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

The Skipper family was an influential pioneer lineage in South Florida whose members played foundational roles in Avon Park’s municipal governance, postal administration, cattle and dairy operations, citrus packing, and commercial banking between 1900 and 1930.[maxwell-1976]

Frontier Settlement and Early Presence

Originating from early Peace River frontier settlers who established homesteads along Charlie Creek and Fort Meade, members of the Skipper family settled in the Avon Park district around the turn of the twentieth century.[maxwell-1976]

  • Gabriel Skipper was appointed postmaster of Avon Park on 22 August 1903, serving during the post-freeze resettlement period.[dsc-1905-10-13]
  • William O. Skipper (W. O. Skipper) operated one of the town’s earliest local dairies alongside W. W. Sherertz and W. H. Kempton, delivering fresh milk by horse cart for ten cents a quart.[maxwell-1976] On 23 May 1913, W. O. Skipper was named one of the town’s five inaugural aldermen in the legislative charter incorporating Avon Park.[lof-1913-6662]

Banking: Skipper Brothers and the First National Bank

The family established the town’s foremost financial institution of the pre-boom era.[maxwell-1976] Around 1912, David L. Skipper (D. L. Skipper), Charles A. Skipper (C. A. Skipper), and Charles E. Lanier formed Skipper Brothers Bankers, operating a private banking firm inside the frame Masonic Temple building on Main Street.[maxwell-1976]

After operating briefly as the Bank of Avon Park, the partners secured a federal charter in 1916, reorganizing the institution as The First National Bank of Avon Park with $25,000 in capital.[gaz-1918] The bank relocated into a newly constructed two-story brick landmark at the intersection of Main Street and Lake Avenue.[maxwell-1976] C. A. Skipper served as president, C. E. Lanier and J. V. Chapman as cashiers, and J. E. Skipper and his brother Carlos Skipper actively directed front-counter financial operations.[pgh-1919-08-28]

Civic, Religious, and Commercial Contributions

Various members of the family directed other key commercial and civic enterprises:

  • Pharmacy and Fraternal Life: W. L. Skipper operated a downtown pharmacy and drug store in 1918.[gaz-1918] In 1923, he served as the inaugural historian of American Legion Highlands Post No. 69.[maxwell-1976]
  • Church Benefaction: In 1919, Chesley Skipper joined C. E. Lanier in donating the building site for the First United Methodist Church on South Forest Avenue, enabling the congregation to erect its permanent cream-brick sanctuary, dedicated in May 1921.[maxwell-1976]
  • Citrus Packing: Roscoe Skipper managed the American Fruit Growers Association (Blue Goose) packing house along the Seaboard Air Line tracks on West Pleasant Street during the late 1920s.[maxwell-1976]
  • Telegraph Communications: Miss Ida Skipper served as the Western Union telegraph operator at the South Forest Avenue office next to the First National Bank, notably maintaining communications during the 1928 hurricane emergency.[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.
Rights
society

Sources

  1. Legislature of the State of Florida, Chapter 6662 (No. 242), Laws of Florida 1913, Special Laws, section 47 (1913)
  2. R. L. Polk & Co., Florida State Gazetteer and Business Directory, 1895–1925 (1918)
  3. Leoma Bradshaw Maxwell, The First Hundred Years of Avon Park, Florida (references/the-first-hundred-years-of-avon-park_leoma-bradshaw-maxwell_1976.md) (1976)
  4. The De Soto County News (Arcadia, Fla.), The De Soto County News, 13 October 1905: Avon Park Locals (references/de-soto-county-news-avon-park-department.md) (1905)
  5. Punta Gorda Herald, Punta Gorda Herald: Personal and Business mentions of C. A. and J. E. Skipper (1919)

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