History of Lehigh Acres
History referenced from book “Shared Memories” by Myra Kessler, Tom Williams, Curt Middleton
THE PIONEER FLINT FAMILY
David Flint was the patriarch of the pioneer Lehigh Acres family, who, with his wife, Cora Ann, homesteaded 80 acres in 1926 on what is now called Homestead Road in Lehigh Acres. The frame of the original house that was built in 1926 is still standing behind the Moose Lodge on Homestead Road. David and Cora had six children: William R. Flint, harry L. Flint, David D. Flint, Clara Milligan, Mildred Hodges and Velton H. Flint, who passed away in 1962. Harry and his wife Bea, William and his wife Alecia, and Ronnie and his wife Joy still live on the Homestead Road compound. According to Sandra Flint Walworth, daughter of Harry Flint, her father and William are still active in the family’s original business.ALONG CAME LEE RATNER
Ratner, a self-made millionaire several times over from Chicago, Illinois, started his career in the vegetable produce section with his father. He made his first million by selling and merchandising an electric adding machine. This was when he was 22 years old. After that, he started the D-Con Rodenenticide Company with a capitalization of $1,000 and within six years sold the rights for some 7 million dollars.WHERE TO PUT THE MONEY
Learning the tax advantages of the cattle industry in 1953, he decided to purchase 20,000 acres and invest in a ranch to raise cattle and grow hay and alfalfa. This was called the Lucky Lee Ranch, and was located at 1800 Joel Blvd. It has since been torn down. To Ratner, the ranch was something special. He loved horseback riding and was never happier than when he could come to the ranch and play at being a Florida cowboy. He needed someone he could trust to take care of the ranch and chose his brother-in-law Jim Richmond who moved from Chicago with his first wife,Helene, their children Shirlee (now Shirlee Bateman) and Grant in July of 1952. They had the first home on the ranch.WHAT'S IN A NAME
The first property owned by the developer was called Leeland Heights. As more acreage was purchased, it was decided to call the community Lehigh Acres. Lee for Lee Ratner and the Lee County, and high because the land was 27 feet above sea level, among the highest land in Lee County. For this reason, in case of a hurricane, emergency evacuation routes lead to Lehigh Acres.CORPORATE NAMES
The first corporate name in 1954 was Lee County Land and Title Company; in 1963, it was purchased by Land Resources Corporation and became Lehigh Acres Development , Inc. In 1977, the name was revised to Lehigh Corporation. The company was purchased on July 3, 1991 by Minnesota power, and the name-Lehigh Corporation was retained.CORPORATE PRESIDENTS
Since 1954, nine presidents have served at the helm of Lehigh Corporation: Gerald Gould, Harry C. Powell, John E. Morgan, Eugene Quinn, Dennie Rowland, Bob Raushenberger, Carl Strunk, William Livingston and Greg Morris. Harry C. Powell, president of Landex Corporation, still makes his home in Lehigh Acres, as does John E. Morgan, also in business in Lehigh Acres. Gerald Gould is developing Village on the Lakes, a senior retirement community in Lehigh Acres.CORPORATE PEOPLE and PLACES
Once the decision was made to develop a community, homes neededto be built. The original sales office was located at Leeland Heights Boulevard and Florida Avenue. The site is the Lee County Sheriff’s substation in 1998. As the community began to grow rapidly, the lot sales office moved to the resort. This site is the Lehigh Corporation headquarters on Joel Blvd. There were other amenities provided by the developer, including the resort. The resort consisted of a motel and restaurant known as Golden Grille now as the Arbor Grille.HOUSES OF WORSHIP
From the beginning, residents of Lehigh Acres have expressed their religious beliefs gathering at the many houses of worship that dot the community landscape. First Community Congregational Church had its beginnings in 1957 with the first group of early settlers. Other denominations soon followed, but, the name was chosen because it was indeed the” first community” church in the newly developed Lehigh Acres. Today there are more than 20 houses of worship in Lehigh Acres according to the May 1998 Sprint telephone book.THE GOLDEN AGE
Long before Lee County offered much in the way of a venue for large group entertainment, Lehigh Acres had the Auditorium. When opened in December of 1959, not only did local residents become “ spoiled” with the caliber and frequency of professional entertainment, visitors from throughout Southwest Florida came to hear music, watch the show and “ dance the light fantastic”. For Lehigh Corporation, the Auditorium was the match to the outdoor facilities the developer provided, attracting retirees and younger families alike to a growing community. Night time- any time, was great fun when attending an event at the Lehigh Auditorium.READING is FUN-DAMENTAL in LEHIGH ACRES
Lehigh Acres first library was located where the Lee County Sheriff’s substation stands now. The new facility opened to the public on May 4, 1962. The project was made possible, said the library president, George Earle, by $1 and $5 contributions from the 100 families living in the community. Within five short years, a groundbreaking ceremony took place on Dec. 12, 1967 for a larger, modern facility located on Homestead Road. At press time, November of 1998, plans for a new, larger and modern “ regional” facility works with the location the subject of heated debate.PROMOTING LEHIGH ACRES
Although the Lehigh Acres Chamber of Commerce has expanded a bit, its beginnings are firmly planted in the desire to promote Lehigh Acres to the World. From its forerunner, the Homestead Shopping Center Merchants Association through the many incarnations and rented rooms behind local banks, the Lehigh Acres Chamber has pretty much mirrored the growth of the community.Now located in its own building on Homestead Road, the Chamber is guided by a caring, committed group of area business people, many who live and work in this community. In addition to small locally owned retail shops, larger retail chains like Publix, Winn-Dixie, CVS Drug Store, Walgreens and Wal-Mart have come on the local commercial scene. Yet, the Chamber remains committed to the promotion of all of Lehigh Acres and gets its strength from local people – much like the photo typifies. The Chamber has co-sponsored this publication along with the Lehigh Acres News-Star. Granted, not every business could be represented here. It was a random choice except for sponsored pages.
SPRING FESTIVAL EMBODIES HOMETOWN SPIRIT
Hometown U.S.A., and the spirit it encompasses, is the constant that brought the event to its milestone celebration of 25 years in 1998. The Spring Festival was preceded by an event called the Turkey Frolic which began in 1965 and took place during the Thanksgiving Week. It was organized by civic groups and enhanced by volunteers from social and service clubs. Interest waned and a decision was made to end the event in 1971. In 1973, a group of volunteers spurred on by Harry C. Powell, then president of Lehigh Corporation, was encouraged to start another event.It was decided to call it Spring Festival, and it would take place in March when more people would attend. Babe Hauck and Lucille Scholzen Elmer were co-chairs of the first festival. The non-profit Spring Festival Association was formed in 1973. Russell Yancey was president and Charlie Matheny was vice president. Matheny became president in 1977 and retained the post through the ensuing years. For the 25th anniversary of Spring Festival, Matheny was named Grand Marshal of the annual parade which winds its way up Homestead Road to the festival grounds at Veteran’s Park. Besides local leaders and dignitaries, each year the Shriners and their special brand of color, humor and good cheer add to the success of the event.
READING, 'RITING, and 'RITHMATIC
It was not long before the new community of Lehigh Acres needed to start schooling its own close to home. The first school was funded by the developer in part, and the Lee County School Board. Decades later, local residents waged a successful battle to site a high school in the community and there now exists six public schools-Lehigh Elementary, the first, Sunshine Elementary, Mirror Lakes Elementary, Lehigh Middle, Lehigh Senior High School out on Gunnery Road and the new East Lee County High School on Thomas Sherwin Avenue.On September 8, 1959, the Lehigh Neighborhood School opened its doors. It was the first school in Lee County to have air conditioning. There was a total enrollment of 55 children with three teachers – 1st and 2nd grades were taught by Jerri Summers; 3rd and 4th grades were taught by Ruby Davis and Elizabeth Ratliff taught 5th and 6th and was the principal. The school was located in three buildings provided by the community’s developer on Coolidge Avenue. By 1962, it was evident that larger facilities were needed and plans were made to build a school off of Richmond Avenue. Groundbreaking took place on Feb. 21, 1964. The school was ready for the 1964-65 year. Additionally, many pre-schools have emerged, serving the needs of a modern two-income family life. Lehigh Acres students are being well prepared today to be the leaders we need for tomorrow.
PEOPLE ARE THE MAIN COMMUNITY INGREDIENT
Probably the greatest appeal of the community of Lehigh Acres is its people. They represent a true hometown spirit and, when called upon to help neighbors or to volunteer for a special project, the people of Lehigh Acres come through. Lehigh Acres people possess fierce community pride, and that’s why “our town” has often been referred to as Hometown USA. Lehigh Acres started out primarily as a retirement community and while it still has a significant retiree population, the community now attracts many younger families with children. Lehigh Acres offers some of the best affordable housing anywhere in Southwest Florida. Additionally, our community has attracted international notice, becoming the vacation destination and second home community of choice for many Europeans.The people of Lehigh Acres are always generous and very supportive of the many civic, fraternal and social service agencies that help to make life better for us all. From the start, the community looked to take care of its own by forming the necessary non-profit agencies, like Lehigh Community Services, Inc., and these groups, through local donations, definitely demonstrate that “charity begins at home”. Lehigh Acres, through the years, has learned to fight its own battles. Community pride and loyalty have continually surfaced whenever an issue faced Lehigh Acres that needed the direction and support of all the people. Lehigh Acres has always turned out the welcome mat to all people. Diversity is its strength. Its people are its greatest treasure.
