Before the Big Freeze
The painting depicts a thriving and famous citrus packing plant in the 1920s. Bob White Historic Citrus Packing House District is located at 5707 Lake Winona Road in DeLeon Springs, Florida in Volusia County. It contains 12 historic buildings and 3 structures. The packing house is in a state of abandoned decay and has not been in operation since 1983. Theodore Strawn, a native of Illinois, settled in West Volusia County and started an orange packing operation in 1882. The packing house was closed down after a destructive freeze on Christmas 1983. That year, the orange trees were killed down to the stump, according to John Strawn, the grandson of Theodore Strawn, the site's founder.
The site was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993. The site, even in its dilapidated condition, is of significant historical importance, as it depicts the early development of the citrus industry in Florida. It has been on The Florida Trust for Historic Preservation's list of Florida's Eleven Most Endangered Historic Sites since 2007. It is listed as endangered by the Volusia County Historic Preservation Board.
Details
Signed Print
16 X 20 Matted
Framed