Conway Chain of Lakes/ Union Church

Conway Chain of Lakes/ Union Church. . , Conway Chain of Lakes , In 1843, Benjamin Whitner of nearby Mellonville was awarded a contract to survey lands in this vicinity and named Lake Conway for his boss Valentine Yelverton Conway, Surveyor General of Florida. Until development and drainage changes in the 1900s, seasonal rains transformed the Conway chain into one big lake. Now Hoffner Avenue divides North and Middle Lake Conway, and Nela Avenue divides Middle and Little Lake Conway. , Early settlers used the lake for drinking water, bathing, food, and entertainment. Prominent Orlando citizens such as the Dickson family of Dickson and Ives Department Store had summer homes on the lake where they came to fish and swim. , Crittenden Dock was located where Randolph Avenue dead ends at Lake Conway. It has long been a favorite recreation spot, and as early as 1882, guests at the adjacent Macy Hotel used it to launch pleasure cruises and fishing expeditions. The Crittenden family acquired the site and built a dock that was popular with swimmers and boaters. The property is now owned by Orange County and is a popular boat ramp. , , Union Church , In 1900, a need for an interdenominational church building in Pine Castle motivated local women into organizing the Christian Workers Society in order to raise money for the building and to help the needy. The group sponsored ice cream socials, oyster stew dinners, and box suppers. Men in the community contributed to the project by cutting timber and hauling logs to the nearest sawmill at Smithville (now Taft). Once the logs were cured, they built the Union Church on the northeast corner of South Orange Avenue and Wallace Street. , On alternating Sundays, ministers came from Orlando and elsewhere to conduct Methodist, Baptist, and Missionary Alliance services. It was not unusual for a minister to start shouting during a service in order to be heard over a passing train. , In 1910, a parish house was built behind the church that was used not only for Sunday school, but also for entertainment and other community gatherings. The church property was deeded to Methodist-Episcopal Church South in 1930. At the end of the 1950s, the building was moved to State Road 15A, north of Narcoossee near Lake Whippoorwill, in order to be used as a Baptist mission.