FL-SC035 Historic Longwood E. W. Henck

Marker text: HISTORIC LONGWOOD /E. W. HENCK

Mr. E. W. Henck, a young man from Boston, arrived in this wilderness section of then Orange County in November 1872. He selected a site to homestead in what is now Historic Longwood. Intent on establishing a twon, he named it Longwood after a beautiful Boston suburb (now Brookline) that he helped lay out as a young engineer. At that time the Hartley family had a homestead southeast of Henck's. The Searcy family and the Rand family were other early residents of the area.

Mr. Henck platted the town, became the first postmaster in 1876, and in 1879, along with Mr. Haskell and Mr. Rand, obtained a charter for the railroad between Sanford and Orlando. The railroad was completed in 1880 with a station in Longwood. The village grew rapidly with the establishment of a large sawmill owned by Capt. Peter Demens, orange groves, and the arrival of winter visitors. In 1883, Longwood was incorporated as a town with Mr. Henck becoming the first mayor.

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Seminole County Historical Commission
Dedicated 1998