History

History of Ivey Lane and the Lake Mann Area


1857

Robert Ivey, his wife Priscilla, and their nine children settled in Orlando on 64 acres of land on the south and west banks of Lake Eola, becoming the seventh family to settle in Orlando. Robert Ivey was also granted 40 acres of land north of Grand Avenue for his service to the government, where he built a home. He purchased farms and groves, and finally settled on the western shores of Lake Mann, buying land that extended to Old Winter Garden Road. He constructed a one-story, rambling home that became known as the 'Ivey Home.'

1871

Robert and Priscilla's oldest son, John Ivey, became the first elected sheriff of Orange County, and was appointed a road commissioner for District 1. He also served as tax assessor and tax collector for the area.

1900

Mathias L. Ivey, son of John and Ann Ivey, received his master's degree from the University of Florida and became a prominent school teacher. For thirty-five years he was the sole teacher at the 'Ivey School,' which stood at the corner of Winter Garden Road and Ivey Lane. He taught the first through eighth grades. 'Ivey School' became the first place for community gatherings in the area.

1926

E.P. Beeman bought 282 acres on Lake Mann to build the community now known as Ivey Lane and Lake Mann Gardens.

1946

After Mr. Beeman's real estate venture, the neighborhoods in the Ivey Lane / Lake Mann area continued to grow. An area between Clear Lake and Lake Mann was included in this growth, and the area then included neighborhoods now known as Lake Sunset, Washington Shores, Demetree, Ivey Lane, Lake Mann Gardens and Malibu Groves.

1972

The city of Orlando renamed the Lake Mann bathing beach on the eastern shore of the lake to Gilbert McQueen Park. A local resident, Gilbert Bemouplis McQueen was an Orlandoan killed in action in the Korean War.


In the last thirty years, the Ivey Lane / Lake Mann area has continued to grow, providing a home for some 29,000 residents. The Ivey Lane Elementary School and the adjacent new Ivey Lane Park are now poised to become again what the original 'Ivey School' had been - a place where the community can gather together for fellowship and recreation.