History is All Around

On Friday, I went to Parker Lumbar, a local lumber yard in Maitland. It’s one of those family businesses that have been around for years. In the case of Parker Lumbar, generations; the Parker family was one of the pioneer families of Maitland Florida. A member of their family signed the charter to incorporate the city in 1884.
In 1934, Willard F. and Laurence Parker started the Parker Lumber Company and the lumbar yard has operated for over 75 years at the same location.

In addition to starting what eventually would be a thriving business for many, many years, the Parker family was very involved in their community. W.L. “Bud” Parker was a member of Maitland’s Volunteer Fire Department and served our City as Mayor and member of the City
Council. As the years passed, Maxine Parker was an avid member of the Maitland Woman’s Club, and Rita Parker was involved in the Maitland Historical Society and helped bring the Waterhouse museum to reality.

There will be more as I hope to have the opportunity to talk with the family about their history in the area.

Brief History of Winter Park

When I think of Winter Park, I think of that fabulous Saturday morning market with the artisan breads and cheeses, the cute shops, the Tiffany museum, and a wonderful French bistro on one of those side streets (Jan Hurndon)

Like Jan, this is the image of Winter Park for many of us who live in Central Florida. But it was not always so.

The first white settlers to come to the area were the Mizell family in 1858. The Mizell were also involved in the cattle war that took place between 1865 and 1875. David Mizell Jr. and his family, the first settlers in what is now Winter Park, buy eight acres between Lakes Virginia. The settlement that grows up around their homestead is called Lake View.

Chartered in 1887, the city was originally developed as a winter resort for wealthy Northerners seeking refuge from the harsh winters and a tranquil place to rest and relax. Fortunately, the city has maintained its natural beauty throughout the years.

Loring Chase and Oliver Chapman, who during an informal discussion, decided they wanted the name to be something about a park in winter - thus the name Winter Park.
In the mid-1800s the Seminole Hotel was completed and was an example of Gilded Age architecture.

The hotel burned to the ground at the turn of the century.

The city of Winter Park does not support the historical association. The association relays on individual donations.

Get started

Monday I started my work with the Winter Park Historical Association. After a meeting with the director and the association chair we have come up with a plan to organize the archive. Over the next few months I well take each box and compare the artifact to the physical record and update their computer files. Also I be photographing all the artifacts and imputing them to the computer files.
This might sound like a lot of work. However when do we get the opportunity to be so involved with our local history.