During my days as a Ledger staffer, one of my favorite weekly contributions to the paper was a historical feature called, “Found in East Polk.” As a long-time resident of Polk County, having moved here when I was 10, I was familiar with many communities and their landmarks, but not always the colorful history behind them. Digging into the past to research these features took me on delightful journeys I often shared with my son, Corbin Hart, who was in elementary school at the time.
On Saturday mornings, we’d jump into my Xterra just after dawn and stop at the Hess station down the road to fuel the car and grab breakfast: a couple of doughnuts and cups filled with steaming hot chocolate or coffee. Then we’d hit the road and explore Polk County armed with maps, suggestions from friends, and memories of my youth.
Among other things, we discovered an abandoned section of the Old Dixie Highway and an old pillar marking the entrance to Imperial Polk County. We found monuments commemorating Fort Blount in Bartow, Fort Clinch in Frostproof, and Fort Cummings in Lake Alfred. We chased down the origin of names like Haines City’s Clay Cut Road and Mammoth Grove Road in Lake Wales. We learned about Osceola and the band of Seminole Indians who inhabited an island in the middle of Lake Hamilton. And we discovered small, old cemeteries tucked behind tiny churches or along country roads.
Sometimes other history buffs would share memories and information. Artist Tom Freeman took us to numerous historic gems, including an old camp site on an island in the Kissimmee River. June Felt, who died in 2015, gave us a good sense of her childhood town through personal stories and tours of the Frostproof Historical Museum. They introduced us to a variety of other folks who shared family histories with us.
Polk County has a rich history dating further back than its Feb. 8, 1861, founding. Through the years it’s spawned turpentine, citrus, agriculture, and phosphate industries as well as medical and internet technology, and tourism. The county has produced its fair share of politicians, celebrities, business leaders, educators, and other notables. And students of all ages have a growing number of options for post-high school education ranging from career centers to colleges and universities.
Our local public and college libraries offer books ranging from histories of various cities to biographies of notables who lived here to studies of Central Florida development and politics. Often a “Found in East Polk Feature” sparked a personal interest resulting in research for sheer enjoyment of learning more about my home county.
Corbin parlayed knowledge he gained through our historical excursions into several high school and college papers, and he continues to use it for storytelling fodder to amuse folks at family gatherings. These days, I draw on local legends, written and oral histories, and the memories of old-timers when creating story plots and developing characters for my books.
For a 2018 New Year’s resolution, I urge readers to put aside the snide, “Podunk Polk” nickname for our Imperial Polk County and spend time exploring our county the way Corbin and I did years ago, as I continue to do now while researching books. You’ll be blessed exponentially. There are lessons to be learned and stories to be enjoyed from visiting landmarks, listening to tales around a campfire, stomping through cemeteries, or strolling around museums. Here’s a list of places and books to get you started:
Selected books about Polk County places
“In the Midst of All That Makes Life Worth Living: Polk County to 1940” and “None Could Have Richer Memories: Polk County Since 1940” by Canter Brown
“Calling Me Home: Gram Parsons and the Roots of Country Rock” by Bob Kealing
“Historical markers and Historical Places of Polk County Florida” by the Polk County Historical Association, 2001
“The History of Winter Haven” by Josephine Burr (free download available through the Winter Haven Public Library at www.mywinterhaven.com)
“Recollections of Time Gone By” by Ray Albritton, illustrated by Marty Zimmerman
“The Crown Jewel of the Ridge” by Janice Ahl
“The Kissimmee Islands” by Doris M. Lewis
A sample of places to learn about Polk County
Frostproof Historical Museum, 210 S. Scenic Highway, Frostproof
Lake Wales Depot Museum, 325 N. Seminole Ave., Lake Wales
Margaret Kampsen Historic Depot, 103 Main St., Dundee
Mulberry Phosphate Museum, 101 SE First St., Mulberry
Museum of Winter Haven History, 660 Pope Ave., Winter Haven
Polk County History Center, 100 E. Main St., Bartow
The Historic Baynard House, 208 W. Lake Ave., Auburndale