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 Lake County is some of the oldest inhabited land in Florida.
Thousands of years ago the mild weather, excellent growing
conditions, and abundance of fish and game, drew the Timucuan
Indians to call this region their home. Evidence of their
presence is throughout Lake County. In fact, there are more
than 1000 identified archeological sites in Lake County.
In 1562 a French Huguenot colony was established at the
present site of Astor on the St. Johns River. The entire
colony was wiped out by the Spanish is 1566.
During the late 1560's the Spanish established a system of
missions throughout the Lake County area with the goal of
converting the Indians to Catholicism. What they accomplished,
instead was to massacre uncooperative villages and spread
European diseases to the rest.
By 1763 when James Spalding established a trading post at
Astor, there were few Indians left in the area.
British Royal botanist, William Bartram came to the area to
study the "flora and fauna." He made the first sighting of a
royal palm tree in North America in Lake County in 1774.
During the Revolutionary War all of Florida belonged to the
British and residents were loyal to that country. A few white
hunters and traders lived in Lake County, along with runaway
slaves and Freedmen who found hiding in the scrub to be very
effective means of evading the Slave Hunters.
In 1782, Spain re-occupied Florida and began awarding large
tracts of land to reward favors. In 1819 Moses Levy received
such a land grant from the Spanish. He established a
plantation along the St. Johns River in Lake County, which was
to be a settlement for oppressed European Jews. He was the
father of David Levy, who later changed his name to "Yulee."
Mr. Yulee was Florida's first senator after it acquired its
statehood. During the first Seminole Indian War, the Seminole
Indians burned the plantation to the ground.
Forts were built throughout the county, known then as Mosquito
County, to defend the settlers against the Seminole Indians.
In 1823, at the Treaty of Moultie Creek, the Seminoles were
ordered to live in a reservation, most of which was in Lake
County.
At the close of the Seminole War in 1842, Congress passed the
Armed Occupation Act. It offered 160 acres to any man who
would bear arms to protect the area against potential renewed
hostilities, if he would build a habitable dwelling, live on
the property for five years and cultivate at least five acres
of his homestead. Many men accepted the challenge and joined
the blacks already engaged in farming here.
Towns grew and vanished. Other towns took their places. When
the Civil War started in 1861, there were several large
plantations and many small farms in Lake County. Florida
became one of the states to secede from the Union. The Statute
of April 1862 forced most white males between the ages of 18
and 35 into involuntary service to the Confederacy. By
September of that year the age limit was increased to 45 and
soon 17-year-old young men were conscripted. This left only
women and their slaves to run the plantations and farms. Even
at that, Lake County has able to provide beef and other
provisions to the army. The people left at home simply "went
without."
By the end of the Civil War in 1865, another homesteading act
was in place, again offering 160 acres of land to settlers who
would live on the land for five years and improve it.
Soldiers, both Rebel and Yankee were eager to get on with
their lives. The attractive Homesteading Act offered a fresh
start and many men took advantage of the opportunity and came
to Lake County to make their homes.
In July 1887, Lake County became a county. It was carved from
Orange and Sumter counties.
The courthouse, known as the Pioneer Building was dedicated in
1889.
Contracts were let for the construction of the first hard
surface roads in Lake County in 1915. Prior to that most
transportation was on the waterways with special hybrid
steam/paddlewheel boats. An elaborate system of railroads was
also developed.
A
militia group was established during the Spanish-American War.
It was called the 'Leesburg Rifles" and were ready to bravely
defend our country.
Many young Lake County men enlisted in the Armed Services of
this and other countries during the First World War. Others
stayed at home and served in the Home Guard.
World War II took many Lake County men to war. Again, a Home
Guard was established which combed the evening skies for enemy
planes. The civilian effort was strong in support of the war.
Lake County was famous for the number of war bonds sold here
and scrap metal collected. In fact, the first war bond sold in
the United States was sold in Leesburg.
Lake County was the site of a Prisoner of War camp during the
Second World War, as well.
Early industry consisted of reliance on the land: farming,
citrus growing, lumber, turpentine, etc. All of this to some
degree or another relied on the weather and time and time
again big freezes killed not only crops and citrus, but also
hopes and dreams. Back-to-back freezes in 1894 and 1895
devastated large and small farms alike. Some farmers replanted
and others settled here, making their living at farming. Lake
County was known worldwide for its record crops of peaches,
tomatoes, watermelon, ferns, and, of course, citrus.
Other industries moved into Lake County and the economy grew.
Lake County's history is rich and diverse. It sparkles with
the ingenuity of its' people. Colorful stories abound. Today,
as in the past, Lake County is a pleasant place to live and
work.
Historic and Interesting facts:
Lake County became a legal entity on July 27, 1887 when it was
created out of portions of Orange and Sumter counties.
It was named Lake County because there were over 1400 lakes
within its proposed boundaries. Tavares became the county
seat after 3 elections that included political maneuvering and
outright corruption.
 As part of his effort to have Tavares named as County Seat,
Major St. Clair Abrams, who founded Tavares, borrowed $10,000
and built a courthouse, which later was known as the Pioneer
Building. In 1922 the county floated a $250,000 Bond Issue
and built a new courthouse which is now known as the Historic
Courthouse.
The first Post Office was established in Okahumpka in 1845
when Florida was still a territory. In 1890, the first census
was formed and there were 8,034 people in the county.
Agriculture was the main industry until the freezes of 1983,
1985 and 1989.
Walt Disney's parents were married in a small town named
Kismet, which no longer exists, on December 27, 1887. As a
child, Walt used to spend vacations visiting his Aunt Jessie
Perkins in Paisley.
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