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 Mount
Dora, on a plateau overlooking Lakes Dora, Gertrude and
Beauclair, has a fascinating heritage. The town site was
settled on the two hundred homestead acres of William and
Annie Stone when they came about 1873. At first the
settlement had no name but in 1880 is became Royellou, for
Roy, Ella, and Tremain, the children of Ross Tremain, the
first postmaster.
The first real estate sales office came in 1882, and the Mount
Dora Hotel opened a year or so later. In 1884 Alexander and
Rhodes opened the first store. In 1886 came C. M. Stowe
grocery.
Mount Dora is indirectly named for Dora Ann Drawdy, 1819-1885,
who lived on the lake and befriended government surveyors.
They named the lake for her, and in 1883 the name was extended
to the town. Mrs. Dawdy is buried in Umatilla, with a
headstone that tells her name but doesn't mention her place in
history. On March 25, 1910, the town was granted a charter
with Captain J.P. Donnelly its first Mayor. At that time
Mount Dora had a population of 371, with two general stores, a
hardware store, drug store, livery stable, two churches and a
town hall. Its first newspaper, the Mount Dora Voice, appeared
in 1886. In 1891 R.C. Tremain and son built the first orange
packing house, but the surrounding groves were all but
destroyed by the 1894-1895 freeze.
In March 1993 the "Storm of the Century" ripped into Mount
Dora, killed two people, injured dozens, felled trees and
damaged buildings. However a full recovery was made and few
scars remain. With a population of about 9,500, Mount Dora
is a growing city and a popular tourist destination.
The historical information provided on this page was obtained
from the book entitled "Lake County Florida - A Pictorial
History" by Emmett Peter Jr. This book is available from the
City of Eustis Library, 120 N. Center Street, Eustis, Florida
32726.
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