Race And My Community
...where I live. The city I live in is full of history, culture and diversity. There are many different nationalities and races within my city. Racial equality is displayed but this was not always the case. Racial segregation was prominent here in the South and fine lines were drawn to keep the races separate. This paper will discuss the following: Sanford’s history, past segregation issues, the history of the schools, the leaders and our community and what this city is today.
The City’s History
Sanford, Florida is located north of Orlando in Seminole county. Sanford is located on the shore of Lake Monroe, off the St. Johns River. In the 1830’s, during the Seminole Wars, the U.S. Army set a post naming it Fort Mellon. By 1866, the Army’s forts were abandoned. As people moved to the area, the town of Mellonville was established and became the gateway for immigrants and settlers seeking a new life. The town grew and became a distribution point for goods brought by commercial steamboats. In 1870, Henry Shelton Sanford purchased land located west of Mellonville. He believed the land he purchased would be the transportation hub for all southern Florida. In 1877, the city of Sanford was established and Mellonville was later annexed in. Within the same year, construction was started on the South Florida Railroad with a terminal in Sanford. By 1884, Sanford was a thriving town with a railroad, wharves, and a hotel. Mr. Sanford later established citrus groves. During the winter of 1895, a freeze destroyed all the citrus and it devastated the citrus industry. Many citizens face economic ruin and left the area. For those who stayed, the development of the sub irrigation system that supported commercial agriculture saved the city’s economy. Sanford became the largest vegetable-shipping center in the United States. It was nicknamed the “Celery Capitol of the World”...
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