Lake County, Florida
The story of Mount Dora
Everything below is a single verifiable claim with a citation attached. Where the record is a local legend rather than a document, it says so.
- 1846Lake Dora named
- 1874Simpson family settles
- 1883Alexander House opens
- 1988Grantham Point light dedicated
founding
How it started
- 1874
David Simpson and his family settled here in 1874; Ross C. Tremain became the first postmaster in 1880 and the town was chartered in 1910.
etymology
How it got its name
- 1883
Surveyors named Lake Dora in 1846 after Dora Ann Drawdy, an early settler, and in 1883 the town took its name from the lake. The Mount is literal - the town sits on a plateau 184 feet above sea level.
industry
What it lived on
- 1883
A hill town in a flat state, sold as a winter resort from the start - the Alexander House opened as a hotel in 1883.
claim to fame
What it is known for
- 1988
The 35-foot lighthouse at Grantham Point, dedicated on 25 March 1988, is the only inland freshwater lighthouse in Florida.
figure
Worth knowing
-
The Mount Dora Arts Festival is held on the first full weekend of February and draws hundreds of national artists.
landmark
What still stands
- 1883
The Lakeside Inn, opened in 1883 as the two-storey Alexander House and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.
- 1988
The Grantham Point lighthouse, dedicated 25 March 1988.