The area behind the former Flea World at the corner of 17-92 and 427 was long known as Elder Springs. It was named for Captain Philip Mahlon Elder, who moved to Sanford in 1884 and served as postmaster for many years.
The area also was known as Clyde, the name born on the train depot, post office, and schoolhouse. Its earliest pioneers settled in the 1880s and by 1886 it had both Methodist and Baptist congregations.
Ebeneezer Church (Methodist) was located at 427 and Tucker Dr. and built in 1890 on an acre land donated on the homestead of J. M. Lord. The Baptist church was at Hester Ave and 427.
By 1915 the water from Elder Springs had become regionally famous. It was advertised extensively in local papers and distributed at groceries and drug stores. It was reportedly known for its purity and could cure all sorts of health ailments.
Its distribution was stopped in the 70s, after many decades when US 17-92 runoff polluted the water supply. In the Seminole County section of the Orlando Sentinel in the 1950s “Elder Springs” is listed in the top banner among the other currently recognizable towns, indicating just how identifiable that name was with locals. There were also prominent clubs like the Elder Springs Homemakers Club that was a fixture in the local community until the 1990s.
