Central Florida history is
chock full of legends, one in particular being how Orlando’s iconic Lake Eola
got its name. Historian Kena Fries passed along a legend as to its naming as
told to her: “Sandy Beach was changed to
Eola in the early 1870s by Bob Summerlin, in memory of the beautiful young girl, his bride to be, who died from
typhoid fever two weeks before the appointed wedding day.” Pieces of Kena’s
legend can be proven false, whereas portions appear to be true!
Jacob Summerlin brought his family
to Orlando in 1873, bought 200 acres east of a tiny 4 acre town of Orlando,
then platted his land that included the lake known today as Lake Eola. Jacob,
and son Robert attended Orlando’s 1875 meeting to incorporate the then 18 year
old village of Orlando.
Son Robert had graduated from the
University of Georgia in 1875, and was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1876. But
Bob Summerlin’s bride however was named Texas, not named Eola. And Texas did
not die prior to their marriage.
Lake Eola was named as such on
Summerlin’s 1874 Addition to Orlando plat, so who then was Eola?
Presbyterian Church of Orlando
organized March 18, 1876 with 11 members, including “Mrs. Jacob Summerlin, formerly
of Flemington, GA”. Located in Georgia’s Liberty County, the Summerlin’s, all
native Floridians, lived there briefly after the Civil War. Family #13 in the
1870 Liberty County, GA census was the Summerlin family. Family #6 was Widow
Sarah A. Way.
Children of both families were
attending school in 1870, among whom was a teenage girl, EULA Way. Eula was 16.
Robert Summerlin was 12.
Born July 22, 1854 at Liberty
County, Eulalie Way never married. She died at age 42, October 13, 1896, and was
buried in the State and County of her birth.
As legends pass from one
generation to the next, facts often become blurred. EULALIE was a popular name
in 1854 when Eula was born, popular because it was an Edgar Allan Poe poem.
Poe’s poem was “Eulalie”, and speculation was that the poem was about his wife.
Married in 1836, one line of his poem is: “I dwelt alone, in a world of moan,
till the fair and gentle Eulalie became my blushing bride”.
Miss Eulalie Way is buried at Liberty County, GA
Eulalie Way was nicknamed Eula,
and so perhaps Robert Summerlin did have a crush on an ‘older’ Georgia girl that he had gone to school with. Perhaps Jacob surrendered to Robert’s wishes, and
instructed his surveyor to name the lake Eula. 19th century
Surveyors were detailed mapmakers, but all too often misspelled names.
LAKE EOLA will also be a topic of discussion in my FREE
presentation to be held at the downtown Orange County Library, March 25, 2018.
Hope to see you there!
ORLANDO REEVES: Fact or Fiction?
Orange County Public Library Presentation
Sunday, March 25, 2018 at 2 PM
Visit Facebook Event Page:
JOIN ME SUNDAY at the Downtown ORLANDO LIBRARY
How Orlando REALLY got its name!
Tomorrow: The Lady of Golden Rod
No comments:
Post a Comment