Pine Castle Historical Markers - part 7

PINE CASTLE

Will Wallace Harney came to Florida in 1869 seeking a better climate for his wife’s health. He purchased a 160-acre homestead on the western side of Lake Conway and called the grand home he built Pine Castle. The village that developed near his property adopted the name and, on December 8, 1879, the post office was officially established. Harney subdivided his property, and from 1880-1895, Pine Castle appeared on the Orange County planning map as a new development.

More than 300 people lived in Pine Castle in the early 1920s, and some residents wanted it incorporated during this boom period. During the planning stages, it became evident that different groups of residents had different visions for the town. As a result, three separate towns were organized: Belle Isle, Edgewood, and Pine Castle. But when the real estate market crashed later in the decade, they had difficulty sustaining their tax bases. Incorporated in February 1925, Pine Castle’s government ended in 1929. With its charter dissolved, it became an unincorporated part of Orange County.