Eldora

Explore Eldora

NPS/Photo

Quick Facts

Location:

New Smyrna Beach, Florida

Significance:

U.S. National Register of Historic Places

OPEN TO PUBLIC:

No

Amenities

7 listed

Accessible Rooms, Benches/Seating, Dock/Pier, Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Parking - Auto, Restroom, Scenic View/Photo Spot

Eldora was named for early residents, Ellen and Dora Pitzer the daughters of George Pitzer. Settlers came as treasure hunters, having purchased maps to hidden riches. Others came as carpenters, fishermen, beekeepers, and farmers. These hardy folks were met with harsh environments, lack of fresh water, mosquitos and summer heat.

All depended on the shallow draft steamboats that served the inland waterways for transportation of goods and people. It played an important role in Florida’s interior development before roads and rail lines were built. When the railroad came to Edgewater the Eldora economy was transformed. The little town was no longer on the main trade route.

Two years of killing frost in the 1890’s wiped out most of the citrus, causing residents to leave. By 1900 nearly all business on the island had ended. Some families stayed and made the turn from a farming community to a resort area for visitors seeking refuge from cold northern winters. 

• Eldora Audio Tour

  
  

  Enjoy listening to this audio tour of Eldora. A once thriving late 1800's community that resided along the edge of Mosquito Lagoon at what is now Canaveral National Seashore.

  Date created:

  05/08/2021

  Audio Transcript

  While walking the path from Parking Lot #8, imagine that it is the 1890s. Over one hundred people lived here then. Known as Fairview, the village had a school and a post office. Boats plied the waterway delivering supplies and picking up produce. Folks worked in the orange groves, the bee apiaries, and in vegetable gardens. They spent time with loved ones and enjoyed the bounty that the waters of the lagoon had to offer. In 1895 and 1900 there were hard freezes that killed the orange groves. Change continued with the coming of the railroad to the mainland. Boat transport was abandoned, isolating the village. Fairview became a backwater town that receded into the hammock. After 1910 Florida became popular as a wintering place for the wealthy, and Fairview became known as Eldora. Imagine wintering here with hunting, fishing, and trips to the beach by families that traveled to escape the cold northern winters: the original snowbirds. By the 1930s the Great Depression brought years of hard times, decline and neglect to Eldora. The Eldora State House, the last remaining home of this era, fell to disrepair. But her story was not over. In the the 1980s the Friends of Canaveral began a ten year restoration project. Thanks to their hard work, you can enjoy the Eldora State House in its full splendor today. Have a seat in a rocking chair on the porch, close your eyes and let yourself drift back to Eldora.