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.