The EDGE House of Groveland
The EDGE House of Groveland, Eighth in a Series
The historic EDGE residence of 1902
Taylorville, now located on the western edge of the town of Groveland,
looks today as if it is on the edge of extinction. The impressive residence, much
like many other central Florida historic homes, was moved in years past to pave
the way for progress. But in my view, removing notable structures from their
rightful domain diminishes the history which surrounds the venerable structures,
so that in the end, any inherent value in the building itself is forever lost.
Such is certainly the case for the Edge House.
Elliott Erastus & Cornelia Evelyn (Patterson) Edge,
both natives of North Carolina, relocated to Florida from Georgia’s Liberty
County, where Elliott was a “Manufacturer of Naval Stores”, an important
clue to understanding why the family settled in downtown Taylorville of 1902. One
year prior, brothers Charlie and Lewis Taylor sold 4,400 Lake County acres to
the Tampa Naval Stores Company. Most of that acreage was located near the city
of Taylorville, founded by Lewis L. Taylor in 1899.
Taylorville had by no means been intended as a tiny
settlement, although proof of Taylor’s plans for a town, shown below, did not
surface until 1911. Taylorville founder Lewis L. Taylor (1868-1930) served as
his town’s first Postmaster, accepting the position May 26, 1899.
For the Taylor brothers it was all about location. Together they owned and/or leased thousands of wilderness acres in Lake County. Taylor brothers had become one of Florida’s largest dealers of lumber and turpentine, thanks in large part to Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, operating on track first laid down in the 1880s by Orange Belt Railway.
The city Lewis founded began growing. Gainesville
Sun of August 12, 1905 wrote: “Taylorville, Lake County, has grown so
rapidly in the past year that they are to have a graded school, with Mrs.
Hunter as teacher.” Four years later, on the 27th of August 1909, Weekly
Floridian of Tallahassee reported: “Mr. J. G. Hatcher, of Taylorville, Lake
County, is in Tallahassee before the Railroad Commission asking for a better
depot.”
And there was good reason for local citizens to desire
a better depot. The transformation from a supplier of lumber to a desirable
Citrus-Belt town offering pristine lots where Northerners could build a winter
cottage required a more respectable depot.
Merchant Elliott E. Edge became very much a part of
the town building from the start. He built his Taylorville residence in the
heart of town, between Broad and Railroad Streets. Elliott Edge then expanded
his business to include a lumber mill, the first of which made headlines in Ocala
Evening Star on April 29, 1911: “Mr. R. L. Dowling, of the firm of Edge
& Dowling, owners of the big mill at Taylorville, which was destroyed by
fire a few days ago, stated that he expects to have the mill rebuilt and in
operation in about 90 days.”
The Lake County city once again made headlines in Ocala
Banner of November 3, 1911: “A Boom in Taylorville – At Taylorville there
was every evidence of a boom on. One of the biggest lumber mills in Florida is
located there, and is brand new in building and equipment, the old plant
burning down recently.”
Taylorville founder Lewis L. Taylor relocated to
Orange County. On June 9, 1912, Taylorville Postmaster Elliott E. Edge became
the first Groveland Postmaster, a more appealing name for developers desiring
to better compete with other Florida communities attempting to attract new land
buyers to Florida’s re-emerging Citrus-Belt.
Elliott Erastus Edge remained committed to Groveland even
while expanding his business ties to a neighboring county. Edge & Howard
Company, a partnership with Orange County’s William H. Howard, invested in acreage
on the South Florida Railroad line at Pine Castle. At that same time, his
Edge Building at Groveland was completed and became the new home for his
General Merchandise store back home.
The historic Edge Building still occupies the
northwest corner of Main and Brock, streets first laid out as part of a
Taylorville downtown district of 1900. But the house Elliott built in 1902 for
his beloved wife Cornelia and family was eventually relocated to make way for a
new fast-food restaurant.
After surviving 118 years, the future of the historic Edge
House at Groveland remains uncertain.
Lake County Historic Homes returns March 1st
with yet another historic residence. Meanwhile, check out my ‘Lake County
Sunday Afternoon Drive’ series, posted on the 10th and 20th
of each month on my Facebook Page: CitruslandFL of Lake County.
And if you are into Lake County history, I invite you
to consider my book: ‘Tavares: Darling of Orange County, Birthplace of Lake
County’, available now at Amazon.
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