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C+History
History · Leesburg

Leesburg dates to 1857, and 1 of its places is on the National Register

More historic than 41% of U.S. towns · #104 of 638 in Florida. What drives it

Most of Leesburg was built recently: 7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1985. Its Register listing is the Mote-Morris House. Below: 11 old photos and papers, maps from 1885 on, and the census since 1880.

1857founded
1on the National Register
7%homes built before 1940
11old photos & papers
12famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Leesburg’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Leesburg began

When was Leesburg founded?

1857

Leesburg dates its founding to 1857 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 200 in 18802020 census: 27,000169 years

How historic is Leesburg?

C+

More historic than 41% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1871.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Leesburg’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Leesburg is more historic than 41% of U.S. towns, #104 of 638 in Florida. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Leesburg’s overall grade.
Founding era1857, from Wikidata: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 19406.7% of homes (±2.8) · typical FL town 0.6% · U.S. 8.4%C+National Register1 listing, 0.3 per 10,000 residents · typical FL town 0.0 · U.S. 2.4B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 41%
NewerOlder
Florida towns of 2,500+ (638)Ahead of 84%

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 Leesburg’s 0.3 sits above most of its state (68% of Florida towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B−. The pre-1940 share (±2.8 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1857.

Founding year: Wikidata (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 Leesburg’s past

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

Lost villages2 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Leesburg, and 7 old place names are still on the map.Mapped building by building8 fire insurance maps, 1885 to 1924, drew every building in Leesburg.Famous sons and daughtersRed Robbins, Theo Croker and 10 more were born here.
★ What stands out · Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Leesburg’s post office has been open since 1871. Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Leesburg
1871–today
Mont Clair
1883–1929
Cason
1886–1904
18701950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Coachwood Colony Mobile Home ParkLake Griffin Mobile Home ParkLeesburg Lakeshore Mobile Home ParkLeesburg Landing Mobile Home ParkMontclairPalm Ridge Mobile VillagePleasant Oaks Trailer Park
Gone or out of use
Carver Heights High SchoolschoolFlorida National Guard ArmorymilitaryLeesburg Army Air FieldmilitarySkeen Elementary Schoolschool
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Leesburg
Evergreen Memorial GardensLone Oak

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

Every building

Leesburg, building by building, 1885–1924

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.

Leesburg fire insurance map, 1885, sheet 11885Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Famous people

12 famous people were born in Leesburg

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

See all →
Red RobbinsAmerican basketball player · b. 1944
Theo CrokerAmerican jazz musician · b. 1985
Dan HinoteAmerican ice hockey player and coach · b. 1977
Susan HarrisonAmerican actress · b. 1938
Johnny ThunderAmerican singer · b. 1932
Jonathan HayAmerican publicist, record producer and entrepr… · b. 1973
The story

How Leesburg came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Leesburg.

Read it all →

Leesburg was first settled in 1857 by Evander McIver Lee and Susannah Lee. Shortly after Evander purchased his first property in the area, his brother Josiah joined him, purchasing land near Montclair Road. Several of his brothers followed him to the area. One of them, John Calvin Lee, was credited with giving the town its name. The city was incorporated in 1875, and was designated as the county seat of Sumter County for a time. When Lake County was formed in 1887, Tavares was designated as its seat. It was officially incorporated as the "City of Leesburg" on July 12, 1875.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Leesburg, 1857 to 1985

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1857
    FoundingLeesburg is established
  3. 1870In the archiveHalf-length portrait of an African American man facing right) - D. G. Lawton, Leesburg, F…
  4. 1871Post officeThe Leesburg post office opens
  5. 1880In the archive1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Florida - Lake County - Leesburg - ED 35-15
  6. 1883Post officeThe Mont Clair post office opens
  7. 1886Post officeThe Cason post office opens
  8. 20th century
  9. 1904Post officeThe Cason post office closes
  10. 1909In the archiveAlligator (sternwheeler 1888) postcard
  11. 1913In the archiveBoy in 4th of July costume
  12. 1929Post officeThe Mont Clair post office closes
  13. 1930In the archiveHotel Magnolia
  14. 1938Born hereSusan Harrison is born here
  15. 1940In the archiveFlorida [Hamilton County - Sarasota County (part)]
  16. 1944Born hereRed Robbins is born here
  17. 1966On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  18. 1977Born hereDan Hinote is born here
  19. 1985Born hereTheo Croker is born here
By decade

Leesburg, decade by decade

7 decades in the archive, from the 1870s to the 1990s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1870s–1910s5 items
Half-length portrait of an African American man facing right) - D. G. Lawton, Leesburg, Fla1870Half-length portrait of an African American man facin…1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Florida - Lake County - Leesburg - ED 35-1518801940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Florida - Lak…1950 Census Enumeration District Maps - Florida (FL) - Lake County - Leesburg - ED 35-3 to 918801950 Census Enumeration District Maps - Florida (FL) …Alligator (sternwheeler 1888) postcard1909Alligator (sternwheeler 1888) postcardPostcardBoy in 4th of July costume1913Boy in 4th of July costume
1930s–1940s5 items
Hotel Magnolia1930Hotel MagnoliaFlorida [Hamilton County - Sarasota County (part)]1940Florida [Hamilton County - Sarasota County (part)]Florida [Hamilton County - Sarasota County (part)]1940Florida [Hamilton County - Sarasota County (part)]Florida [Hamilton County - Sarasota County (part)]1940Florida [Hamilton County - Sarasota County (part)]Joan Steckel hold a water lily flower1949Joan Steckel hold a water lily flower
1950s–1980snothing 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
1990s1 item
Moving the Mote-Morris House1990Moving the Mote-Morris House
Today6 recent
Road photo from January 1, 2002 842002Road photo from January 1, 2002 84Road photo from January 1, 2002 832002Road photo from January 1, 2002 83Road photo from January 1, 2002 802002Road photo from January 1, 2002 80Road photo from January 1, 2002 792002Road photo from January 1, 2002 79Road photo from January 1, 2002 772002Road photo from January 1, 2002 77Road photo from January 1, 2002 762002Road photo from January 1, 2002 76
On the map

Leesburg on the map, 1966 to 1980

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

Leesburg on the 1966 USGS mapLeesburg on the 1980 USGS map1966Leesburg West 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 Leesburg.

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.

Half-length portrait of an African American man facing right) - D. G. Lawton, Leesburg, Fla
Retake this viewHalf-length portrait of an African American man facing right) - D. G. Lawton, Leesburg, Fla, 1870

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

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

1 historic place in Leesburg

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

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
first listed
1974
Mote-Morris House
Mote-Morris House
Buildings
Mote-Morris HouseBuilding

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

People over time

Leesburg, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,00025,00030,0001880190019201940196019802000202027,000

Grew from 200 people in 1880 to 27,000 in 2020, more than tenfold.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Help out

Finish Leesburg’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
5 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewHalf-length portrait of an African Amer…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Silver LakeIts storyDYalahaIts storyC−Fruitland Park2 historic placesC+WildwoodIts storyDGroveland1 historic placeC−LisbonIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Leesburg’s history

What year was Leesburg founded?

In 1857, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Leesburg’s post office opened in 1871, and the census of 1880 counted 200 people here.

How does Leesburg rank for history?

Leesburg is more historic than 41% of U.S. towns, #104 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 Leesburg?

One place: the Mote-Morris House (listed 1974).

How old are the homes in Leesburg?

7% of Leesburg’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.8 points), against a typical 0.6% for a Florida town; the median home was built in 1985.

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 (16), 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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.