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B−History
History · Lake Alfred

Lake Alfred dates to 1883, and 1 of its places is on the National Register

More historic than 52% of U.S. towns · #67 of 638 in Florida. What drives it

Most of Lake Alfred was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1989. Its Register listing is the John H. Evans House. Its Register listing is the John H. Evans House. Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1959 on, and the census since 1920.

1883founded
1on the National Register
6%homes built before 1940
3old photos & papers
3famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Lake Alfred’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Lake Alfred began

When was Lake Alfred founded?

1883

Lake Alfred dates its founding to 1883 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1920.

First census: 317 in 19202020 census: 6,374143 years

How historic is Lake Alfred?

B−

More historic than 52% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1913.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Lake Alfred’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Lake Alfred is more historic than 52% of U.S. towns, #67 of 638 in Florida. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Lake Alfred’s overall grade.
Founding eraNo founding year we can rely on, so the grade uses the other two–Homes built before 19405.5% of homes (±4.5) · typical FL town 0.6% · U.S. 8.4%CNational Register1 listing, 2 historic buildings, 2.7 per 10,000 residents · typical FL town 0.0 · U.S. 2.4B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 52%
NewerOlder
Florida towns of 2,500+ (638)Ahead of 90%

Few Florida towns list much on the Register (a typical Florida town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Lake Alfred’s 2.7 sits above most of its state (78% of Florida towns have fewer) while its 2 historic buildings outnumber those of 60% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikipedia alone; no second source gives 1883.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.5 points).

Founding year: Wikipedia (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Lake Alfred’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 3 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Lost villages4 hamlets and corners are still on the map.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Lake Alfred’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Lake Alfred’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
3 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewGrapefruit canning plant: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Places that used to be

Old corners and burying grounds

Lake Alfred’s post office has been open since 1913.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Cypress Greens Mobile Home ParkHaines Haven Mobile ParkLake Alfred Mobile Home ParkLynchburg
1cemetery inside Lake Alfred
Oak Grove

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

The story

How Lake Alfred came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Lake Alfred.

Read it all →

The city was established soon after the South Florida Railroad reached the area in 1883. It had a number of early names, including Fargo, Chubb and Bartow Junction.

The settlement was named Fargo by snowbirds escaping the cold of Fargo, North Dakota. They at first named the settlement after their hometown, but the United States Postal Service protested after a series of mix-ups with the town of Largo. The town then became Chubb and later Bartow Junction because it lay at the junction of a railroad leading south into the county seat Bartow.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Lake Alfred, 1883 to 1996

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1883
    FoundingLake Alfred is established
  3. 20th century
  4. 1913Post officeThe Lake Alfred post office opens
  5. 1926Born hereAmos Watson is born here
  6. 1937In the archiveGrapefruit canning plant
  7. 1940In the archiveFlorida [Hamilton County - Sarasota County (part)]
  8. 1959On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  9. 1971In the archiveAmtrak Champion at Lake Alfred postcard
  10. 1982Born hereDawayne Bryan is born here
  11. 1996Born hereArtavis Pierce is born here
By decade

Lake Alfred, decade by decade

3 decades in the archive, from the 1930s to the 1970s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1930s–1970s3 items
Grapefruit canning plant1937Grapefruit canning plantFlorida [Hamilton County - Sarasota County (part)]1940Florida [Hamilton County - Sarasota County (part)]Amtrak Champion at Lake Alfred postcard1971Amtrak Champion at Lake Alfred postcardPostcard
1980s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Today21 recent
Chain of Lakes Trail Outdoor Gym @ Thelma Street;2022Chain of Lakes Trail Outdoor Gym @ Thelma Street;Chain of Lakes Trail Bridge, South of Frank Road;2022Chain of Lakes Trail Bridge, South of Frank Road;NEB US 17-92; Chain of Lakes Trail Bridge2021NEB US 17-92; Chain of Lakes Trail BridgeNEB US 17-92 @ Lake Alfred Water Plant2021NEB US 17-92 @ Lake Alfred Water PlantUntitled photo2021Untitled photoNB US 17 joins EB US 922021NB US 17 joins EB US 92NB US 17 enters2021NB US 17 entersLake alfred depot2015Lake alfred depotStorm coming 22014Storm coming 2Mackay Estate2013Mackay EstateMackay Estate2013Mackay EstateLake Rochelle park boat ramp LakeAlfredFL2013Lake Rochelle park boat ramp LakeAlfredFLLake Rochelle boat ramp LakeAlfredFL2013Lake Rochelle boat ramp LakeAlfredFLLake Alfred library2013Lake Alfred libraryLake Alfred Wikivoyage Map2013Lake Alfred Wikivoyage MapMapFLMap-doton-LakeAlfred2004FLMap-doton-LakeAlfredRoad photo from August 10, 2002 192002Road photo from August 10, 2002 19Road photo from December 30, 2001 292001Road photo from December 30, 2001 29Road photo from December 30, 2001 282001Road photo from December 30, 2001 28Road photo from December 30, 2001 272001Road photo from December 30, 2001 27Road photo from December 30, 2001 262001Road photo from December 30, 2001 26
On the map

Lake Alfred on the map, 1959 to 1980

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Lake Alfred. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Lake Alfred on the 1959 USGS mapLake Alfred on the 1970 USGS mapLake Alfred on the 1980 USGS map1959Winter Haven sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Lake Alfred.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Grapefruit canning plant
Retake this viewGrapefruit canning plant, 1937

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Lake Alfred’s page.

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

1 historic place in Lake Alfred

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
2
each building in a district counts
first listed
2022
John H. Evans House
John H. Evans House
Buildings
All 1 listings
John H. Evans HouseBuilding · listed 2022

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

People over time

Lake Alfred, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,0004,5005,0005,5006,0006,5007,0001920194019601980200020206,374

Grew from 317 people in 1920 to 6,374 in 2020, more than tenfold.

11 censuses, 1920–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Lake Alfred’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

3 famous people were born in Lake Alfred

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
A
Amos WatsonAmerican baseball player · b. 1926
A
Artavis PierceAmerican football player · b. 1996
D
Dawayne BryanAmerican racing driver · b. 1982
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Winter Haven7 historic placesBAuburndale4 historic placesC+Haines City5 historic placesB−

Questions about Lake Alfred’s history

What year was Lake Alfred founded?

In 1883, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Lake Alfred’s post office opened in 1913, and the census of 1920 counted 317 people here.

How does Lake Alfred rank for history?

Lake Alfred is more historic than 52% of U.S. towns, #67 of 638 in Florida. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Lake Alfred?

One place: the John H. Evans House (listed 2022).

How old are the homes in Lake Alfred?

6% of Lake Alfred’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.5 points), against a typical 0.6% for a Florida town; the median home was built in 1989.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From Wikimedia Commons (23), the Library of Congress (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.