forgotten citrus center monument #2

I like to travel to old Florida historic places. The old brick highway is amazing to see. Just imagine the man-hours that went into laying each individual brick! But had a bit of a problem with some guy who lives back there.I had gotten to a very narrow part of the original brick Dixie highway when a truck came in the other direction. I pulled to the side of the road to let the truck by. Then I went on my way.Before I knew it a different pick-up truck pulled up beside me from behind. The man in the truck looked really rough. I was frightened. They guy had his window down and demanded to know why I was parked in front of his house. I explained what happened and he said OK..So it seems the residents back there are very suspicious of strangers. This individual was very aggressive, too. Keep that in mind if you go to see the monument.

There is an old white house at the top of a hill that was my grandmother's house. Some relatives still live there. My mother, grandparents, and great-grandparents are buried in the Loughman Cemetery (in the Garret plot). If you visit this cemetery, you might notice the graves of the Adair family-- four men all killed on the same day by lightening hitting the metal cattle shed where they had taken shelter from a thunder storm. There are some Confederate graves at the very back of the cemetery. I've always meant to sneak in to the cemetery and plant trees. Otherwise, I like it there. This is the real Florida. The real thing. Hard lives, lived in poverty.

We stayed in this area and I was driving around the backroads trying to get to see what the real Florida is all about, when I stumbled over this. What a great discovery, and the brick road, fantastic!!. Too see this would be well worth a hour's detour from the interstate if you ask me.

So I am on my way home, to Reunion, from teaching school ...heading east on 17-92 toward Osceola -Polk county line road (532) and I see a sign that 532 is closed at the tracks. So I follow the detour staying on 17-92 into Polk County and continue taking a right onto Old Kissimmee Highway. Mmmmm no detour sign but it looks like a main road...certainly not "old" But after a mile or so the concrete turns into an antique red brick road.. Shaded with a heavy canopy of trees, the road narrows, and narrows I see old little houses with dirt driveways, clothes washing on the line...I decide the road is going to dead end so I back into a drive to turn around and there it is in front of me....this monument with citrus misspelled! It is like going back in time. I wonder where the carver went to school!

I use the Old Dixie Highway, also called Old Tampa Highway at one end and Old Kissimmee Road on the other end. It is an interesting and scenic bike route with relatively little travelled roads on either end,It is my favorite bike route in central Florida, unfortunately it is very short but a nice respite from the traffice and housing in areas nearby.See my video

Located only about 40 minutes from the bustling big city of Orlando, this little monument is a forgotten slice of American history.The road here was called the Old Dixie Highway, and was built sometime in the 1920's. It's made out of brick! At one time it was paved over, but the pavement is gone in many areas and it's easy to see the brick surface. Along one side of the road are some rural homes, and the other side is still empty Florida forest land. Polk county, Florida built at least three citrus monuments to attract tourists and (hopefully) convince people to move to Florida. They were all built around 1930, during the early part of the depression. An interesting note about this one is the mis-spelling of it - it actually was engraved "citurs" center, and the mistake remains to this day. There is unfortunately some graffiti on the lower part of this monument, but you can still get an idea of how impressive it must have looked as you bumped along the red brick road in your Model T! It's fairly easy to find with a good map. Directions: I-4 exit 58. East on Hwy 532/Osceola Polk Line Rd for a little more than four miles. Cross the railroad tracks, then *immediately* turn right (south) onto Old Tampa Highway/Old Kissimmee Rd. (This is just before you get to US 17/92.) The road runs for a little less than two miles, and the monument is on your right. Alternate directions: 17/92 south of Kissimee, turn right onto Labor Camp Rd. then turn right, go about a half-mile or mile and it's on your left.Take a couple of hours and get away from all the theme parks to see a real piece of American history :-)