By Emily Allen, FCHoF Student Fellow
Theodore Strawn, a native of Illinois, moved his family to Volusia County, Florida, in 1882. During the late 1800s, Florida was promoted as a paradise on earth, with a “climate that could cure all ailments and produce wealth with little effort." As the railways spread southward to Florida, it became easier to ship goods across the United States. The ability to produce large amounts of fruit and ship them countrywide began to be known as the “orange fever.” Thus, living in Florida as a citrus grower and packer became very attractive. The Strawn family took full advantage of this budding industry to form the foundations for their citrus empire.
Not only did the boom provide for the Strawns, but the full takeover of Florida with the “Orange Boom” allowed for many new opportunities to come their way. Volusia County had a large amount of property owned by railroad developer Henry DeLand, who founded the city of DeLand. This small town became a large orange industry focal point with population growth following. In turn, not only did DeLand see profit, but all of Volusia County and the surrounding Central Florida region benefitted. Further expansion of the railroad allowed for further transport of citrus, and the Strawns found profit in this development in Volusia County’s version of a ‘Gold Rush,’ growing their business and name in the citrus industry nationwide.
Theodore Strawn first started in West Volusia County with the later-to-be-known “Bob White” packing facility. The “Bob White” name was given to the citrus after a small game bird, the northern quail, that the Strawn family would frequently hunt. Though many nearby farmers struggled through the 1894-1895 freezes, the Strawn citrus continued to prosper. Similarly to other Volusia County orange growers, the Strawns saw a boom in business. The freeze, while it did destroy business for many different crops and the citrus industry in Georgia and South Carolina, provided Florida with a large boost. Growers began looking south to warmer weather in Florida. This boom led to the Strawns becoming one of the many families in Florida, especially Volusia County, to see an opportunity and take hold of it to grow their citrus business.
The packinghouse was the center of quality control and species regulation for the Strawn company. This facility was originally constructed of a wooden frame, which later would be destroyed in a fire in 1921. As a result, Strawn was dedicated to creating a facility that could “never be destroyed.” He placed large amounts of profits from the packing company into the construction of the new building. The new building was made of steel siding and roofing, which became the Strawn company’s standard for future packinghouses and buildings.
As the company recovered from the devastating fire, they were able to produce large amounts of citrus of varying species and qualities. The highest quality oranges with the longest shelf life were named the Bob White. These oranges were shipped largely to the northern sector of the United States, while the “lower quality” oranges were saved for roadside markets and stands to be sold in Florida. The mechanism that was able to separate out the “Bob White,” Volusia, and Intrinsic varieties of oranges was a conveyor belt. The conveyor belt was seen as a large innovation for the citrus industry and became the standard for the Strawn company packing houses across Florida.
The company was succeeding and growing at a rapid pace. In 1921, the Strawn family owned up to 225 acres of citrus groves. With the profits from the Bob White operation, Strawn opened a new location in DeLeon Springs. He was also able to expand the variety of oranges his company grew, including a new species at the time called the Enterprise. The Enterprise was a seedless variety desirable from the growing consumer base for Florida citrus.
As time progressed, Theodore passed away in 1925, but his family kept the Strawn legacy alive, continuing to manage and grow the business. Theodore’s wife, Candace, became the president following his death and remained active in the company until her death in 1961. Theodore’s and Candace’s children, Theodore Strawn Junior, Robert, and Chester, ran the operations of the company, ensuring efficiency and quality remained strong. In 1951, John Strawn, Theodore Sr.’s grandson, returned from college with an education in business and became the manager of the Bob White operation. He was able to ensure the workers were efficient and motivated as he promised to keep his grandfather’s labor policy intact. Theodore implemented a policy to only allow his packers and other factory workers to work during daylight. With this, his goal was to ensure the workers stayed motivated to work and did not lower their quality of separation or packing due to the long hours of a night shift.
Fast forward a few decades to the early 2000s. David Strawn, a descendant of Theodore Strawn, became the owner of the citrus company and lands. David Strawn was a retired longtime circuit judge of Brevard-Seminole County who became widely involved in the relationship between the citrus and cattle industries. Once David wanted to consolidate the land and company to shift the company to the cattle industry, he decided to sell the land of the old Volusia County groves. During this time, much of the old Florida groves were being bought by residential developers, eliminating much of Florida’s natural landscape. Strawn took this as a large concern when he decided to sell the land. Thus, when the opportunity arose to have the grove land be converted into conservation land through grove clustering, he took it. Clustering was used by the state to “cluster” nearby groves and ranching land into a singular protected piece of land that would restrict development and protect the natural habitat. Strawn took a deal in June of 2008 to cluster his land with nearby agricultural lands. This deal saved the 1,207 acres of land owned by the Strawns from ever being developed. David decreased the Strawn company’s lands (now named the Deep Creek Ranch) in DeLeon Springs while protecting the old acreage for the future of Florida’s natural ecosystem. The Strawn family now owns and operates the Deep Creek Ranch on the remaining land they have, and they specialize in raising high-quality beef for the local community and restaurants.
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