Gordon Barnett’s Fern Park was riding high until Hibbard Casselberry incorporated a new town smack dab in the middle. Ask your average Seminole County resident: Where is Fern Park? If they have even heard of it, they’ll probably tell you: South of 436...
Hibbard Casselberry
Hibbard Casselberry, a shrewd businessman with a knack for opportunity, left his mark on Central Florida. Born in 1893 to a prominent surgeon father and hardware heiress mother, his entrepreneurial spirit led him to Florida in 1926.
Casselberry’s vision and negotiation skills shone when he convinced the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad to build a station near his packing house (present-day Target location). Though locals desired a “Fern Park” stop, Casselberry secured the name “Casselberry,” forever etching his name on the future city.
War of 17–92: Casselberry v. Fern Park
Fern Park, Florida and the Largest Industry Under One Roof
Fern cultivation gave rise to a new town with the Haines, Barnett, Casselberry and Vaughn families its royal court. Before Seminole County was created in 1913, the area that is today known as Casselberry was referred to as the Concord...