Lake Hamilton’s history is
mostly unwritten
The public archives hold only 3 old photos of Lake Hamilton. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗The original name for the main lake and its community was formerly called "Lake Hambleton", which had unknown origins, and ruled out that it was named from Alexander Hamilton. During the Seminole Wars, specifically the Third Seminole War, Chief Chipco, who was a tribal leader for the Muscogee Creek and Seminole tribes, settled off Lake Hamilton's Bonars Island, along with some of his tribal members, from around 1854 to around 1856.
The community was resettled by non-indigenous people in 1913, when the first home was built along with other platted buildings and other infrastructure. On November 6, 1924, it became incorporated as the Town of Lake Hamilton, however it wasn't officially recognized as a chartered municipality until 1925.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowStart Lake Hamilton’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Lake Hamilton’s history is told.
2 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewLake Hamilton ACL Depot, c. 1900: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people from Lake Hamilton
See all 2 →
Lake Hamilton, decade by decade
1930s
![Florida [Hamilton County - Sarasota County (part)]](https://images.towntapestry.org/story/2241/387ea78c10d763260536-s.jpg)
![Florida [Hamilton County - Sarasota County (part)]](https://images.towntapestry.org/story/2241/8bdb292d27c25b5614a5-s.jpg)
1990s
Nothing in Lake Hamilton is on the National Register yet
That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Lake Hamilton has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Dundee ACL Railroad Depot, Old in Dundee, 1.9 miles away.
Lake Hamilton and the nearest listed places
Closest to Lake Hamilton
Dundee ACL Railroad Depot, OldDundee · Wood Frame Vernacular1.9mi
Haines City National Guard Armory, OldHaines City · Colonial Revival3.7mi
Central Grammar School, OldHaines City · Mission Revival3.7mi
Polk HotelHaines City · Italian Renaissance Revival4mi
Downtown Haines City Commercial DistrictHaines City · Masonry Vernacular4.1miHow a place gets listed
Then & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as Lake Hamilton ACL Depot (c. 1900) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (6). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.