What made me want to investigate the park more was that it was the site of the Townsend Plantation. At the time when the tract of land was purchased for Apopka by the government the plantation was put into place and of course most places of this size had a large property. Part of that property I do believe was part of the Eldridge residence "Townsend Plantation".

Then we have an old house called the Ustler House built in the 1880s by Chester Merrill and later acquired by the family of Florence Ustler. This was one of the older houses built in the Apopka area. Then another house built by the mayor called the Waite Davis House built in 1886 and one of the first Ornate homes built here. The mayor Edward B. Waite developed the address system in Apopka.

Speaking of mayors R.M. Mitchell had a house built in 1887 and was later the home to his son Mayor J.D. Mitchell. This house later became a boarding house called The Griff Inn ran by Josephine Nolle.

Finally we have other historical homes like the Corton House which was built elsewhere and was moved near the park when the Starbird Lumber Mill was relocated. Corton I believe was a confederate soldier and KKK member who is buried in Old Church Cemetery down the road. Again this may or may not be right since I have the name McClurr also listed so its hard to say. Another home built in the 1890s was a house built for Dr. Tripp and changed hands three times all the way from the Rencher family, Stephens family and eventually Robert Pitman III. Then near by was the Berry House which is from 1891 but probably was built at an earlier time period. 

Last off all to make mention of it was the Tibbetts House which was built by George W. Tibbetts who arrived in Apopka in 1914. He built a two story brick business building not to far away and eventually sold it to the McCormack's which later changed hands to the Minors.

But houses of historical significance were not the only structures to have surrounded the park their was also the medical office of Dr. Thomas E. McBride who built this place in the 1930s. Later it was turned into the Apopka Historical Museum. Then it housed the office of a member of the Florida House Of Representatives. If you recall McBride bought the Townsend Plantation in the 1920s also I believe he was shot in one of the windows.

Near the park is also the First United Methodist Church Of Apopka which they shared with the Presbyterian Church Building from 1917 to 1922. In 1923 Rogers Hall was built and a parsonage. In the 1950s new additions were built and by 1961 the entire church was replaced. If you recall this was the church where a group off KKK members marched from to bury the first Klan member in the south. The reverend who performed the funeral was from this church.

Across the street from the park at least nearby was the former Apopka High school in the 1950s. The school became so crowded a new high school was built elsewhere and the old school was turned into a Junior High and middle school. This was the area that I drove down the sidewalk lol on our first investigation.

Last but not least where the park is standing today was part of the old Dixie Highway which was a dream of Carl Fisher. His dream was to built a highway from Chicago to Miami since he was in the auto industry. Many communities formed associations to lobby for the route. The route passed through Tallahassee and Jacksonville and proceeding south along Florida's east coast. Their was an inland route also that went through Ocala, Orlando, Kissimmee, Bartow, Arcadia, Gainesville, and Winter Park. It then would rejoin at Palm Beach. The Dixie Highway was opened in 1925 from the Canadian Border in Michigan to Miami. Today only small remnants of the highway remain behind in woods and even on properties.

I realize that many of you may not have needed to know all this history surrounding the park. But when you look at paranormal photos it is important to understand why its possible for such a small city park to be haunted. I mean if you look at the fact a highway cut through here, old historical homes sit around the park where early settlers have died, and many historical figures to Apopka's city development once walked near this park the possibility of the supernatural here becomes natural and so the city park has some chills and tales of its own with no doubts whatsoever.

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Rick-AngelOfThyNight