The Historical Society of Avon ParkAVON PARK, FL · EST. 1886
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The Florida Development Company, Avon Park Transportation Company, and Burleigh sawmill nexus

Between 1894 and 1897, the pioneer development of Avon Park was driven by an interlocking nexus of three enterprises: the Florida Development Company (the master colonization vehicle), the Avon Park Transportation Company (its common-carrier wooden railroad affiliate), and John C. Burleigh’s steam sawmill on Lake Brentwood.[harpers-1895-novelty][pineapple][shay-roster-469]

The Corporate Structure

The three entities served complementary functions in Oliver M. Crosby’s colonization campaign:

  1. Florida Development Company (FDC):

    • Incorporation and Scope: Chartered in November 1891 with $250,000 to $350,000 in capital stock by Oliver Marvin Crosby, Frank E. Sperring, Charles H. Smith, and Robert B. Archibald.[fdc-newspapers]
    • Holdings: Owned the 20,000-acre Avon Park tract, platted townsite lots, Hotel Verona, commercial fruit tree nurseries, and multiple residential rental cottages.[fdc-newspapers][nrhp-90000486]
    • Capital Investment in Transit: FDC was the purchaser of record for Lima Shay Locomotive #469, acquired to solve the interior ridge transportation bottleneck.[shay-roster-469]

  2. Avon Park Transportation Company (Avon Park & Haines City Railroad):

    • Organization: Formed at Avon Park on 5 January 1895 with $25,000 in capital stock to construct and operate a common-carrier wooden railroad from Avon Park north to Haines City (later projected toward Bartow) to connect with the Plant System.[harpers-1895-novelty][pineapple]
    • Officers: President Clark D. Knapp, Vice President Oliver M. Crosby, Secretary and Treasurer Charles C. Chollar, and General Superintendent John C. Burleigh.[harpers-1895-novelty][pineapple]

  3. Burleigh’s Steam Sawmill on Lake Brentwood:

    • Location and Function: Situated along the north shore of Lake Brentwood (historically Lake Thompson), the steam mill cut standing virgin longleaf pine into heavy structural framing lumber for town buildings and 4x8-inch pine stringers for the wooden railway trackage.[harpers-1895-novelty][pineapple]

The Locomotive: Resolving Anna vs. Crosby

The locomotive that powered the enterprise was subject to differing naming records in builder and local press accounts:[harpers-1895-novelty][shay-roster-469]

  • Builder’s Record: Constructed by the Lima Locomotive Works in Lima, Ohio (Shop No. 469, Class A 10-2, empty weight 16,000 lbs.) and completed on 17 November 1894 for “The Florida Development Co.” The Lima order book entered the engine as “ANNA” (designated FDC #5).[shay-roster-469]
  • Local and National Contemporary Press: Upon arriving at Bowling Green in December 1894 and walking 23 miles overland across open sandhills to Avon Park, the engine was christened and operated locally under the name “Crosby”, honoring town founder Oliver M. Crosby, as reported contemporaneously by Harper’s Weekly and the Pabor Lake Pineapple.[harpers-1895-novelty][pineapple]

Trackage Construction and Extent

Under Burleigh’s superintendency, the line utilized 4x8-inch heart-pine stringers laid directly in the sand without cross-ties, joined by wooden fishplates and secured by 18-inch wooden pins:[harpers-1895-novelty]

  • Completed Track: Constructed approximately four miles of mainline wooden track running north from Avon Park to Pabor Lake.[pineapple]
  • Inauguration: On Saturday, 7 September 1895, the first passenger excursion train operated over the line to Pabor Lake with civic ceremonies attended by Crosby, Knapp, Burleigh, and W. E. Pabor.[pineapple]

Freeze Collapse and Foreclosure

The catastrophic Great Freeze of December 1894 and February 1895 destroyed local citrus groves and halted settler land purchases, bankrupting the Florida Development Company:[fdc-newspapers]

  • In October 1895, creditor Abbie R. Dodge (of Jacksonville) filed suit in Duval County against FDC for unpaid debts, securing a judgment for $10,000.[fdc-newspapers]
  • In January 1897, DeSoto County Sheriff’s sales at Arcadia conveyed FDC’s 20,000 acres, the townsite, cottages, and sawmill to Dodge.[fdc-newspapers]
  • In February 1897, FDC’s remaining machinery, presses, and personal property were auctioned at Avon Park, dissolving the wooden railroad enterprise.[pineapple][fdc-newspapers] Shay locomotive #469 was subsequently removed and sold to lumberman A. V. Miller in Cass/Nida, West Virginia, where it was later scrapped.[shay-roster-469]

References

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. Harper's Weekly, Vol. 39, No. 2008, A Novelty Among Railroads (1895)
  2. W. E. Pabor and E. A. Pabor, Pabor Lake Pineapple, October 1892 to September 1897 (1897)
  3. shaylocomotives.com, Lima Shay Shop Number 469 factsheet (2020)
  4. contemporary Florida and Georgia newspapers, via digitised collections, Savannah Morning News and Weekly Floridian reports on the Florida Development Company, 1891-1897 (1897)
  5. United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Avon Park Historic District (1990)

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