Dunbar
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John “Pappy” and Elsie Dunbar, Longwood Pioneers
In the late 19th century, Central Florida was a frontier of pine forests, citrus groves, and quiet railway towns that drew northern settlers seeking warmth, health, and fresh beginnings. Among the most beloved settlers in Longwood’s early decades were a father and daughter from Connecticut: John Holt Dunbar and Elsie A. Dunbar. For four decades, the Dunbars’ lives were woven into the town’s everyday fabric and development. They were each dear friends and town leaders. From hand-crafting orange crates in a Warren Avenue shop to founding Longwood’s first public library, the Dunbars left a physical and civic legacy that continues…
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Dunbar’s Garage and Clouser’s Cabinet Shop
The core of the front section was constructed in 1892 as Dunbar’s Garage. For 38 years, it was the shop of John H Dunbar. He did various repairs and built things out of wood, including fruit crates. John and his daughter Elsie owned this shop and lived next door in the JD & NJ Lewis House, where the Longwood Community Building now sits. The original part of the house is the section under the second-floor loft windows. The other wings were later additions, added at various stages after the small shop was converted into a residence. John was born in…