Longwood Historic Society
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🎄 Get Ready for the Holidays! Carols & Cocoa is Back!
Hey Longwood friends! The Longwood Historic Society is so excited to announce that our favorite holiday tradition, “Carols & Cocoa, Presented by AC Cowboys,” is officially returning on Saturday, November 29, 2025! Mark your calendars! This is the official way we kick off the Christmas season in Longwood, featuring a special historic tour and a heartwarming community tree lighting. New member, Eric Becker, will serve as event coordinator for this third annual holiday event. A Special Gift to the Community from AC Cowboys We are thrilled to acknowledge the incredible support from our Presenting Sponsor, AC Cowboys. They have stepped up significantly…
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Lewis House Update: Commission selects two locations
Members and Public: I attended the Longwood City Commission meeting last night and spoke to the commissioners early in the meeting. The meeting concluded with a thorough presentation by Community Development Director Chris Kintner, followed by a discussion among the commissioners. I appreciate Tom, Wade, and Robin for also joining me in attendance. Thank you to the commissioners and staff for their engagement in prioritizing the rehabilitation of this historic property. This is the kind of foresight we need. Let’s keep the momentum going! The society’s ranked priorities are: The society’s recommendation was a location in Reiter Park, preferably on…
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Salute to Tracy Putnam
The board of directors regretfully accepted Vice President Tracy Putnam’s resignation earlier this month. Life changes have led Tracy and her husband, Doug, to move to a wonderful spot west of DeLand, near the St. Johns River. However, she was no longer able to continue in the VP role. Tracy will remain a member of the Society, and we have reminded her of the proximity of the new SunRail station to their new home! It’s hard to convey the vastness of her contributions in a paragraph, but I want to heap a mountain of praises on Tracy and her dedication…
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Carols & Cocoa Welcomes Record Crowd
The second annual Carols & Cocoa on November 30, 2024 was a huge success! The festivities kicked off with a historic “open house” walking tour. Historic Society President Jason Byrne led the large crowd to stops at the Longwood Inn, Bradlee-McIntyre House, Clouser House, Christ Episcopal Church, the Inside-Outside House, and the Historic Civic Center. After the tour wrapped, hot cocoa, apple cider, and cake pops were served by the Rotary Club, Cottage Gift Shop, and Pixie’s Magical Corner Bakery. The evening concluded with a tree-lighting ceremony, a holiday blessing by Sanlando United Methodist Church pastor Jonathan Tarman, and singing…
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Monster Dash is Big Success
Last Saturday, the seventh annual Longwood Monster Dash 5K was another big success. We sold out the 400 participant slots and had support from over two dozen sponsors. Over 50 volunteers from the Historic Society, One F1tness, Rotary Club, the City of Longwood, and Lyman High School’s Men & Women of Excellence were there to ensure it was successful. We set an ambitious goal of raising $20,000 this year (after making $18K last year). You all helped us exceed that goal, earning an estimated $21,192 that will pay for roughly half of the funds needed for the new upper roof…
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“Outside the District” Committee Being Formed
At the October 14 board of directors meeting, the board voted to create a new ad hoc committee. The committee aims to create a program to officially recognize historic buildings outside the district. The Longwood Historic District has limited boundaries between Reiter Park on the west, County Road 427 on the east, Pine Avenue on the south, and Palmetto Avenue to the north. The City and National Register only recognize structures in this quadrant, with an addendum to include the Searcy House. However, many other homes and businesses within Longwood are of historic significance. These include the Maine Avenue district,…
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Good Times at Ice Cream Social
Thank you to the membership committee, led by Wendy Beiberle and Alisa Hornsby, for organizing our first Ice Cream Social. The event was held at Nan & Pops Ice Cream Shop in Historic Longwood on Sunday (August 18). Around 30 members and families attended during the afternoon gathering and fundraiser. The committee plans to host regular mixers and membership engagement events over the coming months. Stay tuned or check the events calendar for updates.
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Channel 6 News visits the Bradlee-McIntyre House
News Channel 6 WKMG has featured the Bradlee-McIntyre House prominently online and on-air. They visited the house for a second time on May 30, 2024. Kathy Goshen (docent) and Tom Reddit (trustee and treasurer) spoke with them for the 5:30 News package. Watch the clip This appearance on the news broadcast came a week after the detailed online article was published on May 24, 2024. Read the article
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Third Annual Poker Tournament a Success
What a fun night! We want to thank all of those who came to participate this year. It was another great year at the Longwood Poker Tournament. Our participants and sponsors were awesome, and they will help us pay the bill to Hi-Lo Roofing for the new metal roof on the Inside-Outside House! We appreciate Commissioner Tony Boni and his dedicated crew at Be The Change Today Foundation for organizing this fundraiser for the society. We also could not have pulled it off without our volunteers. Shout out to Nan and Pops Ice Cream Shop, our title sponsor. Thank you…
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New Roof on Inside-Outside House
After over a year of planning, the new metal roof on the Inside-Outside House has completed. We thank Hi-Lo Roofing for their great work on this project. Thank all of you for your assistance in raising the funds and the City of Longwood for a grant that helped plug the gap. This is massively important since our old shingle roof was leaking. The Longwood Historic Society continues its work to preserve these precious buildings for another generation!