Orange Park

Orange Park began as the site of Laurel Grove, a British plantation producing cotton and citrus that William and Rebecca Pengree established during Florida’s British Period from 1763 to 1783. After the American Revolution, when Florida was returned to Spain, the Pengrees left, then came back in 1786 with their slaves and a Spanish land grant to produce pine pitch and turpentine for the Spanish. Following William’s death in 1793, Rebecca operated the plantation until selling it in 1803 to Zephaniah Kingsley, who expanded it, and the plantation prospered until it was burned in 1813. In 1877, the Florida Winter Home and Improvement Company founded the Town of Orange Park on most of the original Pengree land claim, and developer Washington Gano Benedict drew northern buyers by planting acres of oranges in home and agricultural plots. A 5-acre plot sold for $600 and included cleared, fenced land planted with 250 orange trees. River boats carried tourists to the Hotel Marion, including Ulysses S. Grant and Philip H. Sheridan, as well as Buffalo Bill Cody and Chief Sitting Bull in 1880, while small farms, sawmills, naval stores, and tourism formed the town’s economy.

Orange Park, Florida · United States