When was DeLand, Florida officially founded?

December 6, 1876, when settlers at John Rich's cabin voted to rename Persimmon Hollow to DeLand.

What was the first building project in the new town of DeLand?

A school, funded by Henry A. DeLand's $400 gift and an acre of donated land. It also served as the meeting hall for churches.

What is Woodland Boulevard?

The one-mile north–south strip of land Henry A. DeLand donated at the 1876 founding meeting. It remains downtown DeLand's main street.

Illustration of the December 6, 1876 founding meeting at John Rich's cabin, DeLand Florida

The Founding of DeLand — December 6, 1876

Quick answer: DeLand, Florida was founded on December 6, 1876, when settlers met at John Rich's cabin in the community then called Persimmon Hollow and voted to rename it DeLand in honor of New York businessman Henry Addison DeLand. The city incorporated in 1882.

The meeting at John Rich's cabin

At 2:00 p.m. on December 6, 1876, Henry A. DeLand called a meeting of all settlers within a 10–12-mile radius of John Rich's cabin. DeLand pledged:

$400 + 1 acre for a schoolhouse
A matching gift to the first congregation to build a church
A one-mile strip of land running north–south — the future Woodland Boulevard

That evening, settlers voted to rename the community DeLand [S01, S02, S04].

The three founding gifts

A school, before anything else.: $400 cash plus one acre of land, donated to seed the first DeLand schoolhouse.
A church-building match.: A matching donation to the first congregation that built its own church.
A one-mile main street.: A north–south strip of land that became Woodland Boulevard.

Sources: Wikipedia [S01], DeLand Historical Society [S02], City of DeLand [S04]

School before church before anything else

DeLand believed cultural and educational infrastructure came first. A school opened before any single denomination built a church — it also served as the community meeting hall for church services until individual congregations could build [S12].

From town to city

DeLand was incorporated as a city in 1882. By 1883 DeLand Academy (now Stetson University) was open. By 1886 the Stetson Mansion and the Henry A. DeLand House were complete [S11, S19, S23].

Henry A. DeLand biography Persimmon Hollow (pre-1876)Full DeLand timeline

From the Christian Historical Image Collection

DeLand in its earliest photographs

Looking north on Woodland Boulevard around 1880, a band gathered near New York Avenue in 1884, and the boulevard after the 1886 fire — glimpses of the young town in the decades after its 1876 founding.

Looking north on Woodland Boulevard from New York Avenue — c. 1880

Band on Woodland Boulevard near New York Avenue — 1884

Woodland Boulevard after the DeLand fire — 1886

HistoryThe story of Historic DeLand.Go there Timeline12,000 BCE to today.Go there LandmarksEvery signature Historic DeLand landmark.Go there Famous PeopleEvery DeLand-connected figure.Go there

Frequently asked questions

When was DeLand, Florida officially founded?: December 6, 1876, when settlers at John Rich's cabin voted to rename Persimmon Hollow to DeLand. [S01, S02]
When was DeLand incorporated as a city?: 1882. [S11]
What was the first building project in the new town of DeLand?: A school, funded by Henry A. DeLand's $400 gift and an acre of donated land. It also served as the meeting hall for churches. [S12]
What is Woodland Boulevard?: The one-mile north–south strip of land Henry A. DeLand donated at the 1876 founding meeting. It remains downtown DeLand's main street. [S01]