Windermere: A Small Town's Connection to England
Windermere, Florida is one of a handful of small towns in Florida that have that old iconic Florida charm. From dirt roads, an impressive urban canopy, to a pristine chain of lakes known for amazing bass fishing & water sports, Windermere is definitely a slice of small town paradise. So how did this small town get its name and what is its connection with both a massive lake & town in northwest England? In our newest Windermere Brewing Company blog, we will explore these questions & hopefully give you a bit of a history lesson in the process.
The area now known as Windermere was home to the native Timucuan tribe until the Spanish conquest of Florida in the 1500s, with Spanish settlements popping up in the area around 1564. The history of Florida between the 1500s & 1821 was a power struggle between the Spanish, English, & French, ultimately landing under the control of the United States in 1821 & officially becoming a state in 1845. Settlers soon started coming to the area with a US government incentive of 160 acres of land to those willing to cultivate five acres & build a residence.
In 1885, Dr. Stanley Scott, whose father purchased 160 acres in what is now the Town of Windermere limits, built his home on the shore of Lake Butler. Dr. Scott, an Englishman, called his new home & land Windermere. Windermere in England is first and foremost a very large ribbon lake in England’s Lake District National Park. Very fitting to name one’s new home after a place Dr. Scott most likely frequented in his youth & our large chain of lakes reminding him of home. Much like the leisure activities we enjoy on the Butler Chain of Lakes, England’s Lake District, especially Windermere Lake is a fair weather getaway for thousands in England who enjoy much of the same outdoor activities.
Dr. Scott was driven to cultivate citrus, much like many other settlers who came to the area, then the big freeze happened, killing a booming citrus industry and driving many settlers away. Any hope for Windermere at that point was lost until J.C. Palmer (Cal Palmer) & J.H. Johnson purchased the land known as Windermere & formed the Windermere Improvement Company, selling land to new settlers & slowly forming the town that would be incorporated in 1925 as the Town of Windermere.
So how does our English counterpart still connect with the Town today? All one has to do is take a look at the Town crest. The crest is stylized as a coat of arms that gives a nod to our English namesake.
The official crest logo for the Town of Windermere in Florida
In the top left section, you see three sailboats which are a depiction of the 22’ Windermere Class Racing Yacht, which is the most iconic racing vessel on Windermere Lake to this day.
The top right section depicts a stylized gate in the form of a Tudor window, symbolizing the gateway to the lakes both here on the Butler Chain and the gateway to the Lake District which is now the Town of Windermere in England (fun fact: The Town of Windermere, Florida incorporated before Windermere, Cumbria which was merged with the parish Bowness-on-Windermere in 1974). There is some disagreement on the gate symbolizing the English parish or the Windermere train station that indeed did serve as the gateway to the English lakes at the time of the Florida incorporation.
The bottom left of the Town crest of course depicts St. George’s Cross giving our connection to England.
The bottom right of the crest depicts three fish that are a species known as Char and are native to Windermere Lake in England and attract a large amount of game fishing.
The intrigue of the Town of Windermere's crest is, while giving its historic nod to our English namesake, it also depicts the same lifestyle we enjoy here in Windermere, Florida. We at Windermere Brewing Company are also traditional English Ale enthusiasts and plan on producing some of the more traditional English styles at our brewery here in Windermere, Florida. As a brewery whose mission it is to emulate the vibe & lifestyle of our small town, we feel that some English style ales will happily suit our taproom while giving one more historic nod to our namesake.
We hope you got a little history lesson through this article & until next time, cheers!