In 1879, the new post office south of the steamboat wharfs on Lake Jesup was named Oviedo for a city in northern Spain to blend with the old La Florida. Oviedo has grown from a farm town to become the cultural and commercial center for Black Hammock, Geneva, Chuluota, Snow Hill, Slavia, Jamestown, Gabriella, Mills Lake, and Taintsville (“taint” Oviedo, “taint” Chuluota).
Around Oviedo is more than a title; it is a sense of place. Lakes, rivers, and conservation lands surround Oviedo, forever preserving its frontier Florida heritage. Neighboring University of Central Florida has drawn professors, engineers, and tech-development professionals to spin-off office parks. The city and business and community groups, including the volunteers at TOPP (the Oviedo Preservation Project), maintain the rural heritage and protect old structures in and around Oviedo.
In a state where many cities look exactly like the next, no matter how many university professors and high-tech engineers live in Oviedo, downtown’s free-range and well-fed chickens prove the town still has its celery- and sod-farming traditions.
Highlights of Around Oviedo:
• The Econ and its first people
• The Lake Jesup Settlement
• Geneva’
Images of America: Around Oviedo is the 10th book of central Florida history by retired newspaper reporter, editor, and columnist Jim Robison. He relied on the Oviedo Historical Society’s photo archives and the guidance of its volunteers at the Lawton House, home to the society’s museum, to compile this book.
Available at area bookstores, independent retailers, and online retailers, or through Arcadia Publishing at www.arcadiapublishing.com or
(888)-313-2665.
Arcadia Publishing is the leading publisher of local and regional history in the United States. Our mission is to make history accessible and meaningful through the publication of books on the heritage of America’s people and places. Have we done a book on your town? Visit www.arcadiapublishing.com.
