The Historical Society of Avon ParkAVON PARK, FL · EST. 1886
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Isaac C. M. Ellenberger (1863–1934)

Professor Isaac C. M. Ellenberger was an educator, textbook author, and school administrator who served as principal of Avon Park High School from 1919 through 1924. Appointed by Governor Cary A. Hardee as the inaugural Superintendent of Public Instruction for newly established Highlands County in April 1921, Ellenberger became central to the county’s first constitutional dual-officeholding ruling, opting to retain his high school principalship to guide Avon Park into regional accreditation.

Pennsylvania educational career

Born on 30 October 1863 in Gatesburg, Center County, Pennsylvania, Ellenberger was educated at Stone Valley Academy, Dickinson Seminary in Williamsport, and the Pennsylvania State College (now Penn State University). He spent more than two decades in Pennsylvania public education as a teacher, institute instructor, and borough superintendent of schools in Sunbury, Pennsylvania, and co-authored the Natural Fourth Reader for national classroom use.

Principalship at Avon Park, 1919–1924

In 1919, Professor Ellenberger relocated to Avon Park with his wife, Mary Stiver Ellenberger (1878–1956), and their daughters, Helen (later Mrs. Charles Edward Dissinger) and Elizabeth (later Mrs. Sullivan).[maxwell-1976] He assumed the principalship of the two-story brick Avon Park High School on South Lake Avenue.

Under Ellenberger’s five-year administration, the school underwent rapid academic expansion and institutional modernization:

  • Total student enrollment surpassed 200 pupils across elementary and secondary grades.
  • Avon Park High School secured membership and formal regional accreditation with the Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools.[maxwell-1976]
  • The state biennial directory of high school principals for 1922–1924 confirmed Ellenberger as the accredited principal of Avon Park High School alongside D. E. Williams of Sebring High School.[fl-biennial-1924]

The 1921 County Superintendent appointment

When Chapter 8513 of the Laws of Florida established Highlands County on 23 April 1921, Governor Cary A. Hardee appointed Ellenberger as the county’s first Superintendent of Public Instruction alongside the inaugural Board of County Commissioners.[wpa-highlands-history]

Following the appointment, Governor Hardee notified Ellenberger that under the Florida Constitution of 1885 and state statutes governing dual officeholding, an individual could not simultaneously hold a commissioned county constitutional office (County Superintendent of Public Instruction) while drawing a salary as an employed local school principal. Given the choice, Ellenberger chose to decline the county superintendent post in order to remain principal of Avon Park High School.[maxwell-1976]

Governor Hardee subsequently appointed W. A. Marshall of Avon Park to serve as superintendent for the 1921–1922 term, followed by Col. Frank N. K. Bailey, who was elected in 1922 and served for nineteen years.[maxwell-1976]

Later life and family

Following his retirement from active school administration in 1924, Ellenberger managed citrus groves in Avon Park until his death in 1934. His widow, Mary S. Ellenberger, continued operating the family citrus groves and was enumerated as a grove owner in the 1950 federal census (ED 28-6, Sheet 20).[census-1950-ed28-6] His daughter Helen married Brigadier General Charles Edward Dissinger (1894–1986), who made his postwar home in Avon Park.[maxwell-1976]

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.
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Sources

  1. Leoma Bradshaw Maxwell, The First Hundred Years of Avon Park, Florida, Leoma Bradshaw Maxwell, 1976 (references/the-first-hundred-years-of-avon-park_leoma-bradshaw-maxwell_1976.md) (1976)
  2. Works Progress Administration, Historical Records Survey, History of Highlands County, Florida (Works Progress Administration county history, about 1939), transcribed (1939)
  3. State of Florida, Department of Public Instruction, Biennial Report of the Superintendent of Public Instruction of the State of Florida for the Two Years Ending June 30, 1924 (1924)
  4. United States Bureau of the Census, 1950 Census population schedules, Florida, Highlands County, ED 28-6, sheet 20: household of Mary S. Ellenberger (1950)

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