E. A. Delaney Sr. and the 1920s Florida Land Boom

According to Leoma Bradshaw Maxwell’s historical tribute in The First Hundred Years of Avon Park, Florida [maxwell-1976], Edgar Azell Delaney Sr. (1891–1979) was the most influential civic figure of 20th-century Avon Park, serving a record 28 years as Mayor and guiding the community through the height of the 1920s Florida Land Boom, the Great Depression, and postwar modernization.

The 1920s Land Boom in Avon Park

Between 1920 and 1926, Avon Park experienced an unprecedented economic and real estate boom [maxwell-1976]:

• Population Surge: Town population climbed from 890 in 1920 to an estimated 5,000 by 1925 [maxwell-1976].
• Municipal Incorporation: On January 1, 1926, residents voted 146 to 103 to abolish the original “Town of Avon Park” and incorporate as the City of Avon Park under Chapter 10320 of Florida State Law [maxwell-1976].
• Major Infrastructure: The city authorized substantial bond issues to pave streets, install concrete sidewalks, build municipal water and sewer lines, erect white-way electric streetlights, and construct a new City Hall, fire station, and jail [maxwell-1976].
• Rail Connections: In January 1925, the Seaboard Air Line Railroad completed its direct mainline through Avon Park, inaugurating daily passenger runs of the famous Orange Blossom Special connecting the city to New York in under 36 hours [maxwell-1976].

The Jacaranda Hotel, opened in April 1926 during the height of the 1920s building boom.[maxwell-1976]

E. A. Delaney Sr.: Career and Civic Leadership

E. A. Delaney Sr. arrived in Avon Park from Georgia in 1919, initially working in the lumber and crate manufacturing industry [maxwell-1976]. He served as superintendent of the Mutual Crate Company and was elected to the City Council during the boom years.

When Mayor William A. King died in February 1929, Delaney became Mayor Pro-Tem, beginning a distinguished public career that spanned four decades [maxwell-1976]:

• Mayor of Avon Park: Delaney served as Mayor from 1943 to 1947, and again from 1953 to 1967, completing 28 years in municipal office [maxwell-1976].
• Institutional Development: Working alongside the Chamber of Commerce and state leaders, Delaney was instrumental in establishing Walker Memorial Hospital (1948), the Florida Alcoholic Rehabilitation Center (1956), and South Florida Junior College (1965) in Avon Park [maxwell-1976].
• Public Welfare: During the Great Depression, Delaney was widely respected for extending personal credit, counsel, and aid to distressed families throughout Highlands County [maxwell-1976].
• Honors: In 1962, Delaney was named “Highlands County Man of the Year.” Upon his death on November 18, 1979, city flags were flown at half-mast across the community [maxwell-1976].

The World Champion St. Louis Cardinals training at Head Field in Avon Park, 1927.[maxwell-1976]

Sports, Culture, and the Boom Era

During Delaney’s early civic career, Avon Park became a prominent sports and cultural retreat:

• Major League Spring Training: The World Champion St. Louis Cardinals trained at Charles R. Head Memorial Field for the 1927 and 1928 spring training seasons, residing at the Jacaranda Hotel [maxwell-1976]. The Columbus Red Birds trained in 1934–1935, and the Toronto Maple Leafs played the Boston Red Sox in 1938 [maxwell-1976].
• Culture and Arts: The San Carlos Opera Company of New York City gave three performances at the High School Auditorium in 1927 [maxwell-1976].
• Aviation and World War II: The city opened its municipal airport in 1939. During World War II, the federal government established the 110,000-acre Avon Park Bombing Range and the Lodwick Aviation Military Academy, which trained thousands of aviation cadets billeted at the Highlands Lakes Hotel under the administration of Mayor Marcus E. Covington [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

Related

• Edgar A. DeLaney, Sr.
• Finding: Edgar A. DeLaney’s Twenty-Eight Years in Municipal Office and the Identity of E. A. DeLaney Jr.

Where this comes from

Evidence

single-source — One source. Treat as reported, not established.

Review

unverified — Drafted from sources but not yet checked by a volunteer.

Rights

society

Sources

1. 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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