CENTRAL FLORIDA'S FASCINATING HISTORY: April 2021

Wednesday, April 7, 2021

MOUNT DORA: The First Mount Dorans - Part Four

The first Mount Doran’s

Part 4 of my series: a stroll along historic 5th Avenue

Mount Dora Bank & Trust and the Simpson Building

Our stroll down Mount Dora’s 5^th Avenue paused in my last installment at the southeast corner of 5^th and Donnelly. Having begun a 1,538’ trek westward from Tremain Street, our walk thus far has covered nearly half the distance. One entire city block was the subject of Part 3, but the final half-block, you may recall, was an area I referred to as the start of a “Simpson Territory”. Monroe & Martha (Pike) Simpson, and later their son Otto, owned the half-block stretch from Royellou Alley west to the corner at Donnelly Street.

Today, after we cross Donnelly Street, still following the 1848 footsteps of Surveyor James M. Gould, we resume walking through “Simpson Territory”. James Simpson, a younger brother of Monroe, acquired the southwest corner of 5^th and Donnelly – and all land west to Dora Ann Drawdy Alley, on April 22, 1924. This parcel, located in Block 3 of John & Annie Donnelly’s town of Mount Dora, was where the Mount Doran Stowe family had built their residence at the turn of the 20^th century. That house was still standing, as best as I can determine, when James Simpson bought the land – but he had something totally different that a personal residence in mind.

Two Simpson brothers owned one entire city block of the southside of 5^th Avenue in the mid-1920s, a half-block on each side of Donnelly Street. Soon after buying the Block 3 parcel, James & Edna Simpson conveyed the corner lot at 5^th and Avenue. on August 5, 1925, to a new bank. After personally overseeing construction of a new bank building (see photo above), James Simpson served as the bank’s first President.

“When the Mount Dora Bank & Trust Company opens its doors next Monday,” reported Mount Dora Topic of March 25, 1926, “it will be found in new quarters. The work has been under the personal supervision of James Simpson, President of the Bank”. The article went on to say that one of the features of the new building will be “electric lighting”.

James Simpson Building, 5^th Avenue, Mount Dora Block 3

Next, adjacent to the bank building, James Simpson built the three-story Simpson Building, a brick structure having a hotel on the upper two floors, and a restaurant plus retail stores on ground level. When walking 5^th Avenue in this block look up – where you will see the weathered hotel sign still on display.

Simpson Hotel Sign, 5^th Avenue, Mount Dora Block 3

Americans during the Roaring 20s were changing how they traveled, trading trains for personal automobiles. That change also resulted in a shift in the center of downtown Mount Dora, and two Simpson brothers positioned themselves to be at the center of that change.

The Dora Canal completion in 1882 made it possible for steamboats to bring settlers and tourists to a new village of Mount Dora. A town center grew up around the wharf, and the town expanded outward, even more so after the first train arrived in 1886. The depot overlooked the Mount Dora wharf. By the 1920s however, snowbirds and tourists began arriving in Florida by car, many via a ‘Tavares to Mount Dora highway’, aka a route later designated as U. S. Route 441. The road from Tavares came into downtown Mount Dora along the lakeshore and then connecting with 5^th Avenue.

The personal automobile therefore shifted the city center of Mount Dora north, toward 5^th & Donnelly, where James Simpson had spearheaded the building of Mount Dora Bank & Trust, his hotel, and his brother’s novelty store across Donnelly Street.

Dubbed “old 441” today, 5^th Avenue was part of the historic Dixie Highway system, stretching from Michigan’s UP south to Miami Beach - and points in between.

Westbound on Mount Dora's 5th Avenue at Donnelly Street in the 1930s

Above: Mount Dora Bank & Trust on left, Donnelly Building on right

The two-story Donnelly Building, across on the northwest corner of 5^th & Donnelly Street, had preceded Simpson’s bank and hotel by nearly a dozen years. It too found new life as cars delivered newcomers to the town. Known as the Mardi Gras Building today, the building was home to numerous restaurants and shops throughout its 110 years at this intersection. Upstairs was divided into four apartments, while on ground level, when James Simpson opened wide the doors to his new bank across the street, Mount Dora Lodge of Free & Accepted Masons, reported Mount Dora Topic, “displayed a new electric sign on the Donnelly Building, corner 5^th & Donnelly. The sign is of the flashing type and attracts all.”

The historic Donnelly Building today goes by the name Mardi Gras Building, and is dressed for the name with its handsome New Orleans style ornamental iron exterior. Mount Dora Bank & Trust Building is now at times referred to as the Shamrock Building – named for the building's one-time occupant, Keith Shamrock Realty, who in 1991, acquired the Mount Dora office of Huskey Realty.

And so once again, our 1,538’ stroll along 5^th Avenue has advanced only one-half block in this installment. But I do have a good excuse this time. “City Block menaced as Princess Theater burns.” Part 5 of my series will continue once all the smoke clears.

AND NOW, A WORD FROM MY SPONSOR. ME!

This series is created from research for my next book, MOUNT DORA: The First Mount Dorans. I expect the book to be released in November, in time for the holiday gift giving season. Add your name now to receive a signed copy of the book once it is released. PAY NOTHING now, but reserve your copy my emailing me at LakeCountyLakes@CroninBooks.com You will receive one reply confirming your request, but your next email will not be until the book is released for purchase. You can then decide if you want to proceed with buying the book. MOUNT DORA: The First Mount Dorans will be a detailed history of the true origins of Lake County's beloved Mount Dora.

This series was also created from research generated while writing my book, Tavares: Darling of Orange County, Birthplace of Lake County. Chapter 26 of my book is MOUNT DORA: The Eastern Gateway.

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Lake County, established May 27, 1887, was carved from portions of Orange and Sumter counties. The Legislature had defined borders but allowed the 2,200 plus registered voters to decide where to place the county seat. Four elections and a courthouse battle later, Tavares, on August 10, 1888, finally became the official seat. The selection process lasted 440 days from start to finish.

TAVARES: Darling of Orange County, Birthplace of Lake county, is a history of how Florida's Great Lake region transitioned from a wilderness into a vibrant Citrus Belt district. Amazing pioneers dared to dream big - dared to imagine such places as Leesburg, Lady Lake, Mount Dora, Montverde, Eldorado, Eustis, Umatilla, Astor, Clermont, Yalaha and Tavares, to name a few. A section on each place name will be found in this book.

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Monday, April 5, 2021

MOUNT DORA: The First Mount Dorans - Part Three

The first Mount Dorans

Part 3 of our historic stroll along Mount Dora's 5th Avenue

Parkview Building, 5th Avenue, Block 2, Town of Mount Dora

You can buy locally made crafts today at Mount Dora Center for the Arts, where, in November 1954, diners at Peppermint Stick Restaurant enjoyed a traditional Thanksgiving meal, with all the fixings, for $1.50. Afterwards, stuffed patrons could even take home a box of Pink Cottage Candies. The restaurant, on the ground level of 5^th Avenue’s historic Parkview Building, often ran ads mentioning they were across from Donnelly Park’s shuffleboard courts. Ice cream is now scooped up next door, whereas way back in 1975, bargain hunters scoured Village Green Antiques in search of that perfect something for their home.

Peppermint Stick Restaurant, June 26, 1975 Mount Dora Topic

The appropriately named Parkview Building turns 100 soon. Built in 1923, the building has a pair of storefronts at ground level and seven (7) rental apartments on a second level. Outside, the dark red brick building appears much as it has throughout the building’s history.

Widower John Donnelly, in 1910, sold the vacant lot to snowbirds Washington & Sarah Tallon of Beaver County, PA. The Tallon’s did not relocate to Florida, but instead held the property for 13 years, selling the undeveloped land in June 1923. Parkview was built that year, and the new owner, William Ingram of Chester, West Virginia, also remained a snowbird. Ingram kept the building as an investment property for 23 years.

Rear of Parkview Building today, down Royellou Alley

The sidewalk out front of Parkview Building is steep, so watch your step if you choose to follow our 1,538’ stroll west in the footsteps - the mission of this series – of Surveyor James M. Gould in 1848. At that time though this was all wilderness, so each new present-day footstep we take is also steeped, pardon my pun, in 175 years of fascinating Mount Dora history.

Alongside Parkview Building on the west is Royellou Alley, halfway point of 1882 Mount Dora’s Block Number 2. This city block runs from Baker Street to Donnelly. A worthwhile side trip is to visit the Historical Museum, down the alley in the back of Parkview Building, but as we are on a historic mission ourselves, we need to continue west, entering a “living history museum” of its own. But to the casual observer the history could easily be missed.

Southside of 5^th Avenue, Mount Dora, Sanborn Insurance Survey (1920)

The Sanborn Insurance Company surveyed downtown Mount Dora in 1920. One portion of that survey, the south side of 5^th Avenue between Donnelly & Baker Streets, is shown above. Note the small building identified as [A], left (west) of the alley. It is described as a “Dwelling”, and the building still exists today. A restaurant now, this structure was built in 1917. The Parkview Building location, identified by me as [B], is not shown on the survey right (east) of the alley because it was not yet built in 1920. The 1920 survey however does show a structure at the corner of 5^th Avenue and Donnelly, identified by me as [C] and noted by Sanborn Insurance as “D. G. Notions”. In 1920 this was a Dry Goods notions store.

West of Parkview Building, west of the alley, our stroll enters Simpson Territory, home to one of Mount Dora’s remarkable pioneer families. The Simpson’s first laid down roots in these parts before John & Annie Donnelly ever platted a town here. In the 1950s and 1960s, a descendant, Otto M. Simpson, operated his Simpson Realty here at 116 E. 5^th Avenue. But a quarter century prior to Otto selling real estate here, his parents, Monroe & Martha Simpson, listed their home address as 112 E. 5^th Avenue. That same year, 1926, Simpson & Son was listed as the dry goods and notions store at 422 Donnelly Street, at the corner of 5^th and Donnelly.

Keep in mind we have not yet crossed Donnelly Street, where we will again encounter more of the Simpson family property.

I first wrote of the Simpson’s in my Orlando Lakes: Homesteaders & Namesakes. In 1890, the official Orange County map of that year identified a large lake on the line separating Lake and Orange County as Lake Simpson. Milton and son David Simpson had homesteaded 320 acres on this lake in the late 1870s. And grove owner M. M. Simpson is mentioned as a Mount Dora pioneer in my, Tavares: Darling of Orange County, Birthplace of Lake County. David & Mollie Simpson, landowners near Lighthouse Park, are also mentioned in my Tavares book.

Lake Simpson, upper right corner of this 1890 Orange County

Then too, John A. MacDonald, author of the 1882 publication, Plain Talk about Florida, told of how he had tried to “induce” a friend to buy the Simpson Place (near Lighthouse Park) in 1880 at $3,600. MacDonald’s friend backed out, so John then partnered with a gentleman named Alexander to buy the place.

My point for now is this, one cannot tell the story of Mount Dora without mentioning the name Simpson – and doing so often!

Meanwhile, back at 5^th and Donnelly Street, Monroe Simpson had married Martha Pike, and this enterprising couple had a son. Otto, who was born at the turn of the 20^th century - likely right here at 5^th and Donnelly Street.

Looking west toward Lake Dora from 5^th and Donnelly Street (1930) Florida Memory Project

We now have traveled nearly 12 chains in the first three parts to this series. That is about half the distance of 23.30 survey chains, the distance James M. Gould traveled in 1848. Seems like a good place to take a break as well. Next, in Part 4, we will venture across Donnelly into more of the Simpson territory and more of the First Mount Dorans. See you then!