Winter Park

By Jim Norris, Claire Strom, Danielle Johnson and Sydney Marshall

Winter Park was founded in the 1880s as a balmy paradise for rich Northerners seeking to escape the tribulations of harsh winters or improve their health. The wealth involved in its foundation is still evident in the city's beautiful buildings, a planned African American neighborhood, and a preeminent liberal arts college. The community revolves around a series of picturesque lakes, offering visitors and residents alike many recreational opportunities. The large hotels, in conjunction with Park Avenue's shops, museums, and restaurants, provide many amenities in a lovely setting for visitors both past and present. Among the city's most notable attractions are the Morse Museum of American Art, founded in 1942, which houses the world's largest collection of Louis Comfort Tiffany's works and Rollins College, founded in 1885, which has become a vital part of the community, attracting vibrant personalities both as faculty members and students. One of its most famous alumni was Fred Rogers of Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
• Release date: Feb 16, 2015
• ISBN: 9781439649787

Jim Norris

Jim Norris is an associate professor of history at North Dakota State University. He is the author of After the Year Eighty: The Demise of Franciscan Power in Spanish New Mexico.

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INTRODUCTION

From its foundation in the 1880s, Winter Park has been unusual for two reasons: the people who first settled the town were wealthy, and the main industry has always been tourism. These two distinctive qualities, which continue today, have proved powerful forces in shaping the community and its economic, educational, and social development.

The United States acquired Florida in 1821 with the ratification of the Adams-Onís Treaty with Spain. In 1824, the territorial capital was established in Tallahassee, which was centrally located, because nearly all the region settled by whites ran along the Georgia and Alabama borders. While the US government allowed whites who had settled under Spanish rule to petition to keep their land, much of the new territory became federal property, spawning a land rush, the Second Seminole War, and eventually, statehood in 1845.

The defeat of the Native Americans in 1842 opened the Florida peninsula for settlement, and in 1858, David Mizell moved south from Alachua County with his family and built a log cabin on the shores of Lake Osceola. Mizell called his settlement Lake View and practiced agriculture that was typical of that time and place. He and his large family raised livestock and vegetables for subsistence and grew some cotton for market. After the Civil War, other settlers moved to the region, and many cultivated oranges rather than cotton as their market crop. In 1870, the settlement was named Osceola after the great Seminole war leader.

In 1881, Loring A. Chase, a businessman from Chicago, visited Florida on the recommendation of his doctor. He discovered that there was land for sale, and in partnership with his friend Oliver Chapman, purchased 600 acres. From the beginning, Chase and Chapman planned to establish a winter retreat for wealthy Northerners, making Winter Park the first planned city of Central Florida. Following the purchase, Chapman and Chase quickly had the area surveyed and laid out the town, complete with parks, a business district, and a black neighborhood to house prospective servants.

Settlement of the region was helped by the creation of the Sanford-to-Orlando railroad line in 1881. This meant that Northern settlers could travel down the Eastern Seaboard and up the St. Johns River to catch the train to Orlando and, eventually, Tampa. The South Florida Railroad, however, refused to build a depot in Winter Park, so Chase and Chapman persuaded some of the early settlers to privately fund one.

Wealthy Northerners flocked to the region during the 1880s, laying out citrus groves and building charming cottages overlooking the lakes. Others came just to visit, and in 1882, the Rogers House, the second building constructed in the new settlement, opened its doors as the first hotel. In 1883, Pres. Chester Arthur briefly stayed in the new community, the first of numerous sitting presidents to visit Winter Park. He encouraged settlers and visitors to the area, going on record as saying, This is the prettiest spot I have seen in Florida, and I would like to rest under one of these grand old pines for a week. In 1885, the Congregational Church decided to open a college in Florida and, in response to the generous financial commitments of its residents, chose Winter Park. The town was incorporated in 1887 and included the communities of Osceola and Hannibal Square. Gus Henderson, owner of an African American print and publishing company, rallied black support for the new community, and the first town council included two black councilmen. Three years later, the town founded two public schools: one for black children in Hannibal Square and one for white children. The same year, the first class graduated from Rollins College: Clara Guild and Ida May Missildine.

Over the next 70 years, Winter Park grew in size and prosperity. In some ways, its history mirrors that of other small, Southern towns, but its wealth always made a difference. The relatively good relationship between the town’s black and white citizens did not survive into the dark days of segregation starting in the 1890s. In 1893, Winter Park residents voted to break off from Hannibal Square, making their community white only, while still benefiting from the labor of the neighboring African Americans. In 1925, Winter Park reannexed Hannibal Square to increase its citizens, thereby making it eligible for state-funded municipal projects. Rollins College served as a mitigating factor in the community’s race relations. In the 1890s, the college accepted a group of Cuban students fleeing their country’s internal conflict, and in 1949, Pres. Hamilton Holt awarded civil rights activist and educator Mary McLeod Bethune an honorary degree.

The town’s economic history followed a similar trajectory. Many of its industries, especially in the early years, aligned with the South in general and Florida in particular. Cotton, lumber, turpentine, and oranges provided income to Winter Park inhabitants during the city’s early decades. Tourism, however, was always the prime economic mover. Hotels and boardinghouses dotted Winter Park and its environs, and satellite businesses emerged to cater to the visitors. Horse-drawn trams, steamboats, motor cars, and the Dinky Line moved tourists around Winter Park and Central Florida, taking them to shops, golf courses, parks, lakes, and, of course, the beach.

Despite its wealth, Winter Park was not isolated from the major events of the nation and the world. Its young men and women enlisted in both world wars and training took place on the Rollins campus. During the wars, local inhabitants raised funds, made bandages and provisions to be sent overseas, and donated money and blood. The Great Depression did not have a huge impact on Winter Park, perhaps because many of its inhabitants were well-off. Indeed, Rollins College was able to build both Knowles Memorial Chapel and the Annie Russell Theatre during the heart of the Depression. However, the community was not completely unscathed. Federal works programs built playgrounds, canals, and roads, presumably employing less fortunate area citizens.

Due to its wealth, Winter Park has always been a playground. From the beginning, its citizens fully enjoyed their environment. Visitors and residents alike spent balmy winter days fishing, swimming, boating, and picnicking. Religion was important, and by the early 20th century, the Congregational church had been joined by