Community of Piedmont
Posted by: 
Markerman62
N 28° 39.125 W 081° 28.167
17R E 454123 N 3169530
Near Apopka in front of Wal-Mart
Waymark Code: WMEP5Q
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 06/21/2012
Views: 21
Piedmont, named in the late 1890s, was comprised of a wide area around Blue lake, one and one-half miles east of Apopka City. It was a close-knit community populated in the 1870s almost entirely by Swedish immigrants. Among the earliest settlers were the Andersons, Thollanders, Jacksons, Olsons, and Larrsons. Railroad tracks were extended through the settlement in 1885, and the Piedmont Railroad station was constructed in 1890. Emily Jackson Swanson (1911-2001), living here her entire life, was the last Piedmont resident born of Swedish parents. A small store and a schoolhouse, the center of the community, served as a social center and church. Residents cultivated citrus groves and vineyards establishing several wineries. Residents also farmed raising livestock, produce, and poultry. In the late 1890s, a saw mill was built that continued into the 1920s, and the Florida Central and Peninsula Railroad built a new railroad freight station. The Piedmont post office, established to serve 75 residents in 17 homes in 1903, was discontinued in 1922. In the 1920s, electric service became available. The Piedmont Chamber of Commerce was formed in 1929. The area was annexed into the City of Apopka in 1986.
Marker Number: F-638
Date: 2008
County: Orange
Marker Type: Roadside
Sponsored or placed by: The Apopka Historical Society, the City of Apopka, and the Florida Department of State
Website: Not listed
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