Deland, Florida

Ocala, Florida

Weather: low 75 degrees, high 97 degrees, partly cloudy skies, light showers

This morning we had a rarity in the weather in Central Florida: there was actually a light breeze blowing when I went for my morning walk. I haven't had a nice breeze when I walk here in Florida except for today and once about two weeks ago. It makes the humidity a little easier to handle.

Since we didn't have anything planned for the day, I suggested to Carolyn that we take a ride over to the Deland area. It has been about 40 years since we were last there, so it was obvious that a lot of change would have taken place.

It may seem that we're taking long rides when we take off for a day to explore. To us, the rides are not long at all, after living in Texas for many years. Every town in Texas seems to be a long distance away, so we got used to driving what we used to think were long distances. Example: when we lived in Bay City, Houston was 80 miles away, yet we went up there almost weekly. So, we're used to driving long distances to get where we want to go. Besides, we enjoy seeing new country or the changes that have taken place over time.

Our route led us through Silver Springs driving on Florida 40, which then led us through the little crossroads of Lynne, Astor Park, Astor, Barberville, and then south on State Road 19 through De Leon Springs and finally to Deland.

Wow! What changes have taken place. I wish we had made better plans to visit Deland, because even though the town is fairly small with a population of about 25,000 people, there was plenty to see. A big problem with today's visit was that apparently some sort of law enforcement activity was ongoing. Police, sheriff, and highway patrol cars were parked on most corners near the center of town, and a helicopter was circling overhead. Officers with dogs were searching, traffic was backed up, and it just did not seem to be a good time to be fooling around downtown. We don't know what was going on, but the officers seemed to be serious with what they were doing.

Needless to say, I was unable to take any pictures, so I grabbed a few from Wikipedia. It would have been nice to get some pictures of the courthouse, but this one will have to do.



Deland was incorporated in 1882 and in 1887 was the first town in Florida to have electricity. Stetson College was founded in 1883 as Deland Academy and renamed with it's present name in 1889. Like many of the towns in Florida, the founders enticed people to settle in the area with the promise of good weather and money to be made. Not long after being settled, cold weather killed the citrus crop, and many of the people went back to the north. Remember the old saying? If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

The college was eventually named for John B. Stetson, a hat maker (does Stetson sound familiar to those who wear hats?), and he built a home in the area. Here's a picture of his home in Deland.



Here's a beautiful old theatre in downtown Deland. They don't make 'em like this anymore.



It's too bad we couldn't roam in Deland around as much as we would have liked. Maybe next time.

More later, be safe.

Today's Town - Deland, Florida: The Athens Of Florida

Not all who wander are lost.