Port Orange in Volusia County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
Sands Fish & Oyster Company
Photographed by Tim Fillmon, February 27, 2020
1. Sands Fish & Oyster Company Marker Side 1
The Sands Fish & Oyster Company supplied oysters to markets and restaurants up and down the Atlantic seaboard from 1916 until 1955. Founded by William Sands, Sr., the company earned Port Orange, Florida, the title of “Oyster Capital of the World” by harvesting fresh, delicious oysters known far and wide. In addition to oysters, the company supplied clams, fish, and shrimp. Sands managed oyster leases along the Halifax River as far south as New Smyrna Beach and as far north as St. Augustine. Before starting his company, he had worked as a bookkeeper for Daniel DuPont’s Port Orange Oyster Company. Originally located just north of Herbert Street along Halifax Drive, the Sands oyster house moved one block north to the corner of Ocean Avenue and Halifax Drive in the 1930s. In exchange for use of City of Port Orange property, the company provided the city with oyster shells for local roads. As the business grew, the oyster house expanded eastward over the river on pilings. Harvesting an average of 500 gallons of oysters per week, the company reached a high mark of 905 gallons during one week in 1943. Packed in gallon size metal
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A mainstay of the Port Orange business community, the Sands Fish & Oyster Company provided numerous jobs. Workers traveled from New York and Georgia to work the eight-month oyster season. During the off season, workers replenished the oyster beds and fished the river. For each gallon of oysters shucked, workers received a token known as a “Sands Dollar” that could be turned in for pay or used in local stores. In 1947, William Sands, Sr., passed away and his wife Mabel Sands and her son William Sands, Jr., took over the company. Success of the oyster business continued, but the water quality of the river declined after the construction of the second Dunlawton Bridge in early 1951. The bridge’s earthen causeway design, known locally as the “Port Orange Dam,” restricted the water's tidal flow. Contaminants from septic tanks coupled with restricted flow raised bacterial levels in the river enough to end oyster harvesting. Sands Fish & Oyster remained in business selling fish, smoked mullet, clams, shrimp, and oysters that were supplied from other parts of the state. Mabel Sands sold the company
Photographed by Tim Fillmon, February 27, 2020
2. Sands Fish & Oyster Company Marker Side 2
Erected 2015 by The Port Orange, The City of Port Orange, and the Florida Department of State. (Marker Number F-851.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Food & Drink • Industry & Commerce • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1916.
Location. 29° 8.894′ N, 80° 59.279′ W. Marker is in Port Orange, Florida, in Volusia County. It can be reached from the intersection of Halifax Drive and East Ocean Avenue, on the left when traveling south. Both the end of Halifax Dr and Ocean Ave have been changed to a pedestrian path as part of the Riverwalk. You must park nearby and walk to the location. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 100 East Ocean Avenue, Port Orange FL 32129, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in First Coast. It is also in the American South and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World,
Photographed by Tim Fillmon, February 27, 2020
3. Sands Fish & Oyster Company Marker looking north to the junction of Ocean Ave
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: The “Freemanville” Settlement (approx. 0.2 miles away); Grace Episcopal Church (approx. 0.4 miles away); Working (approx. 1.2 miles away); The Roof (approx. 1.2 miles away); Telling Dunlawton's Stories (approx. 1.2 miles away); From the Boardwalk (approx. 1.2 miles away); Living on the Edge (approx. 1.2 miles away); The Most Dangerous Chieftain (approx. 1.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Port Orange.
Photographed by Tim Fillmon, February 27, 2020
4. Sands Fish & Oyster Company Marker looking south on Halifax Dr
Credits. This page was last revised on September 21, 2026. It was originally submitted on March 7, 2020, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. This page has been viewed 1,246 times since then and 61 times this year. Last updated on September 18, 2026, by Trudi Jacobson of Slingerlands, New York. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on March 7, 2020, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
