| 1513 |
Ponce de Leon landed near Cape Canaveral and named it “La Florida” |
| 1565 |
Pedro Menendez de Avilles established St. Augustine |
| 1700 |
Timucuan Indians lived on the Shores of Lake Monroe |
| 1760 |
Timucuans disappeared from Florida and the Seminoles arrived from Ala. & Ga. |
| 1763 |
Florida became British in an exchange with Spain for Havana |
| 1783 |
Florida returned to Spain after American Revolution |
| 1821 |
United States purchased Florida from Spain |
| 1824 |
Mosquito County created from St. Johns County |
| 1835 |
Second Seminole War began |
| 1835 |
Orlando Reeves killed near Lake Eola |
| 1836 |
Camp Monroe established near present day Sanford |
| 1837 |
Captain Charles Mellon is killed and Camp Monroe is renamed Fort Mellon |
| 1838 |
Fort Gatlin established near present day Orlando |
| 1840 |
The town of Mellonville (Sanford) is formed around Fort Mellon |
| 1841 |
Ft. Mellon is closed |
| 1842 |
Second Seminole War ended |
| 1843 |
Aaron and Isaac Jernigan settled near Fort Gatlin (Orlando) |
| 1845 |
Florida joined Union as 27th state on March 3 |
| 1845 |
Mosquito County renamed Orange County with Mellonville as the county seat. |
| 1857 |
Orlando name recognized with post office |
| 1861 |
Florida seceded from the Union |
| 1864 |
Battle of Olustee Station |
| 1870 |
Henry Sanford purchases 12,547 acres, founding Sanford |
| 1871 |
Swedish immigrants arrive to work for General Sanford |
| 1871 |
Immigrants, tourists and goods began arriving on steamboats landing at Sanford; the Gateway City. The St. Johns River became the super highway. |
| 1875 |
Orlando incorporated |
| 1875 |
Charter for the first railroad was issued for Lake Monroe and Orlando Railroad. No progress was actually made until 1879 which opened the way for all in rail lines in both counties. These old railroad beds are the trails of today linking both Orange and Seminole counties. |
| 1876 |
Orange County Reporter newspaper started |
| 1876 |
Mellonville incorporated (Sanford) |
| 1876 |
Longwood established May 19 |
| 1877 |
Sanford incorporated |
| 1879 |
Oviedo post office established March 13. |
| 1880 |
Geneva established May 25 |
| 1880 |
Altamonte first est. as Snowville, Altamonte Station & Altamonte Springs |
| 1883 |
Orlando Bank organized |
| 1883 |
Volunteer Fire Department organized in Orlando |
| 1883 |
Mellonville is annexed into Sanford |
| 1883 |
President Arthur stays at the Sanford House Hotel |
| 1885 |
San Juan Hotel built |
| 1885 |
Rollins College founded |
| 1885 |
Maitland incorporated as Town of Lake Maitland |
| 1885 |
Chuluota post office est. Jan. 21. |
| 1886 |
Orlando Water Company chartered |
| 1887 |
Lake and Osceola Counties formed from Orange County |
| 1887 |
Town of Winter Park incorporated |
| 1887 |
Town of Eatonville incorporated |
| 1887 |
East side of Sanford burns to the ground |
| 1887 |
Lake Mary Post Office established on Feb. 26 |
| 1891 |
Goldsboro incorporated |
| 1892 |
Red brick Orange County courthouse built |
| 1892 |
Orlando purchased Greenwood Cemetery |
| 1894-95 |
Great freeze destroyed citrus harvest |
| 1902 |
Orange County School Board established |
| 1907 |
Orlando’s Church Street paved with bricks |
| 1908 |
Sanford Herald newspaper is established |
| 1912 |
Goldsboro annexed into Sanford |
| 1913 |
Seminole County is created from Orange County on April 25. |
| 1923 |
Albertson Public Library opened |
| 1925 |
Florida Land Boom |
| 1925 |
Sanford Zoo opens |
| 1926 |
Hurricane hits Miami and ended Land Boom |
| 1927 |
Orange County Courthouse dedicated |
| 1928 |
More than 2,000 people killed in hurricane on Lake Okeechobee |
| 1928 |
Municipal Airport opened in Orlando |
| 1929 |
Mediterranean Fruit Flies found in Orlando citrus groves |
| 1934 |
First Farmer’s Market is established |
| 1935 |
Labor Day hurricane strongest ever to hit Florida at this time frame |
