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. It was there under the Chinaberry tree where neighbor met neighbor and shared news, information and more than a little gossip … sort of a Face-to-Facebook before automobiles. This column is using that communication legacy to retell vignettes from our city’s history -- some portions of which were surely shared beneath its branches.
STATEHOOD, SECESSION AND SETTLERS
Much of the earliest Winter Haven History is lost to the ages. Specific accounts of early settlers are extremely rare, though some were captured in early newspapers.
Florida, a territory belonging to the U.S. since 1822 became a state in 1845. The onset of the Civil War saw Florida secede in 1861, repeal the action in 1865 and adopt a new constitution in 1868.
Ulysses S. Grant was president during the years 1869 to 1877. It was during this period that settlers began coming to Florida and Polk County … some near the present site of Winter Haven.
Up until this time, Native Americans had traditionally occupied the interior of the state as white settlers migrated to the coastal areas. The movement of settlers to this area led to friction between the Native Americans and homesteaders. Forts were developed and soldiers grew to appreciate the area’s beauty, later returning with their families.
In 1865, Columbus Lafayette Thornhill relocated to this area living first at Carters Corners (about four miles east of Lakeland) and several years later purchasing the Math King homestead near Eagle Lake. Present day Thornhill Road intersects Spirit Lake Road near this property. Thornhill and his wife Carolyn Glover raised ten children on their land. Many descendants of this early family reside in the area today.
THE LAKE COUNTRY, BEAUTIFUL YET DANGEROUS
Early accounts tell of a rich land that could be darkly brutal. The following recollections paint pictures from the earliest settlers through their descriptions of the time. These were contained in The History of Winter Haven by Josephine Burr and newspaper archives.
John Thornhill (son of Columbus Thornhill) “My father … had some cattle and pigs but everyone merely notched the pigs’ ears and branded the cattle and turned them loose in the woods. There was nothing but woods then … big pines mostly with here and there an oak grove and spots called hammocks where blackberries and big bush huckleberries grew. These woods were a tangle of all sorts, and a good many bears were killed in them. Wild game was abundant – everyone had a gun and knew how to use it.”
Traveling in a covered wagon drawn by oxen, the Joseph J. Sikes family came to the area in 1878. They homesteaded on high ground southwest of Lake Howard near Lake Shipp. The Sikes had six children, the youngest a daughter named Matilda. She would later recall “the washing was done by batting the clothes on a wooden chopping block at the end of the horse trough where laundry was soaked. The clothes were then boiled in a large iron pot with homemade soap. This soap was made by pouring water through wood ashes over a hopper which made lye. This was added to a pot of fat, cooked over a fire and strained. It was guaranteed to remove dirt … and skin.”
Sara Maude Jackson moved to this area in 1881 at the age of four. Jackson recalled in a News Chief series published in the 1940s, “I saw Winter Haven grow from a trackless forest to a hustling young community in its first four years. My father, George G. Jackson, a Methodist preacher and school teacher, brought his wife and six small children to Florida in November 1881.
My father went to Bartow and arranged to purchase the Carpenter orange grove on the west shore of Lake Howard. He also bought 100 acres of government land to the west of the grove for a dollar twenty-five an acre. There were 38 acres in the grove and clearing all enclosed by split-rail fences. Deer roamed the forest under the pines which were enormous … 40-50 feet to the first limbs … and grew so close together we could see only a short distance.”
Jackson continued, “The Seminole Indians brought us venison and made us moccasins. Once Chief Tallahassee came when I was alone at the house. He indicated I was to sit down and he would put the moccasins on my feet. The rawhide laces were too long and after he had tied them he reached behind and drew a huge knife to cut the ends of the laces.” Frightened, Sara immediately ran from the house and off in the direction her family had gone to pick wild blackberries.
In perhaps her most poignant recollection she notes, “When my parents came to Florida their children were all healthy. But the mosquitoes were very bad and they soon had malaria.” Four of the Jacksons’ children died in 1885 and 1886. In 1887, the Jacksons sold their property and left for Seattle.
A rich land of plenty greeted these first settlers, but the environment was harsh and disease took its toll. Nevertheless, the Eycleshimer, Harris and Inman families would join these determined pioneers. The 1880s would bring the railroad and the platting of what would become the village of Winter Haven.
Next month: The village is platted and F.A.K. Harris comes to town.
Bob Gernert is a student of Winter Haven history and founded the Museum of Winter Haven History at the historic Women’s Civic League building on Lake Howard. If you have questions or information to share, please email bobgernert@gmail.com or telephone 863-206-6855.
