The history of Sanford’s agriculture
roots is a story of trials and tribulations. People, who overcame logistical,
natural and economic disasters, were the true pioneers that helped shape
Sanford, Florida today. The citrus and later celery industries are
stories that were written by seasoned and often times bankrupt people.
These industries are directly tied to each other in how they came into prominence
The annexation of Florida to the United States opened
up vast ranges of “wilderness” territory. The availability of land
offered new opportunities to early settlers wishing to explore and establish
new livelihoods. The post Civil War era also marked a time period when
immigration and migrations of people came to Florida in large numbers.
By the late 1860’s, Florida was the most advertised state in the Union.
Florida’s mild and often balmy weather attracted many people, particularly
farmers. “Orange Fever” was a term often associated with Florida due
to the news of its wild orange groves. People contracted this phenomenon
and migrated to Florida hoping for new opportunities and profits.
Henry S. Sanford was one such early settler whose dreams
of orange bliss fueled his desire to establish an orange producing business
and the development of a town. Sanford had heard of the opportunities
Florida offered in citrus and sought to partake in this endeavor. His
travels up the St. Johns River brought him to Lake Monroe where he fell in
love with the native flora and fauna. Lake Monroe’s low riverbanks
and wide area on the St. Johns provided the perfect location for transportation
and settlement. Lake Monroe also offered an ideal location to start
an orange grove for Sanford and would be ideal for shipping his produce.
Henry Sanford established his Belair Grove of 145-acres,
consisting of oranges and lemon trees that he imported from England.
Sanford was fascinated with orange cultivation. His fascination and
cultivation of citrus produced many new cultivars of oranges and lemons,
most notably the Valencia orange. Many historians and agriculturists
have credited Sanford’s development of the Valencia orange as the basis for
Florida’s concentrate juice industry today. The Valencia is one of
the most widely grown oranges in Florida and other parts of the world.
The orange industry also attracted other people to the
Sanford area. Sydney O. Chase of Germantown, Pennsylvania, came to
Florida in hopes of learning and becoming involved in the citrus industry.
Sydney Chase worked at Sanford’s Belair grove learning the trade and techniques
of orange cultivation. Chase would later become involved in the railroad
industry. Sydney’s brother Joshua would later move to Sanford, Florida
and the two brothers would establish Chase and Company. This business
originally started out in the fertilizer and insurance business. Later,
Chase and Company would expand into citrus growing and brokering.
By the year of 1894, Sanford, Florida had become the largest
citrus shipping point in Florida. Over 500,000 boxes of oranges and
other citrus were being shipped out of Sanford by way of steamboat and railcars.
The winter of 1894 and early 1895 would be a disastrous turning point in
the citrus industry in Florida. Blizzard-like freezes nearly wiped
out all of the citrus groves in and around the city of Sanford as well as
throughout most of Florida. Many farmers were reluctant to replant.
Some citrus growers did replant trees such as the Chases, while others moved
further south to replant. However, many farmers switched to growing
other field crops that would be more cold hardy, such as celery.
“Celery City” would be the nickname of Sanford, Florida
until the 1970’s. Sanford’s climate, soil conditions and natural flowing
artesian wells provided the resources needed for growing celery. Many
farmers utilized the artesian wells in developing one of the first underground
irrigation systems in Florida. The Sanford System was developed using
tile pipes in a grid pattern 16-24 inches below the surface. This early
form of irrigation would prove vital to growing celery. Farmers could
water specific areas of their fields by capping pipes in other areas forcing
water from the artesian wells to flow directly to the root systems of the
celery. In the event of rain, the system could be capped to stop water
flow. Today, earth grading and developing vacant lands occasionally
reveal these old tile pipes and systems.
The Chases were also instrumental in the celery industry.
Chase and Company is also credited with being one of the first people to
grow and market celery on a large scale. Sydney Chase would be instrumental
in helping develop one of Sanford’s first rail systems reaching the celery
fields. Later, Atlantic Coast Systems railroad would incorporate Sanford’s
small rail lines and increase the ability to ship more celery out of the
area. Chase and Company later became known as Sunniland Corporation,
which is still in existence in Sanford today, although the Chase family does
not have any ownership in the corporation.
The production of celery brought other industries to the
area such as ice companies, packinghouses, and other rail lines. The
city of Sanford would be home to the second largest ice company plant and
rail switchyards in the southeastern United States. Cypress mill companies
would also provide the necessary wood boards used to “board up the celery”.
This boarding up of the celery would be used to block out sunlight on the
stalks of the celery creating a “blanching” of the plant to increase its
tenderness of the stalks.
Other names involved in the celery industry would be that
of Charlie Carlson, who wrote When Celery Was King, chronicling the rise
and establishment of celery in Sanford, Florida and Seminole County.
Andrew Duda would also be another name involved in the industry in the Oviedo
area. A. Duda and Sons still operate in Oviedo and are heavily involved
in the agriculture industry in Florida.
Today, Sanford is no longer the “Celery City”. With
the draining of Everglades’s lands, many celery growers moved their operations
to south Florida, just like the citrus. Each industry relied on the
other. Citrus’ loss was celery’s gain. Today Sanford still has
remnants of its citrus and celery past. The importance of these agriculture
crops is arguably two of the most important factors that have shaped the
historic city of Sanford, Florida.
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