Historical Homes of Lake County

  Forsyth Villa of East Crooked Lake   “Atop the terraced green today The villa stands alone….”   Herbert Greenlee of Eustis, Florida, September 1945   T hat a residence is known too by a name all its own is not that uncommon. Homeowners have named their homeplaces throughout history. Presidents Washington and Jefferson, for example, selected Mount Vernon and Monticello as monikers for their homeplaces. A 19 th century Orange County city was named Pine Castle for the name of the Lake Conway residence of author and correspondent Will Wallace Harney. Then too there was Errol Ranch of Plymouth, named for the Scottish birthplace of John & Sarah (Carson) Pirie. Lake County too has its share of named homeplaces, but it is rare to encounter a residence such as Forsyth Villa , a historic residence having both a name and its very own poetic verse. “The villa, though, is not the same, There is a certain lack, And will be – until you proclaim, Th...

  The Cornelius House of Mount Plymouth George Martin Cornelius (1866 – 1946)   The “ Gingerbread House ”, as it is often called, is today an icon of Mount Plymouth . Designed and built by Chicago artist turned Orlando architect-builder Samuel Stoltz , the home was built in 1927 for George & Alice (Hooper) Cornelius . More formally known as The Cornelius , this architectural wonder served for a decade as the winter cottage for the Cornelius family of Indianapolis, Indiana, but also proudly stands today as testament to the enduring spirit of America’s incredible pioneers - especially the brave souls determined to tame the wilderness of central Florida.   Business Card of George M. Cornelius, Indianapolis, Indiana   A Rich Wayland The Cornelius home was built on land that four decades earlier had been part of the homestead of Robert B. Rich . A deed of 120 acres, a portion of which bordered Lake Plymouth of today, included land which became Fairw...

  The Norton Residence at Eustis   Gould Hyde Norton (1840 – 1903) 9 th in this series of Historic Lake County Homes   Little assistance is required today to imagine 19 th century visitors arriving to Colonel Norton’s impressive 1881 residence. For starters, a large courtyard surrounding the home today allows the passerby to appreciate the architectural splendor without being distracted by an intrusion of more modern-day structures. Still on the outskirts of downtown Eustis, the expansive Norton grounds today invites the mind to drift back to a time long before automobiles, back to a day when guests came calling aboard their handsome horse drawn carriage - surreys with a fringe on top . Gone are row after row of Norton’s countless sweet-smelling citrus trees, and no longer can one gaze down upon an enchanting Crooked Lake from the Colonel’s lofty compound. But still, the Norton mansion is otherwise identical to that of seven decades ago, when the home of Gou...