HISTORY: West Orange County of yesteryear for the week of Aug. 8, 2024

OLD TIMES / THE WAYS WE WERE

Excerpts from the newspaper archives:

80 years ago

The large two-story business block at the corner of Plant and Main streets known as the Dillard Building, occupied by Leader Department Store, Winter Garden Pharmacy, Mims Barber Shop and a beer parlor, as well as 18 rooms on the upper floor, was purchased for $25,000 by J.F. Holly, Orlando investment broker, and his brother-in-law, W.B. Burch, Winter Garden city commissioner.

70 years ago

Billie Mae Bufkin invited a group of classmates into her parents’ home for a TV party.

J.C. Chiles Department Store was featuring the following: children’s back-to-school dresses, $1.95 and up; school shoes, $2.98 and $3.49; dungarees, size 1 to 12, $1.87; and sports shirts, sizes 2 to 16, $1.49 to $1.98.

All boys who played in Little League were urged to turn in their uniforms to the Western Auto Store or Judson Moore at Pounds Motor Company.

55 years ago

A new car wash on Dillard Street in Winter Garden held its grand opening and offered free car washes all day. Planned and built by C.J. Johnson, it was under the management of Roper Bros. Inc.

35 years ago

Marjorie Fain, manager of Pioneer Bank, was presented the Member of the Month award by Walter Toole, president of the West Orange Chamber of Commerce.

30 years ago

James Lawson, senior assistant principal at West Orange High School, was awaiting the first day of school as administrator of the new WOHS Ninth-Grade Center. The facility was built to accommodate 1,100 students with four permanent buildings (administrative hall; cafetorium; music, band, choral and physical education facility; and media center, television production, art and science labs) and 40 relocatable classrooms.

Ocoee officials and several residents took a fact-finding tour of two Homart malls in south Florida and Georgia. Homart Development Inc. was hired to build a new mall in Ocoee at the northeast corner of West Colonial Drive and Clarke Road.

20 years ago

Bob and Connie Dean relocated their used bookstore, Book Rack, to downtown McKey Street in Ocoee. They previously were located in the Publix shopping center at Silver Star and Clarke roads.

A group of happy Ocoee Little Leaguers were on hand at the Jim Beech Recreation Center to help accept the nearly $60,000 check from the Orange County Parks and Recreation Field of Dreams program. The league planned to use the money to add lights to the Junior League field. The city also chipped in more than $44,000 for this upgrade.

THROWBACK THURSDAY

AUGUST 11, 1994

Many local businesses have been operating in West Orange County for decades. In 1994 — 30 years ago — The West Orange Times ran a historical directory of some of them. Quite a few still are in business today.

Among the oldest: Bray Hardware/Ace Hardware, established in 1906; The West Orange Times, 1911; Pounds Motor Company, 1923; Woodlawn Memorium, 1926; Florida Metal Craft, 1931; Fulmer Cleaners, 1936; Glenn Joiner and Son, Modern Stationery and Valbro Business Forms, 1937; Traywick’s Garage and Ellis Inc., 1946; Auto Electric Co. and Winter Garden Animal Hospital, 1947; and Cappleman & Associates and West Orange Lumber, 1949.

FROM THE WINTER GARDEN HERITAGE FOUNDATION ARCHIVES

August 1963: England’s Great Train Robbery grabbed worldwide headlines; the USA, the UK and the USSR signed a Nuclear Test Ban treaty; American astronauts began a five- day survival course in the Nevada desert to prepare for project missions; and the Crystals and Ronettes entered the Top 10 with “Then He Kissed Me” and “Be My Baby.”  Close to home, this two-bedroom, one-bath, air-conditioned house in Windermere was offered for $9000. Can any of our readers identify it?

Photographs and documentation of West Orange homes form a large part of the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation Archive. Research your home’s history or share your story to enhance the extensive collection. Call (407) 656-3244 to set up an appointment.