Conway in Orange County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
St. Mary's Missionary Baptist Church/Datson Dairy
Photographed By Tim Fillmon, January 14, 2014
1. St. Mary's Missionary Baptist Church/Datson Dairy Marker
St. Mary's Missionary Baptist Church
St. Mary's Missionary Baptist Church was built on land donated by Mary Walker in 1915. It was a small frame building with a steeple to the side of the main entrance The small African American community surrounding the church developed when E.B. Conoley opened a turpentine still in the area and brought workers to Conway from as far away as Georgia to work in the piney woods. A one-room school behind the church served all of the African American children in grades one through eight. After the end of the turpentine industry in the area, the men turned to picking citrus in the groves.
(side 2)
Datson Dairy
The Datson Dairy was founded by Berton Clarence Datson in 1916 and was the first commercial dairy in Orlando. The original dairy was located on Hourglass Lake at the corner of Cloverlawn Avenue and Curry Ford Rd. Its processing plant was on West South Street in Orlando. The pastures were located between Conway Road and Lake Conway. The dairy began with 9 cows and grew to over 900 by 1937. In 1926, the dairy's founder died in an automobile accident, and the dairy operations were taken over by his four sons and son-in-law: Clarence, Theodore, Glenn, and Richard and Robert B. Dawson. The dairy was sold in 1951.
Erected by
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Churches & Religion. A significant historical year for this entry is 1915.
Location. 28° 29.164′ N, 81° 19.837′ W. Marker is in Conway, Florida, in Orange County. Marker is at the intersection of South Conway Road (State Road 15) and St. Mary's Lane, on the right when traveling north on South Conway Road. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 4695 South Conway Road, Orlando FL 32812, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Conway First Baptist Church/Fort Gatlin (approx. 0.6 miles away); Conway United Methodist Church/Brick Road (approx. 1.1 miles away); The English Colony/The Polo Club (approx. 1.3 miles away); Walden's Live Oak (approx. 1.7 miles away); The Council Oak (approx. 1.9 miles away); 1972 B-52 Crash (approx. 2 miles away); Fort Gatlin 1838 (approx. 2.3 miles away); Fort Gatlin's Early Settlers • Native American History (approx. 2.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Conway.
Photographed By Tim Fillmon, January 14, 2014
2. St. Mary's Missionary Baptist Church/Datson Dairy Marker Side 2
Photographed By Tim Fillmon, January 14, 2014
3. St. Mary's Missionary Baptist Church/Datson Dairy Marker with church in background
Credits. This page was last revised on March 1, 2018. It was originally submitted on January 26, 2017, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. This page has been viewed 490 times since then and 35 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on January 26, 2017, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
