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 As
you drive along the local roads in Central Florida, you will notice many
areas with orange trees still producing their fruit. These areas
represent the large tracts of land which were the original citrus groves
that made Florida an important source of oranges, grapefruits,
tangerines, lemons, and other delicious and healthy fruit. Although
freezes in the past have reduced the size of the citrus industry in
Central Florida, some of those groves are still active today,
Lake County's citrus industry actually began before the formation of the
county itself, which was created by the Florida Legislature in 1887.
Early settlers were pioneers and ranchers who came seeking the
adventures of frontier life. Orange growing was secondary to cattle
raising, as cattlemen took to maintaining small plots of sweet seedling
orange trees on the pinelands surrounding their pastures.
Planters came from Georgia and the Carolinas when they learned that
oranges could be grown cheaply and then easily transported to market
along the St. John's River. The first commercial nursery was owned by
the Hooks family, who came from Georgia in 1868, and planted a 40-acre
grove on the south side of Lake Harris. The land was purchased from a
preacher by the name of Parson Brown (a name familiar to anyone who has
heard the song "Winter Wonderland").
 With
the introduction of rail transportation in the late 1880s, the
population soared and the citrus industry grew. The train whistle was
used to warn growers of possible freezes; however, in 1894-95, two
serious freezes devastated the citrus industry. Those groves that were
able to recover kept the industry going, and by the 1930s, approximately
two million boxes of citrus were being packaged and shipped out of Lake
County each year.
For those who enjoy seeing the "tools of the trade," the Citrus Museum
on Bay Street in Eustis displays many of the items used by early
growers, including colorful printed materials, tools, crate labels,
glassware and other memorabilia. Two of the larger items in the museum
are a smudge pot that was used in the groves to prevent freezing, and a
large two-wheeled fire extinguisher.
The Citrus Museum is open to the public on most afternoons.
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