The Historic 1876 Heritage Inn

Sometime between 1939 and 1954, Wittenburg University and John Kolar owned the hotel.

In 1954, Charles and Carol Forrer purchased the hotel and used it a nursing home until 1973 when the building state regulations were changed to prohibit nursing homes in frame structures. Mrs. Forrer, a nurse, started with just 8 patients and before long had an average of 49 patients for a facility licensed for 55. The Orange City Nursing Home, as it was known, was the first in the state to have an organized volunteer nursing auxiliary and the first to have a nurse call system installed by its auxiliary. In 1965, the home had 32 employees. A complete beauty parlor served the patients and churches of all demoninations took turns holding services on Sundays.

After closing the nursing home, Mrs. Forrer filled the front rooms with craft stores, painted it white and called it the “The White Elephant”. She was one of area’s the largest dealers of recreational vehicles and sporting goods. Even to this day, many people refer to the building as the “White Elephant.”

Today it is a beautiful & historic Florida hotel in Orange City. Come stay the night and experience a piece of Florida History.
www.1876heritageinn.com
(386) 774-8849

Come Stay with History - 1876 Heritage Inn Hotel

1876 Heritage Inn, Orange City - The 1876 Heritage Inn, Volusia County's oldest hotel, is located in a national register historic district, centrally located between Daytona Beach and the Orlando area attractions. Quaint accommodations and friendly service make the inn a perfect destination for a vacation, honeymoon, anniversary or weekend getaway. Leashed pets are welcome.

Blue Springs Cafe & Lounge is located on site and is also pet-friendly with a doggie dining area in an interior courtyard. The inn is home to one of only three U.S. Postal Museums in the country.

386-774-8849 | www.1876heritageinn.com

1876 Heritage Inn | Orange City Hotel

Hontoon Island - Visit it!

Hontoon Island State Park is a 1,648-acre Florida State Park located on Hontoon Island between the St. Johns River and the Hontoon Dead River in Volusia County. It is only a few miles from Orange City, off SR 44, and can only be reached by boat or park-operated passenger ferry. No motorized vehicles, other than wheelchairs, are allowed to be brought onto the island and there is no swimming. The island has pine flatwoods, palm and oak hammocks, bald cypress swamps and marshes. Hontoon Island is surrounded by the St. Johns River, the Hontoon Dead River, and Snake Creek.

Activities include horseshoes, cycling, boating, canoeing, kayaking, and fishing, as well as hiking, camping, picnicking, and nature viewing and photography. The island can be circumnavigated with a nine and a half-mile day trip; Blue Spring State Park is a short paddle up the St. Johns one way. Amenities include canoe rentals, bike paths, eleven tent sites and six rustic cabins. The park also has overnight boat slip rentals, playground equipment, picnic tables, and a 3.4-mile nature trail. The park has a lending library with picture books for children aged four to nine. The park is open from 8:00 am till one hour before sunset year-round.

If you want to experience the wonderful St Johns River Area - stay at the 1876 Heritage Inn!

1876heritageinn.com

Orange City Historic District Hotel

What makes the 1876 Heritage Inn Special?

Location
Situated in Orange City, the inn is 2.5 miles from Blue Springs State Park and within 6 miles of Victoria Hills Golf Club and Colby-Alderman Park. Stetson Mansion and Stetson University are also within 6 miles.

www.1876heritageinn.com/

Property Features
A restaurant, a bar/lounge, and a coffee shop/café are available at this inn. Free WiFi in public areas and free self parking are also provided. Additionally, laundry facilities, a garden, a barber, and gift shops / newsstands are onsite.

www.1876heritageinn.com/

Enjoy the History in Volusia County... 1876Heritageinn.com

Visit the History Now - 1876 Heritage Inn… explore, learn, enjoy!
1876heritageinn.com

The Timucuan Indians were the first inhabitants of Hontoon Island. Evidence of their presence can be seen by a large shell mound that still exist at the end of the Hammock Trail, 1.7 miles one way, on what is mostly a shaded hike.

The Timucua were an American Indian people who lived in Northeast and North Central Florida and southeast Georgia. They were the largest indigenous group in that area and consisted of about 35 chiefdoms, many leading thousands of people. The various groups of Timucua spoke several dialects of the Timucua language.

At the time of European contact, the territory occupied by speakers of Timucuan dialects occupied about 19,200 square miles, and was home to between 50,000 and 200,000 Timuacans. It stretched from the Altamaha River and Cumberland Island in present-day Georgia as far south as Lake George in central Florida, and from the Atlantic Ocean west to the Aucilla River in the Florida Panhandle, though it reached the Gulf of Mexico at no more than a couple of points.

Visit the History Now - 1876 Heritage Inn… explore, learn, enjoy!
1876heritageinn.com

300 Volusia Ave., Orange City, Florida

#OrangeCityFloridaHotel

1876 Heritage Inn Hotel

1876 Heritage Inn, Orange City - The 1876 Heritage Inn, Volusia County's oldest hotel, is located in a national register historic district, centrally located between Daytona Beach and the Orlando area attractions. Quaint accommodations and friendly service make the inn a perfect destination for a vacation, honeymoon, anniversary or weekend getaway. Leashed pets are welcome.

The Red Roof Cafe is located on site and is also pet-friendly with a doggie dining area in an interior courtyard. The inn is home to one of only three U.S. Postal Museums in the country. 386-774-8849 www.1876heritageinn.com