Outside the District
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222 E Maine Ave
This house was built in 1932.
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172 E Lake Ave
This house was built in 1938.
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315 S Ronald Reagan Blvd
This house was built in 1930.
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Lake Evergreen
Lake Evergreen in Longwood is a small but formidable barrier that for almost 70 years has prevented Highway 434 from being a straight shot through Longwood. The lake is located between Grant and Oxford. Longtime residents have long called the spring fed lake “bottomless” and observed how its water level barely budges even in droughts. Somewhere around 1950 State Road 434, then called Molnar Avenue between 427 and 17-92, was being paved. In an oral history with pioneer resident Andy Jones told of how the road builders brought the stakes up to the side of the lake. They planned to…
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Rainbow Ranch
Up until 2022, there was a big red barn set way back from General Hutchinson Parkway. The sign identified it as a wicker furniture store, which had been closed for years. It led me to wonder why an old furniture store would have such a massive parking lot. So my research began! The barn first opened in 1960 as a country & western club known as the Rainbow Ranch. When it opened the barn advertised almost 10,000 square feet under roof with a parking lot to handle 500 cars. Among its founders was local country music star Lee Purvis, whose group…
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Longwood Hills Subdivision
The land that is now Longwood Hills was first purchased by John S. Young of Ohio, from the State of Florida. The 80-acre tract cost him just $60 (75 cents per acre) in 1873. Young sold the land to Richard H. Marks just three years later for $1,700. A year later it was sold to John F. Dunn for $2,000. In 1883 most of the property (60 acres) was purchased by John W. Park. The Park family defaulted on their mortgage in 1887 and the property was claimed by Agnes Wilson and Emma Andrews. However, the land was abandoned after…
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Martin Andersen Estate
Martin Andersen first came to Orlando in 1931 in order to take over the two Orlando Sentinel newspapers, then known as the Morning Sentinel and the Evening Reporter-Star. At the time the papers were considered a very small time outfit, with circulation of about 10,000. Andersen was so successful at running the paper as editor-in-chief that the owner soon gave him a 10% stake to make sure to keep him around. During the Great Depression, he offered him an option to buy a controlling stake in the paper. Andersen, along with wife Jane, exercised this option in 1941. Martin was…
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162 E Lake Avenue
There are two separate structures on this property. The front building is the original structure that was built in 1903. It is the oldest home in the subdivision. The back structure is a family home and the front structure is being used for storage. However, they are planning to start renovations to turn it into a mother-in-law apartment. The family claims that the old home is haunted by a friendly spirit that they have seen many times, an old man with glasses. … Currently trying to research more of the home’s history. William D. Vaughn and Doris Vaughn raised a…
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Candyland Park
Candyland Park is a recreational complex in the center of one of Longwood’s older residential areas. The land was part of John Neill Searcy‘s original homestead grant. It was named as a companion park to Longwood’s former Peppermint Park. The property that became Candyland, which abuts the Longwood Cemetery (dating back to the 1880s) came about in the early 70s. The Skylark subdivision was platted in 1972. It began construction in 1973, north of the Longdale neighborhood. The City of Longwood required that 5% of the land be set aside for recreation. And viola… someone decided that Candyland was as…
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Rolling Hills Golf Club
Rolling Hills Golf Club was an 18-hole golf course established in 1926, with over 6,230-yard course in fairways. It was first known as Sanlando Golf & Country Club or Sanlando Springs Golf Club. It was renamed Roling Hills Golf Club in 1959. The semi-private club was well-regarded by golf enthusiasts as being fun, unique, and challenging. They said it had an old-world kind of charm. The club featured amenities such as an excellent restaurant, locker rooms, and a Pro shop. Activities provided in the club include a kids’ program offered in the summer and lessons year-round. There was a swimming…