Over the past century, probably a hundred historians have debated the name origin of the City of Orlando. "So," I thought, "why not become 101?!" I will reveal some new tidbits and an angle not previously suggested. First, I'll lay...
Name Origins
How did Orlando get its name?
Early Settlers of Snow Hill / Kolokee
Nestled in rural Seminole County, next to the Little Big Econ State Forest, Snow Hill's identity hangs on by a thread. A few dozen homes and a green highway sign provide the only indication of the community's long history. Early...
Maitland overpass marks the old town of Mayo
Hidden under the busy flyover intersection of Maitland Boulevard and US 17-92 are the reminders of a small town that once thrived here around 140 years ago. Mayo Avenue betrays its secret. Rudolph Gustave Mayo (August 22, 1829 - December...
Rounding Wagner’s Curve
Hidden beneath suburban Winter Springs is the old village of Wagner and its once-infamous dead man’s curve.
Origin of Yeehaw Junction
There are a lot of inventive stories about how Yeehaw Junction got its name. All but one are false.
The Village of Taintsville
Residents who lived in the rural community between Chuluota and Oviedo lacked an identity, so they created one.
Winter Springs was almost called Semoran
A late bloomer relative to its neighbors, Winter Springs went through some growing pains including an intense debate over what its name should be.
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....
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...