This road was the first direct route from Northeast Florida to Maitland. It followed Maitland Avenue around this west side of Lake Lily and continued south on what is now Highway 17-92. During the Second Seminole War the United States Army used this trail to connect the forts along its route. Fort Maitland was built in 1838 on the west shore of Lake Maitland, a day's march from Fort Mellon (Sanford). The fort was named in honor of Captain William Seton Maitland (1798-1837), who was cited for bravery in the battle of 1836, and died in 1837 as a result of wounds received there. The fort was located south of present Fort Maitland Park and was in use only until 1839. In 1915, Orange County paved the route with bricks, making it the first grouted brick road in Florida. This road became part of the Dixie Highway, which opened in 1925 and ran from Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan to Miami. In 1927 the road was joined to the Black Bear Trail at Lake Lily. Both names described the road from this point south. These bricks were covered by asphalt in the 1960's and in 1998 the asphalt was removed and the Maitland Historical Society restored the bricks, with assistance from the City of Maitland and the Florida Department of State.
2004 by City of Maitland and Florida Department of State.
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The Black Bear Trail, so named because it ran through the natural habitat of the black bear, was organized by The Black Bear Trail, Inc., an association of officials of Chambers of Commerce, boards of trade and cities lying along the route of the new highway, whose objective was to provide a direct, safe route to historic and scenic sites from Canada to Florida. In April 1927, members of the Association marked the new route through Maitland through what is now Highway 17-92 by placing insignia showing a black bear painted on an orange oval background on both sides of telephone poles along the road. This road joined the Dixie Highway at Lake Lily and both names described this road from this point south. When completed, The Black Bear Trail ran from Quebec, Canada to St. Petersburg and Miami, Florida, and opened to travelers some of the most scenic areas in the country.
A Florida Heritage site sponsored by the City of Maitland and the Florida Department of State.
2004 by City of Maitland and Florida Department of State.
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[selections from the Local Historical Society website]
Maitland, one of the oldest incorporated municipalities in Central Florida, is a city rich in history. The area was once called Fumecheliga (Musk Mellon Place) by the Seminole Indians before it was established as Fort Maitland in 1838 by the U.S. Army. The fort was named after captain William Seton Maitland, a hero of the Seminole Wars who, ironically, was never in this area, having died in a battle near Tampa. At that time, the only way of getting to Central Florida was by boat from Jacksonville down the St. Johns River to Fort Mellon (Sanford), then by horse or foot. Fort Maitland was a small fort built on the west shore of Lake Maitland as a rest stop between Fort Mellon and Fort Gatlin (Orlando).
What is now Maitland Avenue was part of the Old Black Bear Trail which ran from Montreal, Canada to St. Petersburg, Florida, and passed by the fort.
In the 1960’s, Maitland Avenue and Orlando Avenue (U.S. Highway 17-92) came alive with building construction. Supermarkets opened, as did restaurants, service stations, condominiums, garden apartments and churches. Even though the nation was in a recession, the arrival of Disney World, in 1971, to the Orlando area, had a strong impact on the continuous growth of Maitland.
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Antique photos are from
(http://www.rudinec.com/maitland/)