Nice enough area just off of Chickasaw Road (as the name would imply)…read more It is close to everything you would need. Restaurants, food stores, shopping, gas stations, a library and even access to highways 408 and 427 are close by. The neighborhood is quiet and is well-kept. If you live here or are just visiting, it is a nice enough neighborhood on the east side of Orlando.

This neighborhood is named for its close proximity to Lake Underhill and despite ot being so close…read moreto both a major road (Lake Underhill Road) and highway (408), the neighborhood is relatively quiet. It is close to the downtown Orlando area and is an all around pleasant enough neighborhood.

I am very familiar with the blue markers of the state wide Florida Historical Marker Program…read more Occasionally I will come across a county or city historic marker. I discovered this Orange County marker about the Barber/Mizell Feud while walking through Barber Park. Historical markers are a great way to learn about the formative people, buildings, and events in Florida's history. I was somewhat familiar with the Barber/Mizell feud from having visited Harry P. Leu Gardens. The Mizell family were the first people to own the land of what is now the popular tourist attraction botanical gardens. David Mizell Jr. arrived in 1858 with his wife Angeline from Alachua County during the years of Reconstruction after the Civil War. It was a time when there were only a few pioneers in the area. They purchased 8 acres where they built a cabin, raised cattle, and farmed. Mizell called his property Lake View and a small community of the same name grew up around it. When Lake View got a post office, the name was changed to Osceola after a Seminole warrior who had died 30 years earlier. In the late 1860's Mizell was elected to the Orange County Commission and the State Legislation. His son John was a judge in the Orange County Court while oldest son David was appointed sheriff of Orange County. David was killed in the line of duty in 1870 while trying to settle a dispute over taxes and cows. David Mizell's death was part of a feud with the Barber cattle ranching family. Moses Barber moved to Florida from Georgia in 1833. They went on to develop one of the largest cattle empires in the state but during the Civil War their cattle was seized and they lost their wealth. The Barbers relocated to Central Florida to rebuild but it put them into competition for grazing land with the Mizell's who had the benefit of having a sheriff in the family. Both families accused each other of cattle rustling. Moses Barber refused to pay taxes enacted by the government which forced David Mizell to seize cattle in lieu of payment. During this attempt he was killed. His son John and a newly elected sheriff went after the Barber family. They located and killed the ranch hand they believed shot David Mizell. The Barbers left for northern family where Moses Barber was captured but never tried. Eventually anywhere from 8 to 13 people would be killed before the feud was finally ended in the 1940's when members from the two families were married. David is buried in the small Mizell Family Cemetery in Harry P. Leu Gardens. Barber Park was created on the cattle grazing land once owned by the Barber family.

This historical sign is located in Barber Park and marks the Barber/Mizell Fued that occurred here…read moreback in the 1800's. At least eight people were killed in this three month fued. It was in essence a battle between two cattle barons. It is amazing to imagine the Florida that was back in the 1800's versus what it is today. That's why these markers are so important. They give us a glimpse of the past.

Opal Gardens is a small neighborhood not far off of Ivey Lane…read more I was not here for long, but it seemed nice enough.

The Alligator Wrestler statue in Heritage Square Park is a beloved spot for visitors to take a…read morephoto. It's whimsical subject matter and depiction of history makes it is one of my favorite public artworks in downtown Orlando. You can find it at the entrance to the Orange County Regional History Center. In 1857, Orlando's city limits were platted in Heritage Square Park. Alligator Wrestler pays homage to Orlando's lawless, cow town past rooted in cattle ranching, agriculture, and citrus. Originally known for cattle, Orlando evolved from a small trading post in the 1830's into a bustling cattle and citrus center by the 1890's. In the early 2000's, Alligator Wrestler was sculpted by artist Scott Shaffer, a Colorado-based sculptor known for detailed, realistic wildlife and nature-themed bronze work. This sculpture was inspired by a famous 1884 photograph depicting legendary local figure Bunk Baxter wrestling an alligator. According to legend, Bunk would come to Orlando on Saturdays in the mid 1880's and wrestle an alligator in the middle of a dirt road, which would become Orange Avenue. A picture of Bunk and his alligator companion became an iconic image of Orlando's colorful, wild past. Now Bunk and the alligator are a part of many people's treasured memories of visiting modern day Orlando.

I have driven by this statue literally fir decades and this is the first time that I saw it up…read moreclose and personal. This statue reminds us all that there was a Florida before the theme parks and it was a wild and often dangerous place. It is not a huge statue by any means, pretty much life-sized, but it does make a statement and show us what Florida was like before we built it up. Our history is important to us and we must remember it.

Clear Lake neighborhood is located just off of West Gore streets and is an older neighborhood, but…read moreit does seem relatively well kept. It is in close proximity to the Citrus Bowl and is also not far from the downtown Orlando area.

This particular mural is located on the side of a shopping plaza (the one with the Winn-Dixie in…read moreit) snd shows a bit of pride on this particular neighborhood. The mural was done by Valeria Malaria (at least according to the signature on the lower right side) and is pleasant enough and again, shows a bit of pride to this neighborhood. If you are in the area, check out this mural.

The Linton E. Allen Memorial Fountain, also known as the Centennial Fountain with its nightly…read morewater and light shows in the middle of Lake Eola is probably the better known Lake Eola fountain but that doesn't mean the lovely, more classic Sperry Fountain should be overlooked. It has been a part of Orlando for more than a century and is a reminder of an influential Orlando pioneer. E.F. Sperry (b. 1843) was from Connecticut but moved to this area in 1885 after visiting for a vacation. Less than a year after the move he co-founded the South Florida Foundry and Machine Works which became one Orlando's earliest businesses by providing metal works for iron stairs, balconies, trains, and fencing.The business made him very prosperous and he owned a house and property on the southwest shore of Lake Eola. After selling his business he became civically active by serving on the park commission, as President of the Orlando Citrus Exchange and he was a founding member of the 1912 First Unitarian Church of Orlando. My favorite thing about him was he was the first president of the Men's Equal Suffrage League which helped women the right to vote. He was a man ahead of his time. Mr. Sperry was first elected to the office of mayor in 1914. At this time he donated his Lake Eola property to the city. Along with property donated by Jake Summerlin and J. P. Mussellwhite, it allowed for the completion of Lake Eola Park which is so beloved today. In 1913 Sperry also donated the $2,000 for the fountain that bears his name. Sperry never finished his term as mayor, He passed away two years after his election in 1916. He work was continued by Mayor James L. Giles and three years after Sperry's death the City Council voted to amend the city charter allowing women to vote in Orlando. The Sperry fountain that sits here today is an exact replica of the fountain he donated in 1913.The fountain was prone to mechanical failure and in 2011 the iron fountain was replaced with a bronze one. The actual fountain Sperry donated can be found in Greenwood cemetery today. I love the swans on the fountain that mirror the ones you see swimming on Lake Eola. The real Lake Eola swans were not introduced to the lake until 1922 when they were put there by an Englishman raising them to separate two breeds who were having a territorial dispute. After a walk around the lake it is nice to sit and relax on one of the benches surrounding the fountain. March 2024 will mark the 110th anniversary of the Sperry Fountain.

The Sperry Fountain is located on the edge of Lake Eola Park and is named for E.F. Sperry, who was…read moreelected mayor of Orlando, Florida in 1913 and served until he passed away in 1916. Sperry was also a businessman who founded the South Foundry and Machine Works. This fountain is an exact replica of the fountain that Sperry himself donated to the City of Orlando (as well as land for a public park) back in 1913. The fountain itself is a nice place to chill and I have a few stone benches around if you would like to sit and take the view in. All in all, this is a nice addition to both Lake Eola Park and the city of Orlando, Florida. Lake Eola Park is definitely my favorite park in Orlando. It is because of things like this that make it my favorite park. All in all, I will give Sperry Fountain five stars