The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-01-07
LAKELAND THIRTY YEARS AGO
Bv C.. D. ClOugh

At the Real Estate Boards ban
Quet last night, Mr.. C. S. Clough
read the following interesting paper
on Lakeland Thirty Years Ago..
which We have pleasure in printir Z
because of its historical value:
Lakeland Thirty Years Ago is a
period that seems long, yet when |
look back to those days when first |
came here, it seems but yesterday.
The pleasures and joys that | have
Witnessed in Lakeland, the lest town
in the world, were so impressive
that time seems to have passed as a
dream reached this section (for
there was no Lakeland them on
Sunday, Jan. 26, 1883. There was
but few signs OF habitation My
brother Reubin G.. Clough. who pre-
coded me here nearly twelve months,
had looked over the country thor :
ou2hiy and decided 10 settle on Il
tract of l2o acres of government
land by homesteading or pre-empt .
ing the same. This 100 acres EN-
braces what is known as the Schin D..
man surrey reaching north of OAK
street from Iowa to Florida avenues.
and extending as far north as North
street, whore is nov located the
Baseball Park Another 40 acres lay
~ the east OF this tract and is now
that rich strawberry section north
OF Parker stree lie built a shack
on the property one OF the two
houses then n Lakeland. which was
10 dted on the block north of Peach
free street between Florida and
Tennessee avenues. WALKING
thr0ugh the forest one day with a
pail to dip some rool water from
Lake Mirror. saw stakes here and
there with numbers near the tor OF
the same was told that this rep
resented railroad survey, but wr
Knew very little then as to what liz
developments would bc, as neWspa
south Florida About June 1881
anIs of laborcrs were seen in th"
woods cutting trees and opening up
Il right OF way for the projected
railroad The work WAS pushed
With yigor, and by the December
holidays the track was completed
and the rails put down from Lake
land to Tampa, while another force
oi men were building the road from
kissimmcc west ward, the two forces
meeting at Sanataria, Il now desert
cd village one mile north OF An
burudale | think the last spike
WAS driven on Jan. |, 1881, but not
until Feb. ii Cl think the date cor
rectJ did the first schedule train
pass over the road. By this time a
number OF houses had been built
here. My brother placed his lots
Oh The market early and they found
ready sale at from So to $40 each,
The same property now will sell for
$4uU 10 $500 lot. In looking over
tho railroad time card Lakeland WAS
put down as liaG station with the
hich sounding title of Wire Lake,
the improvlSed platform which
served as the station stood at the
New Iork avenue crossing. Whllc
he railroad company was busy MI.
ABRAHAM G. Mum, father Of our
t0wHsman, Nir Morris G.. Mum,
Was also busy, having sent his son,
Mr.. Samuel Mum, a practical civil
engineer, here 10 auhdivide eighty
acres OF land into lots property
which he purchased al Sl.21 per
acre. rhis 80 acres reached from
Oak street 70 Lime street and from
Iowa TO Florida avenues. As soon as
regular train service was inaugural
cd people BEGAN 70 pour INTO Lhe
Village and by the end OF 1874
Lakeland had within her bounds
several hundred people. The name
Lakeland wai suggested by Il man
named Charles andrews who con
Quoted commissary during the
work Of constructing the road, and
everyone seemed to think the name
worth while The first business lot
sold in the Mum addition was at
The corner OF Main and Kentucky TO
Cant. w. T.. Bonacker, and | think
the price paid was $40; later he
purchased the adjoining 40 feet for
twice that sum. He at once erected
a store building on the property and
conducted very prosperous busi-
ness here for years. The first gen
eral store. however, to open for
business in Lakeland was that OF