submitted by Donna DiGennaro, Clermont Historical Society
Were you born and raised in Clermont? Did you move here when you were young enough to still go to school? If you fit either of these two categories and are of a certain age, then you either went to Clermont High School or Lincoln Park School. The Clermont Historical Society is proud to announce that a visit to Clermont’s Historic Village now includes the opportunity to view the original Clermont High School sign that was saved thanks to the efforts of the Alewine family and a replica of the Lincoln Park School sign that was made possible through the combined efforts of some alumni of the Lincoln Park School and several members of the Historical Society.
If you have not lived in Clermont for a long time and are wondering why there were two different schools, then you need to remember the time when segregation was in force in Florida and African American students could not go to school with white students. The Lincoln Park School served those students. Mr. William McKinney was the principal and next school year, the students who currently attend Clermont Elementary (the former home of the Lincoln Park School) will move to Aurelia McKinney Cole Academy which is named in honor of Mr. McKinney’s daughter, a long-time educator in Clermont, and which is located on the grounds where Clermont High School once stood. There is a lot of history intertwined in these schools and the Clermont Historical Society is proud to be able to play a part in paying homage to that history.
The Clermont Historic Village is located at 490 West Avenue on the shores of beautiful Lake Minneola and close to downtown shopping, restaurants and breweries. The Historical Society invites everyone to come by any weekend between 1:00 & 4:00 to not only look at the wonderful new signs and all the beautiful buildings but to tour the buildings. Docents are on hand to guide you through the buildings, or you can view them at your own pace, taking advantage of recorded information in the buildings. A donation of $5.00 per person over 12 is requested.
Mark your calendars right now for Saturday, November 5th when the Historical Society will be hosting its annual Heritage Day festival from 10:00 AM until 4:00 PM.
If you are interested in the history of Lake County and Clermont or history in general, why not consider joining the Historical Society? Annual membership is just $25 for an individual and $35 for a couple. Monthly meetings are held on the second Monday of each month at 6:00 PM in the Train Depot at the Village and are open to the public.
