Groveland Historical Society and Museum of Florida
1929 - The Great Depression
The Great Depression
Fortunes were made and lost as the boom era was replaced by the Great Depression.
Following this collapse of the economy, times were difficult for the people of Groveland.
Citrus prices were at an all time low and many groves died as a result of lack of cultivation and fertilization.
Spanish moss was pulled from trees and sold to a drying plant in Groveland.
During the depression, everyone came to town on Saturday night to shop, visit and watch free movies that were shown on the side of the bank building.
In the days of community over government, J. Ray Arnold and his wife provided the meals and milk for the school children in need.
[Contributors: Jason Brown, Richard Helfst]
1935 - There's No Oil in Them Swamps
1935 - There's No Oil in Them Swamps
Hoping to become part of the oil boom, J. Ray Arnold was determined to find black gold in Groveland.
He began drilling for oil in the backwoods and swamps, south of Groveland along CR South 33, without success.
[Contributors: Jason Brown]
1937 - Groveland High School - New and Improved
1937 - Groveland High School
Built in 1937, Groveland High School was a major source of pride to the community.
The building of the school provided sorely needed jobs during the Great Depression.
The school had winning athletic programs and legendary teachers.
A sad time for many in Groveland, the last class to graduate was in 1993, when the high school merged with Clermont to form South Lake High School.
After remodeling the GHS building, it became Cecil Gray Middle School, until around 2009, when the building was demolished and the new middle school was built in its place.
1937 - More Buildings
The Groveland Auditorium was also built in 1937 as part of the Federal WPA program.
In the 1950's-1960's, a private company leased this building to use as a movie theater.
Sometime around 1970, Elmer Puryear had the building demolished.
It is said that the only reason is was torn down was so that he could have his name on a building.
The structure was so well built, being made of poured concrete, that when they hit it with a wrecking ball, it simply bounced off.
They had to bring in the largest wrecking ball they could find, before finally begininning the long process of its destruction.
The existing Puryear Building, Groveland Historical Museum, and Veteran's Park are now located on this site.
The Community Building at Lake David Park was also built as part of the Federal WPA initiative, on land donated by John Beach.
In the 1960's the building was home to the Teen way Club dances on Saturday nights and later became the Women's Club into the 1990s.
[Contributors: Jason Brown, Richard Helfst]
1938 - Edmond "Darrel" Cashwell and the Manhattan Project
1938 - Edmond "Darrel" Cashwell and the Manhattan Project
Edmond "Darrel" Cashwell's parents owned and operated one of Groveland's early grocery stores.
Darrel was a graduate of Groveland High School, Class of 1938.
After graduation, Darrel soon went to work on the newly formed Manhattan Project.
The project began at the suggestion of Albert Einstein and other scientist, in order to develop nuclear weapons and technology before the NAZIs.
Darrel was a major contributor to a branch of nuclear pyhsics known as the Monte Carlo Method, which was a way of calculating the movements of nuclear particles.
Cashwell wrote many scientific papers during his time at Los Alamos, New Mexico and after, well into the 1970s.
The Cashwell Grocery building is still located today in the same block as the Groveland Historical Museum.
[Contributors: Jason Brown]
1939-1945 - World War II
1939-1945 - World War II
World War II took many Lake County men to war.
A Home Guard was established which combed the evening skies for enemy planes.
The civilian effort was strong in support of the war.
Lake County was famous for the number of war bonds sold here and scrap metal collected.
In fact, the first war bond sold in the United States was sold in Leesburg.
Like all Americans, Groveland citizens were asked to recycle and contribute to the war materials, purchase savings bonds, and ration gasoline, nylon, etc.
Groveland citizens volunteered for many branches of the military service, while women left the home to fill the jobs vacated by military volunteers.
Lake County was the site of a Prisoner of War camp during the Second World War, as well.
In 1947, WW II returning veterans caused the Baby Boomer's generation to explode, increasing Groveland's population by 50% to 1,028 citizens.
1949 - A New Bank
After back-to-back bank failures, during and following the Great Depression and WW II, it would be 20 years before Groveland residents would have a secure place to save and borrow money.
In 1949, town leaders organized a bank under the leadership of Joe Fairchild who became its first president.
During this time, he would also serve a term as mayor.
Among his many achievements, he pushed for residential mail delivery.
In addition to his civic involvement and church leadership, he was also a devoted husband and father of six children.
He continued as its leader for the next 15 years until his untimely death at age 46.
[Contributors: Mary Helen Myers, Jason Brown, Richard Helfst]
1940s-1980s - Citrus Is King
1940s-1980s - Citrus Is King
By the 1940s, citrus became the leading industry in the area.
From the 1940s through the 1980s, citrus was king!
South Lake County was a canvas of green and orange.
The air smelled like perfume and tourists flocked to see the new Citrus Tower in Clermont, built in 1956.
[Citrus Label - B & W Canning Co., Inc]
The B & W Canning Company was formed by Gene Busbee and Norton Wilkins.
The B & W Canning Plant was built, behind the Train Depot, on the northeast corner of SR 50 and SR 19.
The citrus industry lasted until around 1989, when many of the groves began to succumb to the freezing temperatures.
Triple freezes in the 1980s changed the landscape and economy forever.
As a result, many of the land owners began to sell out to land developers, while others attempted to retain the rural community by converted to pine trees for lumber or to raising cattle. Today, the rolling hills are replaced by modern subdivisions.
[Contributors: Jason Brown]
1940s - Memories of Mascotte Elementary School - Bristo Hyers McGregor
1940s - Memories of Mascotte Elementary School by Bristo Hyers McGregor
"The Mascotte Elementary School of 1st through 8th grades, was a beautiful, concrete building. It had a wide side walk. Up at the front it had a space where we girls played jacks, a game with which we sat in a circle, throwing a small rubber ball, while scooping up jacks, 2, 4, and up to 10. Oooo, we were good! The boys kept marbles, which were very important in the game. We also played jump rope.
"And don't forget the boys, which were strong, that lived out in Bay Lake area, Tuscanooga, Carter's Island, Sloan Ridge, and Villa City. These guys would dig tunnels (not too long) and we'd crawl through them and out. We little girls enjoyed all of that. Even when the boys pushed us off the porch. Did you know that's because they liked us?
"We had a baseball field. Then a softball field. Bleachers for on-lookers.
"I do remember Carlos Jones, the local bus driver, along with Rovan Watson.
"Mrs. Dixon taught several generations of
1st and 2nd grades. Both classes - One room.
Likewise, Mrs. J.C. Cowart taught 3rd and 4th.
"You know, I have to mention "Whistling Dixon". His wife was the 1st and 2nd grade teacher. Mr. Dixon wore western type pants, that rounded out on each hip, and lace up boots.
Quite a looker, we thought!
"I especially enjoyed the teacher, Mrs.
Bruner. Her class was grades 5th and 6th. She
would look at us and say, “One day you will
be thankful I’ve made you learn tables, state
capitals, and such.” Mrs. Bruner was the best!
Every day, she’d let us eat apples in class, while she read
a couple chapters, after lunch, from an
interesting fiction book.
She had one daughter, Beverly, who asked if I'd spend the night. I did. My teacher crossed the long Howey Bridge
over Lake Harris. As we went inside, her husband was playing the piano. Very impressive.
While waiting for supper, Beverly and I played, drinking lemonade in little tea set cups.
Then, much later, while living at Mascotte, near Lake Jackson, lightening killed my teacher. Her home was close to Glenn and Joan Jones, who everyone respected.
"Now 7th and 8th grades, as I said, had one
teacher - one room, were taught by a most
interesting lady, Joyce Pennington. (Her husband was an early Groveland constable and her sister owned Cherry's dress shop in downtown Groveland.)
She had
us walking with good posture. Keeping our
knees clean in short dresses, while singing
and preparing for our little graduation.
"On the Big Night, we girls pin curled our
hair. Our teacher warned us to take the
bobbin pins out a couple hours early. I
didn’t and sure enough, my hair jumped
up short. (An automobile accident claimed the life of Mrs. Pennington.)
"The ferns and flowers used to fix a pretty stage were furnished from the Mallard family. Mr. Mallard was employed at Leesburg
at a hardware store. The backseat of his car was welcome for the young or old to ride to town to shop.
Each morning, he slowed his car , as not to leave anyone. Sometimes, us girls, we'd go take in a cool movie. Just don't run late!
"At graduation, I was chosen to present the Class Will:
"We the graduating class of 1949, do
here-by bequeath, to our honorable
successors, our multitude of virtues and
our Godly vices.
If we commit crimes, we are sorry.
Sorry we got caught.
Now: I’ll pass to Tommy Baker, Philip
Gano’s gentleness.
Mable Lee Thomas gives a beautiful
hand writing to Mildred Fender.
I, Bristo give my music ability to Cora
Lee Howard.
Emogene Watson leaves her smartness
in books to D. W. Lucus.
Leroy Drawdy leaves his best seat in
class to J. T. Bates.
Glenn Jones, a best all around student,
goes to Squeaky Stewart.
"Emogene Watson was a straight A student and she tutored the slow students.
"Our last grades, 9th through 12th were at Groveland High School."
-------------
"The yellow school bus was driven by Rovin Watson from Tuscanooga.
My sons, the McGregor brothers were raised out there. Terry, Dennis, and Hollis pulled pranks, like hiding in back of the bus in the morning
to give him a scare. Mr. Watson caught on fast!"
------------
Bristo's stepfather, Norman, was a preacher. He also manufactured cypress lawn furniture and shipped it from the Groveland Train Depot. He was forced to stop as the trees became protected as part of the habitat of an endangered owl.
1949 - The Groveland Four
The African Community VS. Willis McCall
African-American soldiers returning to Florida, from military service at the end of WW II, found that, although they had taken part in changing the history of the world, their world was little changed.
Only 29 years before, in 1920,
the Ocoee Massacre had occurred, where the democratic white citizens of the city, together with groups from Orlando, murdered over 35 of the repulican black residents, who were trying to vote in Ocoee, and drove out the rest, until they had an all white town.
However, during and after WW II, in Lake County citrus was still king and Blacks were in high demand.
They were needed to work the groves, especially at harvest time, due to a shortage of labor caused by the war.
Groveland had become the center of Black activity in Lake County.
This was the world Sam Shepard and Walt Irvin returned to when they came back to their parents home in Groveland, after serving in the army.
Sam and Walt continued to wear their military uniforms, which immediately attracted the attention of Lake County Sheriff,
Willis McCall.
Sheriff McCall's scandals and brutal treatment of Blacks, throughout Lake County, had become widely known, thanks largely to the work of journalist
Mabel Norris Reese.
McCall bluntly told the pair of veterans, Shepard and Irvin, to remove their uniforms and get to work in the orange groves, but they refused.
In the early morning hours of July 16, 1949, Willie Padgett and his 17 year old wife were on their way home from a dance when their car stalled on a lonely backroad in Okahumpka.
What happens in the predawn hours remains a matter of dispute, but Willie claimed that four black men stopped to help them, attacked him and left him on the side of the road while they drove off with his wife.
She later told police that she had been raped.
Within hours, Greenlee, Shepherd and Irvin were in jail.
Thomas the 4th suspect avoided a posse, led by McCall, until he was shot and killed about 200 miles northwest of Lake County.
As word spread, a lynch mob gathered at the county jail in Tavares demanding that McCall turn the three over for their brand of instant justice.
According to a reporter, McCall had hidden the suspects in an orange grove, but told the mob the three had been transferred to the state prison.
McCall urged them to "let the law handle this calmly."
Even though the alleged attack happened in Okahumpka, the mob left Tavares and turned to the town of Groveland, which was home to a large African-American community.
Driving in a caravan, once they arrived the mob began shooting into Black homes and setting them on fire.
However, the local Blacks had been warned of the impending mob and fled the area before the they arrived.
On July 18, Governor Warren sent in the National Guard, taking six days to restore order.
The Guard stationed machine guns along the road leading into Groveland and Mascotte in order to to deter any more mob activity from entering Groveland.
Throughout the ordeal, journalist were sending out their reports from the nearest teletype office, which was in Groveland.
When newspapers began receiving reports of the incidents, they were marked as coming from Groveland, so they began headlining the articles with "The Groveland Four", even though most of the events occured near Okahumpka or Tavares, not Groveland.
The surviving three African-American young men were badly beaten into confessing and were wrongfully convicted in 1949, despite contrary evidence.
They were finally exonerated in 2016 by the Florida State Legislature.
[Contributors: Jason Brown, Richard Helfst]
1950s - New Roads Lead to Home
S. R. 50 and U. S. 27
Lacy Day Edge, referred to as the "Father of the Department of Transportation", influenced the building of Highway 50 through Groveland.
Prior to 1955, the route of Highway 50 was quite different.
Highway 50 followed much of the same route as the railroad.
Before 1952, it was too difficult to build a road across the swampland between Sumner Lake in Groveland and Lakes Minneola and Minnehaha in Clermont.
Upon leaving Groveland, instead of heading due East towards Clermont, Highway 50 went North (behind today's Groveland Publix) across the Palatlakaha River and around Lake Minneola, then circled back down to where Washington Street intersects what would become U.S. 27 in later years.
Highway 50 continued on until eventually reaching downtown Winter Garden.
Until 1925, this was the only route to Orange county called the Minneola-Oakland-Winter Garden Road.
This roadway is known today as Old HWY 50.
In 1955, with the advancements in road construction, it was now feasable to construct a shorter direct pathway across the swamp to Clermont.
The brand new roads S.R. 50 and U.S. 27, were a major hub for the state of Florida that intersected in Clermont.
The first overpass dates to around 1968.
Before then there was no overpass, with both roads being just two lanes and never a traffic jam.
[Contributors: Jason Brown]
[Sources: "Clermont Gem of the Hills A History of Clermont, Florida, and Neighboring Communities", Miriam W. Johnson & Rosemary Y. Young]
1953-1984 - Campbell's Bait Farm
1948 - Robert Campbell Comes to Groveland
Robert A. Campbell and his family came to Groveland from McClenny, Florida in 1948. They lived on the east side of HWY 19, about a mile north of Groveland. Upon arriving, he took the position of Vocational Agriculture teacher at Groveland High School. At that time he never would have thought about raising and selling worms.
1953 - The Start of the Bait Farm
Robert's father, mother, and brother would come down twice a year from Georgia to visit.
They were all avid fishermen and spent much of their time fishing while in Groveland.
They would always bring their poles, rods, bait, and tackle along.
Around 1953, on one such visit, Robert's father-in-law left some of the worms that he always brought down with him.
He told Mr. Campbell to put them in some rich soil behind the house, so they would grow and multiply, therefore, being available the next time he came down for a visit and go fishing.
Apparently, the worms did very well in the rich soil.
Mr. Campbell, being the Agriculture teacher in a small town, was very well known.
No doubt he told his students and others about all of the worms he was growing in his backyard and offered them up for fishing.
Well, it wasn't long before Robert put up a self service box under an oak tree in his driveway with cups of worms and a mason jar to hold the money.
The year was about 1956.
Some still remember the weathered old citrus crate turned sideways with legs on it that kept the worms and the money somewhat dry and out of the sun.
Cups of worms were added when they ran out and money removed from the jar, except for a few coins to make change.
It was all on the honor system.
I think the price was 35 cents for about 70 worms.
So began the Campbell's Bait Farm.
Around 1956, he put up a building to grow the worms.
He built raised beds filled with rich fluffy peat.
The beds were kept slightly moist and the worms were fed with chicken feed.
The feed was thrown lightly over the bed.
A few years later, the feed store started selling a specialty worm feed.
The worms were fed and watered every day, except Sunday.
The worms thrived.
A couple of years later, Robert put up another building and around that time was selling wholesale in parts of the southeast, shipping through the US Mail.
Sometime about 1959, he built a shed for selling minnows, shiners, tackle, fishing poles, etc.
He even sold crickets and eels for a time.
When someone needed bait from the shed, they rang the doorbell and Mrs. Campbell would come out to get what they needed.
As time went on, Robert put up two more worm buildings.
In 1969, he bought a property east of town and put up two more buildings there.
Eventually, another building was added.
The six buildings were each 500 to 1,500 square feet, with a combined total of 6,000 square feet.
There were also another 2,000 square feet of outside beds under shade.
During the cold nights of winter, the buildings were enclosed with plastic sheeting and heated with kerosene heaters to about 55 degrees.
Campbell advertised in Field and Stream magazine.
The biggest part of the bait season was during spring and summer.
Worms were shipped throughout the year, except during the winter.
There were days when two or three women would dig and count worms for 5-6 hours.
High school boys were employed to feed and water the worm beds on a daily basis, as well as pack the worms in the old-style paper ice cream bags and place them in new wooden vegetable crates for shipment.
Also, Mr. Campbell's wife and children spent a lot of time working on the farm.
Besides the worms grown on the farm, worms were purchased from local growers ready to pack and ship the same day.
Some days, the back of the pickup truck would be full of crates headed to the post office.
Some were even sent by Greyhound bus.
There were 5,000 worms per crate and perhaps as many as 12 crates going out on a good day.
That was 60,000 worms.
The worms were shipped mostly through the southeast, because they were highly perishable, although some were shipped to Texas, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, and even New Jersey.
Campbell's Bait Farm was the largest grower and shipper of worms in Florida and possibly in the southeast.
One of the farm's surviving records from 1972 showed 8 million worms were shipped for that year alone.
Mr. Campbell retired from teaching in 1975.
He continued to run the worm farm for a few more years, until about 1984, when a parasite, known as Planaria, had begun killing the worms a few years earier.
Thus, making the business unprofitable.
The bait farm was in operation for about 34 years and provided part time employment for many area residents.
Mr. Campbell was heard to have said that the farm did not make a lot of money, but it did help buy a new or used vehicle, when he wore out the old one, and it also helped a little with his kids' college expenses.
[Contributors: Walter Campbell]
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