Early Industry, Utilities, and Municipal Infrastructure (1890–1930)
According to Leoma Bradshaw Maxwell’s historical survey in The First Hundred Years of Avon Park, Florida [maxwell-1976], the development of basic industry, public utilities, and municipal services transformed Avon Park from an isolated frontier settlement into a modern commercial hub between 1890 and 1930.
The J. C. Burleigh Sawmill in operation on Lake Thompson (now Lake Brentwood), circa 1906.[maxwell-1976]
Sawmills, Lumber Companies, and Crate Mills
The virgin yellow pine forests surrounding Avon Park provided the raw material for early construction and commerce [maxwell-1976]:
- Early Sawmills: Oliver Crosby operated a portable sawmill to cut lumber for the Verona Hotel in 1887. In 1890, J. C. Burleigh relocated his sawmill to Lake Thompson (Lake Brentwood), hauling timber via a temporary wooden-rail tramway [maxwell-1976]. Other early operations included Mel Smith’s Big Indian Lumber Company and C. R. Ginn Lumber Company.
- Crate Manufacturing: As the citrus industry grew, wooden box and crate mills became the town’s largest industrial employers [maxwell-1976]. Highlands Crate Mill (operated by A. J. Caldwell and O. R. Perry), Mutual Crate Company (E. E. Delaney and associates), and Revels Crate Company employed up to 300 workers each, manufacturing wire-bound shipping crates for fruit and vegetables [maxwell-1976].
Moving a sawmill boiler down Main Street using eight yoke of oxen (16 oxen), circa 1909.[maxwell-1976]
Post Office History and Postmasters
The United States Post Office at Avon Park was officially established on May 8, 1888, with William A. King serving as the first postmaster [maxwell-1976]. In the earliest days, mail was carried on horseback from Fort Meade, arriving once a month and later weekly.
The historic Spinks Post Office building on East Main Street.[maxwell-1976]
Maxwell recorded the complete succession of early postmasters in Avon Park [maxwell-1976]:
| Postmaster | Date Appointed |
|---|---|
| William A. King | May 22, 1888 |
| Arthur W. Dickson | October 3, 1889 |
| Edward W. Dawson | November 13, 1890 |
| Dorr D. Kinney | July 29, 1891 |
| Benjamin F. West | September 10, 1896 |
| Stephen E. Roberts | August 20, 1900 |
| Gabriel Skipper | August 22, 1903 |
| Marion W. Sargent | November 14, 1904 |
| May J. Dilley | August 13, 1909 |
| Fannie P. Reeves (Spinks) | October 31, 1910 |
| Leslie D. Roberts | March 16, 1927 |
| Ruth Skipper | April 10, 1928 |
| Ola L. Head | February 14, 1931 |
| Douglass G. (Doc) Perry | January 16, 1936 |
| Edward F. Singleton | July 31, 1960 |
| Robert D. Young | April 14, 1961 |
Fannie Sargent Reeves (later Mrs. Glen Spinks) served for 17 years in the two-story building on East Main Street known as the Spinks Building, which was later acquired by the City for the Chamber of Commerce [maxwell-1976]. Doc Perry served 24 years as postmaster from 1936 to 1960.
Erecting the first telephone pole in Avon Park in 1914, with the First National Bank in the background.[maxwell-1976]
Telephones and Communications
In 1892, Crosby built a pioneer telephone line from Avon Park to Fort Meade. However, forest cattle hands frequently shot out the glass insulators for target practice, and falling limbs made maintenance cost-prohibitive ($2 per call), leading to its abandonment [maxwell-1976].
In 1914, permanent telephone service was established when the Ed Scott Telephone Company of Arcadia installed a switchboard in the home of Clarence A. Clark on Lake Avenue, with Mrs. Frances Clark serving as the first operator for 22 subscribers [maxwell-1976]. Equipment was hauled by mule wagon from Wauchula. The system subsequently transitioned through Tri-County and Inter-County Telephone Companies before becoming United Telephone Company of Florida in 1967 [maxwell-1976].
Electric Power Generation
In 1901, Dr. J. M. McCartney proposed the Florida Highlands Fruit and Power Company to harness water power from Lake Letta, but the venture never reached operational status [maxwell-1976].
Following the arrival of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad in 1912, the Florida Public Utilities Company constructed the first municipal diesel generator on the east side of the rail tracks near the water tank, generating 150 kilowatts for street and residential lighting [maxwell-1976]. In 1928, Florida Power Corporation constructed a generation plant on Lake Lotela, expanding capacity through subsequent additions to over 104 megawatts [maxwell-1976].
Early Banking Institutions
- B. F. West Bankers: Established in 1895 when Benjamin F. West installed a heavy steel safe in his general store on East Main Street, providing loans and deposits after the collapse of the Development Company bank [maxwell-1976]. Chartered as a state bank in 1921, it operated continuously for 27 years until merging into the Avon Park State Bank in 1922.
- The First National Bank of Avon Park: Evolved from Skipper Brothers Bankers (1912) and the Bank of Avon Park in the Masonic Temple, moving into the town’s first brick building at Main Street and Lake Avenue in 1916 [maxwell-1976].
- 1929 Collapse and Barnett / Citrus Bank: Both the First National Bank and Avon Park State Bank closed during the financial crisis on February 16, 1929 [maxwell-1976]. On February 3, 1930, Barnett National Bank opened in the First National building, later becoming the Avon Citrus Bank under Edward G. Touchton in 1960 [maxwell-1976].
References
- 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
Where this comes from
- Evidence
- single-source — One source. Treat as reported, not established.
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- unverified — Drafted from sources but not yet checked by a volunteer.
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- society
Sources
- Leoma Bradshaw Maxwell, The First Hundred Years of Avon Park, Florida (Held at the Avon Park Historical Society Depot Museum, Avon Park, Florida) (1976) · book
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