Lawton House

Lawton House. Circa 1890. , Oviedo pioneer J. H. Lee Sr. built the Lawton House in 1890 on South Central avenue near the old downtown crossroads. In 1910, Mr. Lee sold the home to his newly wed daughter Charlotte “Lottie” Lee and her husband Thomas Willington Lawton Sr., and the house was moved on rollers to the present site. The house once contained 7 rooms including the wrap around porch offering a friendly invitation to family and guests. A deep well supplied water to an elevated wooden tank. About 1920, the house was retrofitted with a battery lighting system with on the wall wiring throughout the house., T.W. and Charlotte Lawton raised 3 children in the home. Mr. Lawton served as Principal of the Oviedo School from 1905 to 1907 and later kept a general store with his brother Winborn Joseph Lawton until 1916. T. W. Lawton was then elected on June 6, 1916 as the Superintendent for Seminole County Schools and was appointed by the Governor in October 1916 to complete his predecessor’s unexpired term. Mr. Lawton retired in 1952, and remains the longest serving Seminole County School Superintendent. Mr. Lawton died on October 20, 1963; 47 years to the day after the Governor appointed him Superintendent. In 1968, the Oviedo School was renamed T. W. Lawton Elementary School in his memory. The Lawton house is currently home to the Oviedo Historical Society and under ownership of the City of Oviedo.