Strawn Historic Citrus Packing House District facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Strawn Historic Citrus Packing House District
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district
Early 20th century photo of the plant in operation
Location in Volusia County
Location	DeLeon Springs, Florida, USA
Area	20 acres (0.081 km2)
MPS	Citrus Industry Resources of Theodore Strawn, Inc., MPS
NRHP reference No.	93000931
Added to NRHP	September 13, 1993

The Strawn Historic Citrus Packing House District is a special place in DeLeon Springs, Florida. It's also called the Bob White Historic Citrus Packing House District. This area is a historic district in Volusia County. It was officially recognized on September 13, 1993. The district is located at 5707 Lake Winona Road. It includes 12 old buildings and 3 other structures. The main building, a citrus packing house, has not been used since 1983. It is now in a state of decay.

What is the Strawn Packing House District?

This historic site covers about 20 acres (8 hectares). It is found near U.S. Route 17. The site is between Lake Winona Road and Ridgewood Avenue. A railroad line runs along its southwest side.

Buildings and Structures

The main building is the packing house. It has a unique "sawtooth" roof shape. Behind it, you can find several other buildings. These include a barn, a blacksmith shop, and a machinery house. There is also a building for steam and a dynamo. In total, there are 10 other structures on the site.

History of the Citrus Packing House

The story of this district begins with Theodore Strawn. He came from Illinois and moved to Volusia County. In 1882, he started a business packing oranges.

Building the New Packing House

The first packing house burned down in 1921. A new building was then constructed. This new packing house had a special sawtooth roof. Its walls were made from strong metal panels. This design made the building fireproof.

Why the Packing House Closed

The packing house stopped working after a big freeze. This happened on Christmas in 1983. The cold weather was so bad that it killed the orange trees. According to John Strawn, Theodore's grandson, the trees died down to their stumps.

Becoming a Historic Site

In 1993, the Strawn site was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This list includes important historical places in the United States. A sawmill and other farm buildings nearby were also added.

Challenges and Importance

Since it closed, the site has faced many problems. Parts of the buildings have been damaged over the years. There have also been fires. In 2008, a fire destroyed the machine shop. Another fire in 2010 damaged more buildings.

Even with the damage, the site is very important. It shows how the citrus industry grew in Florida. The Florida Trust for Historic Preservation has listed it as an endangered site since 2007. The Volusia County Historic Preservation Board also lists it as endangered.

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