Villa City
Posted by: 
Markerman62
N 28° 37.110 W 081° 51.023
17R E 416868 N 3166015
Off Villa City Rd on Lake Emma Rd. near Groveland.
Waymark Code: WMDNJC
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 02/05/2012
Views: 11
On this site in 1885, George Thomas King, founder of Villa City, built an estate that was the showplace of the area. By 1895, the town had a post office, school, church, hotel, photographic studio, dispensary and 35 homes. The citrus based community flourished until the Big Freeze of 1894-95. A small warm spell after a devastating Dec. 29 freeze, filled the trees with sap. Snow then fell in the evening of Feb. 7, 1895. The frozen trees exploded when the warming sun returned. Their hopes and dreams broken, the settlers left. The last original house, the Gano house, was demolished in 1968, but the beauty of the area remains.
Marker Number: F-354
Date: 1995
County: Lake
Marker Type: Roadside
Sponsored or placed by: Villa City Homeowners Assn. Feb. 7, 1995 in cooperation with the Florida Department of State
Website: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
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