Mount Dora History Museum

08/28/2026

Join us this Saturday, August 29, 2026 from 3 to 4 pm at the Simpson Farmhouse for a fun and educational program. City Archivist Erin Creel will be discussing antique sewing tools.

08/23/2026

Mentioned in this post is Anne Pike who eventually became known as Anne Hamlin, who was a teacher at Roseborough Elementary School.

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Every year, the Lake County 4-H Girls Club would have a chicken-raising contest, a tradition that carries forward to today, albeit coed clubs. These young ladies were the three blue ribbon winners for 1945. From right to left are, Norma Booth representing Groveland, Anne Pike representing Mount Dora and Lois McRee representing Eustis. A special thanks goes to Anne Pike, for donating this and other photographs.

If you have similar photos you’d like to share, please let us scan them or you can donate them to the Mount Dora Archives, found at www.mountdoraarchives.com.

The Mount Dora Archives is a joint effort of the Mount Dora Historical Society, the Mount Dora Library Association and the City of Mount Dora. Learn more about Mount Dora’s history at your library and the Mount Dora History Museum.

08/23/2026

Here’s an interesting article about the restoration of Island Pond 1 Cemetery off Highway 44 in Mount Dora. Local resident Katherine de Jongh led the effort to restore the cemetery which dates back to the 1880s.

Volunteers restored a historic African American cemetery in Florida, uncovering 39 graves to honor those once forgotten.

08/20/2026

Please join us on Sunday afternoon for a very interesting program by Stetson Historian Sidney Johnston.

This Sunday! Adults are invited to learn more about the history of Rosenwald Schools in Florida - and in Mount Dora - at our free program this coming Sunday, August 23, 2026 at 2:00pm. No registration required. Sponsored by the Mount Dora Historical Society.

08/19/2026

The Hurricane Hut 1960s-70s - Part 2

In 1961, the Jaycees civic club raised funds to open a newly built Hurricane Hut next to the new high school on Highland Street. Three years later, in 1964, they raised funds to air-condition the building, making it more comfortable. The Mount Dora Chamber of Commerce Youth and Education Committee and a board of high school students manage the Hurricane Hut. Adults and students continue to raise maintenance funds regularly by selling boxed chicken barbecue dinners and holding bake sales.

The ‘hut’ is open daily in the summer from 9 to 4 and after school, providing recreational activities such as ping pong and a pool table. Dances are held on Friday nights featuring refreshments and live music from local bands. Central Florida’s 1960s local music scene exploded with garage pop rock bands inspired by the British Invasion. These groups played in packed teen centers, armories, and regional clubs. Friday night dances at the Hurricane Hut featured many of these bands, such as Ron and the Starfires, The Tropics, and We the People. One Friday night dance in 1965 billed as the “Battle of the Bands” was attended by 500 teenagers.

Mount Dora had its own local, popular garage band called The Wrong Numbers, which played at the ‘Hut’ many times. The band's members included high school students Clark Staton, Larry Husebo, Bus Haneman, John Gore, and Gregg Shively. According to band member Clark Staton, the group, all of whom lived in Sylvan Shores, formed a neighborhood band that performed many times at the Hurricane Hut.

Clark’s father, also known as Clark, managed the band and secured a record deal with Paris Tower Records in Tampa and Criteria Records in Miami. They played across Florida, opening for big bands such as Tommy James and the Shondells, Royal Guardsman, and the McCoys.

After the band broke up, Clark continued to play and ended up in Los Angeles, where he worked for 30 years as a studio and touring musician and had bit parts in the movies RoboCop 3 and Free Jack. He also played drums on the studio recording of the band Climax's single Precious and Few.

In the 1970s another local high school band called Stone Cold Fever was all the rage. The band members were Albert Bashor, Edmund Chester, Art Hill, Bobby Bronson, Randy Miller and Steve Kelly.

Even though the Hurricane Hut was demolished along with the high school, teens from the 1940s-70s will continue to have fond memories of the ‘Hut’ and an appreciation for the adults in that time period that provided such a fun venue for them.

Here’s a YouTube link to a song recorded by The Wrong Numbers:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=sTNGboPQCBI
Note: All photos and memorabilia of The Wrong Numbers was provided by Clark Staton.

Leave a comment below of your memories of the Hurricane Hut?

08/17/2026

The Hurricane Hut 1940-50s - Part 1

During the World War II years, youth centers started popping up across the United States to provide a place for youth to gather. Parents in Mount Dora decided that the local kids needed a place of their own, so plans were made for a youth center. Mayor Fortner found a suitable site at the corner of Donnelly Street and 6th Avenue. Over 1,000 bags of fertilizer had to be removed, and the place thoroughly cleaned before work could begin. Committees were formed, money and donations of items were solicited and collected, and the work began in haste to open the doors by January, 1945.

The deadline was met, and the doors opened on January 1. It was named the Hurricane Hut, affectionately known as the ‘Hut.’ It was a place for youth to have supervised entertainment in the form of games, dances, and social interactions.

In its early days, a Board was formed with a constitution and by-laws, and memberships were sold to raise funds. All activities were free to the youth. Dances were a popular activity after Friday night football games. The Hurricane Hut would go on to play an important role in the lives of Mount Dora’s youth from 1945 to the 1970s. Stay tuned for Part 2 - The New Hurricane Hut & the Local Bands in the 1960-70s.

If anyone can tell us more about this first Hurricane Hut building on the corner of Donnelly and 6th Avenue, please leave a comment. Note: There are no photos of the first Hurricane Hut building. The first two photos below are generic, while the third photo is from a 1950s Stray Leaves yearbook.

08/10/2026

A huge THANK YOU to Dorothy Pease Tellin for donating these two State theatre (Eustis) and Princess Theatre ‘movies of the week’ posters for the history museum. This was during the time period in the early 1960s when Dr. Tyre owned both of the theatres. She also donated a framed movie poster to be included in our upcoming fundraiser auction in October, so if you would like one of these hanging on your living room wall…you’re going to have to join us on October 14th at the Lakeside Inn from 5:30 to 7:30. You can buy your ticket here: https://www.mountdorahistoricalsociety.com/mdhs-events

Many people still around have wonderful memories of watching movies at the Princess Theatre. Please share yours!

08/07/2026

Jennie Logas, who lived in Mount Dora for 70 plus years, and was well known for her restaurant and catering business, has passed at the age of 101. What follows is a portion of her obituary.

“Jennie Philip Logas, age 101, a longtime resident of Mount Dora, FL, passed away peacefully on August 4, 2026, at Solaris Healthcare Apopka.

There are not enough words to describe the beauty, grace, faith and love that were Jennie Philip Logas. Jennie and her twin brother, Christ, were born November 21, 1924, in Wausau, WI, to Philip and Stella (Kapralos) Logas. After high school, Jennie moved to Washington, DC, with her sister, Mary, to support her country during WWII. She then returned to Wausau to help with the family business, The Marathon Bar and Grill. In 1949 she followed her parents to Mount Dora, FL, when they bought the Club Rudo. Her love of beauty and flowers led her to Bosanquet Florist in Leesburg, FL, where she worked until starting her own catering business, Catering By Jennie. After working out of the family home she eventually bought The Garden Gate in downtown Mount Dora, serving many wonderful meals and catering all over Central Florida. After selling The Garden Gate she returned to the Club Rudo, continuing her love of providing beautiful food and parties. It’s not uncommon when you mention her name to have someone remember one of her weddings or parties or her eggnog. No detail was too small for one of her parties and she was proud of each and every one. The only thing more beautiful was her love of God and her church. She truly lived a Christian life. Jennie was a very proud member of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Maitland, FL, the Greek Orthodox Ladies Philoptochos Society, the Lake and Hills Garden Club, Howey-in-the Hills Bridge Club, and the Golden Triangle Republican Women’s Club (apologies to any we forgot).” Her entire obituary can be found at the link below, as well as an interview we did with Jennie and three other nonagenarians in 2022. Our deepest condolences to Miss Logas’ family.

https://youtu.be/0ZaNnKaamaI?feature=shared

https://obituaries.allenjharden.com/obituaries/jennie-logas?_gl=1*1s0rcge*_gcl_au*MTAxMzE5NzM0Ny4xNzgzNzEyOTg1

View Jennie Philip Logas's obituary, send flowers, find service dates, and sign the guestbook.

08/05/2026

Here’s the interview our president Barnett Schwartzman did with Commissioner Kirby Smith about our history museum.