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While we’re featuring Sanford today—the whole thing this week is Florida–and my picture above is from Mt. Dora’s Art Festival (as is the dog in the main and all my pictures) but the rest are Sanford but as you can tell from my pictures I was at the Mt. Dora Art festival this weekend and it was great fun.
Of course we’ll have Jamie a little later as well….so stay tuned for my grand exit with a bit of items to get you thru Droughtlander….
The Timucuan Indians were the original inhabitants. By 1760 the Timucuan population was wiped out by war and disease which led to the Seminole Indians becoming the new residents. In 1821 the United States acquired the Florida region from Spain, however the Seminole Wars postponed the settlement of the territory. After the Indian battles were over, a large number of orange groves were established. In 1870, General Henry Shelton Sanford purchased a vast acreage and laid out the city of Sanford. The city was incorporated in 1877. http://www.citytowninfo.com/places/florida/sanford
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Continue across the street, down the block with the parking lot, across a second street and you will come to
The Henry Shelton Sanford Memorial Museum
520 East First St.
This museum contains the only memorial to the town’s founder that you will find in Sanford. It houses a collection of his books, furniture and pictures. The Mediterranean Revival building was completed in 1994 and was built around an earlier building built in 1957 and expanded in 1974.
Leave the museum and turn back right until you come to North Sanford Ave and turn right again. Sanford came to Sanford in 1870 from Conn. but had lived most of his life abroad as a diplomat.
Left on East Commercial Street. Sanford was originally a port on the river and later a railroad terminal, and at this early time in its development was more prominent than Orlando and Winter Park.
Turn Left on Park Ave. In additional to the port and train station, Sanford also brought a hotel and helped develop a citrius grove and experimental garden called Belair. Before the turn of the century citrus a significant money maker in the city. Sanford even developed a company in London where he developed European Investments in the city.
Orlando Magic point guard Chris Duhon couldn’t resist snatching up this Sanford, Florida mansion for $2.1 million in August 2010. Located in the Lake Markham Preserve community, the palatial estate’s 8,111 square feet has more than enough to keep this sports celebrity satisfied: an entertainment wing offering a movie theater and a billiard hall, spiral staircase with hand bent wrought iron banister, outdoor terrace, salt water pool & spa, five bedrooms, eight bathrooms, and just under one and a half acres of land.
Return to First Street… Initially part of Orange Co., Orlando a smaller less prominent town got the county seat position when they used soldiers (temporary residents of the city) to add to the voters on the Orlando roles (rumor has it they were plied with beverages of an alcoholic nature to get their cooperation.
Pico Block (1887)
114 West First St.
The Pico (same group under Plant as built hotel) built the block to house their Sanford offices. It was a whole complex of buildings constructed when this was the center of Sanford’s railroad management. The remains of a carriageway can be seen on the Oak Ave. side of the building. The brick façade of the “L” shaped structure was covered with stucco in the 1920s when it became the Welaka Apartments—the top floors still are, but the stucco as removed in the 1980’s from the ground floor.
McCrory 5 & 10 Building (1906)
105 East First Street
This brick block was first a grocery store owned by N.O. Garner and J.D. Roberts. McCrory’s 5 & 10 occupied the building in 1917 and remained for 27 years. The metal marquee awning you see across the front was typical in the during the early 20th c.
DeForest Block (1887)
121 E. First Street
Called “Touchton’s” this brick block is one of the town’s oldest commercial structures. Built in the late 19th c it was one of the few survivors of the 1887 fire. Originally a general store, and renovated in 1917 by Seminole Co. Bank. It was purchased by W.C. Touchton in 1933 and held a drug store by the same name until 1961.
Enter the lush tropical world of the Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens. A relaxing, entertaining and educational experience for the entire family.
We’ve been at our present location since July 4, 1975. We set a new record for the number of visitors in 2013–300,000 people and we look forward to your visit!
http://www.centralfloridazoo.org/aboutthezoo
Sanford, Florida has a lot going for it, including an impressive collection of historic architecture, plenty of antique shops, and an ecclectic array of dining. Also, Sanford has an excellent waterfront along the banks of Lake Monroe. The city’s history is tied to its steamboat industry which was huge in the nineteenth century. Today, however, Sanford has taken advantage of its proximity to the water in other ways.
http://www.destinationmainstreets.com/florida/sanford.php
Gallery on First is a unique gallery and working space for professional and emerging artists. The public is invited to interact with the artists through shows, events, classes, workshops, and conversations with the working artists.
Located in the Cultural Corridor of historic downtown Sanford, Florida, the gallery is a place where passion for art is shared with a spirit of Southern hospitality. Built in 1882, the Hotchkiss building is a fitting backdrop for art, with its rustic brick walls and light filled transom windows. http://doorlandonorth.com/things-to-do/art-culture-history/gallery-on-first
