Altamonte Land Hotel & Navigation Company
Surveyed by M. B. Given
Revised and Platted by Otto Fries, 1892
Altamonte Springs 1892 Plat Map
Mayaca-Jororo, the native people of Orlando
If you ask most residents who lived in Central Florida when the Spanish arrived, they’d probably tell you the Seminoles. However, the Seminoles didn't even exist when the Spanish arrived. Instead, they were bands of refugees fleeing to Florida long...
Dr. Howell Tyson Lykes: Founder of the Lykes Brothers
Dr. Howell Tyson Lykes was born in Columbia, South Carolina in 1846. He moved to Spring Hill, in the Brooksville area, with his family at a young age. He served with the Confederate Army during the Civil War; he was...
Osceola Ghost Town
The company town of Osceola was a bustling and modern city from 1916-1940. When the company relocated to south Florida, it literally dismantled the town board by board.
Petty’s Market of Longwood
Siblings Jay and Mary Alysson Pettigrew were twenty-something entrepreneurs passionate about food. Their first venture was running a typical high-volume supermarket owned by their parents (Jerry and Rosemary) in St. Cloud. They sold that market around 1976 when a buyer...
Lord family founded Ebenezer Methodist Church in Elder Springs (Sanford)
John Minton Lord (1839-1924) served with his brother, Jeremiah, for the 3rd Georgia Regiment of the Confederate Army during the Civil War. He was wounded and left for dead at Gettysburg. He lay for nine days under an apple tree,...
Jasmine Theater of Altamonte Springs
You'd never guess it today, but this modest residence was once the hub of social activity in early Altamonte Springs.
Cross Florida Barge Canal: A Shortcut That Never Was
The Cross Florida Barge Canal was an ambitious and ultimately unfulfilled project to carve a watery path across the state's midsection, connecting the Atlantic Ocean with the Gulf of Mexico.
Juneteenth in Bealsville: Freedom’s Fertile Ground
Juneteenth holds a unique significance in the fields near Plant City. A story of resilience, hope, and the unshakeable dream of freedom unfolded in this corner of pioneer Florida.
Gangland Life and Murder of Ed Milam
Orlando boss, Ed Milam, was found brutally murdered in a Kissimmee swamp. We examine his life and death.