>>This program is brough to you in part by the Paul B.

Hunter and Constance D. Hunter Charitable Foundation a proud partner of WUCF and the Central Florid community.

>>On this edition of Florida Road Trip.

>>So we have this interesting tie of European and African history that's right here in Sanford, and how we play a piece in this puzzle, this huge global thing in the 19th century.

A lot of people don't know that.

>>We step back in time to reveal why the story of Sanford's history is bigger than you might think.

And... >>That's what we try to do, is be a reflection of the community.

They've given so much to us in terms of volunteer hours, in terms of support and fundraising, in terms of just coming here and supportin conservation and education work we do.

So we try to, in turn, make sure we're being a reflection of what the community's needs are.

>>We'll take a trip to the Central Florida Zoo, where conservation, education and community pride come together in a big way.

Plus... >>There's a lot, in my opinion, to attract history buffs to the area, but it's a central hub of transportation as well.

>>All aboard!

Florida Road Trip is back on the road and steaming towards Sanford.

♪♪ Hi there and welcome to Florida Road Trip, I'm Scott Fais.

In Sanford, Florida, the history of the city isn't merely just anchore to the brick streets downtown, it also flows through a mighty river and soars in the skies above Seminole County.

Located just 25 minutes north of downtown Orlando, this communit on the banks of the Saint Johns River has many stories to share.

>>The Saint Johns Rive waterfront is the furthest south that steamships could get on the Saint Johns River.

That became the essential reason why there was settlement in this area is because you needed a place where, you know, you could offload your supply ships.

>>Those ships delivered more than cargo.

They brought people, ideas, and eventually conflict.

Sanford's earliest root traced back to a military post.

>>Mellonville was this fort town that came and that was made specificall during the Second Seminole Wars.

It's part of the Indian Wars dealing with the Indian Removal Act.

We actually had a battle here, which was the Battle of Camp Monroe.

The United States had one casualty that we know, which was Captain Charles Mellon.

So when they decided to build a fort in the same area, they named it after him.

>>You wind u getting contractors and people who congregate around the forts because they're saf and they're centers of commerce.

And from there, you get civic development.

>>Out of Camp Monroe came Fort Mellon.

Out of Fort Mellon came the town of Melonville.

And after the Civil War, a new figure stepped onto the scene who would transform this river community forever.

Henry Shelton Sanford.

Henry Shelton Sanford was a northern businessman.

He really didn't like the industrialist life.

He was more of a traveler, and he wanted experiences abroad.

He preferred living in Europe, and during the 1840s he was over in Germany trying t learn about law and diplomacy.

He was tapped by Abraham Lincoln and Henry Seward, the Secretary of State, to be ambassador to Belgium.

Henry Sanford's goal there was to make sure that the Confederacy was never recognized by another European nation.

And he was given a sort of black budget by Henry Seward to try and buy out Confederate contract to conduct espionage activities over there.

>>Think of him like a modern day developer.

He didn't live here.

He'd occasionally vacation here.

Henry Sanford is mainly building this city abroad.

>>With deep pocket and international connections, Sanford purchased thousands of acres and developed the town that now bears his name.

His goal?

Create a hub for citrus shipping.

>>He invested a lot of money.

In fact, he he made a experimental garden and groves called Belair to see what citrus varieties would work.

And he's actually credited with bringing the Jaffa an the Valencia orange to Florida.

So if you're ever in the supermarket, you can say, oh, thank you, Henry.

>>But just when the industry began booming, a catastrophic weather event changed everything.

The great freeze.

>>There was like ten days where it was just super cold.

One of our famous photos is of the Zapf brewery.

Mr. Zapf is standing underneath his sign and there's a five foot icicle over his head.

It killed 95% of all citrus trees in Florida, and here it was devastating.

There was a spate of suicides people fleeing, just trying to get out of the financial downfall that they had.

Out of the devastatio of the Great Freeze in the mid 1890s came a new identity for Sanford: celery.

Yeah, celery.

>>The soils, particularly around Lake Jesup, were particularly mucky and really good for produce grains and celery pretty much hit the top of the list almost immediately as the most lucrative crop that you could grow in that kind of soil.

Back then, it was a luxury crop.

We could grow celery in three different growing seasons, whereas the current contender for celery production was Kalamazoo, Michigan, and they only had one season.

We could out produce them.

We wound up producing 25 of the world's celery by 1940.

And that's wh we got the moniker Celery City, is because Sanford became the heart of that processing industry.

>>Sanford's agricultural chapter began to fade in the 1970s, but its legacy lives on in Sanford's identity.

From the celery fields to historic storefronts, the past still shapes the city today.

>>I think when people walk around and they see the history, there's specific people and individual and stories that go behind that.

That's something that I hope that I'm able to bring to the citizens of Sanford.

♪♪ >>One of the most endurin places in the history of Sanford empowered commerce to flourish prepared our military for four different theaters of combat, and allowed giants to soar.

The Orlando Sanford International Airport is where histor and modern aviation intersect.

>>In 1941, the city decided they wanted a new airport.

They had hoped the military would come in and build that airport, but the military wasn't willing at the time.

And so the city started building the new airport themselves.

>>Originally it was part of the WPA projects during the Great Depression.

And then World War II happens and they're like, wow, let's use this for the military effort.

>>As World War II intensified, the U.S. Navy stepped in to finish the job and turn the airfield into a naval air station by 1942.

From then, Sanford was on the map not just as a military site, bu as a hub for aviation history.

>>So it was for pilots, all pilot training.

The first group that came here was a medium range bomber, which is the plane that's behind me here on the platform.

And from ther it progressed into some fighters and other bombers.

And by the tim Korea and Vietnam came around, it was a nuclear based bomber.

>>Today, visitors are greeted by two planes on display: the PV-1 Ventura inside the terminal and the RA-5C Vigilante outside the entrance.

They represent the first and last aircraft stationed at the base.

>>And it's kind of nice to remember that history.

>>But the story doesn't stop there.

After World War Two, the base briefly closed and found a second life as an unexpected destination for baseball.

In the late 1940s, the airport hosted spring training for the New York Giants, changing the old military barracks in the dorms and filling the area wit the sounds of America's pastime.

>>I think it was about 1 to 12 different baseball fields here on the airport, kids that were coming in for baseball camps, and then also development for future baseball players, and then spring training as well.

>>The Navy returned to the bas on the onset of the Korean War.

The military cleared the fields, but the spirit of transformation remained in place.

It seems this airport has always found a way to serve its Sanford community.

>>So in 1946, the first cargo flight out of the airport occurred.

And it was a gentleman that was carrying a celery and I believe radishes to California.

And what was interesting about that is you could not have accomplished that flight before, because the aircraft that existed before World War II didn't have a cargo hold.

But now they did because we needed cargo holds for World War II.

>>Sanford earned the nickname Celery City thanks to its thriving produc industry, and the airport became a vital way of getting that harves to markets across the country.

Fast forward to the 1990s, when commercial flights really began to take off.

>>Now, commercial aircraft departing the Orlando Sanford International Airport connect travelers with the world.

>>We have 69 destinations with Allegiant out of this airport now.

We contribute about $3.2 billion to the regional economy as a result of this airport.

>>The airport continue to honor its past, with historic aircraft proudly displayed and a curated exhibit where vintage uniforms photographs and other artifacts tell the story of the airport's roots and its role in the city of Sanford's history.

>>So it's just a nice way to remember the impacts and what happened here.

So people that come to the airport can see it.

One thing that's very important to this airport even now is pilot training.

And we have a large flight school here.

They train about 600 students a year, and we don't want to lose that touch to our history.

Pilot training will always be part of this airport.

♪♪ >>In the lat 1800s, a group of freed slaves came here and formed the Georgetown neighborhood.

After about 20 years, they had created a self-contained, self-sustaining community.

These early settlers the went on to play a pivotal role in the next chapter of Sanford's growth story.

>>1867.

The Civil War was over and Emancipation Proclamation had been signed.

The freed slaves heard in some way that there was work in this area.

So they came down and and we have to surmise that they came down on a boat from Jacksonville because, remember, there were no roads then tha brought you right into Sanford.

>>As they arrived many settled along Mellonville Avenue between 10th Street and Celery Avenue.

With limited resources, they built shelters which laid a foundation for what would become a thriving neighborhood.

>>They live there, I believe but we believe they had houses.

Not houses but some sort of covering there.

And that's where they started the church.

>>The community's growt was closely tied to the city's namesake, Henry Sanford, who saw Georgetown as a home for black workers.

>>Henry Sanford wanted to create a safe place for his black workers.

Partially due to economics, like he needed someone to build the town.

And the other reason at the time, we still have reconstruction.

Henry Sanford is interested in these black men voting, particularly Republican, and that was kind of the trend at the time, because Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves and they tended to vote more Republican.

>>But the early days weren't easy.

After Sanford brought in black laborers from Monticello, tensions ros with the local white population.

And just before an election, things turned violent.

>>There's something called the Saint Gertrude's massacre that we know that these this white population basically killed several black workers.

And that's what causes Henry Sanford to create Georgetown, to, quote unquote, be a safe place.

>>Now, Henry Sanford is by no means a scrupulous man.

There's ongoing debate over whether any of this was altruistic.

It's really important factor to consider that the idea of reconstruction here after the Civil War is very much anchore in the person of Henry Sanford, who is driving all of these sort of political independence movements.

He is fostering the creation of colored schools all over, and it creates a very robust school system for that time perio in African-American education.

And that kind of flips on its head later on, because Seminole County uses that as an excuse.

We have colored schools everywhere, so we don't really need to integrate.

>>Now we're talking 1890 this was a black neighborhood.

Everybody.

You went to school here, your churches were here.

It was really a self-contained community.

We had three funeral homes.

We had stores.

People remember they had thei own gardens in their backyards.

>>And it wasn't just gardens.

Georgetown had skilled tradespeople, barbers, beauticians, a shoemaker and even its own midwif at Georgetown's maternity home.

>>That's Marie Francis.

She delivered over 40,000 babies right here in Georgetown.

>>One of those who lived in that maternity home?

>>Zora Neale Hurston lived in that maternity home.

Yeah she lived there for five years.

Her father pastored Zio Hope Missionary Baptist Church.

>>Education playe a role in the community as well.

Hopper Academy was the first school for black children in Georgetown.

And later, Crooms Academy was built just across town in Goldsboro.

>>This is Hopper Academy it was.

I believe this building was erected around 1921.

And this is grade one through six.

The only school in Georgetown.

This one is o the national preservation list.

And the other one that's on the list is over o the corner of ninth and Cypress.

And that's St. James A.M.E. church.

And that one was built.

It started in 1910 and they completed it in 1913.

>>Even today, these buildings stan not just as a historic landmark, but as a symbol of the neighborhood's dedicatio to learning, growth and pride.

Georgetown may look different today, more diverse, more developed, but many longtime resident still feel its original spirit.

That's why the community and its leaders, like Julia, are workin to keep Georgetown's story alive through walking tours, memorial signage and events like the annual reading of the Emancipation Proclamation.

>>We want this place to maintain the integrit that it was when it was built.

>>From beauty shops to school houses, Georgetow is more than just neighborhood.

It's a story of strength, survival, and community.

You got to know the whole thing in order to know it.

And that's what we're trying to.

That's our mission, is to get people to know what happened and how they got here.

♪♪ >>The Saint Johns River, with its rare northward flowin currents, stretches 310 miles.

Everyone from the Timucua to tourists of today have enjoyed its vast natural resources, along with majestic views like this one.

However, history just doesn't flow through the Saint Johns River.

It also floats on top of i with the stern wheel paddle boat the Barbara Lee.

>>First of all, it's the reason why we're here.

You have to remember how kind of like 19th century traveling worked.

A lot of it was by boats.

This is befor Henry Flagler made his railroad all the way down to the keys which did not really behoove us.

[LAUGHING] >>In the 19th century, this was as far south as steamboats could travel on the river.

That limitation made Sanford the perfect place to stop and settle.

But these ships just didn't bring travelers, they carried opportunity.

Before roads and railways, river were central Florida's highways.

>>At one point, Sanford was actually much larger than Orlando.

It was the celery capital of the world.

I believe there was over 100 ships operating out of Sanford that were buil very similar to the Barbara Lee.

The river is entirely contained within the state of Florida extends little over 300 miles.

But the interesting thin is that across that entire 300 plus miles it only drops 30ft in elevation.

So the fact that it does extend down the entire states just made it ideal for commerce.

>>Today, the Barbara Lee offers a chance to float into that history.

The stern wheeler is a throwback to Florida's golden age of river travel.

>>A lot of paddle wheelers nowadays are decorative.

They actually work for better or for worse.

They control the direction of the boat.

Backwards.

Forwards.

Left.

Right.

She weighs 98 tons.

So she's a heavy girl.

On a three hour lunch cruise we go approximately seven miles down the river and seven miles back.

We only consume about 50 gallons of diesel.

So in my opinion, that's a very small amount considering the weight, the distance.

When she was brought to Sanford in 2012, she went through a major refurbishments and then after I purchased her in 2023, we went through a remodel on the interior, and then we literally just returned from dry dock where she went through an extensive overhaul.

So just like any 40 year old woman, she wanted to look like she was 20 again.

So we essentially helped her do that.

We replaced the paddle wheels.

So the paddle wheels are brand new.

We placed all the ornamental railing around the ship.

She was painted.

We got a new galley door.

She got new carpeting.

She got new AC.

So we just did a lot to refresh her and rejuvenate her so that people will still get the historical feel of a stern wheeler, but with a lot of the modern conveniences of today.

>>Slowly cruisin Lake Monroe and the Saint Johns River, guests enjoy views of old Florida.

>>Wildlife is definitely a major attraction.

We like to say that this is old Florida, meaning the native flora fauna is very evident.

One of the reasons I love Florida so much is all the beautiful birds and wildlife that you can see here.

A lot of people really enjoy seeing alligators, especially from a distance.

>>The Barbara Lee is a cruise, but also a full experience combining nature, dining and live entertainment, which sometimes includes historical presentations.

>>Transporting cattle, packaging as well.

>>Visitors are permitted to wander the decks during the three hour tour.

And while it's not part of the usual wandering, I somehow scored a seat in the captain's chair and even got to steer the boat for a bit.

Don't try this at home or on the river.

[HORN BLOWING] >>You can walk around, pretty much at any point during the cruise.

It's the entertainment, it's nature.

It's sailing experience as well.

>>Whether you're a history buff, a nature lover, or just looking to have a meal on the water, the Barbara Lee and the Saint Johns River offer the perfect way to cruise into Florida's past.

♪♪ >>Have you ever heard somebody say, it's a zoo in there?

Here in Sanford, that's not a bad thing.

That starte with a little monkeying around at the Central Florida Zoo.

>>In 1923, a monkey was given to the Elks Club here in Sanford.

And they gave it to the fire department to display.

And then people started giving other animals to the fire department.

There was like a possum and a raccoon, a bulldog, another monkey.

And so everyone started coming every weekend to see the animals at the fire department.

And that was the genesis of the zoo.

>>By 1941, those informal visits turned into an official zoo along Sanford's waterfront, right where City Hall now stands.

It may have been small in size, but it had a big personality.

>>One of the most famous thing there was called Monkey Island, where everyone would come and see them.

And it was an interesting place.

You actually could put a board up against Monkey Island and the monkey would come out and play to you, which is terrifying to me as a zoo director now.

>>The zoo moved to its current location in 1975 under the leadership of its director, Jack Hanna, along with the support of the community.

There was a large group of citizens that got together and raised funds to be abl to build and and be on the spot.

And Seminole Count was nice enough to give the land for us to be on.

So it really was the whole community coming together and saying, we want something like this in our community and getting together and raising those funds and getting this done.

>>Even in those early years at the new location, the animal collection was impressive.

>>When we moved here in 1975 to the location where we are right now, the collection consisted of several different species of primates, large cats, black bears, and even elephants.

>>Yo won't find elephants here today, but their old habitat has a new tenant.

>>Behind me right no was the former elephant habitat, which we have learned so much more about elephants social needs and space needs that we no longer have elephants here, but it is the perfect size fo a greater one horned rhinoceros.

The other animals in ou collection have all been picked because they do really well in the Florida environment.

So we have lots of different animals that you would find in hot, humid environment like clouded leopards, lemurs, things of that nature.

>>While the Centra Florida Zoo is home to familiar favorites like giraffe and cheetahs, it also houses some truly unique species you won't find just anywhere.

>>One of those animals is going to be the fossa, fossa are the largest predator that you will find in Madagascar.

We also have chacoan peccaries here, which are an animal that Western scientists didn't even know existed in Paraguay until the 1990s.

>>The zoo holds on to its quirks and charms, including a few characters from the past.

>>I'll share a few tidbits from the early years that are just kind of funny.

So when we were over where City Hall is, apparently we had a parrot that cussed at everyone, when they came to the zoo and left the zoo.

>>Big Guy is one of our spider monkeys and he's about 44 years old.

So chances are, if you were here, you know, 20 or 30 years ago as a kid, you saw Big Guy in his habitat and he's doing great.

>>50 years is a long time in a community.

So there's a lot of families that have come here for multiple generations.

The zoo has changed and expanded a lot over the course of those 50 years.

A lot of exhibits that have changed, a lot of things that we've built and added over that time.

1984 we opened our herpetarium but we had about 49 different species venomous and non-venomous reptiles.

In 2005, we opened our Wayne M. Densch Discovery Center, which is where a lot of our education classrooms and events take place.

And also our zoo lab, which is where we keep all of the program animals that come out for education programs.

>>But there's more to the Central Florida Zoo than just the animals.

In 2007, it was officially certified as a botanical garden, offering peaceful escape into the landscapes and native plants.

And whether it's through the gardens or animal care, conservation remains at the heart of the zoo's mission.

>>We hav animals here in our collection that have been recommended to be here, so that we can breed them, so that they can contribute to the population.

One of those animals would be our Amur leopards.

There's about 80 individuals here in North America.

We do have a male and a female, and they are in a breeding situation.

So fingers are crossed that they will breed this year and that they will add to that population.

Also, we support the Oriann Center for Indigo Conservation.

So the indigo snake is Florida's largest snake species.

And we hatch out those animals at that center, and then they get released into areas of Florida and the southeastern United States, where that animal has been pushed out due to human encroachment and habitat loss.

>>In Sanford, history isn't just the past.

It's living, breathing, and swinging from the trees.

From its early monkeys to its rare leopards, the story of the zoo i just not about the animals, but a reflection of the community that surrounds it.

>>Community has a huge impact on the zoo, and I think it's it's reciprocal.

Everyone's had a huge impact over these 50 years.

>>That's going to wrap it up for our ride through the history of Sanford, Florida.

Thanks for joining us, I'm Scott Fais.

I invite you to join us for another edition of Florida Road Trip.

Until then, safe travels everyone.

♪♪ This program is brought to yo in part by the Paul B.

Hunter and Constance D. Hunter Charitable Foundation, a proud partner of WUCF and th Central Florida community.

♪♪