The devastated orange grove on the property of the Putnam House Hotel in March of 1885. The Hotel was located on West New York Avenue in DeLand, Florida. Dreams of easy money in the citrus industry came to an end for many during the great freeze of 1894 and 1895. Earlier freeze events, such as one in 1886, signaled a warning of things to come. In December 1894 and then again in February 1895, temperatures plummeted throughout the state. Many growers saw their investments crumble as frozen limbs snapped and fruit fell to the ground. Before the great freeze, Florida produced five million boxes of citrus. Production would not reach the five million figure again for almost two decades following the winter of 1894-95. With the memory of devastating freezes fresh, growers devised various methods to help trees and fruit resist the cold.

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