Rick Cronin, author and historian, has a passion for exploring former towns.
He shared details about how these towns met their demise during a presentation “Ghost Towns and Phantom Railroads of Lake County,” Aug. 22 at the Tavares History Research Center.
The event, hosted by the research center and the Tavares History Museum, educated attendees about pioneers who settled in Central Florida.
“The history I write about and talk about at in-person presentations includes genealogy research so that I can acquaint folks with who the amazing 19th century settlers were and why they came to Florida,” said Cronin, who has written several books about Tavares history over the years.
Most of the towns referenced by Cronin during the presentation were established along railroad routes from the 1880s into the early 1900s. These towns included Acron, Bloomfield,
Fort Mason, Kismet, (old) Lady Lake, Lisbon, Ravenswood, Villa City and West Apopka. “Kismet and Acron are two of my favorites, because the parents of Walt Disney met at Acron and married at Kismet before the great freeze of 1894-95 chased them away,” Cronin said. “Old Lady Lake, I feel, is equally fascinating because this enchanting place existed long before the local historians realized. Pendryville is an interesting ghost town, because it also is modern-day Eustis.”
During the presentation, Cronin made many references to his book “Tavares: Darling of Orange County, Birthplace of Lake County,” which was published in 2020.
“In this book, I talk about how Tavares was carved out of the wilderness beginning in 1881,” he said.
He also mentioned the book discusses how the town was a railroad hub, as it had five independent railroads, which had 22 trains run through the town daily.
“The town encouraged many neighboring startup communities in, what was then Orange and Sumter Counties, a region that became the new Lake County in 1887,” Cronin said.
He said he feels it is important to educate the community about the pioneers who settled Central Florida because they came from and influenced all parts of the country and world.
“Central Florida was truly a melting pot,” he said. “I enjoy sharing my research with fans of history — to know this area’s roots is to love it even more.”
He also feels research is a “fresh asset” that he contributes to Florida history.
“While many agonize over the task, I enjoy most the hunt, digging to uncover long-buried secrets of Florida’s yesterday,” said Cronin in his biography.
Part of the enjoyment of giving presentations is telling people parts of history they didn’t know about before, Cronin said.
“First, I very often get to talk to old timers — descendants of the early pioneers — and quite often tell them a history of their area that they did not know about,” Cronin said. “Second, I enjoy the responses of newcomers to our area.”
For more information about programs at the Lake County Historical Society and Museum, visit lakecountyhistoricalmuseum.org.
Staff writer Brea Jones can be reached at 352-753-1119, ext. 5414, or brea.jones@thevillagesmedia.com.
