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.
This cemetery contains the graves of several pioneer families of Montverde. One such family is that of James Martin Lowry (1882-1962), located in the westernmost row of headstones, fourth from the south edge of the cemetery. He and his wife, Alidel, had a large two-story house next to the railroad depot. He served as a school board member, county commissioner, and secretary-treasurer of the Montverde School. The house also served the community as the telephone office, express office and post office. Lowry also drilled a well and started a water system for the town.
Another family with several headstones is that of John Wyatt Harden (formerly Hardin). His is in the fourth row from the west side and indicates that he was a veteran with the Confederate army. After four years as a bugler, he and wife Aramenta moved here and founded West Apopka, now known as Montverde.
This building was erected in 1930 as a school with two classrooms, a library, restrooms and an auditorium. In 1954, it was sold to the city and was used as the town hall. Later, a portion of the complex was converted to the Helen Lehman Library and the Franklin Pearce, Jr. Auditorium, which was rented by the Baptists for their Sunday services.
The first school was built in 1885, a one-room log cabin between Ferndale and Monteverde. The second was made of logs and was near CR 455.
The third school in Montverde was built of lumber adjacent to the church on land donated by John Wyatt Harden. He was the first settler in Montverde, having arrived here from Chester, South Carolina, in about 1865. He homesteaded 165 acres and changed the spelling of his last name from "Hardin".
This land was donated by pioneer John Wyatt Harden in about 1889. The lumber was provided by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South Conference, and was hauled here by mule teams. Labor was provided by the neighborhood men.
Some of the hand-hewn log joists used under the floor are still in place. The single large room has an exterior of upright boards and batten. Two doors were provided - the one on the right for the men and the other for the women. For a time, the building was used by the Baptists as well as the Methodists.
Later, the building was enlarged and a ceiling was added. The grand piano was replaced by a pump organ, and then an upright piano and electric organ. Additions to the east and west provided classrooms for Sunday school, and then for public grammar school. Ceilings were lowered, the interior was paneled, and a front porch was added.
The adjacent Varena M. Cox Educational Building, including a fellowship hall, was dedicated in 1965.
This school was founded in 1912 by Dr. H.P. Carpenter, who came here from the Epworth School in Enterprise. He received support from the Daughters of the American Revolution. The school was a coeductional industrial, trade and preparatory school.
The academy is nondenominational. Students are required to attend church each week.
This is a classroom building.
This library opened in March of 1987 with a capacity of 10,000 volumes. It is named for George H. Rast.
This dormitory houses up to 65 girls in grades eleven and twelve.
This is a dormitory for girls in grades seven through ten, with a capacity of 52.
This facility opened in October of 1988 with a seating capacity of 300. In addition to daily meals, it is also utilized for special banquets and receptions.
This working bell tower was dedicated in memory of Carl L. Duncan.
This building named after Jorn M. Kreke was completed in 1993. It contains a custom equipped biology/science laboratory, demonstration and preparation areas, and a computer lab with 20 student workstations. Upstairs is a physics/chemistry lab and classroom.
This building contains several classrooms.
This building is named for Dr. Walter L. Stephens, Jr., who joined the academy's staff in 1961 and in 1968 became its president.
This facility contains a snack bar and is adjacent to a variety of recreational and athletic facilities.
J.P. Donnelly, a major developer of Mount Dora, donated money for the manual training building, which was named in his honor. Later, it was used as a warehouse.
This activities building completed in 1985 is named after William O. McQuaig, a local citrus grower. Several members of the McQuaig family are buried in the Montverde Cemetery.
This facility is named in honor of Henry D. Roberts.
This building is named after the Lowry family, active in the development of Montverde and the surrounding area. One member, Cyrus T. Lowry, operated a steamboat between Montverde and Oakland, linking the town to Orlando.
This is a dormitory for 65 boys in grades eleven and twelve. In October of 1988, it was enlarged by the addition of an annex with bathrooms, showers and laundry facilities on each of the three floors.
This dormitory has a capacity of 70 boys in grades seven through ten. It was dedicated on October 14, 1959.
This is named after Sandra O. Stephens and includes a 446-seat theatre/auditorium, music rooms, art rooms, a photography room, a dance studio and a drama complex. It was completed in December of 1981 at a cost of $1,000,000.
The original Montverde town water tower once stood on the south end of this lot, and its concrete footings are still evident.
In 1958, the Grace Baptist Church of Clermont held an organizational meeting in the Montverde Community House, for the purpose of discussing the establishment of a mission chapel. After two months of meetings, the group decided to build their own meeting place. The first service was held on this property on February 8, 1959, and the church building was erected later. On October 4, 1964, the mission separated from the church in Clermont and became the autonomous Montverde Baptist Church, now known as the First Baptist Church, Montverde.
The present sanctuary was dedicated on December 8, 1924.
Many of the older headstones in this cemetery have weathered to the point of being unreadable. The oldest legible one appears to mark the grave of an infant who died in August of 1898.
During the late 1940s, Montverde resident L. Neal Smith invented a heavy, bright green lawn mower with a shiny turtle head ornament on its hood. Called the "Snappin' Turtle", it was a self-controlled machine that could cut bushes and small trees as well as grass. The patent for the original machine is still used in the manufacture of Snapper Lawn equipment.
Smith could not keep up with the demand for the mowers, and sold the patent to Southern Saw in Atlanta, which was later renamed Snapper Lawn Equipment. Smith opened the first Snapper distributorship, in Montverde. When he died in 1987, the distributorship passed to his daughter, Gee Gee Franklin.
The original mower and other early equipment are on display here. Smith also invented a floating covered boat dock, an orange picker, and a device that peeled potatoes and rocked a baby at the same time.
The original plat of Montverde was prepared by Maj. Alexander St. Clair Abrams, the builder of the Tavares and Gulf Railroad. In the early days, this area was mostly known for grapes and parsley. Montverde was incorporated in 1924 with W.D. Walker serving as the first mayor.
The post office was established about a mile and a half west of town, then moved to the Lowry home. After it burned, it was moved to the R.W. Harper home, then to a small building on 7th St., and then to this location.
Lake County, Florida: A Pictorial History, by Emmett Peter, Jr. (The Donning Company 1994)
Memories of Mount Dora and Lake County, by David Edgerton (1983)
Montverde Academy Catalog (1997-98)
Through Schoolhouse Doors: A History of Lake County Schools, by The Lake County Retired Teachers Association (Rose Printing Co., Inc. 1982)
Click here for a copy of the trail rules.