Thomas B. Mack Florida Citrus Archives
The archival materials related to citrus have grown slowly but steadily over the years at Florida Southern College. Faculty and students moved to Lakeland in 1922, to the site of a citrus grove. Florida Southern College's Citrus Institute was founded in 1947 and offered the first classes in grove management for the state of Florida. Professor Thomas B. Mack began teaching at the college in 1951 and brought his interest in all things citrus, as well as his burgeoning collection of which he continue to grow after his retirement in 1999. While he passed away in 2004, the collections he started continued to grow.
The Florida Citrus Archives are housed in the Sarah D. and L. Kirk McKay, Jr. Archives Center. Materials accepted for donation include business papers related to grove management as well as documents and photographs related to individuals involved in the industry. Materials are preserved for the future and are made available to researchers and the public. The time frame represented in the current collection covers from the 1920s to the present. We are actively looking for the records of defunct groves.
John Attaway Citrus Freeze Collection: Florida Freeze and Hurricane Research Files contain biographical information, research files, notes, and manuscripts for the two books - A History of Florida Citrus Freezes and Hurricanes and Florida Agriculture.
Dr. O.C. Bryan Papers: The materials in this collection reflect Dr. O.C. Bryan’s time as a researcher at both the University of Florida and the Soil Sciences Foundation.
Robert Carter Papers (CIT 2005): The Robert D. Carter papers consist of the subject’s research notes, reference material, correspondence, and photographs/slides.
W.V. Chandler Papers (CIT 2015): The collection contains notes and reference material used by Dr. Chandler. Published material has been separated and will be cataloged in the library’s system.
Citrus Processors Meeting Records: This collection contains the programs for the 2nd through 14th as well as the 28th annual meetings held at the University of Florida’s Citrus Experiment Station in Lake Alfred, Florida.
James P. Drane Collection (CIT 2020): This collection contains published research used by the subject as reference material
William L. Drew Collection (CIT 2025): This collection contains correspondence between William L. Drew and various companies and entities involved in the Florida Citrus Industry during the 1920s.
Florida Citrus Mutual Triangle Newsletter
Florida Citrus Processors Association Collection: The Florida Citrus Processors Association (FCPA) began around 1926 as a loose affiliation of canning associations and companies under the guidance of Claude Everett “C.E.” Street of the Florida Grapefruit Canning Company.
The Florida Citrus Reporter Collection
Colonel Bayard Franklin Floyd Papers: Colonel Bayard Franklin Floyd (1882-1945) was a leader in both the citrus and fertilizer industries. He began his career in Florida at the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station in 1907 as a plant pathologist.
The Charles Julian Fussell Collection (CIT 2030): The materials in this collection reflect the subject’s invention and marketing of the Orange Scream snack product. Additional materials are related to his work as a citrus industry sales and marketing executive.
James T. Griffiths Papers: The James T. Griffiths Papers reflect his lifelong work within the citrus field. The collection contains personal letters, notes, documents such as maps and graphs, and coursework from various citrus materials.
Dr. William Grierson Papers (CIT 2035): The materials in this collection reflect the subject’s work in citrus fruit research. Of special note are the bound logs used by the research stations
Haines City Citrus Growers Association Collection: The HCCGA records include photographs, annual meeting reports, newsletters, and memorabilia. The annual meeting reports date from 1949 to 2009 and include general financial reports to the membership.
Haskins Family Collection: Calling himself the “Florida Label Man,” Harold Haskins and his wife Geraldine ran an antique shop for many years in Micanopy, Florida before moving to Tallahassee, Florida. The Haskins collected and sold a variety of labels, including fruit and vegetable crate labels and cigar box labels. Later, their daughter Mary also collected and sold labels as the “Florida Label Ma’am.”
Holly Hill Grove and Fruit Company Collection: The development of Holly Hill near Davenport, Florida began in December 1919 as part of the Holly Hill Grove and Fruit Company, a subsidiary of the Wilson and Toomer Fertilizer Company. Like other Florida land development companies during the 1920s, the Holly Hill Grove and Fruit Company packaged together the sale of house lots with citrus grove lots.
Frederick J. Houk Collection (CIT 2040): The materials in this collection primarily reflect the subject’s involvement with Citrus Central’s marketing department in the 1970s. Included are notes, meeting minutes, and correspondence related to the organization’s operations and marketing efforts.
Hughes Memorial Foundation, Inc. Collection: The Hughes Memorial Foundation, Inc. was founded in 1961 as the Hughes Budwood Foundation by Lena B. Smithers Hughes in honor of her late husband Dr. Ausker E. Hughes.
Roy B. Hunter Collection (CIT 2045): This collection contains correspondence, reports, and ephemera related to the subject’s position as marketing director for Florida Citrus Mutual.
Dr. James R. Iley Collection: This collection includes a photocopy of a photograph of Dr. Iley as part of an agricultural research field trip and a set of annotated research papers bearing his name.
Warren O. Johnson Collection (CIT 2050): The materials in this collection reflect the subject’s employment with the Florida Agricultural Weather Service. The collection contains correspondence, reports, and reference material created or used by the subject in his work. The collection also contains some ephemeral material and a few photos.
Dr. W. Bernard “Bernie” Lester Scrapbook: The scrapbook contains photographs from Dr. Bernard Lester’s farewell from the Florida Department of Citrus in 1986 as well as newspaper articles about him and his later induction in the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame in 2012.
Tom Oswalt Collection (CIT 2055): The materials in this collection reflect the subject’s work as an Extension agent in Polk County, Florida during the 1960s and 1970s. The collection includes reports, correspondence, and reference material used in the course of the work.
R.V. Red Phillips Collection (CIT 2060): The materials in this collection reflect the subject’s affiliation with the Haines City Citrus Growers Association and the broader citrus industry in Florida. Correspondence, newspaper articles, reports, and ephemera make up the bulk of the collection. Photographs are also present. Of special interest is the information on the relationship with the Duncan Hines Company as well as Florida Gift Fruit.
Polk County Fertilizer Company Collection: The Polk County Fertilizer Company began in the 1880s in Haines City, Florida as an ice factory. In 1936, the company switched to fertilizer, which was produced until 1989. In 1989, a fire started at the plant, and the water used to extinguish the fire caused groundwater contamination to the local area. The plant closed in 2012, and the site was sold to the city of Haines City in 2019.
Clifford Charles “Cliff” Rathbun Papers: The C.C. Rathbun Papers contain mementos from his life, including information on his wife Ruth Allison Rathbun’s family
Soil Science Foundation Records: The Soil Science Foundation was founded in 1939 in Lakeland, Florida as a “non-profit corporation organized by farm people, and [was] chartered under the statutes of the state of Florida to aid in their soil and fertilizer problems.” The Foundation was originally located on the Florida Southern College campus near the site of the current Jack M. Berry Citrus Building.
Frank Sullivan III Papers: The Sullivan-Victory Groves began as Sullivan Packing Company in the 1930s and was founded by Frank and Amelia “Molly” Sullivan.
C. Howard Sweatt Papers: C. Howard Sweatt (1909-1993) was a leader in the Florida citrus industry, especially the citrus canning industry.
W.L. Thompson Papers: W.L. Thompson was a citrus entomologist involved in the study of citrus pests, particularly aphids and grasshoppers, from the late 1920s to 1960s. He worked at the University of Florida’s Citrus Experiment Station in Lake Alfred, Florida from 1927 - 1962. His work on controlling aphids was his most significant contribution to the citrus industry.
Waverly Growers Association Collection: Waverly Growers Association was an agriculturally based cooperative. It was a grower-owned fresh citrus cooperative offering members grove care, harvesting, packing services, and marketing.
Wilson and Toomer Fertilizer Company Records: The Wilson and Toomer Fertilizer Company was founded in Jacksonville, Florida in 1893 by Lorenzo A. Wilson and Wiley G. Toomer. In 1905, the company built one of the country’s largest fertilizer plants on Talleyrand Avenue in Jacksonville. The company would later build their corporate offices there as well. The company grew into multiple locations across the state including Tampa, Orlando, Fort Myers, Bradenton, Davenport, and multiple sales offices.
Winter Garden Citrus Products Cooperative Papers: Incorporated in 1944, the Winter Garden Citrus Products Cooperative was a co-operative founded by R. D. Keene to process citrus juice into concentrate for several growers. Keene served as President from its incorporation until 1966 when he stepped down stating medical issue. Under Keene, the plant expanded several times to become one of the largest concentrate plants in the state.
Vaughn E. Woods Papers: Vaughn Edmond Woods (1908-1999) moved to Davenport, Florida in 1931, and in 1932, he established the V. Woods Laboratory in the city. In 1937, he became the Soil Chemist for the Wilson and Toomer Fertilizer Company, where he would work for about 35 years, taking over from W.L. Tait. After Woods left Wilson and Toomer, he held a variety of roles: he opened Nepco Realty in Davenport and worked there for 30 years; he also became the owner of what was once known as the Pardee Groves in Davenport; and in the 1950s, he also served as the Mayor of Davenport.