Fall is upon us and in days gone by, all over America and the world, it was harvest time. Farmers, like the one pictured above, and their families had been working for months to plant and cultivate their crops and now it was time to harvest the fruits of their labors and go to market. Did you know that the first “big” cash crop in this area was not citrus? It was actually tomatoes! And one local resident, Mr. Gano, was famous for the ingenious packing crate he designed just for that valuable crop.
Why not come by Clermont’s Historic Village, 490 West Avenue, any Friday from 1:00 to 3:00 pm or Saturday or Sunday from 1:00 to 4:00 pm and learn even more interesting facts about the lives of the early settlers to Clermont and all of South Lake County? The Village is home to 2 house (one in the background above) from the late 1800’s, the original Cooper Memorial Library, a train depot and a World War II Quonset hut. There are also 2 replicas—one of the town’s first one-room schoolhouse and the other of an outhouse. You can tour all the buildings except, of course, the outhouse since it is “occupied.”
Admission to the Village is always free but a donation of $3.00 per person is requested. You can walk through the buildings at your own pace listening to recorded information or one of the volunteers from the Clermont Historical Society can give an individual guided tour.
If you are interested in history in general or the history of Lake County in particular, consider joining the Clermont Historical Society.
Annual dues is only $25.00 for an individual and $35.00 for a couple or you can attend one of our membership meetings which are held on the second Monday of every month at 7:00 pm in the Train Depot in the Historic Village.
The next meeting is October 14th. Doris Bloodsworth and Lisa Graham will be the featured speakers and will be presenting the newly updated version of Gem of the Hills.
