Stanton

On one of my favorite rides along Sunset Harbor Road I turn left at the Stanton Baptist Church onto SE 140th Avenue. Just before SE 155th Street on my left I see the stone ballast, all that remains of the railroad that ran beside Lake Weir. This is where in 1881, Stanton Perrin founded the town that bore his name. He built a lumber mill on Lake Weir and a steam boat to raft wood across. By 1885 a population of 300 was cutting 30,000 board feet of lumber a day, growing oranges, manufacturing shingles and bricks, and had two general stores. All of this was short lived as the town rapidly declined after the great freezes of 1894/5 destroyed the citrus and overharvesting ended  the lumber industry.

I continue riding east on SE 155th Street past the Ocala Road (Hwy 25) and on the left side of the road l see this home which was built in 1895. It is built of wood felled on Carney Island, rafted across Lake Weir and sawn at the Stanton mill.

 

For route information click here.