Montverde, a town on the western shore of Lake Apopka, is located 17 miles south of Tavares and 30 miles from Leesburg. The area, once an early Indian settlement, offers evidence of its past with burial grounds, pottery, beads, and arrowheads.

The first residents arrived in 1865, naming the place West Lake Apopka. According to local lore, the name was later changed to “Monte Verde,” Spanish for “green mountain,” by a visitor from Vermont who was impressed by the rolling hills.

The original homesteaders of Montverde were John W. Harden, W.H. Porter, John Griggs, Lt. Jim Franklin, and Andrew Shaw. John W. Harden, a veteran of two wars, including the Seminole Indian War, came to the area in 1865 with his wife, Aramenta. For his service, he received a 200-acre federal land grant from President Chester Arthur. Harden built a house and founded the town, initially known as West Apopka.