Institution

Melissa Dickinson lived in the house until her death in1910. The home was sold to her brother, Albert in 1912.

The Melissa Dickinson House is located at 257 South Volusia Avenue. Originally constructed in 1890, the architectural style is primarily Frame Vernacular,  The home was owned by Melissa Dickinson who was the older sister of Albert Dickinson Jr.  She was involved in cultural organizations and projects in Orange City. She lived in this house until her death in 1910.

Melissa Dickinson House

Director

The Dickinson Memorial Library was constructed in 1918, and dedicated in 1919. It is an example of the Masonry Vernacular architectural style with influences of the Mission architectural style. The foot print of the building was expanded in the early 1980s with an addition. The cross-hip roof was once covered with Ludowici-Cellandon tile of a Spanish pattern. Asphalt shingles replaced the tiles many years ago. The brick chimneys and carved rafters remain. The stucco clad exterior walls were a popular finish of the day. At the entrance there is a curved panel inscribed with “Dickinson Memorial Library” above the door. The local firm of J.H. Bates and Sons constructed the building with members of J.H. Bates, William Keown, Conrad O'Neill and E.S. Corson. The firm was also constructing the house at 344 North Oak Avenue at the same time as they were building the library. It could be said that the Orange City Library Association began in 1876 with a group of women meeting in their homes to do handiwork. While they worked, a person would read aloud; it was usually Mrs. Helen Freeman reading as she always brought a book with her. At one of the meetings she requested that everyone bring a book to loan to the next meeting. Thus began the origins of the Orange City Library. It wasn't until 1879 that the books found a home at the DeYarman Hotel marking the formal organizations of the Orange City Library Association. In 1880, a constitution and by-laws were adopted for a period of 99 years. Mr. A.L. Wellman was the first president and the books were later kept in his store on East Graves Avenue. In 1884, the books again moved to the drugs store of Dr. Philip W. Hill with members taking turns loaning out the books. Two years latter, the books were move to Dr. Allen's store. As the community grew, a small building was purchased from Dr. Hammond to house the books. Then in 1892 , Miss. Mary Stillman provided a lot on the west side of Holly Avenue as the new home for the books. It is presumed that the building purchased from Dr. Hammond was moved to the newly donated lot on North Holly Avenue. In 1897, the books moved yet again. This time to the former Orange City Hotel that had been purchased by Miss Melissa Dickinson. She used her own finances to have the structure remodeled into a formal Hall and Library. She later gave the building to the Orange City Library Association. The upstairs of the building was made into an auditorium, while the downstairs was the library with a reading room. A good size dinning room, a fully equipped kitchen and large meeting room was designated for the free use by the women's Village Improvement Association. Gratefully, the building Melissa had donated and largely furnished survived the fire of 1908. When Melissa died in 1910, her absence in the community left a whole in the hearts of her family and friends. In 1918, Albert and Emma Dickinson initiated plans to construct a new modern library south of the city park. Embarking on building a new library to replace Melissa's building, they contacted Mr. Francis Miller, a Deland architect to draw up plans for a new library. In May 1918, Miller delivered the plans to the Dickinson's. They hired J.H. Bates to supervise the construction of building. In 1919, at the cost of $20,000, the new library was complete. In December of that year, the library was dedicated in honor of Melissa Dickinson, the sister of Albert Dickinson, for her contributions to the betterment of City of Orange City and her unbounding love of the library.

The Dickinson Memorial Library is an example of Masonry Vernacular Architectural style. Construction completed in 1919, the library building was a gift from Albert and Emma Dickinson in memory of Albert's sister, Melissa, who was an honored resident of Orange City. The adjacent street, Albertus Way, was named after Albert Dickinson as it was a new street at the time the library was being built. The firm of J.H. Bates and Sons was the contractor for the new library building.

Dickinson Memorial Library - 148 Albertus Way

Orange City experienced a period of rapid development and population growth in the late 1920s. As a result, the City sought a unified structure for conducting city business. Land was donated by Edward and Lillian Alling and a special bond election was held to ensure financing of the construction. A Classical Revival architectural style was selected by then Mayor E. B. Alling to reflect a New England town hall. Architect Elton J. Moughton of Sanford, FL was commissioned to design a building to include offices for the City Clerk, City Council, Town Marshall and the Fire Department. Deland's R. Knight was awarded the building contract. The cornerstone of the institutional structure was laid on October 6, 1928. The building was completed in December 1928, followed by a dedication ceremony on March 13, 1929. The structure retains its original use for city administrative offices.  Mayor Alling was a prominent member of the community. He is credited as establishing the Orange City Chapter of the American Red Cross. In 1940, Alling donated the one story brick building located just east of Town Hall, which he had used for his real estate office, for use as the local Red Cross Chapter house. The City purchased the Red Cross building in 2002, which is used as offices of the Mayor and City Clerk today. The grounds maintain its historic landscape including a manicured lawn and looming water oaks, making this structure and site an excellent example of Orange City’s historic resources.

Constructed in 1928, this Neo-Classical Revival architecture stands out as one of the city's most significant historic resources. Town Hall was designed to house all offices of the City of Orange City, FL during the boom era of Florida development. The structure remains in use today for Orange City administration offices. The basement level, although now offices, still boasts two early jail cells. 

Town Hall for the City of Orange City, Florida - 205 East Graves Avenue

Established February 5, 1944, the Orange City Shuffleboard Club has provided entertainment and sport to the community for nearly 75 years. 

The Orange City Shuffleboard Club

John W. Camac, a native of New Jersey, had a real estate office in Lansdowne, Philadelphia for 38 years before he ventured to Florida's burgeoning land boom in 1919. He opened a real estate office in Daytona Beach while maintaining his office in Philadelphia. He became very active in Daytona, serving as a director of the East Coast Bank and Trust Co. while investing in the development of the beach side community. In Daytona Beach, Camac developed the Fernwood Hotel and several business blocks on the peninsula's Main Street. Soon, his interests lead him to the west side of Volusia County. The Miami News announced on July 14, 1925 that Camac had purchased the Orange City Mineral Springs Water Company. Having obtained a 50 year franchise of the company, Camac laid out plans to improve the water bottling operations and supply water to 12 new subdivisions in the area. John and Sallie (Erwin) Camac moved to Orange City and quickly became an active participants in all things Orange City. John purchased a reported 200 acres of land in town for future development. Camac was soon busy with planning construction of a two story hotel on the city’s main street. Under the supervision of J.P. Prettyman, construction of the Erwin Hotel began in 1926. The flat roofed hotel was built in a modest Italian Revival style. Two round roof elaborations above the quoins are original to the structure. The name of the hotel is presumed to be named for his wife’s family. At one time, the structure had a series of enclosed garages attached to the south façade extending south. The Italian Renaissance style began late in the nineteenth century peaking in the 1920s before declining in popularity by the 1930s. It was a common style for architect-designed landmarks in major metropolitan areas prior to World War I. Vernacular interpretations, like the Erwin Hotel, were prevalent in the 1920s with the perfection of masonry veneering skills. Prominent decorative details for this structure include parallel quoins, roof-line parapet, and belt courses. The flat roof subtype of Italian Revival architecture is similar to Spanish Revival architecture with stucco cladding and little or no eave overhangs. The hotel manager, Edward Coffey, order 50,000 picture postcards of the hotel and scenes of Orange City to help advertise to northerners. Daily rates for the hotel ranged from $2 to $5 per day depending on the desired accommodations. Local builder J.P. Prettyman drafted the plans and supervised all the construction on Camac's commercial buildings. He also built six dwelling in Orange City and renovated multiple properties in Orange City for the busy developer. In 1926, Camac's investments and construction projects in the city totaled over $300,000. In an article published by the Deland Sun News on April 13, 1926, John W. Camac responds to questions about his substantial investment in Orange City. “I have spent the last eight winters and several summers in Florida, during which time I have been pretty well over the entire state. I have found no place in the whole state, throughout my travels that appealed to me in so many different ways as does Orange City. In the first place, I was attracted by the abundance of magnificent old shade trees, which not only form picturesque arches over all the street, but cover a lest 80 percent of all the property in town. These beautiful shade trees make it at once cool and delightful in Orange City. In the second place, I have found no place in all Florida were there were fewer flies, mosquitos, and insects. Another important fact that attracted me is the close proximity to the beautiful city of DeLand, only a ten minute drive from here, and a wonderful Daytona Beach, the finest one in the world, within an hour’s drive of Orange City. All these things, compiled with the fact Orange City has the best and purest drinking water in the United States, assured me that this was the best place to live and the safest place to make a real estate investment. So I invested here and many of my friends have done likewise. Orange City, in my judgment, is as safe as government bonds for an investment. I am not offering anything for sale, I am still buying.” – J.W. Camac The Orange City Times Newspaper in 1927 reported that John W. Camac was having considerable improvements made to his properties keeping carpenters, painters and gardeners busy about the city. He was applauded in the newspapers for beautification projects he financed. Mr. Camac had planted 500 trees on his properties throughout the city and intended to plant more as trees became available. Camac’s involvement in the City extended to other public services. In 1926, Camac also help organize the Orange City Bank and served as Vice-President, participating in the dedication of the building at 211 North Volusia Avenue. He was reported to be the largest financial contributor toward the construction of a new Methodist church on East University Ave. He was appointed to a steering committee for the construction of the City’s Town Hall in 1927. That same year, Camac was appointed to serve on the city’s Tree Planting Commission alongside local landscape architect Miss Elizabeth Bootes Clark. John and Sallie Camac resided at 401 East Graves Avenue, said to be one of the most beautiful residences in the city at the time. He died September 28, 1929 after a long illness. The Erwin Hotel continued in operation for many years under the direction of Mr. and Mrs. T.C. Beavers.

This two-story structure was built in 1926 for John W. Camac and named for his wife's family. A seasoned real estate developer and banker, Camac commissioned J.P. Prettyman to build the hotel as well as complete the construction of the adjacent Laverne Apartments.  The hotel was advertised on February 4, 1927 in the Orange City Times.  It contained a lobby and seventeen rooms on the second floor and five commercial stores on the first floor.  The commercial stores were home to hair dressers, hardware stores, antiques dealers, and used book retailers.  Other notable commercial occupants on the first floor included the town post office and the Beverly Restaurant.

Erwin Hotel - 244 East Graves Avenue

This former residence is now occupied by Signal 21 Security. 

Rosehurst Cottage

John Camac, a native of New Jersey, had a real estate office in Philadelphia for 38 years before he ventured to Florida's burgeoning land boom in1919. He opened a real estate office in Daytona Beach, while maintaining his office in Philadelphia. In Daytona Beach he developed the Fernwood Hotel and several business block on the peninsula's Main Street and financed the construction of the Florida Theater. In 1926, Camac moved his office to Orange City where he built the Laverne Apartments from the then vacated Hall and Library. The apartment design was influenced by popular building techniques used in the Mediterranean Revival style, which began late in the nineteenth century peaking in the 1920's and 1930's. The characteristics of the Mediterranean Revival architecture is similar to Spanish Revival architecture with low pitched roofs with broad over hanging eaves and covered with red clay brick tile while the walls of the structures are usually always finished with stucco. Camac employed a stucco finish over the original wooden clapboard with decorative diamond emblems on the second floor balcony. The building consists of two floors with ten apartments at the LaVerne each apartment had two rooms with a front and rear porch. Camac acquired the cities water company to insure fresh water to his hotel guests and apartment tenants this helped to expand the infrastructure of the water company. J.P. Prettyman drafted the plans and supervised all the construction on Camac commercial buildings He also built six dwellings and did a renovation in Orange City for Camac. The house at 401 East Graves, the former home of John Camac is the house Prettyman renovated.

This historic multi-family apartment complex was built in 1926 by John W. Camac, a popular real estate developer. It is an example of wood-framed Masonry Vernacular. The apartment building loosely demonstrates Mediterranean revival influence. This structure contains 10 two-room apartments. It is located next to the historic Erwin Hotel, also built by Mr. Camac. The apartments have also been named the Nassau  Apartments and more recently, the Townhouse Apartments.


Laverne Apartments - 238 East Graves Avenue

The Piper House is a residential structure built in 1885 by F.T. and Mary Piper. The dwelling's architectural style is known as Frame Vernacular. This style design was popular in central and south Florida, featuring large covered porches and gabled sloped roofs of tin.  These homes were commonly painted in pastel colors to compliment the Florida climate. 

Piper House

This historic park, owned by the Village Improvement Association Orange City Woman's Club (VIA), opened in 1916. The centrally located park has been the site of countless community gatherings including picnics, celebrations, and political events. The VIA maintains ownership of the property today, but leases the park to the City of Orange City.   

Dickinson Park

This 1910 Colonial Revival structure is located in the center of the historic commercial district, 

Walking tour

Melissa Dickinson House

Introduction

Backstory and Context