Yancey - Westervelt Home at Umatilla

 

The Yancey-Westervelt Home at Umatilla (1922)

 

 

Family, faith, civic-pride, Bulldog victories, bumper crops, and relentless pursuits by its owners to form a more prosperous Umatilla is merely part of the amazing history of this residence. For nearly half of the home’s 99 years of existence, two prominent Umatilla families have called this lakeside dwelling home. And while one might expect a citrus grower or two lived here in the past, which in fact a few did, the diverse talent of those who have called this house their home goes well beyond the growing of Umatilla’s original commodity.

A much-loved Umatilla High School principal, teacher, and coach, for example, grew to adulthood in this house, and most certainly acquired his respect and love of community from his parents. The future educator’s father was a well-respected contractor, noted for changing Umatilla’s skyline, while the mother - she tirelessly devoted herself to church, civic and community functions.

 

“Westervelt’s Influence Aids City Progress: Mr. Westervelt constructed one of the first modern store and apartments in the town of Umatilla.” The Eustis Lake Region, April 9, 1953

 

The house was built in 1922 according to county records, with William & Catherine Yancey being the first to enjoy panoramic vistas from the Yancey-Westervelt porch overlooking Lake Umatilla. Although off the town’s main drag, the family no doubt felt the ground beneath them shake as the powerful locomotives of St. Johns & Lake Eustis Railroad passed through the heart of downtown, sharing a Central Avenue corridor with an ever-growing number of Model T’s. Close enough to walk to town yet offering a bit of privacy as well. 

Attention to detail is an extra-special feature of this Lake Umatilla home.

 

At the beginning…

A much younger William Yancey had first lived on the opposite side of the track – along the shore of Lake Enola, in a neighborhood established by his father and known now as “Yancey’s Add to Umatilla”. That of course was long before this house on Lake Umatilla was built.

William Yancey came to Umatilla from Brazil, his birthplace, arriving in what was then Orange County around the same time as the train from Astor started making daily trips to and from Lake Eustis. The Yancey’s, staunch supporters of the Confederacy before and during the War Between the States, had joined others in relocating to Brazil after War’s end. Fourteen years later, William & Catherine Yancey, along with four Brazilian born children, returned to the States and settled in a then new town of Umatilla. William became a successful citrus farmer and active civic leader.

Although neither Yancey nor Westervelt are considered founding fathers of the town, no history of Umatilla would be complete without inclusion of accomplishments of both families. Umatilla roots of the Yancey family date to circa 1881, when William’s parents moved south from Georgia to meet up with their son’s return from South America. Westervelt first became involved with the developing town of Umatilla in 1927.

The land upon which the house itself is built, however, dates to the day this tiny settlement was first organized as a West Orange County town. In May 1887, the town then became part of a new Lake County.

 

Nathan Trowell’s Umatilla:

Several families had settled along the General Eustis Trail, in the vicinity of an unnamed Umatilla, by 1861. Not until the arrival of Nathan Trowell and William Whitcomb in the 1870s, however, did Umatilla start to take on the shape of a town. Whitcomb’s father, a retired surveyor from the Wisconsin Territory, likely suggested the town’s name from his surveying days out west. Enola, Tutuola, and Umatilla, each a named Umatilla lake, originates from Clackamas, Oregon, the home of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. (See also Chapter 25: Northern Gateway. EUSTIS, in my book, Tavares: Darling of Orange County, Birthplace of Lake County).

With plans for the St. Johns and Lake Eustis Railroad moving along, Nathan Trowell established Umatilla Post Office in 1878. Track had been laid, according to an 1879 Orange County map, to Altoona, with grading completed into the town of Umatilla. And despite railroad progress slowing, Trowell continued developing his town, deeding a portion of his land to Whitcomb in 1881, a deed which mentioned “Lake Umatilla” by name. Nathan Trowell then recorded a “Plat of Umatilla” at Orange County in 1885, showing Trowell Avenue and Rose Street in addition to the named Lake Umatilla.

 

At left above is Trowell’s 1885 plat; at right is DeVault’s 1913 amended plat

 

The Yancey’s were well established at Umatilla when George DeVault acquired undeveloped lots of the original Trowell subdivision. DeVault bought the land in 1913, and he reconfigured the plat, creating smaller lots, including a new Lot 7 on part of Trowells original lot 15. Them, in 1922, William L. Yancey, by then an established citrus grower, christened the new home built on Lot 7 as his family’s new abode.

 

The Westervelt’s move in

“Mr. Westervelt owns his home and believes so firmly in the future of Umatilla. In his spare time, Mr. Westervelt like to go camping with his son, John, and his friends.”

Eustis Lake Region, December 16, 1948

 

William & Jane Westervelt moved into the house on DeVault’s Lot 7, along with a newborn son, in May of 1935. They had been living on Central Avenue, beside the tracks, since relocating from Kissimmee in 1927. Employed by Umatilla Fruit Company, William, in 1931 while still employed with the fruit company and our Nation in a Great Depression, invested in his own 70 acres of grove land.

Upon his death in 1959, the obituary of William J. Westervelt spoke to his many accomplishments: “Mr. Westervelt was a native of New Jersey and had been a resident of Umatilla for the past 31 years. He was a citrus grower. Mr. Westervelt was a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Umatilla, serving as an Elder in the church. He was a Mason, belonging to the Umatilla Lodge No. 65, a member of the Board of Directors of the Umatilla State Bank, a past member of the Umatilla Town Council, having served on the council for 16 years. He was a Director of the Umatilla Citrus Exchange and a veteran of World War I.” The Westervelt biography in the form of an obituary left out but one important fact. At each day’s end, he relaxed alongside his wife Jane, and son John, to enjoy the awesome views of yet another magnificent Lake Umatilla sunset.

Scenes of Lake Umatilla from the Yancey-Westervelt Residence

Jane (Parsons) Westervelt survived William, and she continued living in the Lake Umatilla home. In addition to sending her son, John Parsons Westervelt, to Stetson University, Jane continued her extensive civic and church involvement, and continued hosting “teas” at the Yancey-Westervelt home. One such event hosted by Jane in February of 1964 was described in the Eustis Lake Region newspaper as, “a tea given at the Westervelt residence was attended by 100 friends”.

Jane donated the family residence to Stetson University in 1860 but reserved the right to reside in the home until her death, which occurred in 1976. The university then sold the house that year to a former graduate of Umatilla High School employed as a Eustis Police Officer. The tradition of service to community by the home’s occupants, so it appears, continued.

 

A visitor comes knocking…

The remarkable history of Umatilla’s Yancey-Westervelt home is not yet fully told. The current owner, several years back, gave a tour of their home to an elderly gentleman who had said he grew up in the house. John Parsons Westervelt had moved into the house at age one and resided in the home through to graduating with a Master’s in Education Degree from Stetson University. John Westervelt died in 2020 at the age of 86, and again, his obituary best describes the person and the feelings citizens of Umatilla hold for this hometown hero: “Umatilla High School will name its football field in honor of John Westervelt, a former principal, teacher and coach who died in November. The Lake County School Board unanimously approved the recommendation regarding John Westervelt Field on Monday night. Westervelt, who was 86, graduated from Umatilla High.” The Daily Commercial, January 27, 2021.

I started off this blog installment by stating: “Family, faith, civic-pride, Bulldog victories, bumper citrus crops, and a relentless pursuit by its owners to form a more prosperous Umatilla is merely part of an amazing history of this residence”. This century-old home stands as a reminder of what has been, and what ordinary men and women accomplished in the wilds of early central Florida.

The Yancey-Westervelt residence of Umatilla, in my mind, is arguably unique as well as every day. The house is unique in that the history of this century-old residence has been preserved. We can recite true stories of super-hero like accomplishments of those who lived in this lakeside home over the last hundred years. The home is every day as well because each of the occupants would, I believe, claim they are not super-hero’s, but simply ordinary folks – doing ordinary daily routines - much like you and me!

I INVITE YOU TO CHECK OUT MY LAKE COUNTY BOOK

A portion of the history included above - that portion prior to the 20th century - was borrowed from my book, Tavares: Darling of Orange County, Birthplace of Lake County. 

 5 Stars: "A well-written book, heavily based on government records of land transactions. Very interesting and informative. Highly recommended for the locals and those with a family history in Lake County."

5 Stars: "Excellent book! Thank you so much for sharing your passion for local history and your exhaustive research on Lake County."

 5 Stars: "Great book. Lots of research went into it. Highly recommended."

TAVARES: Darling of Orange County, Birthplace of Lake County

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