Radcliffe Cadman Bros. Packing House

Radcliffe Cadman Bros. Packing House. . When Lt. Colonel William Cadman purchased an orange grove in Narcoossee in 1888, he was retired and busy with many interests. The grove was likely an investment in his sons' futures, and they handled much of the work along with paid seasonal laborers. The citrus trees were 8 years old and bearing fruit when the Colonel's sons established the Radclyffe Cadman Bros. company. A couple years later, when the house was undergoing renovations, this packing house was constructed - possibly salvaged from another structure on their property. , , “Narcoossee citrus fruit, Florida’s finest, from our packing house, one of Florida’s oldest, direct to you.” , Cadman Bros. Ad slogan, circa 1954 , , According to Federal census reports, Reginald Cadman, the second eldest son, was the primary fruit grower for the citrus operation. He operated the business until his retirement in the 1940s. His older brother, William, only worked for the first several years, leaving to pursue an engineering degree in Philadelphia around 1900. Godfrey, the youngest son, also spent many years working on the citrus operation, but left in the early 1920s to pursue a ministry degree. , , The freeze killed many of the trees but the family cut off the dead tops which then re-sprouted. It took another seven years till they bare fruit again. , Cyrus Sharp Jr. Interviewed 2001 , , Frozen Fruit , Devastating winter storms challenged many of Florida’s farmers, but this was especially true after freezes of 1894 and 1895. Temperatures dipped well below freezing in December 1894 and again in February 1885. These back-to-back extreme freezes wiped out many citrus trees and severely damaged the Cadman’s grove. , , Packed with History , During the winter and spring months, oranges were harvested by hand, with each orange manually clipped from the tree. Workers climbed ladders to reach the highest fruit then filled large field crates or baskets that could hold 100 pounds of fruit. Typically, oranges and other citrus were cleaned in the field to wash off dirt and lime scale. After being cleaned, the fruit was brought to the packing house. There, the citrus was rolled down a chute that sorted and sized the fruit into bins before being packed for shipping. The Cadman Bros. company used beeswax-coated paper liners to cover each piece of fruit before it was crated. In 1921, the same year Cadman Bros. changed its name to Cadman Groves, Inc the company shipped 2000 boxes of citrus by rail on the Atlantic Coast Line. , , (captions ) , Cadman Crate Art circa 1910 , This design was discovered on the wood backing behind a mirror donated to the Osceola County Historical Society; experts believe the design was likely a stencil for the Cadmans’ orange crates. , Courtesy Osceola County Historical Society , , Irrigating the Grove, 1902 , Reginald Cadman, seen here with a worker, watered the orange trees using a sprayer, Reginald sought the advice of experts and other growers to ensure a good harvest and healthy trees for the Cadman grove. , , Image Courtesy of Orange County Regional History Center , , Hilliard Island Packing Operation circa 1890s , Although no historic photos of the interior of the Cadman packing house have surfaced, the interior likely resembled the photo above. This packing house was owned by the Wetherbee family, another family citrus operation in the area. , Courtesy Osceola County Historical Society