Classroom

The Sanford Grammar School's original location was&nbsp;the Sanford High School in 1902.

















W. G. Talley had designed this school in
1902, and it was in the Romanesque revival style.&nbsp;&nbsp;In 1911 the high demand for schooling and high supply of students led to a new building, the Westside Grammar Elementary School, which is now known as the Sanford Grammar School. It was not an easy task to get the city's approval for the new school, but when they did, they were granted $75,000 to construct it.&nbsp;Soon after, the Women's Club hosted a fundraiser in 1921 to raise money to build a lunchroom in the school, which was highly successful and the lunchroom was built on October 10 of that year. The school operated until at least the 1980s. Unfortunately, the lunchroom was torn down despite many objections from the town in 2008.

The Sanford Grammar School as it appears today. It closed indefinitely in 2015. Photo: Ebyabe, via Wikimedia Commons.

Children playing outside the school in 1945.  

Constructed in 1902, Sanford Grammar School operated for decade as a public school. It was originally established as Sanford High School and operated as such until 1911 when it became a grammar school. In 1984 the school was placed on the National Register of Historic Places for its architectural and educational significance. For a time, the building housed the Margaret K. Reynolds Student Museum. In 2012, the University of Central Florida operated the building as the Public History Center, where students could hone their history skills. UCF also continued to run the museum. Unfortunately, the building was forced to close in 2015 when UCF terminated its lease. Without the university, the city could no longer afford to keep the building open. As of April 2017, it is not clear what the status of the building is today.

Sanford Grammar School

This tour is perfect for a long walk or short drive and includes some of the leading landmarks and museums of Sanford including the Orange County Regional History Center and the Sanford Museum. Visitors to the city should also consider the nearby and historic Dr. P. Phillps House.

Tour of Sanford Florida

Historic Sanford was the site of the Fort Mellon U.S. Army post during the Seminole wars of the 1830s’. The town of Mellonville established when settlers moved into the area. The town became a distribution point for goods essential for the growth of Central Florida due to the advent of commercial steamboat services. In 1870 Henry S. Sanford purchased the land west of Mellonville and planned to create a new city called “the Gate City of South Florida” in hopes that it would become the transportation hub for all Southern Florida. In 1880 Henry S. Sanford formed a land company in London which encouraged investments in the new city and construction also began on the South Florida Railroad with a terminus in Sanford. “By 1884 Sanford was a prosperous town with Wharves, a railroad station, and a large hotel”. In 1887 there was a fire that spread across the wooden buildings on the east side and the buildings that burned down were rebuilt with brick, and after this fire is when All Souls Catholic School and Church was first built. (City of Sanford) The All Souls
cornerstone was laid on July 4, 1887. The Sanford mission was tended by Father
Fox of Orlando until Rev. Patrick J. Bresnahan became the first resident priest
in 1911. Father Bresnahan was sent to Tallahassee by Bishop Curley in 1915,
where he was influential in combating anti-Catholic state legislation. After
Father Bresnahan left All Souls, his ministry was chiefly to non-Catholics for
five years. “But Sanford Catholics dated the time when all the sacraments were
administered regularly to them from 1911, when Father Bresnahan arrived”. (All
souls catholic church)

The first school that organized in 1913 closed after one
year of operation. In the late 1920’s, the All Souls Catholic Women’s Club
began and was affiliated with the DCCW. In 1951 the Holy Name Society reactivated
and became the Men’s Club. Between September 1931 and January 1932 the original
church burned down, which happened to be in the midst of Florida’s economic
depression. The parishioners had to work five years to rebuild a new church on
the same property with their own hands. During the pastorate of Rev. Richard J.
Lyons, “All Souls was once more established and staffed with the first Sisters
of Christian Charity to serve in Florida”. In a garage on land purchased by the
parish, the school opened up on September 7, 1954. In 1960, a permanent school
and hall were built. In 1981, a multi-purpose center and an addition on the
school were built as well. Sisters of St. Joseph of St. Augustine, who were
originally from France and brought to Florida in 1866 and gave their time to
education, which included instruction of students who were deaf, blind,
developmentally disabled, or otherwise handicapped, were staffed at All Souls
from 1978 to 1983 and Laity carried on until the arrival of Ursuline Catholic nuns
in 1987. (All souls catholic church)

 

Near
Sanford, Mr. Sanford had developed a Belair which is “a citrus grove and
experimental garden” where he tested the adaptability to Florida’s climate on
more than 140 varieties of citrus. “During the winter of 1894-95, the citrus
industry received a serious blow when freezing temperatures destroyed the
year's entire crop” causing many citizens to leave the area because of economic
ruin. Some people did end up staying and harnessed artesian wells and developed
a sub irrigation system that helped to permit commercial agriculture. Due to
this commercial agriculture, “by the 1st decade of the 20th
century, Sanford was one of the largest vegetable shipping centers in the U.S.”
and was named the “Celery City” for the most successful crop. When Seminole
county was officially established on April 25, 1913, which was almost a year
after the first school was organized, Sanford was appointed as the county seat
and Sanford participated in the growth of Central Florida in the boom and bust
years that were to come. “From 1942 to 1968, the Sanford U.S. Naval Air Station
drew many residents away from agriculture and brought new people to the city”
and today the old Naval Air Station is Sanford’s International Airport. Between
those years, The permanent School that is still standing today was built and
opened. (City of Sanford)

This historic school and church dates back to 1887 when Father Swembergh, the first missionary of the Diocese of St. Augustine to reside in this area of Florida, organized a congregation. Swembergh worked as a resident priest and took over the four-year-old Central Florida missions in Maitland and Sanford that began in 1882 by Father McFaul. McFaul was a priest from St. Louis and was called to Orlando in 1886. When Father Swembergh arrived, he held mass at Doyle’s Hall which is still a part of the school today. 

All Souls Catholic School and Church

Towards the end of the 19th century, Sanford was a small but a thriving&nbsp;town. Railroads and riverboats were key drivers of the local economy. The railroads were also important in that they provided medical services beginning in the 1890s. This continued until 1904 when these were moved to Georgia. The closest medical facility was in Orlando, which was 20 miles away. Mrs. Fernald recognized this problem and decided to donate the house to the city. The building was expanded twice in the coming years and had a total of 30 beds. In 1945 the hospital’s facilities were moved to the Sanford Naval Base. The base closed in April of 1951 and the hospital facilities were moved back to 500 Oak in September and remained there until 1955. &nbsp;

Built in 1910 and today the Florida Hotel, this historic building was once the Fernald-Laughton Memorial Hospital, which operated from 1919-1955. It was built as a home for George Fernald, a native of Boston and co-founder of a hardware company, and his family. After George passed away in 1919, his wife, whose maiden name was Laughton, decided to sell the house to the city so it could become a hospital. It became a boarding house hotel in 1955 and has essentially remained so ever since. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. During the 1980s, there was an effort to close the hotel because it tended to attract transients. 

Old Fernald-Laughton Memorial Hospital

The Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center, formally knows as the Milano was built in the July of 1923 and seated 823 people. This theater was originally built over another theater that had been abandoned before its time. In 1933, the theater was sold to a couple, Frank and Stella Evans, investors who were originally from Lake Mary, Florida. They then renamed the theater to The Ritz Theater and was open until the 1978, its closing was due to financial issues that began in the 1960s and also due to the new multiplex theaters they had in place. This property continued to fail and reopen until the mid-1990s, The Ritz Community Theater Projects Inc. rehabilitated it when it was decaying. In 2000, it reopened once again as the Helen Stairs Theater, in honor on Helen Stairs who took part in the restoration process. The next year the theater was placed on the National Register of Historical Places, and was renamed again after all the renovations were complete to The Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center in 2008.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 

The historical site
called Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center, is located on 201 Magnolia Ave in Sanford,
Florida, zip code 32771. The theater itself has gone through many reconstructions
since the 1920’s being renamed many times ranging from The Ritz and Helen
Stairs Theater, and being among one of the few silent movie theaters located in
central Florida. The theatre is constructed of brick, hollow tile, stucco, and
the high multi-level roof was built to accommodate the lifting of stage
backdrops. The theater was built in 1922 by Frank Miller and Edward Lane who
combined their name to form the Milane Amusement Company. The significant of
this establishment was based around gaining attraction and amusement for tourist
and residents alike. The tourist boom during the 1920’s had a huge helping hand
in shaping central Florida. There were many out of state families and investors
who came to Florida for either vacation or looking for way to make money off
the real-estate bubble that would soon pop and lead to the great depression.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The Wayne Dench Theater has held
continues events with more to come, in 2012 there was a “film festival which
drew more than 1,500 attendees in February, double the first year’s attendance.
The non-profit Love Your Shorts Festival features everything from documentaries
to comedies, each less than thirty minutes long” ( Jackson, Jerry) The Love Your
Shorts Film Festival is not only a recurring event but in February of 2016 the
event “ showcase sixty-one different short films from seventeen counties around
the world. The films were be separated into different blocks by categories such
as animation, documentary, comedy, drama, and Florida flavor, Two UCF student
films were be featured in the Florida Flavor Block.” (UCF) I feel that the
Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center plays a important historical role in
Sanford, Florida it brings many families together ranging from all ages and
different backgrounds and gives the community the feeling of going back in time
and get a taste of how things where in the 1920’s.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center
has held a very successful fund-raising project which lead to several
improvements ranging from the interior to the exterior. “These projects included
a complete the re-painting of the theater, major upgrades to the marquee which
was replaced with all high usage lighting with LED technology light and the
installation of the RITZ Theater sign as it looked back in the 1920’s. Fund
raiser raised from individual patron donations, The City of Sanford’s Community
Redevelopment Agency and The Wayne Densch Charitable Trust.” (WDPAC) The Arts
Center is sponsor by four big companies I central Florida which include Seminole
County Florida’s Natural Choice, Untied Arts of Central Florida, Wayne Densch
Charites Inc. and Seminole Cultural Arts and council. This remarkable landmark
will be around for a long time to come and image the smiles and excitement that
Wayne Densch Performing Arts upon the many families that have attended and the
many smiles families that will soon come.

&nbsp;

The Milane Theater opened as a "silent movie house" in August of 1923

The Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center

&nbsp; The Sanford museum is located on 520 East 1st
street, in downtown Sanford Florida, next to Fort Mellon park on Sanford’s
historic waterfront. The museum is also known as a gallery and has exhibits of
local history including: city plans, railroads, riverboats, agriculture,
businesses, education, local celebrities, the fire and police department, and
the naval air station of Sanford. The sports collection highlights the
achievements of Sanford natives including sportscaster Red Barber, Baseball
stars Tim Raines and David Eckstein, professional football stars Jeff Blake and
Reggie Branch and Drew “Bundini” Brown, also known as Muhammed Ali’s corner
man. The exhibit includes Hall of Fame players who were in Sanford with the New
York Giants’ farm system in the 1950s (Sanford Florida).

&nbsp;&nbsp; The
Mediterranean revival building was completed in 1994. It surrounds the first
structure of the museum built in 1957. After opening in 1957, the museum
continued to expand in 1974. Established as a memorial to the city’s founder,
Henry S. Sanford, the museum today houses exhibits dealing with the history of
the city as well as the life and times of its founder. The Sanford museum in
1957, was known as the Henry Shelton Sanford Memorial Library and Museum. The
Sanford family collection including the library and papers of city founder
Henry S. Sanford, was donated to the city by Sanford’s daughter Carola Sanford
Dow. On display are European and American paintings, furniture, personal
objects, and books from 1820 – 1890 (Sanford, Florida).

&nbsp; &nbsp;The
Sanford museum is one of the oldest museum in Sanford. The opening ceremonies
were attended by Henry Sanford’s daughter, Carola Sanford Dow, and two of his
grandchildren, Stephen Sanford and Jane Sanford Pansa. In her will of 1901,
Gertrude Sanford expressed a desire that the City of Sanford, Florida have her
husband’s library as his memorial. Sanford’s daughter, Carola Sanford Dow
fulfilled this wish. In 1957 the Henry Shelton Sanford Memorial Library and
Museum, was built to include the decorative arts collection of General Sanford.

&nbsp;&nbsp; The
museum was open to let the people learn about who the founder of Sanford was.
Henry Sanford lived mainly in Connecticut. He never lived in Sanford. Sanford
was one of his investments. Sanford was the gateway to go further down south.
At first the City of Sanford was known for citrus fruits, but then that changed
due to the cold killing the citrus fruit. This led the city to become known for
something else. The City of Sanford became known for celery. The New York
Giants came to Sanford and used the city for their training camp. Jackie
Robinson was the first black baseball player in Sanford and was traveling along
with the New York Giants. The navy base was also set up in Sanford. At one
point in time Sanford was Orange County, then it later on became Seminole
County. The Sanford Museum is significant because it tells the story of the
founder of Sanford and the history of the City of Sanford. People didn’t know
who Henry S. Sanford was and how the City of Sanford was established. Florida
legislature named Sanford as the county seat, twenty- two years after Henry
Sanford’s death in 1891.

Henry
Sanford also opened the Sanford House. It had social gatherings and community
dances there with two hundred rooms available. This was the hotel Henry Sanford
built in 1875. Three presidents have stayed at the hotel – Ulysses S. Grant,
Chester A. Arthur, and Grover Cleveland. Guests would have chartered a steam
yacht for the night and the yacht would cruise along the St. Johns River. 

&nbsp; The Sanford House which faced the lake,
provided a garden for its guests between the front porch and the lake. This
would be the gathering area for the speeches during the Fourth of July celebration
following the county’s creation a few months earlier. (Robison 48) Typical of
the resort hotels of its time, the sprawling three – story wooden structure
featured a wide, open veranda with dozens of rocking chairs. Guests played
croquet within the well – kept, fenced grounds that faced Henry S. Sanford’s
horticultural park on the lakefront. For more adventurous guests, the hotel
arranged bass fishing and hunting for turkeys, deer, quail, and alligators. (Robison
49)

The Sanford Museum opened in 1957 as The Henry Shelton Sanford Memorial Library and Museum. The building was expanded in 1974 and again in 1993. The Sanford Family Collection, including the library and papers of city founder Henry S. Sanford, was donated to the city by Sanford’s daughter Carola Sanford Dow. On display are European and American paintings, furniture, personal objects and books from 1820-1890. 



Sanford Musem

       
       The Mediterranean Palace style building at 1000 East 1st Street in Sanford, Florida has seen its share of owners since the 1920’s land boom. It was first named the Hotel Forrest Lake after the mayor of Sanford who had it built with some partners for $500 million. The problem was, hardly anyone came. After it failed in 1927 it was renamed the Mayfair Inn. The New York Giants Baseball Club owned it for a while, then it changed hands once again to become the Sanford Naval Academy. It now serves as the international headquarters of the New Tribes Mission, an organization that distributes bibles to third world remote villages in their native tongue.
       This building has a limited written history about it. The land boom in Florida began to slow down, right before the Great Depression, but the city of Sanford also went bankrupt before that for another reason. The culprit for this was none other than the mayor of Sanford and Seminole County Bank president Forrest Lake himself. As a significant contribution to the development of the city of Sanford, the building also became a symbol of political corruption and greed which financially ruined not only Sanford, but the newly formed Seminole County as well. The main focus of the history of this building is Forrest Lake, and his corrupt political impact on all of Seminole County, Florida.
       Forrest Lake moved to Sanford from South Carolina at age 17. Seven years later he was elected Mayor for the first of 11 non-consecutive terms. After the freeze of the late 1890’s destroyed the citrus industry for a time, the city switched over from citrus to celery. In 1898, after the Spanish-American War, Lake went to Santiago, Cuba to learn more about ice and the preservation of vegetables to open an ice house. After returning to Sanford he was elected mayor again. During this time Lake, Bob Holley, editor of the Sanford Herald at the time, and other prominent Sanford businessmen wanted to break off from Orange County to be their own autonomous county and be the county seat. Lake was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 1910 and made sure he was appointed to the County Division Committee, joining his friend State Senator Donegan from Osceola County. During the election of 1912, the Orlando Sentinel got word of a possible separation from Orange County and confronted the two committee members. Both Lake and Donegan denied support of any such split, yet secretly nudged a bill through Congress. With no opposition, the Governor routinely signed it in 1913. The outraged Orlando Sentinel then published an article about Forrest Lake being a liar and a cheap politician unfit for office. 
        It was common for newly formed counties to have a county bank, so while in the state legislature, Lake applied for and was granted a charter to create the Seminole County Bank. Having accomplished what he set out to do he returned to Sanford and was appointed bank president by a board of businessmen and was also elected mayor again. 
The trust given to Lake was about to corrupt him. Political corruption was not uncommon for developing communities all throughout Florida. Bank failures were happening all over the state due to too many communities relying on one industry or crop, not enough bank regulation and restrictions, and poor management. During Lake’s first few years as mayor there were some improvements such as a seawall, and paved roads and the hotel he built for himself with unsecured loans to himself from his bank. Loans were made unsecured to land owners with little or no collateral. Lake claimed to finance all this by selling bonds to New York investors at 95 cents on the dollar. This was discovered to be actually less than 90 cents on the dollar.  In June 1927 a principle and interest payment of $270,000 was due on the bonds. The bank only had a little over $80,000. A group called the Taxpayers League got involved and Lake was eventually convicted on 19 counts of embezzlement and theft of over $353,000 dollars. The city was left bankrupt with $1,000,000 in debt, right before the Great Depression. Sentenced to 14-16 years hard labor, all of his convictions were overturned by appeal because of faulty jury selection except one which he served almost 4 years beginning in 1931. After prison he returned to Sanford, hated and living on the streets with others struggling during the 1930’s. He died 5 years later in the very hospital he promised to build with those bonds, with a few small lines in the Sanford Herald about “Forrest Lake, businessman dies”.  A few businesses closed for the day……  In 1971, the city of Sanford finally paid off the “Lake bonds”.



Hotel Forrest Lake/New Tribes Mission

Fort
Mellon, previously known as Camp Monroe, shaped and influenced its surrounding
areas more than many people may know. The Fort was erected in 1836 as Camp
Monroe as a staging area for troops and supplies during the Second Seminole
war. Many troops of the United States army have been pushing further and
further south into heavily populated Seminole Indian territory. The fort was
strategically placed on the shore of Lake Monroe which stretches sixteen miles
and flows into the St. Johns River. The area was home to around two hundred and
fifty Seminole under the leadership of chief Coacoochee (Wildcat) who
proclaimed that he was “made from the sands of Florida”. In order to win back
control of their beloved “Wepolokse” (round lake), the chief and his large
tribe faced many well trained military men. Some notable military figures that
were at Camp Monroe/Fort Mellon include generals Jesup, Hernandez and Eustis
with colonels Harney, Twiggs, and Fanning, many in which local towns or lakes
have been named after. 

The
Second Seminole was caused by the further expulsion of Seminole tribes executed
by Andrew Jackson who as president, extracted many Native tribes from Florida
already. As the Seminole tribe numbers dwindled and they faced losing more land
than they already have, they had the choice to leave or fight for their land
and rights. The Seminoles decided to fight.

Right before daybreak
on February 8th, 1837, Seminoles led by chief Emathla and his son
Coacoochee attacked the sleeping barracks of Fort Mellon where tents of the sleeping
soldiers were easy targets with rifles. The men slept with their weapons and
quickly were ready and began firing back at the Seminoles. Luckily for the men
at the fort, the day before they were ordered to construct a wall with large
pine logs which helped that morning and the Seminoles could not invade the fort
itself. Col. Fanning and his men then used a steamboat and its artillery to
take shots on the invading Seminoles which served as a pivotal moment in the
battle where it showed how their modern military resources had great advantage
over the desperate and lacking Seminole. 

The
Seminoles retreated to the Oklawaha river and as they regrouped in anticipation
to return to battle, a messenger from the head chief of the Seminole Miconopy
informed them of the Armistice or Capitulation negotiation. The only fallen
soldier at Camp Monroe was Captain Mellon of the Second Regiment of Artillery. The
men at Camp Monroe were given the order to retreat to Fort Call and Fanning
sent a letter to General Jesup to give news of the battle and the sole loss of
Captain Mellon.“Capt. Mellon served during the last war against the Great
Britain. On this spot he gave his life to his country. Honor to his memory!
Henceforth, the strong picket work constructed here by your labor, will be
called Fort Mellon.” – Colonel Fanning.

The implication of
everything that happened at Fort Mellon has shaped local history drastically.
The military that occupied the camp shaped the area around it by creating
different roads and even created the surrounding town of Mellonville. Some
soldiers explored the area thoroughly, drawing detailed maps and writing about
the local fauna. Lake Monroe was a strategic place for the fort but little did
they know, the area surrounding them would later become downtown Sanford, one
of the busiest and notable parts of the city. Though the Second Seminole war
was not something to celebrate, without Fort Mellon, Sanford would not be the
same.

Fort Mellon, previously known as Camp Monroe, shaped and influenced its surrounding areas more than many people may know. The Fort was erected in 1836 as Camp Monroe as a staging area for troops and supplies during the Second Seminole war. Many troops of the United States army have been pushing further and further south into heavily populated Seminole Indian territory. The fort was strategically placed on the shore of Lake Monroe which stretches sixteen miles and flows into the St. Johns River. Some notable military figures that were at Camp Monroe/Fort Mellon include generals Jesup, Hernandez and Eustis with colonels Harney, Twiggs, and Fanning, many of which local towns or lakes have been named after. 

Tour of Sanford Florida

Sanford Grammar School

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources