The DeYarman House, Orange City, Florida

𝟐𝟎𝟎𝟒 This week, Orange City, FL officials took a major step toward preserving and protecting residents’ sense of place, time, and historical development. The ORANGE CITY HISTORIC DISTRICT was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 6, 2004. The 33-block, 110-acre district has a comprehensive collection of historic commercial, residential, educational, governmental, and religious buildings that trace the city’s history from its founding in 1876 to 1953.

The oldest and largest of the 218 contributing buildings is the 1876 DeYarman House, built in the district’s predominant Frame Vernacular style by Wisconsin residents Hugh and Sophia DeYarman at the urgings of Orange City’s developer, the Wisconsin Land Company. Expanded several times, the hotel was a place for potential property owners to stay and also served as a community center, town library, and temporary worship center until churches were built. 

Other major buildings include the Dickinson Memorial Library, built in 1919 by Albert Dickinson in honor of his sister Melissa; the 1885 Albert and Emma Dickinson Home; pioneer Dr. Seth French’s 1876 Eastview Cottage; the Orange City School, built in 1925 in the Mediterranean Revival style; the 1889 Gothic Revival-style Orange City Congregational Church; and the Classical Revival-style Orange City Town Hall, dedicated in 1929. Many smaller bungalows were built as seasonal homes for visitors from the Northeast and Midwest.

The district includes one historic site, the one-acre Dickinson Memorial Library Park near the town center. Featured is the centrally located circular water fountain, originally placed in 1911 and replaced in 1948.

So why is the National Register designation such a big deal? It is the official list of the country’s historic places proved worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 and maintained by the National Park Service, the Register is part of a national public/private program to identify, evaluate and protect historic and archeological resources. Listings range from tiny cabins to historic districts with numerous buildings. Each entry must meet specific evaluation criteria based on age, historic significance, and appearance (does it look much the way it did originally). A Register entry may be a single building, a site or a district with numerous buildings and sites that are historically related. For details of the nomination process, see the NPS website (nps.gov/nationalregister or contact WVHS.

— SOURCES: National Archives Catalog, U.S. National Archives & Records Administration. PHOTO: The 1890 photo of the DeYarman House is from the Dreggors Collection in the WVHS Archives. The rear building was the original hotel before the expansion.