Northeast Orlando in Orange County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

The Leu House Museum

Photographed by Diane Murphy, February 2024

1. The Leu House Museum Marker (side 1)

Inscription. (side 1)
In 1858, the David W. Mizell family homesteaded this property, and in 1862, built their first home. The Mizells farmed the land, growing cotton, corn, and sugar cane. David W. Mizell was appointed sheriff of Orange County in 1868. He was ambushed and murdered a year later while attempting to arrest Moses Barber for alleged cattle rustling. Mizell is the only sheriff in Orange County killed in the line of duty. Mizell was buried in the family cemetery plot on the property, located approximately 100 yards away from the house. The current house was erected by Mizell's son, John Thomas, in 1888. The family sold the house in 1902 to Duncan Clarkston Pell, a member of the socially-prominent Pell family of New York. Pell brought his bride, Helen Louise Gardner, to his new house that same year. Pell expanded the two-story frame farmhouse, adding a detached kitchen. For the couple, it provided a place to live and entertain lavishly on the weekends during the winter social season. The couple separated in 1906 and Pell sold the property. They moved back to New York and Pell took a job with General Motors, while Helen while

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Helen pursued an acting career and became one of the first actors to form her own production company. (Continued on other side) (side 2) (Continued from other side) Joseph H. Woodward was the third owner of this property. Woodward had made his fortune in the steel industry, and named the property "LaBelle," after his company's ironworks in Ohio. Woodward and his wife used the house as their winter retreat until Joseph's death in 1915. After the death of Woodward's widow in 1928, the house had a variety of tenants until 1936, when it was purchased by Orlando native and industrial goods supplier Harry P. Leu and his bride Mary Jane. They also purchased the original Mizell homestead. As world travelers, the Leus enjoyed gardens and private estates abroad, and created their very own in Orlando. Leu's fascination with the genus Camellia was legendary, and he assembled one of the largest collections in North America. To ensure their estate was protected from development, the Leus donated their home and gardens in 1961 to the City of Orlando. The city continues to expand the gardens, adding a gazebo, two bridges and greenhouse. In 1994,

The Leu House Museum Marker (side 2) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Diane Murphy, February 2024

2. The Leu House Museum Marker (side 2)

the house and gardens were listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Leus' legacy was the creation of an emerald green oasis in the middle of a thriving metropolis where guests come to experience a bit of “Old Florida”.

Erected 2018 by The Friends of Leu Gardens and the Florida Department of State. (Marker Number F-1016.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Horticulture & Forestry • Law Enforcement • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1858.

Location. 28° 34.178′ N, 81° 21.35′ W. Marker is in Orlando, Florida, in Orange County. It is in Northeast Orlando. It can be reached from the intersection of North Forest Avenue and Corrine Drive, on the left when traveling north. Marker is located inside Leu Gardens. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1920 N Forest Ave, Orlando FL 32803, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Central Florida.

It is also in the American South.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

The Leu House Museum Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Diane Murphy, February 2024

3. The Leu House Museum Marker

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Loch Haven Park (approx. 0.7 miles away); The Red-Tail Pilots of the Tuskegee Airmen (approx. ¾ mile away); William Bartram Trail (approx. one mile away); Military Site History (approx. 1.1 miles away); The Lone Sailor Memorial of Central Florida (approx. 1.1 miles away); A City Within A City (approx. 1.1 miles away); Arrival at Recruit Training Command Orlando (approx. 1.2 miles away); Day in the Life of a Recruit (approx. 1.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Orlando.

Also see . . . Harry P. Leu Gardens. Website homepage (Submitted on February 15, 2024.)

Photographed by Diane Murphy, February 2024

4. The Leu House Museum Marker

Photographed by Diane Murphy, February 2024

5. The Leu House Museum Marker

Photographed by Diane Murphy, February 2024

6. The Leu House Museum Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on April 4, 2025. It was originally submitted on February 14, 2024, by Diane Murphy of Saint Cloud, Florida. This page has been viewed 634 times since then and 85 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on February 14, 2024, by Diane Murphy of Saint Cloud, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.