On Saturday, April 19 the "History Talks" series continued with a presentation by author and local historian Robert Fisk on "The Founding of St. Cloud, Florida".  A "standing-room only" crowd attended.

Fisk, known locally as a "Funeral Director Emeritus", "dug deep" into the past of St. Cloud, Florida, "unearthing" the foundations of the modern settlement in the early twentieth century.  Using his superb collection of era photographs and post cards, Fisk began his historical "excavation" by describing the herculean efforts of Philadelphian Hamilton Disston to drain the swampy Central Florida area and open it up to steamboat navigation, beginning in 1881. 

While Disston's venture ended in bankruptcy in 1895 (and his own mysterious death), the area later became the focus of a land development enterprise, the Seminole Land and Investment Company.  This venture promoted a large tract on Lake Tohopekaliga to a veteran's organization, the Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.), as a site for retirement homes.  Begun in 1910 and named after a Paris superb, St. Cloud began as a railroad depot and a mostly tent settlement with a four-room hotel that rented beds.  Fisk traced the founding of major enterprises, some that still exist, and the development of the street grid.  His slides vividly portrayed the emergence of a colorful community during the early decades of the past century.

Fisk has engaged in many "undertakings", including co-authorship of the popular book ST. CLOUD in the Images of America series.  We were "tickled to death" to sponsor this presentation.

Upcoming Events:

Saturday, May 17 (2 pm): Conversations with Jovida Fletcher, retired, frequent contributor of local history articles to the Orlando Sentinel.  Be sure to ask her about "monkeyfishing" in Osceola County!

Saturday, May 24 - We Dig St. Cloud (10am-2pm): Join a public archaeological dig at 125 Michigan Avenue in St. Cloud.  Even the kids can "get down and dirty" while learning about our past!

Admission: $10 ($5 for OCHS members).  Call 407-396-8644 for details.