The county seat of Volusia County, DeLand is located in an area first known as Persimmon Hollow, so named for the abundance of persimmon trees that surrounded natural springs. The name changed in 1876 when Industrialist Henry DeLand, a baking-soda magnate from New York, officially founded a new community on 160 acres of rolling terrain.

The fledgling town soon boasted several businesses and a college. Founded in 1885 by the Florida Baptists, DeLand College is today's Stetson University. In 1886, a massive fire started in a local saloon, destroying much of the downtown. More hardship followed within the decade when a freeze devastated the local citrus industry and financially ruined the town's founder, Henry DeLand.

Residents proved resilient, however, turning to shipbuilding supplies, dairy goods, and printing in the aftermath of the freeze. By the first decades of the twentieth century, the town was again prospering.

The 1920s welcomed a new breed of traveler to town: the tin can tourist, who endured canned meals and the uncomfortable accommodations of their automobiles affixed with tents to escape the hum drum routine of daily life. Swelling the local population during the winter months, tin can tourists stayed at local auto parks that provided them with restrooms and dining facilities.

The decade of the 1930s contrasted sharply with the 1920s. The Great Depression brought harsh economic times to DeLand. The local bank closed its doors and the incorporated town, which had expanded during the 1920s, shrunk to one square mile.

Economic fortunes turned with the onset of World War II and the construction of DeLand Naval Air Station. The base, which housed bombers and crews that patrolled the Florida coast in search of German submarines, became a municipal airport after the war. The town prospered in the post war period and has experienced considerable growth over the last half century.

Local government and the Western Volusia County Historical Society have worked to preserve its history in the face of this growth. That history is on display at the DeLand House Museum and in the downtown historic district, which features numerous buildings of significance, including the old Athens Theatre. Stetson University, the site of Florida's first law school, features several historically significant buildings as well, most notably DeLand Hall.

Originally developed as small farming town, DeLand has evolved into a sizeable city. Nonetheless, a picturesque downtown and the city's preservation efforts ensure that it retains its historic character.

This podcast made possible through a grant from the Florida Humanities Council. Script written by Kyle Bruke. Narrated by Kevin Blackwater.