The Historical Society of Avon ParkAVON PARK, FL · EST. 1886
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John C. Burleigh’s Midland Supply Operations and the Dating of Florida Memory RC09877

The State Archives of Florida holds a historical photograph (Image No. RC09877) captioned John Burleigh hauling supplies to the store – Midland, Florida and catalogued under Polk County with an estimated date of “circa 1900”[fl-memory-midland-photo].

A critical analysis of the vehicular technology in the image, combined with primary business, tax, and probate records, resolves the dating anomaly and establishes John C. Burleigh’s late-career freighting and mercantile enterprise between Midland and Avon Park[fl-memory-midland-photo][ufdc-polk-burleigh].

Technological Re-evaluation of Florida Memory RC09877

The photograph depicts a stake-bed commercial motor truck laden with bagged dry goods, flour sacks, and crates beneath a slatted canvas canopy, flanked by four men, boys, and a farm dog standing on deep pine sand[fl-memory-midland-photo].

Several technological features demonstrate that the vehicle cannot date to circa 1900:

  1. Chain-Drive Chassis: The heavy rear axle and exposed roller chain drive reflect commercial truck chassis designs developed between 1912 and 1920[fl-memory-midland-photo].
  2. Tire Configuration: The front wheels carry demountable pneumatic tires, while the rear wheels utilize heavy, solid vulcanized rubber tires—a standard commercial configuration introduced in the mid-1910s to carry freight loads over unimproved rural roads[fl-memory-midland-photo].
  3. Radiator Shell and Hood Geometry: The vertical-tube radiator, squared hood lines, and factory cowl are typical of early motorized delivery trucks such as the Republic, White, or International Harvester commercial models of 1915–1920[fl-memory-midland-photo].

These engineering benchmarks establish that the photograph was taken between approximately 1915 and 1920, rather than at the turn of the century[fl-memory-midland-photo].

The Dual-County Mercantile Trail (Midland and Avon Park)

The corrected date aligns with John C. Burleigh’s documented transition between DeSoto and Polk counties:

  • Pioneer Period (1888–1895): Burleigh co-founded the settlement of Midland in south-central Polk County before moving to Avon Park to manage the Lake Brentwood steam sawmill and superintend the construction of the Avon Park Transportation Company’s wooden-railed tramway in 1894–1895[harpers-1895-novelty][pineapple].
  • Avon Park General Store (1895–1911): State business directories and local newspaper columns document Burleigh as a resident merchant, general contractor, and property owner in Avon Park through at least 1911, enlarging his home on Main Street in May 1906[dsc-1906-05-18]. By January 1915, his commercial building on Main Street was designated as the “old Burleigh Store” when occupied by the Avon Park Hardware and Furniture Company[dsc-1915-01-07].
  • Motorized Freight & Supply Route (1910–1920): On 1 February 1910, Burleigh registered an automobile with the State of Florida from Polk County (Certificate No. 1290)[fl-memory-auto-reg]. In his final decade, Burleigh operated motorized supply hauling into Midland and surrounding rural settlements along the Lake Wales Ridge[fl-memory-midland-photo][ufdc-polk-burleigh].
  • Probate and Demise (1920): Burleigh served as a Notary Public in Polk County in October 1919 (Lakeland Star). In August 1920, the Polk County Record published a formal legal notice of administration for the Estate of John C. Burleigh, fixing his death in mid-1920[ufdc-polk-burleigh].

Photograph RC09877 thus captures Burleigh’s motorized country supply trade in its mature phase, representing the shift from mule teams and wooden tramways to motor trucks in the central Florida ridge country during the First World War era[fl-memory-midland-photo][ufdc-polk-burleigh].

References

  • fl-memory-midland-photo — State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory. John Burleigh hauling supplies to the store – Midland, Florida (image RC09877). 1900. https://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/32637
  • harpers-1895-novelty — Harper’s Weekly, Vol. 39, No. 2008. A Novelty Among Railroads. 15 June 1895. harpers-weekly-1895-novelty-among-railroads.md
  • pineapple — W. E. Pabor and E. A. Pabor. Pabor Lake Pineapple, October 1892 to September 1897. 15 September 1897. pabor-lake-pineapple.md
  • ufdc-polk-burleigh — University of Florida Digital Collections / Florida Digital Newspaper Library. Polk County newspaper items naming John C. Burleigh, 1900–1920. 30 August 2026. https://ufdc.ufl.edu
  • 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, Avon Park Locals. 18 May 1906. de-soto-county-news-avon-park-department.md
  • dsc-1915-01-07 — The De Soto County News, Arcadia, Fla. The De Soto County News, 7 January 1915, page 11: Avon Park Hardware and Furniture Company advertisement. 7 January 1915. de-soto-county-news-avon-park-department.md
  • fl-memory-auto-reg — State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory. ‘J.C. Burleigh,’ Early Auto Registrations 1905–1917. 1 February 1910. https://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/300699

Where this comes from

Evidence
corroborated — More than one independent source agrees.
Review
unverified — Drafted from sources but not yet checked by a volunteer.
Rights
society

Sources

  1. State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory, John Burleigh hauling supplies to the store – Midland, Florida (image RC09877) (1900)
  2. Harper's Weekly, Vol. 39, No. 2008, A Novelty Among Railroads (1895) · newspaper
  3. W. E. Pabor and E. A. Pabor, Pabor Lake Pineapple, October 1892 to September 1897 (1897) · newspaper
  4. University of Florida Digital Collections / Florida Digital Newspaper Library, Polk County newspaper items naming John C. Burleigh, 1900–1920 (2026) · newspaper
  5. 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, Avon Park Locals (1906) · newspaper
  6. The De Soto County News, Arcadia, Fla., The De Soto County News, 7 January 1915, page 11: Avon Park Hardware and Furniture Company advertisement (1915) · newspaper
  7. State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory, 'J.C. Burleigh,' Early Auto Registrations 1905–1917 (1910) · official

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