Stops
Built in 1885 for wealthy Boston architect Nathaniel Bradlee as a winter “cottage.” It was home to the McIntyre family for much of the first half of the 1900s. It was located in Altamonte Springs in until 1973 when the Longwood Historic Society preserved it from destruction by moving it to Longwood and then restored it over multiple decades. It is the prime example of Queen Anne style in Seminole County and is open as a museum on Wednesdays and Sundays (1-4).
Our next stop is next door, just west on Warren Avenue.
It was constructed in 1914 by Daniel Clouser, the younger brother of master carpenter Josiah Clouser. He built the home for his mother, Sallie Clouser Lewis, and her husband. Tunis was their son and lived there through adulthood. He was the town notary, telephone operator, and the local minstrel (blackface) performer (a popular comedy act in that era).
Continue one house down on Warren Avenue.
The original section of the house is the right side. It was built in 1885, as the home for Kate Beesley and her millinery (womens’ hats) shop. It was later home to Rayburn Milwee, longtime educator and superintendent, who Milwee Middle School is named after. The LaVigne/Milwee family lived there from 1916 through the 1990s.
Walk west on Warren Avenue to the end of the block.
D – Niemeyer House
This home was built for Fred and Frances Niemeyer in 1889. Frances was the daughter of Josiah Clouser. For many decades it was considered the major landmark in the downtown district. During the 90s and 2000s it was a bed & breakfast and became known as the Hopkins House for its owners. It was purchased in 2023 by the owners of the Clouser House, with plans to restore it.
Cross Wilma Street. The next stop is on your left.
E – Longwood Community Building
This building’s design was inspired largely by the Bradlee-McIntyre house and the Queen-Anne style. It was built in 2002 as a center for community events and weddings. Two historical buildings were displaced by its construction: the JD & NJ Lewis House (front) and Clouser Cabinet Shop (back).
Continue down Warren Avenue to the next house on your left.
F – Dunbar Garage and Clouser Cabinet Shop
This home is two buildings. Dunbar’s Garage is the front section, constructed in 1892. Elsie and John Dunbar (father and daughter) lived next door in the JD & NJ Lewis House. This was John’s woodshop, where he made various products including fruit crates during his semi-retirement years. He lived to be 100 years old, dying in 1930.
The back section, previously located at Wilma and Bay, is the former workshop of Josiah Clouser and dates to 1885. It moved a few yards and became an addition to the house in 2002 when the Longwood Community Building was constructed.
Look across the street to the beautiful yellow house.
G – Clouser House
Josiah Clouser started building his family’s second home in Longwood in 1882. With his other commitments as the town’s primary carpenter, it wasn’t fully completed until 1888. It was a baby birthing center during the 1980s and 90s. While being restored, it was struck by lightning in 2006 and the repairs had to be started over.
Walk west on Warren Avenue. Two houses down, on your right, is the next step.
H – Entzminger House
The home was built in 1925 for Robert S. and Louise Hearst Entzminger. The Entzminger brothers were prominent in the community as real estate investors and politicians. Robert’s father was the minister at the Baptist church.
Walk a few feet more to the next house on your right.
I – Loder House
Howard Loder and his wife moved into this house in 1926. He opened an electric shop in town that wired many of the buildings during that era. The Loders were active in the community, holding posts in my organizations, and wrote “The Longwood Song” which has since been lost. They moved back to Manhattan in 1933.
Back across the street on your left, you’ll see the next stop.
The house was originally built in West Longwood (near Rangeline Rd) in 1890. It was moved here in 1911 to be used as a parsonage for the Baptist Church next door (today Judy’s Dolls). John Bistline and Addie Niemeyer married and moved into the home in 1915. They raised award-winning hens and squabs here. Bistline served on the city commission for two decades. They raised their family here; he and his line became some of the most prominent citizens in town into the 1990s.
K – Heroes Park
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L – Peppermint Park
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