Apopka in Orange County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
Community of Piedmont
Photographed by PaulwC3, March 11, 2014
1. Community of Piedmont Marker
Piedmont, named in the late 1890s, was comprised of a wide area around Blue lake, one and one-half miles east of Apopka City. It was a close-knit community populated in the 1870s almost entirely by Swedish immigrants. Among the earliest settlers were the Andersons, Thollanders, Jacksons, Olsons, and Larrsons. Railroad tracks were extended through the settlement in 1885, and the Piedmont Railroad station was constructed in 1890. Emily Jackson Swanson (1911-2001), living here her entire life, was the last Piedmont resident born of Swedish parents. A small store and a schoolhouse, the center of the community, served as a social center and church. Residents cultivated citrus groves and vineyards establishing several wineries. Residents also farmed raising livestock, produce, and poultry. In the late 1890s, a saw mill was built that continued into the 1920s, and the Florida Central and Peninsula Railroad built a new railroad freight station. The Piedmont post office, established to serve 75 residents in 17 homes in 1903, was discontinued in 1922. In the 1920s, electric service became available. The Piedmont Chamber of Commerce was formed in 1929. The area was annexed into the City of Apopka in 1986.
Erected 2008 by The Apopka Historical Society, the City of Apopka, and the Florida Department
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Railroads & Streetcars • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1885.
Location. 28° 39.125′ N, 81° 28.172′ W. Marker is in Apopka, Florida, in Orange County. It can be reached from the intersection of Piedmont Wekiwa Road and Benbow Court. The marker is set back from Piedmont Wekiwa Road in a small park. It is most easily accessible from the Walmart Supercenter parking lot. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1700 South Orange Blossom Trail, Apopka FL 32703, 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 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Forest City (approx. 2.1 miles away); Oldest Masonic Lodge Building in Continuous Use in Florida (approx. 2.4 miles away); Community of Lockhart (approx. 2½ miles away); Episcopal Church of the Holy Spirit (approx. 2½ miles away); Armed Forces Memorial Apopka (approx. 2.6 miles away); Apopka Schoolhouse (approx. 2.6 miles away); Waite-Davis House (approx. 3.1 miles away); Orange Belt Railway (approx. 4.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Apopka.
Also see . . . Swedes In Piedmont Kept Tradition Alive In New Land. Orlando Sentinel website entry (Submitted on March 19, 2014, by PaulwC3 of Northern, Virginia.)
Photographed by PaulwC3, March 11, 2014
2. Wide view of the Community of Piedmont Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on December 7, 2021. It was originally submitted on March 19, 2014, by PaulwC3 of Northern, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,499 times since then and 92 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 19, 2014, by PaulwC3 of Northern, Virginia.
