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Lake Louisa State Park

Introduction

Text-to-speech Audio

Located in the vast wetlands Central Florida, Lake Louisa State Park is referred to by locals as "Clermont's best kept secret". It's vicinity stretch to about 4.500 acres of land, containing six lakes, two streams of water and 11 natural communities made up of swamps, were flat woods, Sandhills, and an old citrus grove, among others. Lake Luisa makes for a great spot for both family enjoyment and appreciation of early 1900s American History.

Images

Cloud, Water, Sky, Water resources

Sky, Water, Plant, Branch

Sky, Plant, Nature, Headstone

Sky, Wheel, Aircraft, Vehicle

Backstory and Context

Text-to-speech Audio

Lake Louisa's rich history dates back about 10,000 years, with evidence of various Native American cultures occupying the land. In 1823, Lake Louisa was declared a part of the Seminole reservation by the Treaty of Moultrie Creek. However, seminoles never claimed the land, which caused distinct American families to build homesteads.

Prominent settlers to this land were John and Louise Draggers Hammond, who owned a homestead in these lands in 1910. They built family home, a turpentine still, sawmill, shingle mill, commissary, worker’s cabin, and a school with a church. They used steamboats to transport their goods across Lake Louisa. After their passing, some of the land was bought by the Bronson family, and was made into orange groves. Today, there are still orange trees and pasture land in the park as a reminder of these groves today.

Another important piece of history in Lake Louisa is the remains of the P-51 Mustang airplane belonging to Lieutenant Dean Gilmore, who disappeared in a mysterious plane crash. The discovery of these remains were made possible in a severe drought in 2001 that decreased the lake water levels, revealing the wreck for tourists to see in the lake. This crash occurred in 1944. A war veteran, Lieutenant Gilmore was known for flying 91 reconnaissance missions during World War 2. He was last heard of during his training flight training amateur pilots. There are no indications that say what was the cause of the crash, and to this day it remains a mystery. His body was later found in a partially opened parachute in the lake.

The park staff and members of Gilmore's family worked to rise a monument in honor of Gilmore's war efforts and exceptional piloting abilities. This monument was first showcased in a Veteran's day celebration to honor him and his comrades.

Sources

Louisa State Park, Florida State Parks. Accessed March 3rd 2021. https://www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/lake-louisa-state-park/history.

State Park Brochure, Brochure. Accessed March 3rd 2021. - https://s3.amazonaws.com/img.stateparkhq.com/files/lkl-brochure.pdf.

Accessed April 15th 2021. https://www.hernandosun.com/lake_louisa.

Accessed April 26th 2021. https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-2001-07-01-0107010053-story.html https://www.swissmustangs.ch/dean-r.-gilmore-tribute .

Accessed April 26th 2021. https://www.swissmustangs.ch/dean-r.-gilmore-tribute .

Additional Information