RUNNYMEDE of Osceola County, Florida

Lifted from pages of a 19^th century pamphlet: “Let it be understood at the outset that this is no visionary or ‘wild cat’ speculation. The town is already started, backed by capitalists who intend to make it a success.” While these words could describe intentions of a hundred or more Central Florida towns of the 1880s, these were taken from pages of a brochure preserved by the Library of Congress, a brochure prepared for the marketing a new CitrusLAND city named RUNNYMEDE.

The Runnymede Hotel

Printed to attract potential buyers, the Runnymede prospectus described a town that was to encompass 3,000 acres and sit along the south shore of East Lake Tohopekaliga. Runnymede was 12 miles south of then KISSIMMEE CITY, a town which only four years earlier, said the pamphlet of Kissimmee, “there was not a sign of a town; now it has over 1,600 inhabitants, 600 buildings, including several hotels.”

Runnymede, so the prospectus explained, was named for the historic birthplace of the MAGNA CHARTA on the banks of Thames River, where King John signed, on June 5, 1215, the historic document, “viewed by the ages as the basis of all English liberties.”

Runnymede, Florida brochure
Source: Library of Congress

Philadelphian businessman Hamilton Disston had reenergized interest in Orange County during 1881 with his first installment to the State of Florida on 4,000,000 Florida acres. Disston’s purchase paid off the State’s debt, which had hampered further development in the 27^th State. News of a debt free Florida spread quickly, not only throughout the Nation, but overseas as well.  English investors flocked to Central Florida, buying up huge chunks of wilderness land.

South Florida Railroad Company then extended rail service from Orlando further south, reaching Kissimmee City in 1882. Rail service was the first major step in opening up Hamilton Disston’s vast new development. President Chester A. Arthur visited Central Florida the following year, a rail journey that arrived at Kissimmee in April of 1883.

An early reference to Runnymede of Central Florida appears in a letter postmarked at NARCOOSEE, Florida. Dated November 2, 1885, a native of England, newlywed Helen (Heig) Warner wrote home to her mother, saying: “We are thinking of going to Runnymede in a month or so. Mr. Watson has offered Bill (William R. Warner) a very good job.” Helen described the distance between Narcoosee and Runnymede as being two (2) miles.

Part of Orange County at the time of the town’s formation, the Runnymede brochure included a note stating that a bill had already been introduced at Tallahassee to form a separate county, “the County of Osceola, named for the celebrated Seminole Chief.” Osceola County, Florida was officially established May 12, 1887.

Plans for Town of Runnymede were beginning to come together for English investors, the very “capitalists intending to make the new city a success,” and to improve chances even further, these foreigners recruited a District of Columbia government employee to oversee the Florida venture.

Harry F. Smith, a 21 year veteran of the U. S. Land Office at Washington, D C, came on board to manage Runnymede affairs from his office at our Nation’s Capital. If the name Harry F. Smith sounds familiar, it’s because the man was also associated with another Ghost Town Post of mine, SENECA of Lake County.

Commenting on his own background in the Runnymede sales brochure, Harry Smith reported that during his tenure in Washington, “nearly every foot of land disposed of in the Southern states has been under my supervision.” So when the 1887 Runnymede brochure was sent to the printer, Harry F. Smith was already on board, and a vision for a new town on East Lake Tohopekaliga’s south lake shore was taking shape.

Fashioned after Smith’s hometown of Washington, D. C., a Runnymede street plan was established having roads, “running east and west named after the letters of the alphabet, while avenues running north and south, except the one along the Lake shore, named after the States.” Pennsylvania Avenue, much like that of Pennsylvania Avenue in our Nation’s Capital, was to be 100 feet wide and serve as “the main or principal” avenue.

What brought down a Central Florida town named for the birthplace of the Magna Charta? Helen Warner’s letters provide the answer. “There is a scare of yellow fever just now, we are in quarantine.” Helen wrote these words to her mother 18 June, 1887, and while the fever itself had not reached Orlando or Kissimmee, mere mention of the fever made the entire State guilty by association. The fever scared off land buyers. Headlines around the globe declared: “Yellow Fever in Florida,” and stories of the fever in Florida were not short lived. A Montana newspaper article of November 15, 1887 reported: “Surgeon General Hamilton has received a letter from Tampa, Florida, saying that there were three new cases of yellow fever yesterday.”

Money and political clout would have been helpful in selling town lots, but neither were capable of calming fears of potential buyers. A dream of a Runnymede faded, and over time, a city of St. Cloud emerged nearby, naming its avenues running north and south, except the one along the Lake shore, after States.

Click here to view CITRUSLAND: GHOST TOWNS & PHANTOM TRAINS book, a Five )5) Star rated historical novel based on yet another tragic 19^th central Florida event – the Great Freeze of 1894-95.

Runnymede References are available by request, email Rick@CroninBooks.com