First
Mount Dorans - A Mother’s Day Special Blog
A historic Mount Dora Scenic Overlook – while it lasts that is!
Happy Mother’s Day! This Special Edition of The
First Mount Dorans is taking an interesting detour today. Rather than walking
Mount Dora’s historic 5th Avenue in downtown (Parts 1 – 4), we will
instead take to the car, join my Lake County Drives series, and celebrate
Mother’s Day atop a spectacular scenic overlook. But this blog comes with a
warning – the overlook will not be visible for long. A wall, I am quite
certain, will hide the view very soon.
I only recently happened upon this spot, a place that
can only be described as the most historic spot in all of Mount Dora., while
researching my upcoming book, Mount Dora, and The First Mount Dorans. A
construction site exposed the scenic view – which is why I suspect a wall will
soon hide it from view.
Our short and yet historic Mother’s Day drive begins
at the corner of 5th Avenue and Alexander Street in downtown Mount
Dora. Depart 5th Avenue by turning north on Alexander Street,
one of the original Mount Dora streets named for Attorney turned town co-founder,
John Alexander.
Alexander arrived in Florida about a year after the
village of Mount Dora was established. It seems neither his wife, Anna Townsend
(Axwater), nor daughter, Lizzie (Alexander) Rhodes, desired to live
in Florida full time. Lizzie’s husband however, George A. Rhodes, did serve as
Mount Dora’s first Postmaster. We only drive one block on Alexander Street, so,
since our drive on this street is brief, so too will the Alexander family biography.
(More on this Mount Dora family later this year). For now, after driving one
block, make a left (west) at Sixth Avenue.
This November: The First Mount Dorans by Richard Lee Cronin
Continue west on Sixth Avenue as we cross McDonald
Street, yet another original Mount Dora artery honoring the first
of The First Mount Dorans. Recorded history got confused at times as
to who really was the first, but her timeline establishes Annie (McDonald)
as the real-true Mount Doran. Much more on Annie as this drive continues.
First though, the apartment complex on your right
(north) at sixth and McDonald was built in 1968. Prior to that, Hotel Villa
Dora was located on this exact spot. Begun in 1887 as a guest house,
in 1914 a lady referred to as “Miss Nan Thorne” took over the facility
and converted it into a popular hotel. The Hotel Villa Dora was described as situated
“on one of the highest spots in Mount Dora commanding a striking view of Lake
Dora.” Miss Thorne’s new design included a large picture window in the lounge,
an expansive window “overlooking beautiful Lake Dora”.
Gertrude Thorne had
served first as the private nurse to Edward & Kate Smith, owners of the
house. After Edward’s death, Gertrude purchased the house, managing the hotel until
1925 when she sold to Fred Graves of Massachusetts.
Gertrude
Thornes Hotel Villa Dora, Mount Dora, Florida
As for our drive, turn right at Helen Street, onto
a road named for a person who helped raise our first Mount Doran. Helen
McDonald – a relative on the father’s side - stepped in and assisted in
raising the McDonald children after the mother, Keziah (Saffel) McDonald,
died at the young age of 25. Daughter Annie (McDonald) was then only 8 years
old. Helen, it appears, must have made a great stand-in mother for the little
girl who later established her very own town, in the wilderness, and named a street
in honor of Helen.
After two blocks, slow where EIGHTH Avenue is
on your right. Off to the left, where the tall hedge hides a house, try and
visualize how Eighth Avenue merged with ‘Coliseum Way’, a circular road that
was planned to slope down to the railroad tracks and the shore of Lake Dora.
Having trouble imagining such an intersection? Well,
City Council members had trouble as well way back in 1929. At an August 8, 1929
hearing, a petition to eliminate Coliseum Way was read but then tabled “due to a
lack of definite information as to the exact location of the street in
question”. Apparently, the detailed new survey of 1928 had failed to resolve matters.
The resolution obviously passed eventually because today
a house occupies Coliseum Way.
1928
Survey showing "Coliseum Way" west (left) of "Helen Street".
Proceed north on Helen Street - past Ninth and
Tenth Avenues – and then turn left on Eleventh, (Scott Avenue as it was known
in 1920). Back in 1920 I would have said continue straight, but once again a
house is in our way today. The next crossroad north – Twelfth Avenue – was
first known as Lila Avenue.
Lila (Griffeth) Cartledge was
a granddaughter of Annie (McDonald) Stone-Donnelly. Born at Mount Dora in
December 1894, Lila married Elmer V. Cartledge, one-time President of Bank of
Mount Dora. She had one son, Donald V. Cartledge, who became a World War II
Veteran.
As we turn onto Eleventh Avenue heading west, look soon
after for Annie Street on the right. This was originally a cross street,
continuing south to terminate at Coliseum Way. That part of the street south of
Eleventh Avenue was abandoned by the City in January 1946.
Annie Griffeth was
Annie (McDonald) Stone-Donnelly’s first grandchild, and when this area was
originally platted, Annie Street was designed to extend south and connect with
Coliseum Way. The citrus grove preceded all development in this area, planted
before Mount Dora was established as a town. Now, 140 years later, the historic
grove has been cleared to make way for new homes.
Aerial of Historic Mount Dora Grove (source:
Lake County Property Appraiser)
When I recently visited this site, a large Oak tree
provided me shade to view Lake Dora from the crest of this one-time grove, a grove
that itself is now history. But because the orange trees were cleared, it became
possible to experience a view the founder first enjoyed from her homestead in
1870s.
Nellie (Stone) Griffeth,
the daughter of Annie (McDonald) Stone-Donnelly, was the mother of Annie and
Lila Griffeth. Nellie had been 9 years old when with her parents they first saw
Lake Dora from this homestead, and merely 11 years old when her father, William
Stone, abandoned his family in 1877. A divorce decree one year later gave the
homestead to Annie.
Annie and Nellie lived on the homestead another four
years before Annie remarried, and prior to her marriage to John P. Donnelly, a
village parcel was sold and a deed issued, a deed describing the land as
located, “on the homestead of Annie E. Stone”.
Much has been said of the historic Donnelly House on
Donnelly Avenue, the residence of John & Annie Donnelly beginning in 1892. But
Annie first arrived in 1875, was divorced in 1877, and lived on her homestead,
with daughter Nellie, – the original Mount Dora - for four years prior to
marrying John Donnelly.
The original village of Mount Dora, in its entirety,
was located on the homestead belonging to Annie E. (McDonald) Stone.
A year after Annie and John Donnelly married, a guest
wrote of his visit. The year was 1882, and the writer said the home of “Mrs.
Donnelly” was built on high ground, “amidst an orange grove of 400 trees high
above the water, and the path from house to lake is a perfect little Eden of
trees, vines and drooping moss a la nature.”
Annie’s first home of the 1870s is long gone. Her citrus
grove of 400 trees is now gone as well. Soon, the roadside view from Eleventh
Avenue from Mount Dora’s historic grove will soon be gone too.
1920
Sanborn Insurance survey of Annie Stone’s Homestead
It is in fact amazing that Annie’s grove survived
until now. Homes currently surround acreage long identified on plats as a
citrus grove. Sanborn Insurance, in 1920, sketched the town of Mount Dora – or
more accurately, the homestead of the then deceased Annie (McDonald) Stone
-Donnelly. A red square on that survey, added by me, highlights the grove of
1920. And note too how Annie Street runs along the east side of the grove to
connect with Coliseum Way.
As late as the 1920s, John P. Donnelly, together with
Annie’s grandchildren, planned to keep alive the memory of Mount Dora’s first
mother, Annie (McDonald) Stone-Donnelly. She was truly the “Mother of Mount
Dora.”
To every mom out there – as well as to two Annie’s,
Lila, and Helen, I wish you a wonderful Mother’s Day. My thanks to each of you
for all you do, and all you have done.
The First Mount Dorans
will meet next back on Fifth Avenue, while my Lake County Drives series will return
soon to Villa City Road, where two mom’s, Emma and Desire, were likewise
memorialized by loving family members. In the meantime, I invite you to check
out the scenic overlook while you can, and I will continue my research into, The
First Mount Dorans.
AND NOW, A WORD OR TWO FROM MY SPONSOR. ME!
This series is created from research for my next book, MOUNT
DORA: The First Mount Dorans. a book planned for release in November,
in time for holiday gift giving.
Add your name now to reserve
a signed copy of my book once it is released. PAY NOTHING NOW. Reserve
your copy by emailing me at LakeCountyLakes@CroninBooks.com You will receive ONE reply confirming
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book is ready for purchase. You can then decide if you want to proceed with
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MOUNT DORA: The First Mount Dorans will be a detailed history of the people
and events that shaped Lake County's beloved town on Lake Dora, Mount Dora.
This series also includes research generated while writing my
book, Tavares: Darling of
Orange County, Birthplace of Lake County. Specifically, Chapter 26, MOUNT DORA: The
Eastern Gateway. This book is
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ABOUT MY TAVARES BOOK
Lake County, established May 27, 1887, was carved from portions
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