Our Town

DeLand's recent history began in 1874 when Captain John Rich built a log cabin in the area then known as Persimmon Hollow. It was so-named for the wild persimmon trees that grew around a natural springs in the area. At that time, it was accessible only by steamboat up the St. Johns River. In 1876, a baking soda magnate from New York named Henry A. DeLand visited his brother-in-law who lived in Persimmon Hollow. DeLand liked what he saw and quickly bought a $1,000 plot of land where he envisioned building a citrus and tourism center. He founded a city that he named after himself, and set about to clear land, lay out streets and erect buildings. He convinced settlers to buy land from him by guaranteeing that they could sell the land back to him within two years, if they didn't like the area. Interestingly enough, Henry DeLand himself was never a full-time resident of Florida, although he was a generous benefactor to the town. The town prospered and incorporated in 1882. In the winter of 1885, there was a bad freeze and settlers lost all their crops and couldn’t stay in the area. True to his word, Mr. Deland bought all the land back from them. became the county seat in 1888.