ARTICLE
Lakeland Florida, the city that many of us call home and others come to know and love. As you may have seen in our recent blogs, Lakeland boasts many exciting events, escapes, and celebrations, but was not always the fast-paced community we know today. So, we have decided to take a deep dive into the history of Swan City. In 1882 Abraham Munn, a Kentucky businessperson, purchased a large amount of land near a newly built railroad. In 1884 Munn platted the land for the town and named it Lakeland because of, you guessed it, the many lakes nearby. The land Munn purchased is what we know now as downtown Lakeland. On January 1, 1885, Lakeland Florida was incorporated. With the newly incorporated town of Lakeland in the area, the nearby town of Acton did not seem so welcoming to our town. Acton has a railroad depot before Lakeland. This railway depot mysteriously burnt down, and a new depot was built in Lakeland which would impact the growth of our community. Curtis has a massive impact on Lakeland. One notable detail is that of the March Seedless Grapefruit. Ed Tison is said to have originated the grapefruit from cuttings on a tree on the Hancock property. The nurseries were sold to C. M. March who then named them the new variety of fruit. In 1891 Lakeland was given the gift of electricity by Harry C. Sloan. Lakeland was the only town in Florida to have electric lights besides Jacksonville and Tampa. Within the next 10 years Lakeland would have about 9,000 troops on its soil during the Spanish-American War. There were regiments camping on Lake Wire and Lake Morton. After the war, the town was booming. From 1902 to 1922 Lakeland had its first telephone exchange, first fire department, free mail delivery, the cornerstone of the first hospital was laid and Florida Southern College moved from Sutherland to Lakeland. The 1920’s were constructive years for Lakeland. The Terrace Hotel, New Florida Hotel (now Lake Mirror Tower Apartments), Polk Theater, Park Trammell Building (now the Lakeland Chamber of Commerce), the Cleveland Heights subdivision and many other buildings made their debut. Between the late 1920’s and 1934, Lakeland experienced trouble, but due to the Detroit Tigers spring training in 1934, the central Florida transportation and the Lakeland Municipal Airport Lakeland were up and coming again. Frank Lloyd Wright visited Florida Southern College in 1938 and for the next 20 years Wright worked on his "true American campus" creation. George Jenkins, a man still spoken of today, rapidly expanded his Publix Supermarket chain and establish the corporate office here in Lakeland in the mid 1940’s. Lakeland became known as the World’s Citrus Center thanks to the citrus industry in the surrounding area. Phosphate is another major contributor to the growth of Lakeland. Today Lakeland has more than 100,000 residents (about the seating capacity of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum) and is continuing to grow rapidly. You can see the history of Lakeland all throughout our grand city. From our local parks and lakes to our historic homes, Lakeland does a wonderful job of preserving its history.
Lakeland Florida, the city that many of us call home and others come to know and love. As you may have seen in our recent blogs, Lakeland boasts many exciting events, escapes, and celebrations, but was not always the fast-paced community we know today. So, we have decided to take a deep dive into the history of Swan City.
In 1882 Abraham Munn, a Kentucky businessperson, purchased a large amount of land near a newly built railroad. In 1884 Munn platted the land for the town and named it Lakeland because of, you guessed it, the many lakes nearby. The land Munn purchased is what we know now as downtown Lakeland. On January 1, 1885, Lakeland Florida was incorporated.
With the newly incorporated town of Lakeland in the area, the nearby town of Acton did not seem so welcoming to our town. Acton has a railroad depot before Lakeland. This railway depot mysteriously burnt down, and a new depot was built in Lakeland which would impact the growth of our community.
Curtis has a massive impact on Lakeland. One notable detail is that of the March Seedless Grapefruit. Ed Tison is said to have originated the grapefruit from cuttings on a tree on the Hancock property. The nurseries were sold to C. M. March who then named them the new variety of fruit.
In 1891 Lakeland was given the gift of electricity by Harry C. Sloan. Lakeland was the only town in Florida to have electric lights besides Jacksonville and Tampa. Within the next 10 years Lakeland would have about 9,000 troops on its soil during the Spanish-American War. There were regiments camping on Lake Wire and Lake Morton.
After the war, the town was booming. From 1902 to 1922 Lakeland had its first telephone exchange, first fire department, free mail delivery, the cornerstone of the first hospital was laid and Florida Southern College moved from Sutherland to Lakeland.
The 1920’s were constructive years for Lakeland. The Terrace Hotel, New Florida Hotel (now Lake Mirror Tower Apartments), Polk Theater, Park Trammell Building (now the Lakeland Chamber of Commerce), the Cleveland Heights subdivision and many other buildings made their debut.
Between the late 1920’s and 1934, Lakeland experienced trouble, but due to the Detroit Tigers spring training in 1934, the central Florida transportation and the Lakeland Municipal Airport Lakeland were up and coming again. Frank Lloyd Wright visited Florida Southern College in 1938 and for the next 20 years Wright worked on his "true American campus" creation.
George Jenkins, a man still spoken of today, rapidly expanded his Publix Supermarket chain and establish the corporate office here in Lakeland in the mid 1940’s. Lakeland became known as the World’s Citrus Center thanks to the citrus industry in the surrounding area. Phosphate is another major contributor to the growth of Lakeland.
Today Lakeland has more than 100,000 residents (about the seating capacity of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum) and is continuing to grow rapidly. You can see the history of Lakeland all throughout our grand city. From our local parks and lakes to our historic homes, Lakeland does a wonderful job of preserving its history.