The Historical Society of Avon ParkAVON PARK, FL · EST. 1886
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The newspapers of Avon Park

A town of a few thousand people has had at least eight newspapers of its own, plus two standing columns in other towns’ papers. Over five decades of local journalism spanning 1919 to 1979 survive in over 2,100 digitized issues preserved in the Avon Park Historical Society’s collections.

The lost ones

The Florida Homeseeker. Oliver M. Crosby’s own promotional paper, published at Fort Meade and then at Avon Park, active at least 1892-93 and corroborated in both the Pabor Lake Pineapple and the Florida Agriculturist. Not catalogued by the Library of Congress under that name. See the finding on it.

The Avon Park Idea. In print by February 1894 and edited by A. L. Blue, who is listed twice in the 1895 state business directory — once under the paper’s name and once under his own.[gaz-1895] Following Blue’s departure, it was continued by A. L. Gonzales of Fort Myers and Arthur Sargent through 1898, extensively quoted in the state agricultural press for its regional crop, cattle, and civic reports. No original issue has been located, and it is not catalogued by the Library of Congress. See the finding on regional press and the Idea.

The Avon Park Press. Established on Friday, 12 November 1915 by veteran Florida editor Peter Augustus (“Pete”) Ruhl, who conducted it as editor and proprietor before departing in April 1916 to manage The Sebring White Way.[lakeland-1915-11-16][punta-gorda-1915-11-11][desoto-news-1916-04-20] Following Ruhl’s departure, the weekly continued under the ownership of the Zolfo Springs Publishing Company (managed by Stuart Hancock) through at least late summer 1919, contract-printed in Zolfo Springs while maintaining local editorial and civic coverage.[gaz-1918] By late 1919, the paper was superseded by George W. Adams’s Highlands County Pilot.[gaz-1925] See the finding on the Press and Pete Ruhl and the entity on Pete Ruhl.

The South Florida Sun. Published at Avon Park and conducted by O. R. Thacher, carrying the strapline “The Beautiful Lake Region.” Its contents survive because it took a full page most weeks in The De Soto County News of Arcadia through 1905 and into 1906 as the “Department of The South Florida Sun.”[dsc-1906-05-18] A dealer listing offers Vol. 1 No. 41 of 1901, which would put its first issue in late 1900 or early 1901. See the entity.

The catalogued and mid-century newspapers

Highlands County Pilot (1919–1935)

LCCN sn95026910. Published at Avon Park by the Pilot Press; weekly, on Wednesdays (later Fridays).[loc-pilot]

The Library’s cataloguing notes are unusually revealing:

  • Description based on Vol. 9, no. 6 (3 January 1934).
  • Latest issue consulted Vol. 16, no. 26 (22 May 1935).
  • The issue for 10 January 1934 is misdated 1933.
  • “Vol. designation for 1934 varies randomly between v. 9 and v. 15.”

Six other Florida papers’ exchange notices establish that the Pilot’s first issue appeared in the last week of November 1919 — which makes the long-cited “August 1919” issue containing Crosby’s own history of Avon Park an impossibility.

The volume numbering mystery resolved: A paper founded in late 1919 was in its sixteenth volume in May 1935 (the Library’s latest consulted issue). The rival “v. 9” series that appeared in 1934 counts back nine years to 1925—the founding year of Gilbert Freeman’s companion boom-era paper, The Scenic Highlands Sun.[maxwell-1976] As the two titles were printed by the same plant as a Tuesday/Friday semi-weekly pair and consolidated in 1934, the shop alternated between the volume counts of the two titles.[maxwell-1976]

The Society’s digitized holdings: While not digitized by the Library of Congress, the Avon Park Historical Society holds a digitized collection of 231 issues spanning 28 November 1919 through 4 July 1925 (2,109 pages).[aphs-pilot-run] See The Highlands Pilot, 1919–1925.

Highlands County Messenger (1921–1923)

Established on 6 August 1921 following the legislative division of DeSoto County that created Highlands County.[aphs-messenger-run] Published weekly on Saturdays (later Mondays), it documented county division proceedings, county commissioners’ meetings, the Avon Park–Sebring county seat contest, and local commerce.[aphs-messenger-run] The Avon Park Historical Society preserves 54 digitized issues spanning August 1921 to May 1923 (408 pages).[aphs-messenger-run] See Highlands County Messenger, 1921–1923.

The Scenic Highlands Sun and The Scenic Highlands (1925–1974)

Established circa 1925 during the peak of the Florida land boom by Tampa newspaperman Gilbert “Bert” Freeman (former associate editor of the Tampa Morning Tribune), who had previously bought the Highlands County Pilot.[maxwell-1976] Founded initially as a daily newspaper celebrating the “City of Charm,” the paper converted following the 1926–1927 bust into a Friday weekly alongside the Tuesday Pilot.[maxwell-1976]

When Avon Park leader Col. J. M. Lee took office as Florida State Comptroller in January 1933, Freeman joined him in Tallahassee as assistant comptroller, placing accountant C. H. Pardee in charge of the papers as editor and manager through early 1934.[maxwell-1976] In 1934, veteran Florida editor W. M. (Bill) Hetherington leased the Freeman papers, acquired the competing Avon Park Times, and consolidated all three titles into The Scenic Highlands Sun, with his wife Hettie Hetherington directing social reporting.[maxwell-1976]

By 1938, the Avon Park plant served as headquarters for Freeman’s regional publishing group, comprising the Scenic Highlands Sun, the Pilot, and the Lake Placid News (with shares held by Vera Freeman, G. C. Rankin, and J. C. Cardwell), which also backed radio station WTAL in Tallahassee.[broadcasting-1938] The paper was quoted regionally and nationally as an authority on central Florida citrus and politics.[sauk-centre-1937-05-06] Following Freeman’s death in November 1944, the publication was sold in 1946 to W. C. Cleary and then to John H. Perry Publications, becoming the modern Avon Park Sun.[maxwell-1976][loc-apsun] Full documentation is in The Scenic Highlands Sun, Gilbert Freeman, and the Hetherington Consolidation.

The Society’s digitized holdings: The Avon Park Historical Society preserves 278 digitized issues of The Scenic Highlands spanning 11 June 1938 to 5 April 1974 (3,166 pages), documenting wartime aviation, tourism, and mid-century citrus expansion.[aphs-scenic-run] See The Scenic Highlands, 1938–1974.

The Avon Park Times (1928–1942)

Founded in January 1928 by the Schaefer-Broking Printing Company with Hayden Williams as editor.[aphs-times-run][maxwell-1976] Surviving issues confirm publication began in early 1928 (evidenced by Vol. 1, No. 16 of 4 May 1928), correcting the previous secondary date of 1929.[aphs-times-run] W. M. (Bill) Hetherington took over editorial management in February 1930, and the paper was subsequently sold to William Beckett.[maxwell-1976] In 1934, Beckett sold The Times to Gilbert Freeman, and Hetherington merged it into The Scenic Highlands Sun operations, while publishing under The Times banner continued through April 1942.[aphs-times-run][brooksville-1934-06-14]

The Society’s digitized holdings: The Avon Park Historical Society holds 626 digitized issues spanning May 1928 to April 1942 (5,638 pages), chronicling the Great Depression, railroad depot, and bank failures.[aphs-times-run] See Avon Park Times, 1928–1942.

Avon Park Sun (1946–1988)

LCCN sn78001441. Acquired in May 1946 by John H. Perry Publications from W. C. Cleary (who had bought out the Freeman estate and Hetherington); weekly/semiweekly; ceased in 1988.[loc-apsun][maxwell-1976]

  • From 12 June 1983 to 30 October 1988 it was published on Sundays in conjunction with the Sebring News as the Sunday News-Sun.
  • Latest issue consulted Vol. 69, no. 26 (29 June 1988).
  • Holdings: the Florida Newspaper Project at Gainesville has 3 May 1946 to 29 June 1988 — a complete forty-two-year run, on microfilm, in one place.
  • The Society’s digitized holdings: The Avon Park Historical Society holds 924 digitized issues spanning 2 January 1948 to 11 October 1979 (18,781 pages), providing complete weekly coverage of postwar growth, municipal elections, and community life.[aphs-apsun-run] See Avon Park Sun, 1948–1979.

The continuous lineage: Vol. 69 in 1988 counts back exactly to 1919 — the founding of the Highlands County Pilot. The succession through the Pilot (1919–1934), The Scenic Highlands Sun (1925–1946), and the Avon Park Sun (1946–1988) represents an unbroken sixty-nine-year lineage of community newspaper publishing.

The Highlands Herald (1962–)

LCCN sn97027722. Published at Avon Park, Lake Placid and Sebring by the Highlander Publishing Company; weekly. Vol. 1, no. 45 is dated 22 February 1962. Publishers: W. A. “Bill” Meyer from 1962, Robert O. Lodmell by 1965. Latest issue consulted Vol. 4, no. 50 (29 December 1965).[loc-herald]

The columns in other towns’ papers

Twice, an Avon Park paper or correspondent took a standing department in a neighboring county’s newspaper, and in both cases that borrowed space is the only surviving text.

  • In The De Soto County News, Arcadia, 1905-06 — the “Department of The South Florida Sun,” conducted by O. R. Thacher, with a column of “Avon Park Locals.”
  • In the Fort Meade Leader, 1912 — “the Avon Park department of the Fort Meade Leader,” quoted in the Lakeland Evening Telegram of 27 September 1912.[lakeland-1912-09-27] The Fort Meade Leader is not digitized, and it covers 1907-1914 — precisely the years missing from the Arcadia paper, and the years in which the railway arrived and the town incorporated. Finding it on microfilm is the single most valuable newspaper task left.

References

  • aphs-pilot-run — George W. Adams, editor and publisher (The Pilot Press). The Highlands Pilot (Avon Park, Fla.), 1919–1925, 231 digitized issues. 4 July 1925. the-highlands-pilot.md
  • aphs-messenger-run — Highlands County Messenger Publishing Company. Highlands County Messenger (Avon Park, Fla.), 1921–1923, 54 digitized issues. 26 May 1923. highlands-county-messenger.md
  • aphs-times-run — Schaefer-Broking Printing Company, Hayden Williams, W. M. Hetherington, and William Beckett. Avon Park Times (Avon Park, Fla.), 1928–1942, 626 digitized issues. 8 April 1942. avon-park-times.md
  • aphs-scenic-run — The Scenic Highlands Publishing Company and George H. Bicknell. The Scenic Highlands (Avon Park, Fla.), 1938–1974, 278 digitized issues. 5 April 1974. the-scenic-highlands.md
  • aphs-apsun-run — John H. Perry Publications and Edward Carter. Avon Park Sun (Avon Park, Fla.), 1948–1979, 924 digitized issues. 11 October 1979. avon-park-sun.md
  • loc-pilot — Library of Congress, U.S. Newspaper Directory. Highlands County Pilot (Avon Park, Fla.), LCCN sn95026910. 31 August 2026. https://www.loc.gov/item/sn95026910/
  • loc-apsun — Library of Congress, U.S. Newspaper Directory. Avon Park Sun (Avon Park, Fla.) 1946-1988, LCCN sn78001441. 31 August 2026. https://www.loc.gov/item/sn78001441/
  • loc-herald — Library of Congress, U.S. Newspaper Directory. The Highlands Herald (Avon Park; Lake Placid; Sebring, Fla.) 1962-19??, LCCN sn97027722. 31 August 2026. https://www.loc.gov/item/sn97027722/
  • gaz-1895 — Belden Publishing Company. Florida Railroad Gazetteer and State Business Directory, 1895, s.v. Avon Park. 1895. florida-business-directories.md
  • lakeland-1915-11-16 — The Lakeland Evening Telegram. The Lakeland Evening Telegram, 16 November 1915, page 4: The Press, with P. A. Ruhl, Editor and Proprietor. 16 November 1915. https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn95047222/1915-11-16/ed-1/?sp=4
  • punta-gorda-1915-11-11 — The Punta Gorda Herald. The Punta Gorda Herald, 11 November 1915, page 4: Avon Park Weekly Paper Called The Press. 11 November 1915. https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn95047324/1915-11-11/ed-1/?sp=4
  • desoto-news-1916-04-20 — The De Soto County News. The De Soto County News, 20 April 1916, page 5: Avon Park Column on Pete Ruhl and Avon Park Press. 20 April 1916. https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn95026908/1916-04-20/ed-1/?sp=5
  • gaz-1918 — R. L. Polk & Co. Florida State Gazetteer and Business Directory, 1918, s.v. Avon Park. 1918. florida-business-directories.md
  • gaz-1925 — R. L. Polk & Co. Florida, “The Playground of the Nation” - a gazetteer and business directory, s.v. Avon Park. 1925. florida-business-directories.md
  • dsc-1906-05-18 — O. R. Thacher (department editor), The De Soto County News, Arcadia, Fla. The De Soto County News, 18 May 1906, page 8: Department of The South Florida Sun. 18 May 1906. de-soto-county-news-avon-park-department.md
  • lakeland-1912-09-27 — The Lakeland Evening Telegram. The Lakeland Evening Telegram, 27 September 1912, page 4, quoting the Avon Park department of the Fort Meade Leader. 27 September 1912. https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn95047222/1912-09-27/ed-1/?sp=4
  • brooksville-1934-06-14 — The Brooksville Journal (Brooksville, Fla.). Editorial page, The Brooksville Journal, 14 June 1934, page 2, quoting the Avon Park Times on Comptroller J. M. Lee. 14 June 1934. https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn95047246/1934-06-14/ed-1/?sp=2
  • maxwell-1976 — Leoma Bradshaw Maxwell. The First Hundred Years of Avon Park, Florida. 1976. the-first-hundred-years-of-avon-park_leoma-bradshaw-maxwell_1976.md
  • broadcasting-1938 — Broadcasting Publications, Inc. Broadcasting 1938 Yearbook: Directory of U.S. Broadcasting Stations and Newspaper Ownership. 1938. https://archive.org/details/broadcasting1938unse
  • sauk-centre-1937-05-06 — Sauk Centre Herald. Sauk Centre Herald (Sauk Centre, Minn.), 6 May 1937, page 5, quoting the Scenic Highland Sun. 6 May 1937. https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn89064489/1937-05-06/ed-1/?sp=5

Where this comes from

Evidence
single-source — One source. Treat as reported, not established.
Review
unverified — Drafted from sources but not yet checked by a volunteer.
Rights
society

Sources

  1. George W. Adams, editor and publisher (The Pilot Press), The Highlands Pilot (Avon Park, Fla.), 1919–1925, 231 digitized issues (the-highlands-pilot.md) (1925) · newspaper
  2. Highlands County Messenger Publishing Company, Highlands County Messenger (Avon Park, Fla.), 1921–1923, 54 digitized issues (highlands-county-messenger.md) (1923) · newspaper
  3. Schaefer-Broking Printing Company, Hayden Williams, W. M. Hetherington, and William Beckett, Avon Park Times (Avon Park, Fla.), 1928–1942, 626 digitized issues (avon-park-times.md) (1942) · newspaper
  4. The Scenic Highlands Publishing Company and George H. Bicknell, The Scenic Highlands (Avon Park, Fla.), 1938–1974, 278 digitized issues (the-scenic-highlands.md) (1974) · newspaper
  5. John H. Perry Publications and Edward Carter, Avon Park Sun (Avon Park, Fla.), 1948–1979, 924 digitized issues (avon-park-sun.md) (1979) · newspaper
  6. Library of Congress, U.S. Newspaper Directory, Highlands County Pilot (Avon Park, Fla.), LCCN sn95026910 (2026)
  7. Library of Congress, U.S. Newspaper Directory, Avon Park Sun (Avon Park, Fla.) 1946-1988, LCCN sn78001441 (2026)
  8. Library of Congress, U.S. Newspaper Directory, The Highlands Herald (Avon Park; Lake Placid; Sebring, Fla.) 1962-19??, LCCN sn97027722 (2026)
  9. Belden Publishing Company, Florida Railroad Gazetteer and State Business Directory, 1895, s.v. Avon Park (1895)
  10. The Lakeland Evening Telegram, The Lakeland Evening Telegram, 16 November 1915, page 4: The Press, with P. A. Ruhl, Editor and Proprietor (1915) · newspaper
  11. The Punta Gorda Herald, The Punta Gorda Herald, 11 November 1915, page 4: Avon Park Weekly Paper Called The Press (1915) · newspaper
  12. The De Soto County News, The De Soto County News, 20 April 1916, page 5: Avon Park Column on Pete Ruhl and Avon Park Press (1916) · newspaper
  13. R. L. Polk & Co., Florida State Gazetteer and Business Directory, 1918, s.v. Avon Park (1918)
  14. R. L. Polk & Co., Florida, "The Playground of the Nation" - a gazetteer and business directory, s.v. Avon Park (1925)
  15. O. R. Thacher (department editor), The De Soto County News, Arcadia, Fla., The De Soto County News, 18 May 1906, page 8: Department of The South Florida Sun (1906)
  16. The Lakeland Evening Telegram, The Lakeland Evening Telegram, 27 September 1912, page 4, quoting the Avon Park department of the Fort Meade Leader (1912)
  17. The Brooksville Journal (Brooksville, Fla.), Editorial page, The Brooksville Journal, 14 June 1934, page 2, quoting the Avon Park Times on Comptroller J. M. Lee (1934)
  18. Leoma Bradshaw Maxwell, The First Hundred Years of Avon Park, Florida (the-first-hundred-years-of-avon-park_leoma-bradshaw-maxwell_1976.md) (1976)
  19. Broadcasting Publications, Inc., Broadcasting 1938 Yearbook: Directory of U.S. Broadcasting Stations and Newspaper Ownership (1938)
  20. Sauk Centre Herald, Sauk Centre Herald (Sauk Centre, Minn.), 6 May 1937, page 5, quoting the Scenic Highland Sun (1937)

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