Strawn Historic Citrus Packing House District, Historic citrus packing district in De Leon Springs, Florida.
Strawn Historic Citrus Packing House District is a former orange processing operation in De Leon Springs containing twelve buildings and three structures on roughly twenty acres. The main metal packing house features a distinctive sawtooth roofline and sits near U.S. Route 17, surrounded by support structures including a barn, blacksmith shop, machinery house, and steam building, all bordered by the CSX railroad line.
Theodore Strawn established this orange packing operation in 1882 as the region developed its early citrus industry. Following a fire in 1921, he constructed a new fireproof building using copper-alloy steel panels to modernize the facility.
The Bob White label identified premium oranges processed here, becoming recognized by buyers in northern cities who valued the fruit from this operation. The brand represented quality and became associated with citrus from this region.
The site spans roughly twenty acres bordered by the CSX railroad line, which can limit access to certain areas of the grounds. The best vantage point is from U.S. Route 17, where you can see the metal packing house and supporting structures from the road.
The packing house survived the devastating freezes of 1894 to 1895 that damaged the region's citrus industry, proving its resilience during the industry's early crisis. Operations finally ceased after another severe freeze in December 1983 destroyed the orange groves that supplied the facility.
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