Benjamin Franklin Wheeler Sr. / Wheeler-Evans House - Florida Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

Benjamin Franklin Wheeler Sr.
The 1889 death of his father brought B.F. Wheeler, Sr., his mother Clara, and younger brother Lee to Oviedo, where at 11 years old Frank became the sole supporter of his family. At 15, he took a job as freight agent and telegrapher for the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad. In 1898 he purchased a citrus grove destroyed by the freeze of 1894-1895. By 1915, Wheeler had planted 30 acres in citrus, yielding 5,000 boxes of fruit. His success cultivating citrus led him to invest in the Nelson Brothers Packing Company. Under his direction, the company expanded into growing citrus and celery plus the manufacture of fertilizer. In the 1930s the company employed nearly 100 full-time workers and 200 more during harvest season. As a civic leader, Wheeler helped incorporate the Town of Oviedo in 1925. In 1946 he established the Citizens Bank of Oviedo, where he served as president until his death in 1954.

Wheeler-Evans House
Benjamin Franklin "Frank” Wheeler Sr. and his wife George lived in a historic 4.100 square foot colonial revival home designed by Herbert Fisk, and built by the Howard C. Kiehl firm. In 1901, Frank Sr. purchased the land with a wood frame house and a ten-acre orange grove. Construction on a new home began in 1927, and in 1928 the family moved in with their three children: Clara Lee, Frank Jr., and Louise. After Frank Sr. died in 1954, his wife George continued to live there until her death in 1980. Their daughter Clara and her husband. John Evans (d. 1982) occupied the home until Clara's death in 2010. In 1980, architect James Gamble Rodgers II renovated parts of the house, adding a loggia connecting the back entry to the garage. On Sept. 20, 2001, the Wheeler-Evans home was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Marker Number: None Date: None County: Seminole Marker Type: City Sponsored or placed by: Seminole County Website: Not listed

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