Instructions:
1....Print this file
2....At its end, click on "rules" to see a copy of the trail rules, print it, and then click where indicated at the end of the 3-page rules and patch order form to get back to the list of Florida trails.
3....If you want a hand-drawn map showing the locations of all of the sites, send a self-addressed stamped envelope to Steve Rajtar, 1614 Bimini Dr., Orlando, FL 32806.
4....Hike the trail and order whatever patches you like (optional).
WARNING - This trail may pass through one or more neighborhoods which, although full of history, may now be unsafe for individuals on foot, or which may make you feel unsafe there. Hikers have been approached by individuals who have asked for handouts or who have inquired (not always in a friendly manner) why the hikers are in their neighborhood. Drugs and other inappropriate items have been found by hikers in some neighborhoods. It is suggested that you drive the hike routes first to see if you will feel comfortable walking them and, if you don't think it's a good place for you walk, you might want to consider (1) traveling with a large group, (2) doing the route on bicycles, or (3) choosing another hike route. The degree of comfort will vary with the individual and with the time and season of the hike, so you need to make the determination using your best judgment. If you hike the trail, you accept all risks involved. AS OF MAY 2009, SPONSORSHIP OF THIS TRAIL HAS CHANGED. PLEASE DIRECT ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ABOUT IT TO JOHN HARDIN, 1340 BEECHWOOD DRIVE, ST. CLOUD, FL 34772, (407) 908-3913, [email protected].
Prior to 1884, the land now occupied by the city of St. Cloud was a cypress swamp, overflowed much of the time. Proposals to drain this area and points southward were made as early as one in 1847 put forth by Hon. J.D. Westcott, but it did not become a reality until the 1880s.
The area was drained by Hamilton Disston and later the Sugar Belt Railroad was constructed from Kissimmee, on land that was then seven feet above the new water level. Disston's second dredge on November 22, 1884, completed a 4-mile long, 1 1/2 mile wide easterly cut across Cross Prairie to East Lake Tohopekaliga, lowering the water level by eight feet.
Sam L. Lupfer, Sr. came from Pennsylvania and started a sugar plantation, which he later sold to Disston. It had French and Italian workers brought from Louisiana, plus about 350 blacks, working in the fields. He later founded the Osceola Hardware Company. At the time, the sugar mill was the largest in the U.S., and cost a million dollars to build and equip.
Capt. Rufus E. Rose built and operated the Disston Company sugar mill, and also had a peach orchard. In 1886 or 1887, Capt. Rose asked the guests on his boat "Okeechobee" to suggest a name for the new sugar plantation. Prof. Bridges, principal of Kissimmee High School, suggested St. Cloud. It is assumed by some that he meant to name it after a city in Minnesota, but others believe that he was referring to an ancient French city named after St. Codoald (also known as St. Cloud) who died in 590 A.D. Prior to that time, the area had been known for its great sugar refineries, and was the first place to manufacture block or loaf sugar.
At age 36, Disston was America's largest individual landowner. He lost nearly everything in the Panic of 1893. The 2-cent sugar bounty, which Congress had instituted in 1886 to benefit American sugar producers, was repealed in 1893. As further evidence of the financial situation, $2,000,000 in mortgage bonds sold by the Disston Company in 1894 were defaulted in 1895. In 1896, he sat in his bathtub and put a bullet through his head, at the age of 48.
Despite Disston's personal financial disaster, the sugar mill prospered for a while, having its best year in 1895. However, by 1901 it failed, blamed by some on poor managers who tried to boss each other as well as the laborers. When the plantation was abandoned, a few of the families moved to Deeson Station, referred to locally as "Five Points".
The Disston land was bought by the Seminole Land and Investment Company, a subsidiary of the Grand Army of the Republic (Union Veterans of the Civil War) and the National Tribune, a soldiers' newspaper, which operated until it sold the last of its inventory of lots in 1919. The company sold the first 100 town lots for $50 each, and a 5-acre tract was given free with each one. Thereafter, the 25-foot lots sold for $100.
The commissary, or general store, for the plantation was run by Thomas Farr. Later, it became Geriatrics Manor, a nursing home operated by Dr. Charles Tinall. The 2-story frame commissary, and some brick foundations and granite slabs, are all that remain of the mill and plantation.
Built in 1917, this is the best example of Prairie style architecture in St. Cloud, with its low pitched roof, triangular knee braces, concrete course, hip dormer, symmetrical design, and hip-with-ridge elements. It replaced an old wooden depot which was then rolled to the north side of the tracks between Massachusetts and New York Aves. to be used as a freight house.
The new brick building had separate waiting rooms, restrooms and ticket windows for whites and blacks. It opened with a parade on May 9, 1918. The railroad was removed in 1943 and the depot was sold to the Veterans of Foreign Wars for $2,500, to be used as their headquarters.
This is a typical bungalow, meaning a low house built from about 1910 to 1940 with wood shingle or horizontal wood siding, stucco or brick. Front entry porches have tapered columns, the front gable roof has low broad overhanging eaves and a shallow pitch, and the eaves are dotted with exposed rafter ends. Generally seen are wood brackets, decorative wood lattice skirting, and dormer windows.
This home was built in about 1915, and follows Aladdin's "Osceola" design. The front porch has been enclosed, but the rusticated block porch piers and formed concrete steps remain.
P. Rothrock and his brother built this Craftsman style home in about 1915. The Craftsman style was prevalent between 1905 and 1930, and was inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement in this country at that time. Typical elements include horizontal wood siding or stucco on a one to one-and-a-half story frame, wood brackets supporting broad overhanging eaves, and tapered wood columns on brick or masonry piers supporting the front entry porch. On this home, all of the significant original features are intact.
This bungalow was built in about 1909, in an often-repeated style with a symmetrical front, raised entry, and hip-with-ridge roof with incised full-facade porch. It is similar to the 1916 Aladdin "Luna" and "Seaford" models, which sold for $368.60 and $397.10.
This bungalow was built in about 1909 for Josh H. Ferguson. It bears a strong resemblance to the 1916 Aladdin catalogue's "Pomona" model which sold for $1,296.75 cash. The catalogue advertised wide eaves, a shady porch and many windows to give cooling protection from the hot summer's rays.
This house was built in about 1915 for Dr. E.G. Farris. It is of Frame Vernacular design, a term applied to wood frame construction that is indigenous to a particular area and often designed or built by a carpenter. Aspects consistent with Frame Vernacular in this area are the pier foundation above the ground (since covered over), wood siding, and an open porch supported by wooden columns (which originally was L-shaped, along one full side of the home and half of another side).
Leon D. Lamb's home was built in 1927. This Craftsman style home was described as one of the best constructed, most conveniently equipped and attractive homes in St. Cloud. The only substantial change has been the removal of the shutters on the east side.
This Frame Vernacular home was built in 1925 for G.C. "Cleve" Outlaw, one of St. Cloud's first mayors. The concrete block is "rusticated" to look like chiseled stone.
A marina, beach and picnic area were developed here in 1935. They were eliminated in 2005.
In 1933, a boat basin was constructed here by the Works Progress Administration to provide anchorage for the protection of boats, since the lake had no natural features protecting the shoreline. Plans were soon begun for the formation of a yacht club. Adjacent to the basin to the east was opened a seaplane base in 1940, with a long pier extending into east Lake Tohopekaliga. The boat basin was eliminated in 2005.
P.E. Morgan built this Bungalow here in 1924 for Steven B. Curtis.
C.E. Carlson had contractor George Barlow build a boat and 30' x 60' bathhouse in 1911, at the end of a 100 foot pier. It included a cigar, candy and soft drink stand, a porch for chairs, 40 lockers, 100 bathing suits and 12 boats.
It was bought in 1923 by W.H. McIntosh and Capt. E.H. Tinker, who added a dance floor on the second story of the pavilion. The bathhouse was outside the city water limits for fire department purposes, and suffered considerable losses in a fire on April 16, 1923. The structure was insured for much less than the cost of the improvements. A rebuilt pavilion, constructed by P.E. Morgan, opened on June 28 of that same year.
The boathouse was bought in 1935 by Minnie E. Barber, who held regular Monday night dances in the summer. It later burned down.
This was the home of Sam L. Lupfer, Sr., built in 1887 as a small one-story residence. Lupfer named it "Sunnyside", a name which was also applied to the surrounding area. It was enlarged to two and a half stories in the 1920s by B.L. Sheen. The enormous oak in the front yard was planted by Mrs. Lupfer in the spring of 1888.
This home was built in 1925 as part of Galion Gardens for Elijah Albert Hearn. G.C. Hunter and the Seminole Investment Company marketed this Spanish Colonial Revival line of homes as "Spaniflora". They are characterized by textured stucco walls, an arcaded entry porch, barrel tile roof, and an asymmetrical plan. On this home, the once-open front porch has been enclosed with windows, and the metal casement windows have been replaced with grouped wooden ones.
This home was built in 1926 for George N. Kneeland. The Spaniflora elements echo those found in the Hunter Arms Hotel, also developed by G.C. Hunter.
This is another example of a Spaniflora home, built in 1925 for F.K. Berry. Pantile covered shed cornices are over the circa 1930s casement replacement windows. Other changes to the original structure are the enclosure of the porch and addition of the second chimney to the rear of the original one.
A new restricted 25-block residential subdivision was announced in 1925 by developer G.C. Hunter. Each lot of Galion Gardens was to be limited to a one-family residence owned only by members of "the Caucasian race". A portion of the development was reserved for bungalows, the rest for two-story homes. The minimum price for a house was $3,500, and lakefront lots had a 60' setback line.
What is now Godwin Park at the center of Galion Gardens was a ball park. It is named for Lilburn Godwin, the long-time postmaster of St. Cloud.
A settlement in this vicinity began in about 1885, and was originally called Wharton. The name was later changed to Runnymede. It is memorialized by the lake at the southeast end of this canal, known as Lake Runnymede.
Beauchamp Watson, an eccentric gentleman, had a residence, store and a few other buildings. He operated the Runnymede Hotel, a pretentious 3-story fram building which catered to northern visitors. It was located north of here on the eastern shore of Lake Tohopekaliga, about a mile south of Narcoossee. There was horseback riding, tennis, croquet, a fine library, afternoon teas, and evening dances. The Sugar Belt Railway had a stop nearby.
The hotel was taken over by the Disston Drainage Company and was used temporarily as its headquarters. It was bought in 1920 by J. Edward Krause of Indianapolis, Indiana, who remodeled it and built guest cottages. It was abandoned in the late 1920s. In the 1940s, John J. Padgett bought the hotel and tore it down, providing lumber for the construction of 15 to 20 small houses in Orlando.
Looking to the northeast, the Ralph V. Chisholm Park can be seen along the lakeshore. About a mile beyond that is the settlement known as Narcoossee.
In 1884, Narcoossee was founded by a colony of English immigrants. One early settler was J.C. Stratford, whose father in England sent him abroad in the late 1800s to fend for himself in the Florida interior. He raised "The Tallulah", a steamer that had sunk in Lake Kissimmee. He had it repaired and renamed "The Reindeer".
Narcoossee was begun as a settlement by E. Nelson Fell, on a huge tract he had bought on the east shore of East Lake Tohopekaliga in the early 1800s. The first English settlers began to arrive in 1883, drawn by newspaper advertisements extolling the virtues of the area. They promised an annual income of $10,000 once the groves matured.
There were three classes of early settlers:
1. Retired professional men and military officers, choosing Florida for its climate which, as the newspapers claimed, had "no extremes".
2. Younger sons of "gentlemen" who were supported by remittances from home in England, earning them the slightly stigmatized title of "remittance men".
3. Common laborers, many of whom were brought as servants.
Transportation was difficult in the early days. When R.A. Arnold came from England in February of 1885 with his brother and two sons of another English farmer, they had to wait five days in Kissimmee before they could be transferred across Lake Tohopekaliga to Brack's Landing, and then travel eight miles by wagon to Narcoossee.
Getting to and from Narcoossee was simplified when, in 1888, the St. Cloud & Sugar Belt Railway laid tracks from Kissimmee. The railroad had been built by Hamilton Disston to ship the sugar from his mill on the canal. The line had financial problems, and was absorbed into the Plant System in 1893. In 1902, the Plant System was merged into the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad.
Construction of a church building began in 1892. A bank failure delayed its completion until 1898.
In 1910, Fell acquired title to 144 square miles in what is now Indian River County, founded the town of Fellsmere, and took many of the Narcoossee settlers with him. The colony disbanded, leaving only the Hill and Cadman families, and the church stood empty. In 1930, it was dismantled and moved to St. Cloud.
This cemetery was established in 1910, and includes many veterans of the Civil (338 Union and Confederate) and Spanish-American Wars. The unknown soldiers from the Civil War are remembered with the tall centrally-located white obelisk.
Settlers from Mellonville in the late 1840s followed this route toward Kissimmee, passing through what became St. Cloud, where 10th St. now is. It was then known as the Fort Mellon-Fort Brooke Trail, and followed an earlier Indian trail here.
The Indian trail was documented on an 1844 survey by Benjamin Whitner Jr., and was confirmed by troops of Capt. T. Williams who were in the area in 1857. It entered what is now St. Cloud from the east on 10th St., passing Mt. Peace Cemetery, curving north of Godwin Park, crossing 5th St. at Massachusetts Ave., crossing Alabama Ave. at 3rd St., and leaving near Brown Chapel Rd. at 4th St.
The first paved route from Kissimmee to Melbourne, in 1917, followed much of the same route, passing through St. Cloud at 10th St. This and some other St. Cloud streets (Massachusetts, New York and Pennsylvania Aves. from 10th to 12th or 13th Sts.) still have brick under the asphalt.
Before St. Cloud was officially established in 1909, the schoolhouse was located near this site. Sam L. Lupfer, Sr. had the one-room school built in 1890. At the time, it served then pupils, taught by Miss Keen. A replica of the schoolhouse is now located next to the cannery building on Virginia Ave.
On May 21, 1909, 78-year-old Albert Hantsch became (according to most sources) the first settler when he arrived in St. Cloud with two grandchildren and a carload of household goods. He pitched a tent near the building where the engineers and surveyors had their headquarters. He later resided at this address, a Frame Vernacular home built in about 1924 on a 25' lot.
Other sources consider W.G. King to be the first permanent settler in St. Cloud, with an arrival date 12 days before Hantsch.
This home, built in about1910 for Dr. F.F.H. Pope, has changed much over the years. It formerly had south- and east- facing double-stacked screen porches, and a triple-stacked open gable dormer porch on the south side. The double-hung windows were replaced with jalousies.
This facility was opened in 1935 as a community canning plant where surplus meats, fruits and vegetables could be preserved for local consumption. It had been talked about and planned, on and off, since 1930. It presently is a hands-on museum, with folk art classes. Run by Osceola County Schools, it is open to the public.
This was a federal project of the W.P.A. with respect to equipment and erection of the plant. St. Cloud was required to furnish $100,000 of building material. To save money, local citizens were encouraged to contact the city if they had any buildings they wanted dismantled and used for the cannery. Gus Peed volunteered an old warehouse, and federal labor was used to tear it down. The land formerly was part of the grounds of the old high school, located on the south side of 10th St. between Virginia and Michigan Aves.
During the Depression, it was run by Ruth Chisholm. Ten percent of the food canned was donated to the poor. Next to the cannery is a replica of the Sunnyside School.
St. Peter's Episcopal Church was organized in 1888 in Narcoossee under the leadership of Lt. Col. W.E. Cadman. Construction of the building began in 1892, and was completed in 1898. It had a 72-foot tower and fine carvings.
It was built in the Gothic style, with a steeply pitched roof with steep cross gables and windows with pointed tops. The original wood shingle exterior has been covered with vinyl siding, and the wooden shingle roof has been covered with composition shingles.
Episcopal services in St. Cloud began in 1910 at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Littleton. A Guild Hall was built in 1913, and a mission was established and named St. Luke's.
Beginning on October 30, 1930, the Narcoossee church was dismantled, pieces were marked, and it was reassembled in St. Cloud at 10th St. and Florida Ave. next to the City Hall. The appearance was essentially the same as it had been in Narcoossee, except that the nave was longer and the transept was wider. It was renamed the Church of St. Luke and St. Peter, with the Guild Hall used as the parish house.
In 1970, the sanctuary was moved again, to its present location where more parking is available. The congregation moved again, to another building at 2475 Canoe Creek Rd., and the remaining building was used as a wedding chapel, and now for the Discovery Center.
This was the site of the high school, built in 1914. Although it occupied the same lot, it faced 11th St.
Citizens State Bank opened at the southeast corner of 10th St. and New York Ave. in 1926. On March 20, 1934, there was a well-publicized hold-up, before bullet-proof glass was installed. The three bank robbers were arrested and convicted. Elbert Croft was sentenced to 23 years, and Hugh Grant and Alvin Hunt were sentenced to life imprisonment.
The bank was bought out by San Bank and the new building on Indiana Ave. was occupied by it (now named SunTrust) beginning on July 15, 1974. This site was formerly part of a football field, and beginning in 1995 is the site of the Veterans Memorial Library. It was built by Eagle Construction using the plans of Stottler Stagg & Associates.
Before these buildings were opened, high school classes were held on a campus since 1924 on the south side of 10th St. between Virginia and Michigan Aves. This land, between Indiana and Illinois Aves., and stretching from 11th St. almost to 13th St., was its athletic field.
A brick 2-story building opened at 11th St. and Indiana Ave. in July of 1912, and the first high school graduate, in 1913, was Vera Hargrave.
This church was organized in the Baptist gospel tent in early 1910. Its first service, conducted by a Methodist minister from Kissimmee, was held in the unfinished lobby of the St. Cloud Hotel on September 12, 1909, and subsequent services were held on alternating Sundays with the Methodists.
C.J. Billingsley and Mr. Johns contracted to build the cream-colored, rectangular Mission style stucco church for $2,600 (windows and furniture excluded). It was dedicated on February 5, 1911. The two adjoining lots were bought in 1913.
In 1925, following a roof fire, the church was remodeled by P.E. Morgan for $17,231, and in 1952, an adjacent annex was constructed by Walter Bjork for $18,500. It was replaced in 1965 by a brick structure.
Kissimmee minister Rev. Mitchell proposed the organization of a St. Cloud Methodist church to take advantage of the offer of free church lots. On December 19, 1909, the church organized and soon received the lots from the Seminole Land and Investment Company. Early services were held in the unfinished lobby of the St. Cloud Hotel, alternating Sundays with the Presbyterians.
Charles O. Livingston, former chairman of the trustees of the Snyder Methodist Church in Jacksonville, left a large fortune to build and support missions in this part of Florida. This included the Livingston Memorial Methodist Chapel, construction of which began in August of 1910. Walls were 12 inches thick, and the auditorium was designed to seat 650.
While the auditorium was proceeding on October 15-17, 1910, a torrential storm brought flooding. The plans were changed to raise the floor, necessitating several steps at the main entrance. It was completed in 1912 and dedicated as the Charles Livingston Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church, and remodled with additions in 1917. It is built in the Gothic Revival style.
The adjacent Livingston Memorial Parsonage was completed in 1911 and remodeled in 1927. It is built in the Prairie style. A new educational building was erected in 1953, and in 1956 a new parsonage was acquired at 326 Massachusetts Ave. In the early 1970s, the old city hall west of the church was bought and remodeled as church offices, a library and fellowship room. Construction began on the two-story Family Life Center on June 27, 1982.
A playground was built here in 1938. Equipment was bought with contributions from members of the Woman's Club.
Seminole Land and Investment Company donated land for the Veteran Base Ball Club, organized in 1911. Adjacent to it was land used as a landing place for airplanes, beginning in mid-1918. It was developed as a city park in the 1920s, using layout designs prepared by Ryan and Roberts.
The club house for the Tourist Club of St. Cloud opened in the city park on December 3, 1923. The Chamber of Commerce took over the tennis courts, basketball courts, roque and croquet courts, quoit grounds, and two shuffleboard courts, as well as the rest of the park.
This building was designed by Ida Annah Ryan and Isabel Roberts. It shows the influence of the Prairie School with which Roberts was associated, as a rectangular structure with a barrel-roofed auditorium.
Frank Lloyd Wright developed this style as an open, airy plan for easy living and comfort. Typical elements of this style are a low-pitched roof, horizontal pattern brick walls, exposed rafter ends, broad overhanging eaves, grouped wood windows, and decorative wood brackets along the eave.
This home was built by Sage and Bailey for $5,000 for Lloyd C. Hettinger in 1935 with an early FHA loan, financed by Citizens Bank. Hettinger owned the H & S Groceteria which, beginning in 1939, had an exclusive franchise for Bird's-Eye Frosted Foods, including frosted fish, fruits and vegetables.
The house is built in the Minimal Traditional style, introduced in the mid-1930s at the height of the Depression as a low-cost alternative to its predecessors. Building plans were adapted from the 1920s Tudor Revival style, with some Colonial Revival or Monterey influences. Generally, there is at least one front-facing gable extension and a large exterior chimney stack.
John F. Daniels built this Colonial Revival home for Dr. Robert G. Wood in 1935. It was financed by Citizens Bank with an FHA loan. It cost $5,000, and the new owner had 20 years to pay it off. The front sloping gable with raised entry through a pedimented portico is true to the Minimal Traditional style of its period. The home was designed by Stevens & Sipple of Orlando.
This Frame Vernacular structure was built in 1925 by John Masury, to serve as a hotel. Across the street was the Fleminghurst, which took in guests beginning in 1909, but was later torn down.
In 1919, the Dixie Highway was close to opening, linking St. Cloud with Orlando and Kissimmee with a brick road. In preparation for that event, A.T. Meeker purchased the property between 10th St. and the railroad between Florida and Ohio Aves. to erect a garage and automobile supply house. Meeker had previously operated a garage on Pennsylvania Ave. from 1916 to 1919.
His new garage was built by Gabe White in 1919 in the Masonry Vernacular style. Meeker sold it to the B.L. Steen Company in1926 for $75,000, and a gas pump was positioned on the corner so motorists could drive in and out of the rain for service.
In 1939, Flint Eldridge extensively remodled it to make a modern drive-in filling station and four modern apartments. Later, it became the home of D&A Glass Co. and an appliance repair shop.
This 2-story, hollow tile and stucco home was built in 1924 by P.E. Morgan, probably the most prolific builder in early St. Cloud. It was for a time called the Penn-Flora Hotel, and is now the Toho Guest House.
This 25' x 60' 2-story structure was built in 1911 by N.F. Bass and later served as the St. Cloud City Hall. Early services of the Christian Science Society were held here. The town contracted to purchase the building, and made the final payment in 1920. The addition on the south side was built by the city to house the fire department.
It was acquired by the First United Methodist Church and remodeled in 1970-74, and the red brick walls were painted white.
This is an example of a Masonry Vernacular building, a term applied to St. Cloud structures of the 1910s to 1020s. Built in about 1924 for Dr. William H. Dodds, its prominent characteristics are the flat roof and parapet wall, the pantile pyramid roof over the window-walled penthouse, and the hip-roofed enclosed porch. The metal casement windows are the originals.
On the morning of July 27, 1917, a fire started in the Will Drawdy store and swept through the business district along Pennsylvania Ave. and nearby, with losses of $100,000. Eighteen buildings were burned, putting 23 firms out of business. Shortly thereafter, this was built as a theater for J.K. Conn to replace the previous one at this location destroyed by the fire. Despite some vocal opposition to movies seven days a week, the voters of St. Cloud voted in favor of the proposal and the hotel building served as the temporary theater while a more permanent location was readied in the Conn Building. In the 1940s, it was known as the St. Cloud Movie Theater.
In 1925, Ryan and Roberts were hired to renovate and enlarge the building, and changed the front roof line to be similar to that of the Peoples Bank Building.
When this 50' x 90' 2-story building was erected in 1915 by P.E. Morgan, it had the largest store room in the area. The front of the building was on 10th St., and the first floor housed the Seminole Pharmacy, a barber shop, and a department store. The second floor, with an entrance on Pennsylvania Ave., housed apartments with lights and water. In 1925, tenants included the Standard Barber Shop, which that year was acquired by the Dixie Bobber Shop.
In early days, it also housed the Palm Theatre which, in 1933, was latered to accommodate talking pictures. The first shown in St. Cloud were a Mickey Mouse cartoon and Tom Mix in Hidden Gold. The theater was renamed "The Grenada" in 1933. The building now houses Young's Apartments.
This building, erected in 1917, was the first one in the business section following the great fire earlier that year. It was built by H.E. Hedrick for G.A. Bleech. Since its original construction, the height of the exterior walls was increased, the windows on 10th St. were added, and the semicircular window above the door at the corner has been removed.
This was built in about 1924. It housed E.A. Osteen's Ford Garage. It was later owned by Mr. and Mrs. W.B. Strickland, who had a Ford dealership. In 1931, Frank Poffenbaugh came to St. Cloud from Canton, Ohio. Seven years later, he and his brother Paul took over the Ford agency, which they later moved to 13th St. and Pennsylvania Ave.
About 1915, this commercial building was constructed for Dr. Chunn.
This building was built in about 1924.
This building was constructed with a Mediterranean Revival style in about 1915 for Dr. Chunn. It has been substantitally remodeled since then.
C.A. Carson had this built in about 1915.
Dr. Dodd's new office was completed here in 1925.
A temporary school was set up in a frame building at this site in 1910. There were two simultaneous classes. One teacher taught the first through third grades, who sat facing west at one end of the room. The other teacher taught the fourth through sixth graders facing east at the other end of the room. A butcher shop was located in another room.
Later, the older students were moved to a room over the post office at 1117 Massachusetts Ave.
These brick buildings were constructed in 1919 by Gabe White for George C. Hastings to house two stores. Six years later, they were bought by Dr. William H. Dodds. Features include an angled corner entry, dovetailed brick corners and an interesting brick detail along the roofline.
The Women's Christian Temperance Union had this Masonry Vernacular building erected in 1924-25. It utilized Duntile from the St. Cloud plant of James W. Sage. The W.C.T.U. had been founded in 1910 in the Baptist gospel tent.
Women have been active in St. Cloud from the early days. They were granted the right to vote in city elections beginning in September of 1918, before the U.S. Constitution was amended to grant them the same right in federal elections.
This Commercial style office building was constructed for William Millsom in 1926.
In 1928, William Millsom hired P.E. Morgan to build a new hollow tile, stucco-clad post office. It provided about 2,000 square feet of working space in its 54' x 60' frame. It sat between Millsom's store rooms and office building.
Local contractors were overburdened during the 1920s land boom. Aladdin ready-to-build homes, already popular in northern cities, began to be brought by rail to St. Cloud.
Fred B. Kenney, the cashier of Peoples Bank, ordered this Aladdin home and had it erected on his lot in 1926 by Francis Sayer and his workers. It has 13 rooms and is in the Dutch Colonial Revival style. This is the "Capitol" model and listed in the 1928 Aladdin catalogue for $2,198 cash.
Aladdin homes, selling since 1905, included 2" x 6" wall plates, girders or center sills, joists, bridging, sub-floors, flooring, studding, wall sheathing, rafters, wood sheathing, asphalt slate surfaced strip shingles for the roof, building paper, lathing, side walls, windows and frames, doors and frames, interior woodwork, closet shelves, hardware, exterior paint, interior stains and lacquers, floor finish, porch colums, main stairs, outside steps, heating plant, bathroom and kitchen fixtures, curved arches, and reversible blueprints and detailed specifications.
This park was dedicated on June 13, 1937, to honor St. Cloud's war veterans. In November of that year, the Memorial Fountain was turned on. A brace of cannon was dedicated in 1947 by Frederick Funston Camp No. 22 of the United Spanish War Veterans of St. Cloud. The bandshell was erected in 1952 for the high school band, dedicated on November 20, 1955, in memory of Joseph P. Kneer.
Also in the park is a drinking fountain with a plaque in memory of Donald A. MacLaine, and five plaques with the names of department commanders of the United Spanish War Veterans. In the same ring of plaques is a stone from Ohio's first capital building in Chillicothe (1800), presented by Mr. and Mrs. George E. Lenley in 1940.
See the historical marker by 13th St., commemorating The Thunderstorm Project. Because Florida has the highest incidence of thunderstorms, in 1946 observations were made here regarding the structure and life of thunderstorms. Weather radar, aircraft penetration flights, balloon soundings and surface instruments were employed.
At the corner of 13th St. and New York Ave. is the memorial to the founders of St. Cloud, the Grand Army of the Republic.
This Frame Vernacular home with French Colonial and Folk Victorian elements was completed in 1909 for Mr. and Mrs. S.C. Jacques of Cincinnati, Ohio. It was built as a rooming house. The stacked rear porch and full front porch have each been partially enclosed.
To accommodate the increase of school children from 62 in 1909 to 758 in 1926, a new grade school was built here in 1927. It includes elements of both the Mediterranean and Prairie styles. It was designed to take care of children in grades 1 through 6 living in the western portion of the city. Shortly after this West Side Graded School opened, St. Cloud's city slogan was changed from the "Old Soldier's Colony" to "St. Cloud, the City of Schools."
The name was later changed to West End Public School, and in the 1940s was renamed after Ross Jeffries, a long-time school principal. A building on the northwest corner of 13th St. and Vermont Ave., on the school grounds, became the N. Woods Station and Grocery Store in 1955.
This Frame Vernacular home was built in about 1910. Originally, the first story porch was open and the second was screened. By the end of 1910, 400 houses had been erected, a large increase from the 11 which had been completed by the end of the year before.
In 1927, Clara Palmer had this Masonry Vernacular style "drive-in" filling station built. Constructed by Miller Strayer and Jim Bailey, it was of hollow tile and stucco.
A group interested in Christian Science began meeting in various St. Cloud homes in 1911. On January 4, 1912, it formally organized in the G.F. Smith home on Florida Ave. as the Christian Science Society, with incorporation following two years later. Early services were held in homes and the Osceola County State Bank building.
Seminole Land and Investment Company donated two lots in March of 1915, and a white rectangular wood church was erected. Two additional lots were purchased in 1940. In 1949, the Society was officially recognized as the First Church of Christ, Scientist.
A Sunday school and reading room were added in 1955, and at the same time the front was remodeled to conform to a Colonial style. The reading room was moved in February of 1961 to 1033 New York Ave.
In 1914, a simple white rectangular church was erected here for the Church of Seventh-Day Adventists, and was remodeled in 1933. It had plain windows, and no paintings, bell, organ or cornerstone. It later housed a United Pentecostal congregation. It later became the True House of Jesus Christ.
The Church of Christ was organized with 12 members on January 23, 1910, in the home of Mr. and Mrs. George W. Penn. The following year, a rectangular 30' x 50' white church was erected on this site. It was remodeled with an annex in 1927.
In August of 1927, it was again remodeled with a Gothic style to accommodate 375 to 400 people, adding a broad colonial porch and stained glass windows, and the moving of the tower from the front of the building (through which the main entrance had passed). Additional property was donated in 1940 by Mr. and Mrs. William T. Eckley. The annex was built in 1955, the Christian Education building in 1979, and another building in 1985.
It is now the Osceola Christian Church.
Dr. George W. Penn, a descendant of William Penn, built this Folk Victorian home in 1909. The stacked front porch with covered staircase to the south side was an adaptation of a northern architectural style to a Florida lifestyle.
This Mediterranean Revival structure was built in about 1911.
This Masonry Vernacular building opened on October 14, 1909, and served as St. Cloud's post office and city hall. After the 1917 fire, the post office was reestablished in 1918 in the Graystone Building at 11th St. and Pennsylvania Ave. This building has also been a school, a boarding house and nursing home, and is now a retirement center. On this site, the National Tribune established the St. Cloud Tribune newspaper.
In 1909, a tent was sent from Key West by the Baptist Association of Florida. Erected here, it accommodated several hundred people for church services and public meetings. In that tent on March 14, 1910, a woman's club was organized, named later that year as The Ladies Improvement Club (now called the St. Cloud Woman's Club).
In 1909, this building was constructed for Dr. C.S. Cooper in the Masonry Vernacular style. It was an early "hospital", which was really just several beds in the doctor's office. The closest full care hospital was in Orlando.
It was purchased in 1918 after Dr. Cooper's death by C.E. Carlson, who converted it to an undertaking establishment. Carlson had previously started a funeral business at the northwest corner of 11th St. and Massachusetts Ave. The funeral home used a 1915 Model "T" Ford hearse (cost $900 new), the first motorized hearse in the county.
The Eiselstein Brothers remodeled the building in 1925 and added Moorish style arches and decorative details.
The church was organized on December 2, 1909, at the home of Judge and Mrs. Cora Anderson. Eight of the eighteen Baptists present became members. Sunday school services began in June of 1911 upstairs in a building at the southeast corner of 10th St. and Pennsylvania Ave., later destroyed by fire.
A building fund drive which began in 1911 netted $122 to pay for a building foundation, and in 1912 a concrete and stone Masonry Vernacular structure was built in the shape of a simple Latin cross. Despite having no glass in the windows, services began on November 11, 1912. The cost of the church was $3,800. The church incorporated in 1912, but the articles of incorporation were declared void in 1917. Reincorporation occurred in 1934.
The church was enlarged in July of 1925, and the auditorium was remodeled and enlarged in later years. In March of 1957, the entire block between 13th and 14th Sts., and Missouri and Connecticut Aves., was purchased for a new church site with its groundbreaking occurring on April 8, 1966.
This was built in 1913-14 by Tampa architect and contractor N.W. Cheesman, as the headquarters of the Lucien L. Mitchell Post, No. 34, of the Grand Army of the Republic, Department of Florida. On the walls are the names of the 86 charter members. The post was named after the first veteran to die in St. Cloud, five weeks after his arrival. Early city slogans were the "Old Soliders Colony" and "The Friendly Soldier City".
It also served as the Masonic Hall and the social center of early St. Cloud.
One week after William Milar arrived in St. Cloud in 1911, he bought land and broke ground for this 24' x 60' building. It is constructed of locally produced rusticated block. The minor changes that have been made are the more complete enclosure of the second story porch and the storefront windows below. The first floor was a 5, 10 and 25-cent store, with apartments on the second floor. In 1915, C.E. Carlson rented the first floor for use as a funeral parlor.
This building was designed by two Orlando women, architect Ida Annah Ryan and landscape architect Isabel Roberts. Roberts moved from Missouri to Illinois and worked with Frank Lloyd Wright at his Prairie School Studio in Oak Park. She arrived in Orlando in about 1921.
Ryan was the first woman to receive a master's degree in architecture from M.I.T., but was rejected by the Boston chapter of the American Institute of Architects, which excluded women. Seeking to join a local chapter so she could join the national association, she moved to Orlando in 1920. She became the third woman member of the Florida Board of Architects.
Following its construction in 1922, the first occupant of this building was the Ladies Improvement Club, which had been founded in 1910. The building was dedicated as the library on February 16, 1923.
The stucco-clad block library is done in a Mediterranean (also described as "Grecian") style, which Ryan favored. The annex on the north side was added later. The library was moved to 13th St. in 1996.
In 1914, Harry Coble built a 50' x 100' 2-story concrete block structure. It had the longest single floor space in the city at the time.
This building opened on January 19, 1963, to be used as a county office. It was built by the Graves Company of Kissimmee for $15,887. It became a museum in 2005.
When this combination hotel-boarding house was built, the timber had been cleared as a plantation area from the shore to 10th St. Therefore, it really did have a view of the lake.
This Frame Vernacular building dates from 1910, and was one of St. Cloud's first hotels and dining rooms. Some time after the original construction, the size of the hotel was doubled (the side walls had previously stopped after the first two columns of windows) and the double hung windows were replaced.
In 1939, Miriam Small had the hotel redecorated, and changed the name to Small's Hotel. Ms. Small and her parents, Mr. and Mrs. M.A. Dunn, had previously operated the Pleasant View House on 12th St. and Pennsylvania Ave. The wood exterior has now been covered by vinyl siding.
This Masonry Vernacular structure was built in 1915.
This abandoned building was erected in about 1910 as the city's electric plant, and a cold storage plant was added about nine years later.
This 1910 home of W.J. Caskey is a good example of two-story Frame Vernacular construction, with the wrap-around porches supported by wooden columns. The open porches took advantage of morning sun and afternoon shade.
As a monument to St. Cloud's military veterans, this building was erected in 1947. The old Peoples Bank Clock was placed on its top. It has served as the home of the Chamber of Commerce and as a police station, and is today the police department's records office.
This bank opened in April of 1910 under the leadership of president Arthur E. Donegan. The bank lent the town the money for its first street paving, in 1911, of Pennsylvania, Florida, New York and Massachusetts Aves. from the north side of 10th St. to the south side of 12th St., plus connecting sections of 10th, 11th and 12th Sts.
In 1933, the building was remodeled to make over the entrance into an arcade conforming to that of the Hunter Arms Hotel on the same side of the street. Bullet-proof glass and steel fixtures were installed.
The building, later modified, was used as a childrens' store and then a furniture store.
The Hunter Arms Building dates from 1926, and was constructed in the Mediterranean Revival style to create a certain "Saniflora atmosphere". It was designed by Ohio architect Harlan Jones for West Palm Beach developer Grover C. Hunter. W.A. Steffle of Galion, Ohio, was the general contractor. It was initially estimated to cost $100,000 to build. By 1926, the cost had grown to $250,000.
To make room for the hotel, the Bon Air Hotel was moved and the Peckham Building, known locally as the "New York Stores", was torn down. The Johnson Building was purchased by Hunter and incorporated into the completed building, which had business rooms on the first floor and the hotel on the second.
The building was covered in gray stucco, had a 150' x 130' foundation, and was constructed of brick and steel walls. Upstairs there were 44 hotel rooms. The lobby had a Spanish tile floor, coquina rock fireplace and a ceiling of beamed pecky cypress. This inspired other store owners on nearby New York Ave. and 11th St. in an attempt to "blend in" with a more Mediterranean Florida look.
The 1926 shops on the New York Ave. side included Roberson's Pharmacy, the A & P Store, Wheat's Toggery, Dosser & Garrison, the Galion Gardens office, and Western Union. Fronting on 11th St. were C.C. Pike's Photo Studio, Dixie Barber Shop, and the Crawford Electric Shop. A later tenant was the Modern Home Shop. Twelve years later, the New York side had Western Union, Johnston & Van Denbergh's real estate office, Tom's Barber Shop, and Gus Ruehlen's real estate office.
Prior to the 1920s, the building on this corner was known as the Graystone Building. In 1924, a pharmacy was founded here by Dr. J.Z. Roberson of Kissimmee's Roberson Pharmacy. On the north side was the Shaker Land Co. office. Facing 11th St. was the tire shop of J.O. Cowger and D.E. Zellers. In room 5 was the Dixie Bobber Shoppe.
In 1926, this building was incorporated into the Hunter Arms Hotel block.
These buildings, also known as the Post Office Block, were built in about 1915 by William I. Perry. In 1920, they were purchased by William Millson, a former cigar maker. This included the post office with a room upstairs, the St. Cloud Market building, and the Corner Real Estate office building.
The A & P Store moved here in 1927 from the Hunter Arms Hotel building, taking the space formerly occupied by the Ford variety store.
In 1928, P.E. Morgan built this new home for Barth's Market, which had until that time been located in the wooden Millson Building at the rear of the post office. Six years later, the entire store front was changed for the T & L Grocery Store owned by Trieber and Livingston, then part of the largest food chain in Florida.
In about 1915, this building was erected here. In the 1920s, it was the home of Hedrick Brothers' Bakery. It was later remodeled as a tavern.
This building is described as Masonry Vernacular in style, and is built from locally-produced sand brick. The present square front columns are replacements for the original fluted ones.
Since its construction in 1910, this building has had varied uses. It began with the First National Bank, which lasted until December 31, 1917. To the rear of this building was constructed a modern building in 1915. It was demolished in the 1970s.
The Bank of St. Cloud purchased the earlier bank's building and fixtures in 1918, and J.K. Conn became president. Later, it housed the Golden Age Club for Senior Citizens.
It now houses the St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce and the Museum of Early St. Cloud History. The museum is open to the public.
Woodrow Young, who had previously operated Park Service Station, had a Gulf Oil Products station built here in 1939 by Charles Price. It was built with concrete block covered with stucco, and steel window frames and roof beams. It housed Heritage Antiques and in about 2004 was replaced by a new building occupied by Weichert Realtors.
This was constructed in about 1914. It later was a stained glass store and then became the home of Wermuth Photography.
This very ornate building was erected in 1912, and housed Matthew's Grocery. It was later a garden center and antique store, then was remodeled to look like a private home.
This was built in 1926, and is now a barber shop and surveyor's office.
J.F. and L.W. Farris Company hired Harrison and Morgan to construct a building for it, using the plans of architect W.H. Harmon of Beverly, Massachusetts. It has now been replaced by a small business strip.
Built in 1910, the hotel and restaurant served St. Cloud for over 25 yers. Originally, this Masonry Vernacular structure had a second-story open porch on the front side. The restaurant shared the ground floor with a barber shop.
The second portion from the corner was built in 1911, and housed the E.L. Lesley Co.
In 1925, this was built for G.A. Peed. It is another of the antique stores of this area.
This was built in about 1910.
This was built in about 1915. For a time, it housed an antique store.
This was built in 1911 for the Henry C. Stanford Dry Goods and Shoe Store. It later housed a business selling jewelry and collectibles.
The hotel, reportedly built from lumber salvaged from Disston's sugar mill, opened for business during the week of September 17, 1909. It was the project of Massachusetts developer-investor Frederick Merrill. Harrison E. King, postmaster, handled the mail at the hotel. It burned on December 22, 1909.
Almost immediately after the old wooden hotel burned in 1909, this 72-room concrete block structure was built in its place. It boasted that it was fireproof and had open fireplaces, electric lights, and fine bathing, boating and fishing facilities at the lake. A grand veranda wrapping around the building kept the sun from entering the rooms, but was removed in 1924, and at the same time a 10th St. entrance was added. Later, the concrete block and plate glass restaurant was added on the north side.
In 1955, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Lewis bought the hotel, renovated it, and named the large dining room the "Old South".
This bank building opened in 1925. It was designed by Ryan and Roberts and built by Frank Bourie of Kissimmee. The bank failed in 1928. In 1933, it housed the Osceola National Re-employment Service. Originally, the only Mediterranean Revival elements were the symmetrical parapet walls, but the later addition of stucco has lent it a more Spanish appearance.
The building at 916 New York Ave. was erected in 1909 by W.B. Makinson of Kissimmee. It opened as a corrugated iron store and warehouse. It also was the location of the first Union Church Sunday School on September 26, 1909. Not long after that, Makinson returned to Kissimmee.
He built a new building at 918 New York Ave., housing a new, improved store managed by Anson McGill. Later, the store was known as McGill & Scott Hardware, and then Steen's Hardware & Supply Co. In 1938, it became Carlin & McLean's owned by Henry G. Carlin who had worked for Makinson for 16 years and then for Steen, and A.B. McLean who was previously in the turpentine business. Later that year, McLean bought out Carlin and the business became the McLean Hardware Co.
It was later an antique store and then an Irish pub.
Boone's Florida Historical Markers & Sites, by Floyd Edward Boone (Rainbow Books 1988)
Florida: A Pictorial History, by Hampton Dunn (The Donning Company 1988)
Full Steam Ahead!, by Albert Parry, Ph.D. (Great Outdoors Publishing Company 1987)
Guide to Florida's Historic Architecture, (University of Florida Press 1989)
Historical and Architectural Survey, City of St. Cloud, Project Report, (Brenda J. Elliott & Associates 1993)
100 Years of Justice: The Osceola County Courthouse 1890-1990, by Robert D. Dietrich (The Board of Commissioners of Osceola County 1990)
Osceola County Centennial Book, by Osceola County - A Florida Political Subdivision (1987)
Osceola County: The First 100 Years, by Aldus M. and Robert S. Cody (The Osceola County Historical Society 1987)
The River of the Long Water, by Alma Hetherington (The Mickler House Publishers 1980)
Some Kind of Paradise: A Chronicle of Man and the Land in Florida, by Mark Derr (William Morrow and Company, Inc. 1989)
When Kissimmee Was Young, by Elizabeth A. Cantrell (Philathea Class, First Christian Church of Kissimmee, Fla. 1948)
"Wish You Were Here": A Grand Tour of Early Florida Via Old Post Cards, by Hampton Dunn (Byron Kennedy and Company 1981)
Click here for a copy of the trail rules.