Henry Addison DeLand

Henry Addison Deland (October 25, 1834 — March 13, 1908[1]) was a baking soda manufacturer from Fairport, New York. The Henry DeLand House he built there is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

In 1876 he founded the city of DeLand, Florida (which had been formerly called Persimmon Hollow for the persimmon trees that were abundant in the area). He intended for it to be known as the Athens of Florida, and quickly founded the DeLand Academy, which soon became known as John B. Stetson University, after he persuaded his friend, the millionaire hatmaker John B. Stetson, to come to DeLand and invest in the institution. Around this same time, Henry DeLand suffered a severe financial loss in the freeze of due to guaranteeing orange crops anyone who would come to DeLand to grow oranges. Nevertheless the city he founded continued to develop and thrive. It has remained the county seat of Volusia County since 1887, and today has an estimated population of 32,506 persons.

References
  1. "Deland page at Fairport History Museum". Archived from the original on 2009-07-06. Retrieved 2008-10-24.
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