Vineland (Inhabited), Florida Ghost Town

You’ll find Vineland, a living ghost town in central Florida, along Apopka-Vineland Road near Walt Disney World. Originally called Englewood, then Orange Center, this former citrus-growing community faced multiple identity changes before settling on its current name in 1924. While Disney’s expansion in the 1960s transformed the agricultural landscape, about 50 historic homes and landmarks remain, including the original schoolhouse and a Confederate cemetery. The town’s preserved fragments offer windows into Florida’s pre-Disney era.

Table of Contents hide

1 Key Takeaways

2 The Three Names of a Lost Town

3 From Citrus Groves to Disney’s Domain

4 Surviving Landmarks in Modern Times

5 The Community That Refused to Disappear

6 Legacy of an Agricultural Past

7 Frequently Asked Questions

7.1 What Happened to the Original Residents When Disney Began Buying Land?

7.2 How Much Did Property Values Change After Disney World Opened Nearby?

7.3 Are There Any Descendants of Original Vineland Settlers Still Living There?

7.4 What Was the Population of Vineland During Its Peak Agricultural Years?

7.5 Did Disney Attempt to Purchase the Remaining Residential Areas of Vineland?

8 References

Key Takeaways

Vineland, Florida transformed from a thriving citrus community to a semi-inhabited area after Disney World’s expansion in the 1960s.
Approximately 50 original residences and parts of the street grid remain inhabited, preserving fragments of pre-Disney Vineland.

The community maintains independence from Lake Buena Vista despite Disney’s influence, with residents continuing to occupy historic properties.
Historic landmarks like the Vineland Schoolhouse and Confederate Cemetery remain active sites within the partially inhabited ghost town.
The Vineland name survives on major roadways like Apopka-Vineland Road, though most agricultural operations ceased decades ago.

The Three Names of a Lost Town

While many Florida towns have maintained their original names throughout history, Vineland underwent two distinct name changes during its early development.

The name evolution began in the late 1800s when the settlement was established as Englewood, with a Florida Midland Railway station serving as its anchor.

Englewood emerged in Florida’s late 1800s landscape, its identity anchored by the bustling Florida Midland Railway station.

You’ll find the first transformation occurred in 1911 when the town became Orange Center, a change meant to prevent confusion with nearby communities.

The final name change came in 1924 when the town officially became Vineland, though the post office had adopted this name by 1918.

This historical significance of Vineland’s naming journey reflects the challenges of establishing unique identities in Florida’s rapidly developing landscape during the early 20th century. The community’s identity was closely tied to the citrus groves that dominated the local economy.

Today, the town’s past is remembered through the small cemetery that remains as one of the few historical landmarks from its early days.

From Citrus Groves to Disney’s Domain

Vineland’s early identity extended far beyond its changing names, with sprawling citrus groves forming the backbone of its economy from the late 1800s through the mid-1900s.

The citrus industry faced devastating losses when the second “Big Freeze” of 1894-1895 swept through Florida, causing many growers to relocate further south.

Commercial success for citrus farmers only began when the railroad system connected their crops to distant markets.

You’d find these groves concentrated around Ruby Lake, where citrus cultivation required years of patience before trees bore fruit.

Your freedom to farm would’ve changed dramatically in the 1960s when Disney began their land acquisitions. As the entertainment giant purchased vast tracts to develop Lake Buena Vista, Vineland’s agricultural foundation crumbled.

While other communities vanished entirely beneath Disney’s expanding kingdom, Vineland held on – albeit as a shadow of its former self.

Though the surrounding landscape transformed from rural farmland to tourist attractions, you can still spot traces of the original street grid and structures, remnants of a time when citrus, not castles, ruled this corner of Florida.

Surviving Landmarks in Modern Times

Despite decades of rapid development and Disney’s expanding footprint, several historic landmarks from Vineland’s past remain scattered across the landscape east of Florida State Road 535.

You’ll find the original Vineland Schoolhouse, now serving as a Montessori facility, and the well-preserved 1950 7th Street School building standing as a symbol to the community’s educational heritage. A small Confederate Cemetery endures as a solemn reminder of earlier times.

While modern hotels and shopping centers dominate the area, roughly 50 residences and fragments of the original street grid persist. Like the ongoing Palace of Depression restoration in New Jersey’s Vineland, these remnants represent enduring efforts to preserve local history.

The area’s preservation efforts echo the Reagan-era nostalgia seen throughout California in 1984, with both regions grappling with rapid cultural change. These surviving structures, along with historic street names and district designations, serve as crucial anchors of community memory. Historic preservation efforts now focus on protecting these remaining physical links to Vineland’s pre-Disney era.

The Community That Refused to Disappear

Even as Disney World’s massive expansion threatened to erase its existence, the small community of Vineland demonstrated remarkable resilience through the latter half of the 20th century.

You’ll find evidence of this cultural identity in the persistence of the Vineland name on major roadways like Apopka-Vineland Road and Winter Garden-Vineland Road.

While the 1940 post office closure and 1960s railroad removal marked official decline, residents maintained their independence from Lake Buena Vista’s corporate limits.

The community’s agricultural heritage is remembered through its historic sweet potato farming operations.

The settlement was originally named Orange Center before adopting its current name to avoid confusion with Orange City.

Local groups showcased community resilience by restoring the forgotten cemetery, now preserved alongside modern development.

The original street grid east of SR-535 still defines the historic layout, while scattered homesteads and ruins stand defiant against commercial expansion.

Despite economic pressures, Vineland’s inhabitants chose to maintain their distinct identity rather than surrender to complete absorption by surrounding development.

Legacy of an Agricultural Past

The agricultural roots of Vineland stretch back to its 1860 founding by Charles Kline Landis, who envisioned a utopian farming colony built on cooperative principles.

You’ll find evidence of early agricultural practices learned from the Lenni-Lenape, who taught settlers to grow corn, beans, and pumpkins using natural fertilization methods.

The town’s cooperative farming approach transformed it into a major agricultural hub, with produce commanding premium prices in New York, Philadelphia, and Boston markets.

Early farmers cultivated sisal hemp crops, following the example of pioneering settler Rean Duke.

The Vineland Cooperative Produce Auction Association became America’s largest produce cooperative, controlling most regional auction sales.

Farmers within a 15-mile radius brought their crops to Vineland’s markets, where they’d find both buyers and affordable supplies.

Vineland’s central markets served as vibrant hubs where local farmers could both sell their harvests and purchase needed materials.

This spirit of cooperation, combined with crop diversity and innovation, cemented Vineland’s legacy as an agricultural powerhouse. Italian immigrants established a thriving community called New Italy colony after being recruited specifically for grape cultivation.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Happened to the Original Residents When Disney Began Buying Land?

Like birds scattering from a field, you’d see original residents sell their swampland to Disney’s secret shell companies, unaware of true plans, while others relocated as land acquisition and resident displacement quietly transformed communities.

How Much Did Property Values Change After Disney World Opened Nearby?

You’d have seen explosive property market growth, with land values skyrocketing from $80 to $80,000 per acre. Land speculation drove prices up 364% in areas closest to Disney World’s location.

Are There Any Descendants of Original Vineland Settlers Still Living There?

You won’t find confirmed descendants from Vineland’s heritage living there today. Disney’s 1960s development displaced original settler families, and there aren’t documented descendant stories of continuous residence in the area.

What Was the Population of Vineland During Its Peak Agricultural Years?

You’re looking at estimates between several hundred to a few thousand residents during Vineland’s agricultural growth peak, though exact numbers aren’t documented. The population decline started dramatically in the 1960s.

Did Disney Attempt to Purchase the Remaining Residential Areas of Vineland?

You won’t find evidence that Disney actively pursued Vineland’s residential areas after their initial citrus grove acquisitions. While they transformed nearby land into Lake Buena Vista, they didn’t target Vineland’s remaining homes.