Orlando Reeves
Encyclopedia
According to one tale on the origin of the name of Orlando, Florida
, Sentinel Orlando Reeves was an American
soldier who was killed during the Seminole War, when he was about to fire a warning shot to his fellow soldiers.
The real namesake was a man named Orlando Reeves, who operated a sugar
mill and plantation
about thirty miles north of the modern city at Spring Garden in modern Volusia County
. He carved his name in a tree near what is now Lake Eola, which later settlers assumed was a grave marker. Their speculations as to the carving's origin led to the various accounts of Seminole War battles, and the area around the tree became known as "Orlando's Grave" or simply "Orlando."
There were no reported skirmishes with Seminoles in the area. The closest was at Hatcheelustee, on what is now Walt Disney World property several miles south of the city. No federal or state muster rolls list any soldier with a name similar to Orlando Reeves or Rees.
An alternative explanation for the name is that one of the founders of the city was enamoured with Shakespeare
, and named the city for the hero of As You Like It. Rosalind Avenue runs though downtown, as Rosalind ran through Orlando's heart.
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
, Sentinel Orlando Reeves was an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
soldier who was killed during the Seminole War, when he was about to fire a warning shot to his fellow soldiers.
The real namesake was a man named Orlando Reeves, who operated a sugar
Sugar
Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...
mill and plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
about thirty miles north of the modern city at Spring Garden in modern Volusia County
Volusia County, Florida
Volusia County is a county located in the state of Florida. The U.S. Census Bureau 2010 official county's population was 494,593 . Its county seat is DeLand, and its most populous city is currently Deltona....
. He carved his name in a tree near what is now Lake Eola, which later settlers assumed was a grave marker. Their speculations as to the carving's origin led to the various accounts of Seminole War battles, and the area around the tree became known as "Orlando's Grave" or simply "Orlando."
There were no reported skirmishes with Seminoles in the area. The closest was at Hatcheelustee, on what is now Walt Disney World property several miles south of the city. No federal or state muster rolls list any soldier with a name similar to Orlando Reeves or Rees.
An alternative explanation for the name is that one of the founders of the city was enamoured with Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
, and named the city for the hero of As You Like It. Rosalind Avenue runs though downtown, as Rosalind ran through Orlando's heart.