History of the City

The 1700s brought to Florida new people and saw its ancient tribes drift into history. Creeks of the Southeast joined forces with the Africans fleeing from the bondage of slavery. European dominance- first by the Spanish, followed by British, and later by the Americans-- erased the last villages of the native Floridians.

The new tribes, who later would include a youthful "Chief" Osceola, drifted deep into the Florida interior, seeking sanctuary. The vast pine, cypress and palmetto open land between the St. John and Kissimmee Rivers provided a safe haven. This haven for mosquitoes remained the remote homeland of the Seminoles throughout the 1700s.

• 1728 - Spain ended slavery in Florida after African soldiers joined the Spanish to drive out the British
• 1763 - The British took control of Florida
• 1776 - Thirteen of the American Colonies rebelled against the British crown, declaring their independence in July 1776 - However, the Florida colony remained loyal to the British, which protected the frontier
• 1779 - A year after joining France in declaring war against Britain in 1779, Spain captured Pensacola and took control of West Florida
• 1783 - Spain took possession of Florida and the Louisiana territory at the end of the Revolutionary War

The City of Kissimmee was originally a small trading post on the northern bank of Lake Tohopekaliga known as the community of Allendale. After the Civil War, this area was included in a purchase of four million acres of marshland and plains by Hamilton Disston, the owner of Disston Saw Company in Philadelphia. The sale price for the land totaled $1 million at 25 cents an acre!

The infusion of $1 million to the state of Florida reportedly rescued the State from financial disaster. In January 1881, Disston contracted to drain the area and deepen the Kissimmee River, so products could be shipped into the Gulf of Mexico and points beyond. Many steamboat captains navigated the chain of lakes leading from Kissimmee to the Gulf with cargoes of cypress lumber and sugar cane.

• 1845 - Florida is granted statehood
• 1873 - Kissimmee's first post office is established near Shingle Creek. The first postmaster was Clement R. Tyner
• 1882 - Florida, the first newspaper in Kissimmee was published. A one-room schoolhouse opened on Main Street and the First United Methodist Church opened its doors
• 1883 - Thirty three of 36 registered voters voted to incorporate Allendale as Kissimmee City. The first elected Mayor was T.A. Bass
• 1884 - W.B. Makinson, Sr. opens Makinson Hardware in downtown Kissimmee, which until 2022 remained Florida's oldest operating hardware store
• 1895 - A disastrous freeze led many families to relocate further south. Hamilton Disston's land company stops payments on bonds and returns to Philadelphia

By 1920 the population of Kissimmee increased to more than 2,700 people as a result of the Florida land boom. In the 1930s the cattle industry began to flourish in the area. However, citrus and other crops remained as the predominant industry. The construction of the Kissimmee Airport in the 1940s by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in preparation for the U.S. involvement in World War II caused Kissimmee's population to increase by 38% to 3,700 residents.

City leaders wanting to continue Kissimmee's prosperous history, encouraged growth by attracting retirees to the area during the 1950s. This effort stimulated growth nearly 60%. The next period of growth came in the 1970s with the development of Walt Disney World and other tourist attractions. Since Walt Disney World's debut in 1971, the City's population doubled from 7,500 to 15,000 in 1980. The population doubled again in the 1980s to 30,000.

• 1900 - Electricity comes to Kissimmee. The initial rates were 3 cents per night or $7.50 per month
• 1908 - A Fourth of July celebration was planned to welcome the residents of the new City of St. Cloud. The owner of a new flying school in Kissimmee planned his first flight to highlight the occasion. In taking off, the airplane hit a cow and was destroyed, resulting in the drafting of an air-ship ordinance
• 1915 - Osceola High School plays its first football game, beating Orlando High School 6-0
• 1924 - Kissimmee Chamber of Commerce is chartered
• 1934 - Cattleman's Association is established in Kissimmee
• 1943 - Construction of the Monument of States is completed
• 1944 - The first Silver Spurs Rodeo is held on July 4. Admission is the purchase of one war bond
• 1956 - Record rainfall brings flooding and $2 million in damages to Kissimmee

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Chief Osceola was a member of a native American tribe in Florida. Although most tribes did not oppose the white encroachment, Osceola was furious about the way the Seminoles were treated. He was determined to help maintain the Seminole heritage and homeland.

This determination led to his willingness to take a leadership role within the tribe even though he never held the formal title of Chief. In 1887, the county was named in honor of "Chief" Osceola, when Osceola County became Florida's 40th county.

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Hamilton Disston was born on August 23, 1844, in Philadelphia. He worked in his father's saw manufacturing plant until he signed up to join the troops fighting in the Civil War. Twice during the early years of fighting, he enlisted, only to be hauled home after his father paid the bounty for another soldier to take his son's place. He eventually accepted his son's wishes and supplied Hamilton and 100 other workers from the saw plant with equipment to form the Disston Volunteers. Hamilton served as a private in the Union Army until the end of the war.

Hamilton Disston purchased four million acres of marshland shortly after the Civil War. Included in his purchase was the small trading post of Allendale, which was eventually renamed Kissimmee. Disston wished to drain the area surrounding Kissimmee and deepen the Kissimmee River, so products could be shipped into the Gulf of Mexico and beyond. Many steamboats passed through the area with cargoes of cypress lumber and sugar cane.

Disston committed suicide on April 30, 1896, after a disastrous freeze led many families to relocate further south. Disston's land company stopped payment on bonds and returned to Philadelphia.