Cities

Longwood

Seminole County
Population16,842 (2022)
Incorporated1923

Longwood, Florida boasts a charming history nestled within the Orlando metropolitan area. The area’s indigenous inhabitants date back thousands of years, but American settlement began in the 1870s after the Second Seminole War. John Neill Searcy and Edward Warren Henck are recognized as some of the first documented settlers, arriving by steamboat and establishing homesteads in the region.

By the mid-1920s, Longwood officially incorporated as a city, fueled by the Florida land boom. The historic district still showcases remnants of this era, with buildings like the Longwood Village Inn, which once hosted governors’ conferences, and the Queen Anne-style Bradlee-McIntyre House, a testament to the area’s architectural heritage.

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...

1890 Property Map of Lake Brantley area

Lake Brantley and Hunt Club area. This 1890 Orange County tax role map shows the property owners overlayed on the modern-day satellite view map. The red highlighted area indicates the section the Lewton family donated for the Lake Brantley Union...

Longwood Town Marshal Kidnapped by the KKK

The Ku Klux Klan of the 1920s is notorious for lynchings and bigotry. And that dishonor is well-earned, of course. However, the hooded order was involved in more than simply terrorizing blacks, immigrants, Jews, and Catholics. In those days, the...

Lyman Twins of Altamonte, famous Vaudeville stage actors

The comedians settled in Seminole County after retiring from a 15-year career, thrilling audiences nationwide. It’s not every day that genuine celebrities move to town! The citizens of tiny Altamonte Springs were delighted when the famous “Lyman Twins” decided to...

Ginger Ale Springs

Every day thousands of cars zoom past on nearby Markham Woods Road. Its bubbling brook gurgles only a few hundred feet from Interstate 4 and State Road 434. Hiding off in the woods is a tiny boiling spring. Although unknown even to most lifelong residents, for decades, it has been called “Ginger Ale Spring” by insiders.

See Midget City: The biggest little city in the world

Before Disney World, Orlando was home to many original roadside attractions, including this gem. Ohio native Lloyd Cronk built the electrified mini-town with excruciating attention to detail. There he sat behind the cash register, bored out of his mind. The...