Sorrento in Lake County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

Ethel School

Historic Ethel Trail

— Rock Springs Run State Park —

Ethel School Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Brandon D Cross

1. Ethel School Marker

Inscription. The single room schoolhouse sat close to Ethel Road and the railway line. It also served as the church where services were held every other Sunday. The earliest mention of the school is in a deed granting half an acre of land to the School Board of Lake County in November 1893. The schoolteacher taught all grades together and the school year was only three months long. The teacher was paid $3 per student per year.

The Ethel School, once located behind the Lewis house, also served the small settlement of Wekiva where you can now find Wekiva Falls. Only white children were allowed to attend class. Anthony Frazier is credited with establishing the first school for black children in the area.
(captions)
Young barefoot girl c. 1900. Source, Florida Memory

Young boy with his hoe c. 1900. Source, Florida Memory

Erected 2024 by Florida State Parks, Wekiva Wilderness Trust.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Education • Parks & Recreational Areas • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1893.

Location. 28° 48.077′ N, 81° 26.46′ W. Marker is in Sorrento, Florida, in Lake County. It is on Wekiva River

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Road 0.1 miles south of Chipola Trail, on the left when traveling south. Trailhead is across from the equestrian stables. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 30601 Wekiva River Road, Sorrento FL 32776, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Greater Orlando

and in Central Florida.

It is also in the American South.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

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 walking distance of this marker: The Railway (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); Welcome to the Historic Ethel Trail (approx. 0.2 miles away); Early Settlement in Florida (approx. 0.2 miles away); Living Off the Land Marker (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Delk Plantation (approx. 0.2 miles away); Ethel Township (approx. ¼ mile away); Life in Ethel (approx. ¼ mile away); Homesteading (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Sorrento.

Also see . . .
1. Historic Ethel Trail. (Submitted on January 24, 2025, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida.)
2. Ethel. (Submitted on January 24, 2025, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida.)

Photographed by Brandon D Cross

2. Ethel School Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on January 25, 2025. It was originally submitted on January 24, 2025, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. This page has been viewed 153 times since then and 14 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on January 24, 2025, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.