DeLand, Florida is known as "The Athens of Florida" and is the county seat for Volusia County. It was also the first town in the state of Florida to have electricity thanks to Thomas Edison! DeLand is a very special town and residents who live in DeLand or were born in DeLand refer to themselves as "DeLandites." Check out our podcast to find out the rich and amazing history behind the town that was once known as "Persimmon Hollow" and why the town is thriving today. If you know DeLand or have visited, you just may already know what we're talking about..
Kaley Macomber and Shannon Halfhill
"No one should live in this world for himself alone, but to do good for those who come after him." A motto that Lue Gim Gong lived his life by. This audio adventure takes a glimpse into the life and legacy of a Chinese immigrant who came to DeLand in the 1800's and helped shape DeLand's history and the history of the citrus industry. We also hear from a few local DeLandites Wayne Carter, Deborah McShane, Wallace Bailey, and elementary school students Billy, Avery, Myah, and Sonya.
Take a walk through downtown "DeadLand" with us and explore stories of murders, hauntings, and mysteries told throughout the years. Shannon gives us a ghost tour from the Athens Theatre to the lawns of Stetson University, and a few historical buildings between while local DeLandites speak of their personal paranormal encounters in town.
This episode about the Hontoon area and the Saint Johns River took us a little longer than anticipated to publish... we started digging into Hontoon Island's history and found a rabbit hole bigger than we expected! We had to phone in an expert, Dr. Keith Ashley, professor of anthropology at the University of North Florida for some help uncovering some of the mystery behind the natives who inhabited Hontoon Island, the Hontoon Peninsula, and the owl totem that was discovered here in the 1950's. We hope you enjoy this podcast and the history about DeLand's real natives! Time to put on your exploring boots and go check out the island's state park for yourself and where the Mayaca once lived!
Immerse yourself in this audio journey about WWII military tugboats built right here in DeLand on Lake Beresford! You'll experience some salty sea stories about these boats from the tugboat museum of local DeLandite Dan Friend and perspective of career Merchant Mariner, Russell Macomber. There is even a DeLand tugboat still in existence in Sweden that can come home if we can figure out how to get it here and where to put it!
Join us on this audio journey as we encounter stories of life in DeLand during World War II. You'll experience a little of the 1940's era through local DeLandites' personal experiences and from researchers who tell tales of the people living here in DeLand who had roles in the war. This episode is part one of a two-part series covering two areas in DeLand: the DeLand Naval Air Station and the tugboats built on Lake Beresford.
Our newest audio journey follows some more prominent names and how they created the City of DeLand as you know it today. They are Henry DeLand, John B. Stetson, Henry Flagler, and Thomas Edison. In this episode, you'll hear the story of how the city began in 1882 and more from members of the DeLand community sharing their love of our small town that has such a big heart!
Take part in an audio journey through tales of then and now. Stories that celebrate our community, rich history, and current events. In this episode, you'll meet Reuben Marsh and his family. True pioneers that developed the town before it was the DeLand you know now.
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