On July 31, Orlando celebrated its 144th birthday.
Long before Orlando became home to nearly 290,000 people or had a name, Fort Gatlin was established approximately two miles south of present-day city limits in 1838 by the U.S. Army. Fort Gatlin was intended to protect settlers from attacks.
As a small community grew around Fort Gatlin, they took on the name “Jernigan” after the first settlers. Mr. Aaron Jernigan claimed to be the first settler in Orlando and brought his family here in 1842. By 1850, the Jernigan community had a post office and had established Aaron Jernigan as postmaster in 1857.
The settlement continued expanding northward and officially changed its name from Jernigan to Orlando. Orlando was incorporated from a village into a city in 1875. At the time, it had approximately 85 residents of which only 22 were qualified voters.
There’s a lot of speculation about where the name for the city came from. Who named the city? Was the city of Orlando named after a person? If so, who was Orlando? The history is unclear, but there are a few stories told about how the city got its name.
The first involves Judge James Speer. He was a prominent man in the community, serving in the State House and the State Senate and even coming within one vote of being elected to the U.S. Senate. It is likely that his input would have carried a lot of weight then.
Speer lived in Orlando in 1856 and was a student of Shakespeare. Some believed he named the city after the male lead in Shakespeare’s As You Like It. Others believe Speer took a man named Orlando into his home. The story has it that Speer thought so highly of Orlando that he named the city after the man who used to work for him.
Another story tells of a “Mr. Orlando” on his way to Tampa with a caravan of ox. It is said that on his journey, Mr. Orlando contracted an illness, died and was buried. According to the story, people would come by the spot where Mr. Orlando was buried and say, “There lies Orlando.”
Yet another story tells of a company of soldiers on duty during the height of the Seminole Wars. After battling Indians, the soldiers camped for the night on the bank of Lake Minnie (now Lake Cherokee). Sentinel Orlando Reeves was on duty to guard the camp when he noticed a log floating toward him. He recognized this as an Indian in disguise and, in an attempt to warn his comrades, he shot his gun. At the same time, Orlando was ambushed by the Indians and killed by their arrows. The soldiers drove the Indians away again and the next day buried Orlando under an oak tree on the south side of Lake Eola. A wooden slab was erected over Reeves’ burial location bearing his name, “Orlando.” His first name was adopted as the city name to honor the soldier who gave his life for the settlers.
From its small beginnings, Orlando showed signs of growth. The government census of 1900 showed a total of 2,481 residents. By 1950, the number of residents was up to 50,000 within city limits, and today the number of residents sits around 290,000, all of which are proud of the city they live in.
Residents have been drawn here by the opportunities and different activities that are available, the universities, the affordability, and the sense of community that exists in Orlando.
City Commissioner Jim Gray moved to Orlando in 1988 for the same reason as many residents: to take advantage of the career opportunities in the growing economy of Orlando. “One of the things I love about Orlando is the business community is very receptive to anyone that provides a good product or service,” says Commissioner Gray. “As we celebrate the city’s birthday, it seems like a good time to remind ourselves that Orlando is growing into a multicultural city providing opportunity for all.”
As the City Beautiful turns 144 years old and continues to grow, inviting in new residents and building upon the once tiny community established by Jernigan, we have reason to honor and celebrate Orlando.
“As a community, we have much to celebrate,” says Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer. “Thanks to our active and engaged residents, Orlando continues to be a welcoming city committed to inclusion in everything we do. We’re also showing the power of partnerships as we work together to address challenges facing our community.”
Happy birthday, Orlando!
