BOARDING HOUSES AND HOTELS

With the completion of the school the town seemed well started. As new people were coming in, two boarding houses were built to accommodate them, each in the midst of an orange grove: the DeLand Grove House and the Parceland Home. The former was on the southwest corner of the Hampson homestead. It was owned by 0. P. Terry and sold later to Alfred Putnam. Enlarged it became the Putnam Hotel. At one time iit was called the Putnam Inn, and V. W. Gould of DeLand was the proprietor. When it burned down, it was replaced by the concrete structure of today. The Terrys built a home on the northwest corner of their lot, The Oaks. This was bought and managed by Sewell P. Hays for some years before passing to its present owners. The Parceland was kept a year or two by the Leetes, then taken by the Parces. John B. Stetson bought the property in 1894 and erected The College Arms, a hotel justly popular among northern tourists. All that remains of the older time is the cottage occupied by the manager and fortunately, the beautiful pine grove

on the west.

STORES

Supplies were "toted" to DeLand from Beresford where there were two stores. One belonged to B. F. Colcord and David Felt and the,other to H. B. Austin and J. W. Cannon. They were the only stores between Volusia Landing and Enterprise. In 1877 J. B. Jordan moved to DeLand and opened the first store there on the south side of Indiana Avenue. The next year he sold out to J. S. Kilkoff and G. A. Dreka. The new firm began business by issuing invitations to the people of the whole county to visit their store and inspect their goods. They came in carts; they came on foot, and on horseback; some brought their whole families. They patronized the free lunch counter in great numbers and there was a brisk trade at the other counters. From this time DeLand began to be a center of trade. Dreka and Company is the oldest and largest mercantile establishment in the county. It was moved in 1882 to the present site and in 1909 the four story structure was built. The growth of the business of George A. Dreka and of the city of DeLand are inseparably joined together into one edifice. Like a fortress, he has withstood fire and frost, panics and booms with inestimable benefit to the community. Other stores were added as the demand grew. Among them were the Davis store and McLaurine and Stockton's, sold to R. C. Bushnell. Folks also needed furniture. J. F. Allen had in the early days many occupations. He was carpenter, sewing machine agent and orange grower. In 1882 he moved to his present home and concentrated on furniture. The business was at first on Rich Avenue, after several changes it was located on the Boulevard, where the establishment occupies four stores. J. A. Allen, son of J. F. Allen is manager.

A circular of 1881, states that during the years '78- '80 within a radius of six miles, DeLand being the center, there were only four deaths, two of infants under six months and two men who came there sick. Was this due entirely to the climate, or to the wise care of the doctors of whom there were several, aided by good drug stores? Dr. Lancaster with J. B. Jordan, as a partner, was the first druggist in DeLand. The store was on the north side of Indiana Avenue between the Boulevard and Florida Avenue. They sold out to Moon and Harshey. Later a Mr. Brown came. He built the old Fisher drug store and George W. Fisher bought him out. The G. W. Fisher Drug Company and W. A. Allen and Company starting a little later are important firms of the present day ,DeLand.

POST OFFICE AND MAILS

In the fall of '77 a post office was established in the Lancaster and Jordan store, with Dr. Lancaster as postmaster. He was succeeded by Dr. B. B. Bennett, who moved the office next to Fisher's. H. A. Tanner followed him, and had the office back of the Allen drug store, which was at that time on the southeast corner of the Boulevard. Mail was at first received from the steamer at Cabbage Bluff. The carriers were J. W. Watkins and E. 0. Painter, followed by J. W. Cannon and J. S. Craig. They walked the five miles. When rain was plentiful they had to wade through water with clothes and mail bags on their heads to keep them dry. By 1880 DeLand Landing had been built and J. Y. Parce had received the contract for carrying the mail. His son Girard drove the stage for the passengers, freight, and mail, and remembers receiving at the boat in 1881 the news of Garfield's assassination. Later in the 80's the stage had become an omnibus. C. A. Miller, who had a hay, grain, and livery business, hauled freight from the river to the city before the railroad was built. Later, acting as agent of the Clyde Steamship Company, he kept down the costs by forcing the railroad through water competition to reduce rates.

Excerpt from:

The Story of DeLand and Lake Helen, Florida, written by Helen Parce DeLand.