Florida, Orange County, near Apopka
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In the 1870s, the early settlers of northwest Orange County looked to area waterways as commercial highways. Lake Apopka, the head of the Ocklawaha chain of lakes, offered access to the St. Johns River near Palatka and a way for citrus and vegetable growers near the banks of the lake to transport their products. In 1872, William A. Lovell (1828-1903) purchased 225 acres of land on the northwest side of the lake. At this location, he established a landing to serve as a hub for freight service on Lake Apopka and the surrounding region. Before steamer service began on the Ocklawaha in 1882, fruits and vegetables from 17 landings around the lake were brought to Lovell’s Landing for delivery by oxen to Clay Springs and areas further north. As commerce through Lovell’s Landing increased, the community constructed its own school, which operated from 1884-1895. In the 1920s, Apopka built a dock, clubhouse, and picnic grounds at the landing. In 1926, Orange County built a road connecting Apopka to the area. Waterway commerce from Lovell’s Landing subsequently declined as more and faster methods of transporting fruits and vegetables came to the region.
(Agriculture • Settlements & Settlers • Waterways & Vessels) Includes location, directions, 2 photos, GPS coordinates, map.
In the 1870s, the early settlers of northwest Orange County looked to area waterways as commercial highways. Lake Apopka, the head of the Ocklawaha chain of lakes, offered access to the St. Johns River near Palatka and a way for citrus and vegetable growers near the banks of the lake to transport their products. In 1872, William A. Lovell (1828-1903) purchased 225 acres of land on the northwest side of the lake. At this location, he established a landing to serve as a hub for freight service on Lake Apopka and the surrounding region. Before steamer service began on the Ocklawaha in 1882, fruits and vegetables from 17 landings around the lake were brought to Lovell’s Landing for delivery by oxen to Clay Springs and areas further north. As commerce through Lovell’s Landing increased, the community constructed its own school, which operated from 1884-1895. In the 1920s, Apopka built a dock, clubhouse, and picnic grounds at the landing. In 1926, Orange County built a road connecting Apopka to the area. Waterway commerce from Lovell’s Landing subsequently declined as more and faster methods of transporting fruits and vegetables came to the region.(Agriculture • Settlements & Settlers • Waterways & Vessels) Includes location, directions, 2 photos, GPS coordinates, map.
Greenwood Cemetery was part of a Republic of Texas grant, called the John Grigsby League, given for service in the Battle of San Jacinto. W. H. Gaston, pioneer Dallas banker, acquired title to the site in 1874, after the noted local legal battle, “The Grigsby Cases,” and founded Trinity Cemetery. Greenwood Cemetery Association assumed operation in 1896. Many people prominent in the histories of the city, state and nation rest here, in addition to casualties and veterans of every American military involvement since the War between the States.
In memory of the honored founders of Mendon
Masonic Lodge No. 36 of the Grand Jurisdiction of Florida was established in 1856 and is stioll serving under a warrant issued that year. This building was erected here in 1859; the upper story has been continually used for lodge meetings. The original lower floor was used as post office, school, church and general store. Masons from miles around visited the community, which was known as the The Lodge until the Town of Apopka City was chartered in 1882. In 1952, due to the effects of deterioration and highway widening, the lower story was removed and replaced. Orange Lodge No. 36 is a “Moon Lodge” and meets on or before the full moon and two weeks thereafter.
The furnaces of the earth brought spectacular change to this land 1300 years ago. A new, rough, glassy environment offered a harsh home for the heartiest plants and animals. Past cultures prized the shiny black rock for their survival. Today, the Big Obsidian Flow is marvelled at for its beauty and mystery.
The entire surface of this remarkable flow is glass, a liquid that cooled without crystallizing. The striking differences you see from rock to rock are due to the number and size of bubbles.
First came a violent eruption of pumice and ash. Then glassy lava oozed from the ground.
Where people lived near obsidian, their lives and cultures were transformed. They used and celebrated the glassy gift of volcanoes to manufacture tools, weapons, jewelry, sculptures, and ceremonial objects. To ancient Central American people, the importance of obsidian for their economies was similar to that of steel for the economies of modern industrial nations.
Piedmont, named in the late 1890s, was comprised of a wide area around Blue lake, one and one-half miles east of Apopka City. It was a close-knit community populated in the 1870s almost entirely by Swedish immigrants. Among the earliest settlers were the Andersons, Thollanders, Jacksons, Olsons, and Larrsons. Railroad tracks were extended through the settlement in 1885, and the Piedmont Railroad station was constructed in 1890. Emily Jackson Swanson (1911-2001), living here her entire life, was the last Piedmont resident born of Swedish parents. A small store and a schoolhouse, the center of the community, served as a social center and church. Residents cultivated citrus groves and vineyards establishing several wineries. Residents also farmed raising livestock, produce, and poultry. In the late 1890s, a saw mill was built that continued into the 1920s, and the Florida Central and Peninsula Railroad built a new railroad freight station. The Piedmont post office, established to serve 75 residents in 17 homes in 1903, was discontinued in 1922. In the 1920s, electric service became available. The Piedmont Chamber of Commerce was formed in 1929. The area was annexed into the City of Apopka in 1986.
The Atlantic Coastline Railroad Company Passenger and Freight Depot Bradentown Florida, built c. 1925, became the Bradenton Depot when Bradentown dropped the w from its name. The historical significance on local and state levels was tremendous as its completion created a terminus of rail, road and water travel in Southwest Florida, connecting freight shipments from the piers on the Manatee River and shipping of agricultural products north, along with bringing passengers and tourists south during the expansion boom. The depot served the area from the time of the economic boom, through the depression, up to and including the great Florida growth period. Its era of significance was from 1925 to 1952. The 9,000-square-foot Mission/Spanish Colonial Style Revival building was constructed at a cost of approximately $80,000 and still stands on its original location. The building fell into disrepair in the 1990s, with the roof falling in and facing condemnation. It was purchased by Daniel B. Pope, M.D., of Bradenton. With a great love of railroad tradition, he brought the depot back to its original glory with red tiled roof, and white stucco trimmed in red brick.
Robert McAfee, a soldier in Colonel Johnson's Mounted Regiment, kept a journal of his experiences, and wrote on October 7, 1813:
The Island Playhouse is one of the oldest buildings on Anna Maria Island. The simple frame vernacular building was once the home of William H. Gillett and was originally located in the Town of Parrish in Manatee County. In 1912, it was barged down the Manatee River in two sections to Tampa Bay and then to Anna Maria Island. In its new location, the building was first used as a tourist center by the Anna Maria Beach Development Company, which promoted the island community by offering steamship tours to prospective residents. Following the City of Anna Maria’s incorporation in 1923, the building was used for city offices, church facilities, classrooms, and as a social hall for World War II soldiers. Since 1949 the building has served as the Island Playhouse, and offers theatrical productions to the community’s residents and visitors.
