The Mail-Journal, Volume 13, Number 32, Milford, Kosciusko County, 1 September 1976 — Page 9

The Lees settled in Leesburg, Fla.

An account of the early history of Leesburg, Fla., as written by J. Chester Lee, shows Leesburg was founded and first settled in the year 1857 by Evander M. Lee, a native of South Carolina. Lee suffered from rheumatism and was advised to move to Florida. So he loaded his wife and right children and a number of slaves in a covered wagon drawn: by horses and mules and headed for what is now the Sunshine state. After traveling for several weeks over bad roads and at times no roads, blazing their way through the dense woods, they finally came to the spot now known as the city of Leesburg The first thing he did was to have his slaves fell the pine trees and build log houses in which to live until he could have lumber sawed at a mill 15 miles away and hauled by ox teams to where he built the first house with glass windows. The land was then cleared and cotton, com, sugar cane and vegetables planted Cotton was the principal crop It was hauled the 42 miles to Silver Springs and shipped by boat to Savanah, Ga., in exchange for groceries, clothing, household furniture and farming implements The first business house in Leesburg was erected by Evander and his brother Calvin Lee where Vincent's 5 & 10 cent store is now located. They opened the first general merchandise store in 1866 Town Named When Calvin Lee went to New York to purchase the stock of merchandise for the store, they asked him where to ship it and he said. "1 don’t know " After studying for a few minutes he asked them to ship it to Leesburg. Fla . byway of Silver Springs This is how and when Leesburg got its name l>eesburg began to grow In 1868 Leesburg became the county seat of Sumter county and that started a boom A number of

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new business houses were erected as well as several homes. People moved in and Leesburg became a trading center. On July 12, 1875, citizens of Leesburg met at the courthouse and voted 23-2 to incorporate the town. Leesburg’s first place of worship was under an arbor built of pine poles and covered with cabbage palmetto leaves. The first little log church was built at Lone Oak cemetary where the people assembled to worship each Sunday. It was built in 1859 and was used for a private school cn week days. Leesburg TodayToday Leesburg is in the “heart of the Holiday Highlands” with a population in the greater Leesburg area of 30,000. The 1970 census figure showed Leesburg with, 11,869 and Lake county with a population of 69,305 Leesburg is located in the approximate geographic center of the state and in the northwest part of Lake county The county has over 1,400 named lakes. It is the junction of federal highways 27 and 441 and SR 44, a feeder route to the Sunshine Parkway and 1-75. There are a number of schools in the Leesburg area with 5,541 students enrolled in the public schools The city has five elementaryschools for students in kindergarten and the first four grades It has two middle schools for fifth and sixth graders, one junior high school, one senior high school and one special education center. The city also has a large number .of private schools and a technical school A long list of civic, service and fraternal organizations are listed by the Leesburg area Chamber of Commerce Included are the American .Association of Retired Persons. Boy Scouts. Democratic Women's club of Lake, Co.. Friends of Liberty. Knights of Pythias. Executive club. Shrine

club. Stamp club. Lake Improvement Association, Inc., Masonic lodge. Republican Women’s club, Swim Association, NARFE, Oddfellows, Pythian Sisters, Welcome Wagon Newcomers club. Woodland Park Community Action group and Eastern Star. Also, Tennis club, PEO Sisterhood, Elks and Auxiliary, Florida Greeting Service, Coin club. Lakes BPW, Leesburg Boating club, Leesburg BPW, TOPS. Rainbow Girls, Salvation Army. Weight Watchers, World War I Veterans, Alpha Delta Kappa, Alpha Psi Sorority, DAR, Delta Theta Sigma chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Fruitland Park Lions, Hands committee. Art association. Garden club. Hospital Auxiliary, Athletic Boosters club and Jaycees and Jaycee-ettes And. Junior Woman’s club, Leesburg Woman s club, Moose, Oklawaha Valley Audubon Society, Peace Rose Garden club. Triangle club of Leesburg. WWII Auxiliary, Young-at-Heart club, American Legion and Auxiliary. Buenas Amigos club, Civitan club, Gamma Delta chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma, Greater Leesburg Girl Scouts, Hub City Liohs club. Lake County Historical society. Leesburg Lions and Auxiliary, Melon Patch Players. Pilot club. Quarterback club. Rotary club. Soroptomist club. United Daughters of the Confederacy. VFW and Auxiliary. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. Elite Social club. Epsilon Nu Zeta of Zeta Phi Beta sorority. Friends of Zeta, Lady Lake Garden club, Leesburg Armory. Leesburg Association for the Mentally Handicapped. Inc., Omego Psi Phy fraternity. Private Robert M. McTureous, Jr . detachment — Marine Corps league. Sunrise workship, United Appeal. Kiwanis. Ministerial Alliance, Black Retired Teachers and Masonic lodges, Golden Sunset club and Leesburg Homemakers club. BOMBING STOPPED President Nixon on Jan. 15, 1973, ordered the bombing, shelling and mining of North Vietnam stopped as the Vietnam peace agreement neared.

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Tippy Property owners hold annual dinner-dance

The annual dinner-dance of the Lake Tippecanoe Property Owners Association was held on Friday, Aug. 20, at the Lake Tippecanoe Country club. Over 200 members and guests attended and enjoyed a buffet dinner and dancing until after midnight. A feature of the evening was the awarding of the trophies for the annual fishing contest. The contest ran from June 15 to August 15. The winners and their categories are: Largemouth bass — Marvin Abrell; four pounds, five ounces; 22 4 inches long Silver bass — Ronald Owens; one pound, three-quarter ounces; 154 inches long Bluegill — Mary Ullom; 12 ounces; 104 inches long Channel catfish — John Foschaar; seven pounds, four ounces; 264 inches long Ring perch — Howard Webb; eight ounces; 114 inches Sam Dungan, the chairman of the fish and wildlife committee who acted as MC for the evening, presented the trophies. He expressed his appreciation for the entries which surpassed those of last year and for the help of the marinas which acted as weigh stations for the entrants President Speaks Richard Lawrence, the president of the association, addressed the group and introduced the year’s officers and directors. He reported on the progress of

the dye testing program started this year and asked all members to sign the petition being circulated by the directors. This petition asks the county zoning commission to prevent the establishment of additional mobile home parks, trailer camps, condominiums, etc., on the lake and to prevent the expansion of any of those now existing. Kosciusko kids get fair ribbons Ten Kosciusko county youths have received clothing awards at the Indiana State Fair, Indianapolis. Award winners are Kristi Templin, blue, r 2 Leesburg; Lynn Kaiser, red, r 2 Milford; Kelly O’Hara, blue, r 1 Silver Lake; Paula Shireman, blue, r 2 Akron; Diane Horn, blue, r 3 Warsaw Also Natalie McGlynn, red, r 1 Leesburg; Lynn Haney, red. r 1 North Webster. Penny Parks, blue, r 2 Nappanee; Sandy Gerencser. red, r 1 box 253 Milford; Ann Lash, blue, r 1 Mentone. 4-H flower winners are named at fair A number of 4-H club members from the county won recent honors at the Indiana State Fair in the flower project division. Sharatrina Rogers of r 2 Claypool won a red ribbon in division one, three blooms. Lisa Longyear of r 2 Warsaw won a red ribbon in division one. house plant. Gary Gerencser. r 1 Milford, won a blue ribbon in division three, house plant. Senita Waggoner. 2003 Oakwood Dr., Warsaw, won a white ribbon in division five, arrangement of flowers, fruits and vegetables. Leisa Waggoner, 2003 Oakwood Dr., Warsaw, won a white ribbon in division five, a home planter. Audubon society to hold field trip The Tippecanoe Audubon society will have a field trip. Sunday, Sept 5. Koinonia, a property south of Pierceton, owned by Manchester college, will be the site, with a natural pond and marsh area, brush areas, hardwood,areas and cultivated fields. Departure will be from the Pierceton Community building at 1:45 p.m. September 5. The field trip will be made regardless of the weather. SYRACUSE DRIVER BOOKED Billy E. Rice. 27, 201 John St., Syracuse, was booked at county jail over the week end and charged with driving under the influence of intoxicating beverages and public intoxication.

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Syracuse, lakes expand as summer resort area

In the summer months, the Syracuse population expands, as summer homes are occupied and vacationers ffent cottages. Roy Price, Turkey Creek trustee, estimates that about 100 homes around Lake Wawasee are occupied far about two months during the summer. Figuring about 2.5 persons per dwelling. Price guesses that a minimum estimate of 2,500 people are added to the community’s population each summer. The influx of “summer people” doesn’t bother John Kimble, r 1 Syracuse. “I wouldn’t say it’s a nuisance.” Nor does he feel that the summer population should be kept away from the lake, “I don’t think it should be a private lake.” “I think it’s great,” says Mrs. Harry Alfrey, r 4 Syracuse. “I love the resort atmosphere. I’m very positive about it.” Mrs. Alfrey said the lake becomes very’ busy and some families keep returning for generations “I think it’s nice to see the same people returning,” she commented. “I think the community is so great, the people k *ep returning.” “We re going to grow and have a lot more people,” says Mrs. Alfrey. “I’m not against anyone who wants to move here.” But Mrs. Alfrey added she would not like to see the lake get too crowded and overpopulated. Joe Thornburg, Syracuse police department, has noticed summer in the community brings changes for the department. “There is a difference,” he explains. “You’ve got more lake people, more traffic.” He said the police department answers more calls in the summer for auto accidents and first aid calls. Thornburg said fire calls are slightly down in the summer months. Gulliver s Travel Agency, 1014 N. Huntington street, receives calls asking for information on cottage rentals from out of town people. But the agency is not designed for that purpose, and has information on places out of town.

Quite a few people annually return to the lake and stay at Lake Vue Cottages, off state road 13 south. Mrs. Sandra Smith, manager, says that about 150 separate clients return to stay on the lake each year. Two weeks each year are booked at the cottages by one family who occupies all the cottages. "They bring in all their relatives and have a family reunion here,” said Mrs. Smith. When the group has their reunion, they total 250 people. "Some people have come here for as close as 23 years straight,” Mrs. Smith explained. The clientele she says comes to Wawasee because the fishing and weather is good and they like to sunbathe. "Syracuse they’ve found has been a real quiet and relaxing town,” Mrs. Smith says, says. "The lake trade definitely helps,” says Doug Pilcher, Pilcher’s Shoes. 106 South

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Huntington street. “August is our best month. That’s when people are here, they’re going back to school.” But Pilcher explained that September. October and November %re just as good for trade as the summer months. “But August definitely is a difference.” Pilcher added the lake was the reason why the merchants had their businesses in Syracuse in the beginning, until they began to pull other customers. “The lakers we sell cycles to but not as many as to local people,” said Harlan Sizemore, Sizemore Cycle Land. Incorporated, state road 13 south. The business sells more motorcycles in the summer he said, but all his customers, summer or local, all want the same thing — good service. “Vacationers I think help quite a bit,” Sizemore said. “I think it helps us anyhow.”