Lorida, Florida: Origins of a Cracker Town

Many towns in Florida were started by skilled real estate developers with capitalistic dreams of striking it rich, not Lorida. Its cowboy homesteaders sought the hard country life, building their own version of Eden on the edge of the Everglades....

Southern States Feared Negro Domination

Nothing was more terrifying to wealthy landowners in the post-Confederate South than an empowered black electorate. The suffrage of the previously subjugated class could easily disrupt their monopoly on Southern politics. The 15th Amendment, in theory, guaranteed the right to...

The Illusion of Freedom: African Americans in 1890s Florida

Despite being granted their freedom some thirty years prior, freed slaves in turn of the century Florida were still barely unshackled. Being set free (13th Amendment), granted equal citizenship (14th Amendment), and given the right to vote (15th Amendment) didn’t...

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...

Conners Highway Rivals Impact of Flagler’s Railway

Between 1915 and 1930, there was perhaps no more substantial issue in Florida than the quality of roads. The opening of the first paved road through the Everglades in 1924 was a turning point for South and Central Florida.

Is it Fort Basinger or Bassenger or Bassinger…?

Since just about 1837 there has been confusion over the name of the Seminole Wars fort and its sister towns on opposite sides of the Kissimmee River . Growing up, I guess I was a bit of a nerd. I...

Brighton, Florida: Ghost town that was almost a county seat

“Here will soon be one of the busiest and most populous towns in Florida,” insisted one October 1925 announcement. Another advertisement boldly proclaimed the new Highlands County settlement would “become the trading center of the greatest and most profitable truck-farming, poultry-raising...

Sebring and Avon Park Battle for County Seat

When the Florida legislature formed Highlands County from DeSoto County in 1921, it kicked off a heated campaign to decide which town would become the capital city. In the early 1900s, south-central Florida was dominated by mega-county DeSoto County, itself having...

Brick Highways of Orlando: The Fading of Highway 22

During the 1910s and 1920s, brick roads connecting towns throughout Florida were all the rage. The few remaining today are fading fast. One hundred years ago, in 1916, brick highways were considered state-of-the-art. The now antiquated paving material was a revolutionary...