Life-long Clermont resident Chuck Seaver spoke to members of the Clermont Historical Society at the January 10th meeting. In his position as president and long-time member of the Kiwanis Club of Clermont, Chuck was responsible for selecting the photographs and designing the layout of the History of the Clermont pictorial calendar.
One of the pictures that he selected was of an early Clermont train depot, famous for its Russian architecture. Since he was speaking in the 1920’s Orange Belt Depot, there was real interest in the photo. Copies of the calendar are available for purchase for $10.00 at various locations around Clermont including the Historic Village.
The Depot gets a lot of attention from visitors to the Historic Village for several reasons but one of them was not originally a part of the building. It is a large, gray, round door that had been part of a citrus packing plant located across the tracks from the depot. When the plant burned to the ground, the door was found in the ashes and moved by the owner of Hobo’s Barbeque to the depot where the barbecue restaurant was then located. A lot of youngsters think it must be a portal to Narnia or Hogwarts! But sadly, it is nothing so exciting.
The Historic Village is home to several other buildings of significance to the history of Clermont. Located at 490 West Avenue on the shores of Lake Minneola, the Village is open for tours every Saturday and Sunday from 1:00 to 4:00 pm. A donation of $5.00 per person 12 and over is requested. The calendars and souvenirs are available to be purchased.
Are you interested in the history of Clermont or in history in general? Why not consider joining the Historical Society? Annual dues are just $25 for an individual and $35 for a couple. Want to know more about us? You can visit our website clermonthistoricvillage.org or our Facebook page. Or you can come to our monthly meetings held on the second Monday of each month at 6:00 pm in the Depot at the Historic Village. The next meeting is on February 14th.
