Maitland

Author Leslie Kemp Poole is an adjunct professor at Rollins College in Winter Park and a Ph.D. student in American history at the University of Florida. Working with the Maitland Historical Society, she combined images from the society's archives and the extensive talents of its members to produce this visual history of a community whose history reflects the larger story of this fascinating state.

Maitland, known by members of the Seminole tribe as Fumecheliga (the muskmelon place), has a history as diverse and beautiful as its tranquil lake-studded Florida landscape. Named for a soldier who never saw it, the city got its start as an army fort in the Second Seminole War. Later its temperate climate and rich soil drew settlers who put their dreams, sweat, and savings into the soil, growing vegetable crops, raising cattle, and planting extensive citrus groves. Others soon followed, including a number of wealthy winter residents who sought refuge from northern winters and better health in the warmer climate. Together they built a city that served as a center of commerce, learning, and art for the area. Today much of the citrus industry is gone, replaced with subdivisions, thriving office centers, and a cultural corridor, but Maitland remains a place where people move to make better lives. The muskmelons may be gone, but the cypress tree-lined lakes and historic homes serve as reminders of the city's rich history upon which its current success was built.