MYSTERY PHOTO OF THE WEEK
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After the Civil War, Northerners and English settlers moved into the community of Mandarin
along the river south of Jacksonville, occupying the many orange groves which were largely
neglected during the war.  They were lured by reports of the warm winter climate and an
interest in becoming fruit growers. 

 One of these was Caleb G. Crane, who came to Florida from New Jersey, and built the house
shown above in 1872. This house was one of numerous wooden residences along Mandarin
Road that typified the Gothic Revival style, with steeply pitched gables on the main façade
and curvilinear wooden trim on the porch, gable edges and eaves.

 In 1881, when the above photo was taken, the population of Mandarin was about 1200.

  . . .
A few hundred feet to the west of the Crane residence was the home of another man from New Jersey,
William King.  This house was built in 1873 at 12408 Mandarin Road and still exists today (see photo
at above  left).  Next door to the King’s was another house in this same style (above right), owned
by Calvin and  Harriet Beecher Stowe (author of the book Uncle Tom’s Cabin and whom Abraham
Lincoln called  “the little lady that started the Civil War.”)

Not too far away at 12626 Mandarin Road was the Folds residence, shown above, which had similar
architectural traits.