Pine Castle Pioneer Days, 1974

The English Colony

The little town of Conway northeast of Pine Castle was first called "Prospect." The name was changed in the mid-eighties to "Conway," or "The English Colony," when a large group of Englishmen moved into the area.

The Florida real estate people had agents in London who advertized in pamphlets and sporting papers about the beauty of the new land. They emphasized particularly the orange industry and the delightful outdoor life.

This attracted three different classes of Englishmen. There was the older group made up mainly of retired professional men and army officers. These came mainly because of the climate and, in some cases, because of their limited income. The younger group were the younger sons of English gentlemen who because of English law did not inherit anything from their fathers' estates. Most of these were right out of school or university and had been sent abroad by their families for one reason or another. They were called "remittance men," because they were supported by an allowance from home. The third group were common laborers, many of whom had come out as servants of the former two groups.

All of the Englishmen were sporting mad. They formed the first polo team in Orlando, organized tennis clubs, and did a lot of hunting.

Among the early English settlers were such men as Mr. A.R. Arnold, Colonel H.B. Church, Mrs. E.H. Crux, Dr. Norton Taylor, and Mrs. Dudley G. Cary-Elwes.

Although the English Colony was very much a part of the social life of the Orlando area while they were here, they did not stay very long. For a while, the colony propsered; but, the Big Freeze of 1894-5 virtually wiped them out. The freeze killed all the citrus trees, leaving the group destitute. It is said that the Englishmen sold out and left Conway in such a hurry that some even left the dishes to be washed on the table. One man sold his groves for which he had paid $40,000 for the price of a ticket back to England.