at this site until the 1980s.

(Agriculture) Includes location, directions, 3 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Upsala Swedish Community

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near Sanford, Florida.
This site was the center of the earliest and largest Swedish community in Florida. Located here were the Scandinavian Society Lutheran Church; its cemetery; and a meeting house, which also served as a school until 1904.

In May 1871 thirty-three Swedish immigrants (twenty-six men and seven women) arrived under the sponsorship of Henry S. Sanford for the purpose of developing his citrus groves (St. Gertrude, which extended from what is now Central Florida Regional Hospital south to Third Street; and Belair, west of the railroad racks on Old Lake Mary Road).

General Sanford's initial cost was $75.00 per person ($65.00 for transportation and $10.00 to a recruiting agent). He also agreed to give each immigrant free rations and living quarters for one year, after which each would be given a parcel of land. In November 1871 twenty additional Swedes arrived and joined the original immigrants to form the Upsala community. Many descendants of these early immigrants still live in the Sanford area.

(Agriculture • Settlements & Settlers) Includes location, directions, 2 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

First Presbyterian Church of Lake Mary

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Lake Mary, Florida.
(side 1)
In 1894, under the leadership of Rev. J.F. Sundell, a group of Lake Mary's founding fathers joined to form a community church. Gathering signatures of other early residents, a petition was signed and submitted by Reverend Sundell to the governing board of the South Florida Presbytery in Lakeland, Florida, to request affiliation with the Presbyterian Church. Approval was granted on October 10, 1894.

Over the next 30 years, the church served the community as a place of worship, as well as a meeting place for many social events, open to residents of all faiths and denominations.

On December 15, 1927, the members of the church, under the guidance of the Reverend James Thompson, began making plans to erect a building. Work began on December 26, 1927, with over fifty volunteers taking part to construct the building that now sits on the original site. With credit granted for materials, (Continued on other side) (side 2) (Continued from other side) generous monetary donations and hundreds of volunteer hours, the building was completed over a period of two and one half years.

Even before its completion and dedication on March 30, 1930, the members of the church held worship services in their new building. This structure was a testament to the true community spirit of its members and those who chose to worship there.

Housed at the church was a bell that could be heard throughout the community. During World War II, it sounded as an air raid signal and at other times it was used to call the volunteer firemen.

In November 1972, the interior of the church was gutted by fire and again volunteers rallied to rebuild the church. Services resumed in the new sanctuary in July 1973 and has served as a cornerstone of the community. Covenant Presbyterian Church united with the Lake Mary Church in 1987.

(Churches, Etc.) Includes location, directions, 3 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Mayfair Country Club

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near Sanford, Florida.
(front)
The Mayfair Country Club is a portion of a 20,000 acre tract of land purchased in 1848 for $40.00 by General Joseph Finegan, who later became the commander of the Confederate forces in their victory at Olustee, Florida. In 1870 Henry Sanford purchased the tract and in 1878 sold a portion to Charles Amory. Amory, a retired sea captain, cleared much the land, planted citrus trees and the double row of oak trees that still line the main entrance. He built a ship-shaped house, a part of which is the Mayfair clubhouse.

The City of Sanford bought 152 acres in 1922 and hired noted golf architect Donald Ross to design an 18 hole municipal golf course, which opened in October 1922 as the Sanford Country Club, with only 4 holes completed. In September 1924 the entire course was opened with greens fees of $1.00 a day for visitors, $.50 for city residents and 30 daily tickets for $20.00. Due to financial hardships the city leased the course from 1928 until 1932, when it resumed control with financial pledges from local businessmen. Resident managers during that period included Ed Levy, Andy Caraway, Tom Bolt, and Ray Lundquist.
…Continued on back… (back) …Continued from front… After World War II the city leased the club to local businessman Hugh Whelchel. The New York Giants baseball club, which had its spring training headquarters in Sanford from 1948 to 1959, bought the lease in 1953 and renamed the course Mayfair Country Club. From 1958 through 1961 the course was on the professional golf tour and played to many noted golfers including Gene Sarazen, Walter Hagen, Julius Boros, Sam Snead, Babe Zaharias and Arnold Palmer.

When the Giants left in 1965 the lease reverted to Mike Whelchel, son of the original lessee, who in 1972 subleased it to the trio of John Pierce, Howard McNulty & George Billups, until Jack Daniels assumed control 1981.

(Man-Made Features • Sports) Includes location, directions, 3 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Winter Garden Downtown Historic District

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Winter Garden, Florida.
On this corner, farmers built a small wooden train station soon after the Orange Belt Railroad reached the area in 1886. By 1899, the Taveres & Gulf Railroad constructed a second rail line and depot nearby. Wooden stores rose alongside the parallel tracks and Winter Garden was incorporated in 1908. Prosperity fueled Winter Garden's growth from 1910 to 1960. The town became a major citrus shipping point, and downtown served as the region's shopping center. Nearby, Lake Apopka gained recognition as "the large-mouth bass capital of the world." During the second half of the 20th century, the city center declined. Automobiles replaced train travel, strip malls outpaced downtown Plant Street stores, and Lake Apopka became severely polluted. After multiple freezes during the 1980s decimated the citrus industry, the buildings in the dilapidated downtown district stood mostly abandoned. Orange County replaced the Plant Street railroad tracks with the West Orange Trail in 1994, which sparked a turnaround. In 1996, a district featuring 24 commercial structures was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Through the strong efforts of residents, merchants, and city officials, the city center has undergone a rebirth.

(Settlements & Settlers • Railroads & Streetcars) Includes location, directions, 2 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

1887 Windermere Schoolhouse

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Windermere, Florida.
(side 1)
Opened in 1887, this structure is the only surviving one-room school house in Orange County, and one of the few still standing in Florida. The Frame Vernacular building, capped with a metal roof, was communally constructed using locally milled heartwood from Florida long leaf pine. A well dug near the front door remains. Maude Adams, one of the first full-time teachers, educated generations of settlers and town builders within these walls. Ms. Adams received a salary of $22 per month for the education of 22 pupils. The students ranged from grades K-12 and were the children of citrus grove owners and workers. During the early 20th century, the schoolhouse served as headquarters for the local Board of Trade, a Women's Club, a Union Church, a polling station, and a meeting hall. The building ceased to be used as a schoolhouse in 1916 when a larger schoolhouse complex was established. In 1918, Lloyd and Minnie Armstrong acquired the schoolhouse and the surrounding property from real estate developer Cal Palmer. The Armstrong family altered the building into a "cracker style" home by attaching two sleeping wings and a broad covered porch. (Continued on other side) (side 2) (Continued from other side) The schoolhouse became the center of the home and served as the kitchen and dining room. Eight of the Armstrong's nine children were raised in the building. Many old citrus trees and ornamentals planted by the family are still present. During the 1930s the New Deal's Works Progress Administration built an outhouse at the back of the property. Minnie and Lloyd's daughter, Eunice Armstrong-Parramore, acquired the property after the death of her parents. In 1995, Eunice and Manuel "Perry" Parramore deeded it as a historic legacy to the Town of Windermere. The additions were removed and the structure was restored to its original school house form. In 2011, citizens organized to prevent an attempt to move the building, which would have compromised its historic integrity. On January 31, 2012, a town charter amendment was passed overwhelmingly by the voters of Windermere to preserve the 1880s schoolhouse in its original location. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003, it remains by a citrus grove, within sight of Lake Butler, canopied by historic trees.

(Education) Includes location, directions, 4 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Frankford

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Dallas, Texas.
The site of the former town of Frankford consists of the three-acre wagon yard, five-acre Frankford Church area and three-acre cemetery. The town of Frankford grew around Indian Springs after W.C. McKamy and his family moved to Texas in 1852. They sold firewood and water to settlers moving along Preston Road. Some of these settlers stayed at Frankford, creating the growing town near Indian Springs. The Frankford Post Office stood at the intersection of the Dallas North Tollway and Hilton Head Drive. At its height Frankford had a steam grist mill, corn mill, cotton gin, blacksmith shop, two general stores and three churches, with 83 residents.

In 1858, the White Rock Masonic Lodge was organized at Walnut Grove, and in 1872 moved to a building in Collin County, located on what is now the northwest side of Frankford Cemetery. The Hall became the fraternal, religious and educational center for miles around. A church building was also erected on the cemetery grounds in 1880, only to be destroyed by a tornado. Some of the wood in the current Frankford Church came from the original church.

The end of Frankford came with the growth of the railroad. The line bypassed Frankford and instead went through Addison, eventually prompting the move of the Lodge Hall to Addison in 1907. The town of Frankford no longer existed, though the larger landowning families like the Cooks and the McKamys remained. In 1948, the Frankford Cemetery Association was incorporated to help maintain the cemetery. Marker is property of The State of Texas

(Settlements & Settlers) Includes location, directions, 3 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

American Revolutionary War Battle of Thomas Creek

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near Jacksonville, Florida.
In May 1777, 400 soldiers from the Continental Army and 165 members of the Georgia militia organized in Sunbury, Georgia, just north of the Florida border for an expedition into British East Florida in retaliation for raids conducted by British Loyalists. Traveling by water, the Continentals encountered British troops at Amelia Island, which delayed their rendezvous with the Georgia militia who traveled by land. On May 17, a small force of 109 Georgia militia men was ambushed by a mixed force of British Army, Loyalist militia, and Native Americans near the mouth of Thomas Creek in Northeast Florida. Lieutenant Colonel John Baker of the Georgia forces and 41 of the Georgia militia men survived the battle. The encounter was the first major engagement and the second of three failed attempts by American forces to invade British East Florida. It is considered the southernmost battle of the American Revolutionary War.

(War, US Revolutionary) Includes location, directions, 3 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

L'Esplanade Flachat

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, France.
En française:
L'ensemble cathédral se prolonge au nord par différents bâtiments affectés à l'usage du chapitre (membres du clergé de la cathédrale).

La bâtiment adossé à la tour nord est la salle capitulaire, lieu de réunion du chapitre. Datant de la fin du XIIe siècle, sa partie supérieure située au niveau de la rue est réaménagée au cours des XIV-XVe siècles. Accessible uniquement de l'intérieur de la cathédrale, elle repose sur une salle basse ouvrant quant à elle sur la cour située en contrebas.

Dans son prolongement, on trouvait jusqu'à la fin du XIXe siècle deux édifices également affectés au chapitre. Ils abritaient la chambre du conseil (tribunal ecclésiastique), le chartrier et un grenier. La fenêtre du XIIe siècle qui a été replacée sur un mur aveugle en haut des escaliers en est le seul vestige conservé.

En contrebas au centre de la cour autrefois entourée d'un cloître, est implantée la bibliotèque du chapitre édifiée entre 1429 et 1436. Au-delà, appuyée sur le transept nord, se situe la sacristie de la cathédrale, bâtiment néo-gothique édifié en 1900.

L'ensemble cathédral était autrefois invisible de la rue. Celle-ci était bordée par de petits magasins (les soppes), propriétés du chapitre loués à des particuliers. Il s'agissait de maisons peu profondes de deux ou trois étages, détruites dans la deuxième moitié du XIXe siècle afin d'élargir la rue. Le marquage au sol en évoue aujourd'hui l'emplacement.

En face, la maison d'Adam et Eve (fin du XVe siècle) abritait elle-même d'anciennes échoppes au rez'de'chaussée. Remarquable par son décor sculpté, elle accueille aujourd'hui le "Conservatoire de la dentelle", atelier d'art qui poursuit une tradition dont l'origine remonte à Bayeux à la fin du XVIIe siècle.

English:
The Cathedral complex extends to the north with various buildings used by the Chapter (members of the Cathedral clergy).

The building backing on the north tower is the Chapter House, the Chapter's meeting place. Its upper story, situated at street level, dagtes from the 14th and 15th centuries.

Up to the end of the 19th centruy, as a continuation of this building, there existed two other buildings also used by the Chapter : the Council Chamber (ecclesiastical court), the Charter Room and the Granary. The only remaining vestige is the bricked-up 12th century window at the top of the staircase.

On the lower level, in the centre of the courtyard, we find the Chapter Library, built between 1429 and 1436, and then the Cathedral Vestry built in the 1900.

In olden days, the Cathedral complex could not be seen from the street. The latter was lined with small shops, belonging to the Chapter, and rented out to shopkeepers. Destroyed in the 19th century, marks on the ground indicate the location of these buildings.

Opposite, Adam and Eve's House (late 15th century) used to accommodate shops on its ground floor. Today it is home the Consdervatoire de la Dentelle (Lace Conservatory).

(Churches, Etc.) Includes location, directions, 2 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

A Garden Sustains

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, Washington.

This garden fed the Custis and Lee families, their many guests, the enslaved house workers, and even the Federal Army. It provided for the family from early spring to late fall.

The harvest included fruits and vegetables such as berries, potatoes, broccoli, artichokes, turnips, and tomatoes. Prize carrots, beets, cabbage and squash were displayed at local agricultural exhibitions. The garden also provided herbs for medicinal purposes, along with currant, blackberry, and fox grapes for wine.

"...there is pleasure in a dish of asparagus just from the earth, white, tender, sweet...There is joy in young peas that know no pause between the gathering and the table, green, sweet, and buttery. And what emotion of delight green corn...inspire[ed]."
Elizabeth Randolph Calvert (Cousin of Mary Lee)

Captions:

After the Lees left Arlington in 1861, and throughout the Civil War, this garden fed the occupying Union soldiers and later the families of officers stationed at Arlington House.

The enslaved workers raised chickens, milked cows, churned butter, smoked hams, maintained an ice house and canned produce to sustain the household through the winter.

Old and treasured family recipes depended upon the success of the garden. Mrs. Custis, and in turn Mrs. Lee, used a cookbook handed down by Martha Washington. A great-grandaughter of Robert E. Lee compiled this book from those recipes.

Robert E. Lee teased his daughter Mildred in a letter about her "exploding" ketchup, made from garden tomatoes.

(Agriculture • War, US Civil • Horticulture & Forestry) Includes location, directions, 3 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Bears Ears

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near Blanding, Utah.
The two prominent buttes in the distance are called the Bears Ears. Several native American groups, including the Navajos, Utes, and Pueblos, consider this area sacred and include it in their oral traditions.

One of the more popular Navajo stories is that of Changing-Bear-Maiden, who was very beautiful and desired by many men. She would have nothing to do with them. However, Coyote, the trickster, persuaded Changing-Bear-Maiden to marry him in spite of her brothers' warning that the union would bring evil.

Changing-Bear-Maiden began to change and by winter's end her transformation into a mischievous bear was complete. Realizing that the only way to save her was to change her into another form, her brothers killed Changing-Bear-Maiden, cutting off her ears and throwing them away. They became the buttes seen today.

The Bear Ears can be seen from as far east as Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado and as far south as Monument Valley Tribal Park in Arizona. These buttes, on lands administered by Manti-La Sal National Forest, are important landmarks for travelers within the Four Corners region.

(Image Caption)
These buttes are included in the sacred geography of the Navajo people.

(Native Americans • Environment) Includes location, directions, 3 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Owachomo Bridge

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near Blanding, Utah.
Owachomo (O-wá-cho-mo) is a Hopi Indian word for rock mound. On the upper left side of the bridge is a rock outcrop which suggested the name for the bridge.

Owachomo Bridge looks different from either Sipapu or Kachina Bridge. Because Owachomo no longer straddles all the streams which carved it, it appears to be an arch. Flowing water is required to carve a hole through a rock wall to form a bridge, while an arch is freestanding and does not span a water course. Natural Bridges if famous for its three spectacular bridges, but the monument also contains smaller and less noticeable arches.

(Native Americans • Environment) Includes location, directions, 4 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Sipapu Bridge

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near Blanding, Utah.
Several names have been given to the bridges over the years. Sipapu (Seé-pa-pu) has had at least two other names—President and Augusta—but these were later changed. Cliff dwellings and rock art in the area reminded William Douglass, the leader of the 1908 government survey, of the Hopi culture he had studied extensively in Arizona. Charged with finding "appropriate Indian names" for the bridges, he chose Sipapu, meaning "place of emergence."

Cedar Mesa, a million acre plateau encompassing the monument and surrounding area, is composed of nearly horizontal sedimentary rock layers. During the Permian Period, wind blown sands from the north and west were deposited here as dunes. Later sediments buried these dunes and with time, pressure and moisture, they became "petrified" sand, or sandstone. Today geologists label this layer the Cedar Mesa Sandstone.

Buried, then tilted and uplifted, the sandstone was slowly exposed by meandering streams which carried away the overlying sediments. These streams helped carve Sipapu and the other bridges.

(Image Caption)
Sipapu is one of the largest natural bridges in the world.

(Native Americans • Environment) Includes location, directions, 5 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

U.S.S. Maine Anchor

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Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia.

U.S.S. Maine
blown up
February Fifteenth
1898
Here lie the remains
of
One hundred and sixty three
Men of the Maine's crew
Brought from Havana Cuba
Reinterred at Arlington
December twenty eighth
1899

(Cemeteries & Burial Sites • War, Spanish-American) Includes location, directions, 2 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

423rd Armored Field Artillery Battalion

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Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia.

Insignia of the Tenth Armored "Tiger" Division

This tree planted
in memory of the courageous men
of the 423rd Armored Field Artillery Battalion
Commanded by LTC William W. Beverley
who fought so valiantly
in the European Theatre of operations
during World War II

(War, World II) Includes location, directions, 2 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Jesuit Community Cemetery

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Washington, District of Columbia.

Since the year 1808 this site
has served as the final resting place for
members of the Jesuit community at
Georgetown University

For God has destined us not for wrath but for
obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
who died for us, so that whether we are awake or
asleep we may live with him.
1 Thessalonians 5:9-10


Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam

(Cemeteries & Burial Sites) Includes location, directions, 3 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

General José María Cañas Highway

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, El Salvador.

En honor al héroe y victorioso defensor de la soberanía y la unión centroamericana, capitán del Ejercito de la República Federal de Centroamérica y comandante en jefe de la gran campaña patriótica que coronó con la derrota y expulsión del filibustero William Walker del istmo centroamericano.

Salvador Sánchez Cerén
Presidente de la República

Gerson Martínez
Ministro de Obras Públicas

English translation:
In honor of the hero and victorious defender of our sovereignty and the Central American union, captain of the Army of the Federal Republic of Central America and Commander in Chief of the great patriotic campaign that ended with the defeat and expulsion of the filibuster William Walker from the Central American isthmus.

Salvador Sánchez Cerén
President of the Republic

Gerson Martínez
Ministro de Obras Públicas

(Patriots & Patriotism • Wars, Non-US) Includes location, directions, 2 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

The Cathedral Church of Saint Luke

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Orlando, Florida.
Francis Wayles Eppes, grandson of President Thomas Jefferson, moved from Tallahassee to Orlando in 1869. Eppes was the first pioneer to gather Episcopal settlers in the area for worship. They purchased this site at the corner of Jefferson Street, so named after Eppe's grandfather, in 1882 for $300 and built a small wood frame church. In 1884 Saint Luke became a parish church. In October 1892, the Missionary Jurisdiction of Southern Florida was established, and Rt. Rev. William Crane Gray became its first bishop. In 1902, Saint Luke became the cathedral for his jurisdiction. In 1922, Saint Luke continued as the cathedral for the newly admitted Episcopal Diocese of South Florida. This Gothic Revival building was designed by architect Phillip H. Frohman, who also served as the chief architect of the Washington National Cathedral. Construction began in 1925. In 1970, the Diocese of South Florida was divided with Saint Luke continuing as the cathedral for the Diocese of Central Florida. Saint Luke Cathedral's choirs have toured the world as cultural ambassadors of the United States and the City of Orlando.

(Churches, Etc.) Includes location, directions, 2 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Centennial Hall Edward Waters College

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Jacksonville, Florida.
Founded in 1866, Edward Waters College (EWC) is the oldest historically black college in Florida. The history of the college is closely tied to the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church. In 1865, the Reverend Charles H. Pearch, a presiding elder of the AME Church, was sent to Florida by Bishop Daniel Alexander Payne. Rev. Pearce worked with William G. Steward, the first AME pastor in Florida, to establish a school. Pastor Steward named his school, which was first located in Live Oak, Brown's Theological Institute. In 1892, the school was renamed Edward Waters College in honor of the third bishop of the AME Church. The school moved to Jacksonville in 1883 where its campus was destroyed by Jacksonville's Great Fire of 1901. In 1904, new land was obtained and work was started on the school's present campus. Centennial Hall, built in 1916 and named to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the AME Church, is the oldest structure on the EWC campus. The Classical Revival style building was designed by the firm of Howells and Stokes of Seattle, Washington. The building was renovated in 1979 and serves as the college's main library. Centennial Hall was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

(Churches, Etc. • Education • African Americans) Includes location, directions, 2 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Parson Brown Orange Tree

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Webster, Florida.
Parson Brown originated as a chance seedling at the home of Reverend N.L. Brown near Webster, Florida in 1856.

Original plantings of this variety on sour orange rootstock on heavy hammock soils produced good crops of relatively high quality fruit.

(Agriculture • Horticulture & Forestry) Includes location, directions, 2 photos, GPS coordinates, map.
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