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Articles by Bob Gernert
Mary B. Jewett, M.D. - The Woman who Stepped Up
Mary Jewett was born in 1858 in Mogadore, Ohio, and spent the first half of her life breaking through barriers that most women of her era never attempted. She completed her public education, graduated from the Philadelphia Presbyterian School of Medicine, taught at Buchtel College, the forerunner of the University of Akron, during the 1870s, and later joined the faculty at Merrill-VanLear College in New York.
The Architect Who Shaped Winter Haven
Gene Leedy's Bold Mid-Century vision turned a citrus town into a quiet capital of modern design. On a crest of land between an old grapefruit grove and the gentle shoreline of Lake Elbert, eleven low-slung homes sit beneath flat roofs and sliding glass walls, looking very much as they did the day Gene Leedy drew them. Locals call them the Craney Spec Homes. The rest of the world, increasingly, calls them a treasure.
A Room for the Night: Winter Haven's Hotels
The Haven Hotel opened in 1924. It was converted to 55 condominiums in 1982. Photograph by Robert Dahlgren In December 2023, a six-story hotel opened its doors at 305 Fifth Street NW, overlooking Lake Howard in the heart of downtown Winter Haven. The Staybridge Suites, 108 rooms, modern apartments, the full amenities of a twentyfirst century extended-stay property, was welcomed as something genuinely new. It was, in fact, the first hotel to open in the downtown core in more than a century.
Biltmore Shores: The Mayberry That Was
Less than a decade after the end of the Second World War, the men and women who had trained at Bartow Air Base and encountered Florida for the first time in uniform were coming back — this time with families, furniture, and the intention to stay. Housing couldn’t keep up. Developers who could read a map and a moment were platting groves as fast as the surveyors could work. One of those groves was on the north side of Havendale Boulevard, in the city’s northwest quadrant adjacent to Inwood.
History of Winter Haven High School
As graduation dreams approach- A Bit of WHHS History Winter Haven’s first official high school opened in 1915. It was a kindergarten through 12th grade facility located on Central Avenue on the site of the current downtown post office. Prior to 1915, Haven School’s educational offering stopped at the eighth grade. By October of 1916, the school fielded a basketball team. There were 15 students in the first graduating class. The first yearbook was published in 1917.
The Florence Villa Hotel... An Elegant Memory
Once upon a time, a grand hotel stood on the shores of Lakes Mirror and Spring on the present site of Spring Lake Shopping Center. The Florence Villa Hotel was founded by Dr. Frederick Inman and his wife, Florence (for whom Florence Villa was named). It evolved from their original home as guests suggested they convert it to a hotel in the late 1800s. By 1905 it boasted 45 rooms. Dr. and Mrs.
Growing Up in Inwood...
Inwood is a diverse neighborhood located on Winter Haven’s western side on the shore of Lake Cannon. During the real estate boom of the 1920s, Inwood was among several newly created neighborhoods marketed by the Haven Villa Corporation. Though never formally incorporated into Winter Haven’s city limits, it is part and parcel of the city’s rich history. My family moved to Winter Haven in September of 1960.
1915 - A Vision for our Chain of Lakes
This month, we look back to 1915 when a small group of determined residents had a vision of connecting many of our lakes by canals. The group organized as the Twenty Lakes Boat Club. At the time, some of the lakes had small “runs” or swampy places that connected them. This club wanted to create canals there. Pleasure boat in Howard/Cannon canal, one the Chain’s most scenic.
A Look at the History of the Citrus Industry in Polk County
ORIGINS & EARLY GROWTH (1500S–LATE 1800S) Oranges were first planted in Florida by early Spanish explorers (near St. Augustine) and over centuries citrus spread across the peninsula; commercial-scale production expanded after the Civil War when railroads enabled shipping to northern markets.
Polk's Citrus History & Grand Celebrations
Many remember the time during January – as citrus season is fully manifest – Winter Haven would host a grand celebration featuring parades, banquets, nationally broadcast radio and television shows, massive displays of fresh fruit, and carnival shows such as the James E. Strates company with rides (including the double Ferris wheel) overlooking Lake Silver. Crowds converge on the 1949 entrance to the Florida Citrus Exposition — this scene from Third St. at Avenue D, NW.
Bobby Hiers Skis into Hollywood
Carol Burnett recently celebrated her 92nd birthday. She is currently among the stars of “Palm Royale” on Apple TV. She spent seven decades sharing her acting and comedic talents. Winter Haven played a role with Burnett in the early days of her career. It was January 1961 and Robert “Bobby” Hiers just returned to Winter Haven from working on an oil pipeline in the western U. S..
Winter Haven and World War II
In the early 1940s Winter Haven was no different than many other U.S. cities as its energies were directed to the World War II effort. Citizens learned what “blackouts” were (keeping lights out and/or shades drawn at night) and how to prevent both homes and businesses from becoming bombing targets at night. Air raid warnings were practiced, and a block system of communication helped individuals and families prepare for the possibility of attack. Children in schools were fingerprinted, and F. E.
Celebrating our Historic Mcdonald's "Arch" and a Special 40th Anniversary!
It is only slightly ironic that one of the oldest continuously operating restaurants in Winter Haven is the Sixth Street McDonald’s. (Andy’s Igloo predates it, but that is a story for another day.) In fact, the single-arch sign at the front of the property — original to the location — is one of less than ten left in the country. Our story begins when two brothers, Vernon and Philip Vineyard, decided to become franchisees of a new concept, McDonald’s Hamburgers.
The 1940s Bring War and... Nazi Storm Troopers in Winter Haven?
Many people do not realize that during World War II, Winter Haven was home to a POW (Prisoner of War) camp. It was located just north of the present City Hall in two buildings that had been used as exhibition halls for the Florida Orange Festival (later moved to the south of town and known as the Citrus Showcase). Our camp was affiliated with Camp Blanding near Starke.
Cypress Gardens: From HumbleBeginnings to International Acclaim
As 1936 began, Dick and Julie Pope would host the grand opening of their park on January 2. Many local leaders had serious doubts about the park’s viability, and Pope often faced ridicule from those who felt the operation would surely fail. But the doubters failed to recognize Dick Pope’s skill set. His work with brother Malcolm in daredevil boating, as well as his golfing talent, had earned him valuable media contacts.
The 1930s: Dick and Julie Pope Decide to Garden...
Dick and Julie Pope are remembered (respectively) by many Havenites as the flamboyant and gracious founders of Cypress Gardens. Their story and its impact on our community are both rich and colorful. This month we take a look at Dick Pope long before he created Cypress Gardens ... up to the time that he met his lifelong personal and professional partner, Julie Downing. Richard Pope was born April 19, 1900, in Des Moines, Iowa, the son of J. Walker Pope and his wife, Lily May.
The 1930's: A Young Haven Man Defies the Great Depression
Having survived the implosion of the Florida Boom in 1926, Florida was well on its way to recovery when the factors of the Great Depression ushered in the 1930s. While Florida was certainly affected by the economic downturn — tourism had fallen from three million annual visitors to one million (143 million in 2024), other areas of the economy such as citrus, phosphate, and cattle, were more resilient.
The Roaring Twenties and the Florida Boom...
As Winter Haven entered the1920s the U.S. Census listed the population at 1597 people - a small but motivated populace that had embarked on big projects like connecting the areas lakes by canals. Armed with “can do” optimism, they welcomed the “roaring twenties” with gusto. NEW CITY HALL: In 1920, a bond issue was approved to build a new City Hall on the SW corner of Sixth St. and Central Ave, SW.
The Village Blossoms... A Decade Defines Winter Haven's Future
Polk County’s population increased by 93 percent between 1900 and 1910. Winter Haven’s population more than tripled from 429 to 1436 residents. Still, 1400 is a relatively small number for the adventures the village pursued between 1910 and 1920. Here are the bold initiatives that marked the decade … BOARD OF TRADE Along about 1910, in fact before Winter Haven formally incorporated, local businesses banded together to form a Board of Trade.
Black History Month
WINTER HAVEN’S EARLY HISTORIC AFRICAN AMERICAN DEVELOPMENT In the late 1990s Winter Haven completed a series of surveys that established historic districts within the city. Bill Adams of Historic Properties, Inc. conducted the inventory. Writing in the survey report he outlined the historic development of the African American community. The following information is taken from Mr. Adams’ report: “African American settlers arrived in Winter Haven in the late 19th Century.
Snell's Bank, Salted Hides and Seven Saddles
HENRY SNELL OPENS WINTER HAVEN’S FIRST BANK In 1892 a man named Henry W. Snell left his home in Georgia and relocated to the Polk County area. He opened a mercantile in Bartow followed by stores in Mulberry, Ft. Meade, Chicora and then Winter Haven. That store was located on what was then called West Park Street. We know it as Fifth Street, SW and it is now the site of the downtown Bank of America location. Snell eventually got into the banking business as there was no bank closer than Bartow.
The Inmans and Florence Villa
FREDERICK INMAN, M.D. AND FLORENCE VILLA In 1887 Dr. Frederick William Inman and his wife Florence Jewett Inman came to the area from Akron, Ohio. He was born in Parkman, Ohio in 1840 and would go on to serve as a surgeon during the Civil War. Later Dr. Inman became an investor in the American Cereal Company that later became the Quaker Oats Company. His father-in-law Mendall Jewett had purchased a large tract of land north of the Winter Haven village.
The Village is Platted and F.A.K. Harris Comes to Town
The railroad brought development to central Florida and Polk County. Travel guides and brochures from the 1870s and 1880s describe the area as a “cattle region” and “in many respects one of the most desirable portions of Florida.” The printed materials describe clear lakes, beautiful streams, first-rate pine and very productive clay subsoil. In May of 1883, J. Blount and W. T. Whitledge (Bartow realtors and merchants) developed a town plan based on a grid system of blocks and tiers...
Beneath the Chinaberry Tree: Vignettes from Winter Haven’s History
ABOUT THE CHINABERRY TREE In the beginning years of Winter Haven’s history, the early 1900s, a Chinaberry tree grew in the east-bound lane of what is now Central Avenue in downtown Winter Haven. The Southern Railway Station was located just to the southwest in what is now South Central Park. In those days the tree was a shady spot where residents tied their horses while they took care of personal business downtown.
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