Lake Mary

By John Hope

From the start, Lake Mary was quiet and friendly, with a quality of life that attracted people of various backgrounds and origins wanting a break from hectic city life. The founding families described their initial experience as heaven, with men on horseback clomping over dirt roads, dogs running free, ospreys perched in silence, and the echoes of children playing nearby. Underneath the cool shade of Florida oaks and swaying palmettos, women rocked and knitted while men gathered on benches and told valiant stories of catching fish. Since its inception, the Lake Mary City Commission has embraced the so-called total quality of life, providing homes and work opportunities in close proximity to reduce daily commutes and solidify the sense of community. This led the way to Money magazine naming Lake Mary in 1997 the fourth best place to live and work in the United States.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
• Release date: Nov 10, 2014
• ISBN: 9781439648339

John Hope

John Hope grew up in the London suburbs before his family moved to Hertfordshire in the late 1950s. He married Ann nearly fifty years ago and they had four children, and now, six grandchildren. From time to time he has written the occasional article for magazines, but never thought of himself as having a career as a writer. So the opportunity to have The Mouse in the Car published has come about as a delightful surprise and he hopes that it will give as much pleasure to readers as it gave him to write.

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Society.

INTRODUCTION

Starting as two small villages, Belle Fontaine and Bents Station, to the south and north of Lake Mary, respectively, the area began as a citrus-based agricultural community. Beaches along Crystal Lake and Lake Mary and other attractions provided opportunities for residents and vacationers to relax and enjoy time off with family and friends. Early settlers included lumbermen, turpentine workers, and families from Fort Reed (Sanford), who mainly worked in orange groves. As the railroad expanded into central Florida, railroad workers and winter visitors from the north helped to grow the villages.

Swedish-born Axel Evald A.E. Sjoblom left Henry Sanford’s employment in the mid-1880s, moved to the Lake Mary area, and later acquired work in nearby Snowville (later named Altamonte Springs) splitting rails for a new rail line that connected the city of Sanford with the relatively new town of Orlando, formerly known as Jernigan. By 1886, he had bought 30 acres and a house on Crystal Lake close to the new rail line. Sjoblom saw a great opportunity for Belle Fontaine and Bents Station. The area had beautiful lakes, a strong sense of community, and a new train stop. He wisely bought and sold land over the coming years and later built homes and stores, all of which formed the heart of the early villages.

Steam engines became a vital link to draw people and supplies into central Florida, fueling the development in surrounding areas. When Henry Plant later purchased Henry S. Sanford’s railroad and completed a link from Jacksonville to Tampa, a focus on tourism brought even more rail passengers to Lake Mary for a pleasurable dip in its waters. The completion of the railroad between Belle Fontaine and Bents Station brought the two communities together. In the late 1890s, Judge David Pulling and Dr. William Harrison Evans merged the two and renamed the area Lake Mary. The first time the town of Lake Mary officially appeared on a map was in 1899.

In 1882, Dr. Evans moved his family from Indiana to the south shores of Lake Mary to recover from an illness. Dr. Evans practiced medicine in Sanford and planted orange trees on his property. His son Frank was hardworking and incredibly charismatic. In his youth and into his adulthood, he starred in local shows, played music using a saw and violin bow, performed magic tricks, and acted in minstrel shows. Frank grew in prominence in the community and was key to the town’s growth.

By 1923, Frank Evans had founded the Lake Mary Chamber of Commerce, whose goals included good roads, schools, lighting, civil government, telephone infrastructure, city beautification, publicity, and a volunteer fire department. Frank built the Lake Mary elementary school, garage, commercial buildings, and community center. As isolated as the town might have seemed to outsiders, it had the same range of amenities as any town in America. Lake Mary had its own orchestra, Boy Scout and Girl Scout programs, and of course, there were the lakes. Both Lake Mary and Crystal Lake were not only playgrounds for residents, but also centers for tourism, attracting big-city folks from surrounding areas and from far away, thanks to the ever-growing railroad. In 1925, town leaders first attempted to incorporate the city but residents turned it down, fearing possible rigid rules that may have resulted.

World War II affected Lake Mary as it did the rest of America. Residents participated in recycling drives and Victory Gardens while many of their young men and women shipped off to the war. Children showed their support by wearing a V for victory on their sleeves. Everyone rationed, which meant things like sugar, coffee, and chocolate were difficult to come by. The growth of a military presence in Sanford’s new naval air station and Orlando’s McCoy Air Base drew more and more people closer to the small town. Following the war, the community attempted to return to small-town life.

In 1956, Lake Mary’s volunteer fire department was established. A local resident donated a non-functioning flatbed truck, the City of Altamonte Springs donated a 500-gallon tank with four sections of hose, and the City of Sanford donated an extension ladder. Then in 1960, the town was uprooted when Hurricane Donna’s eye wall passed through Lake Mary, destroying crops and