The Sanford Historical Society presents the "Timeline" below,
of the major events occuring in the history of Sanford from 2000 BC until 2004 AD.
| 2000 BC -1700s |
Timucua Indians live on the shores of Lake Monroe. |
| 1760's |
Timucua disappear from Florida. Seminoles come to Florida from Alabama and Georgia. |
| 1817 |
Philip R. Younge receives Spanish land grant. |
| 1819 |
The United States acquires Florida from Spain. |
| 1824 |
Mosquito County is created with New Smyrna as the county seat. |
| 1834 |
Younge land grant becomes the Moses E. Levy grant. |
| 1835 - 1842 |
Second Seminole War. |
| 1836 |
Camp Monroe is established. |
| 1837 |
Captain Charles Mellon is killed on February 8 during an engagement with the Seminoles at Camp Monroe. The camp is renamed Fort Mellon. |
| 1838 |
Colonel Zachary Taylor surveys the road that will become Mellonville Avenue. |
| 1840 |
Town of Mellonville established at site of Fort Mellon. |
| 1842 |
Fort Mellon is closed. |
| 1845 |
Florida becomes a state on March 3. Orange County is created with Mellonville as the county seat. |
| 1849 |
General Joseph Finegan purchases the Levy Grant. |
| 1856 |
Orlando becomes the seat of Orange County. |
| 1867 |
St. James AME Church is organized. |
| 1870 |
Henry Sanford purchases 12,547 acres of land from General Joseph Finegan. A town plan based on a grid is drawn. |
| 1871 |
Henry Sanford begins to bring Swedish immigrants to Sanford to work in his groves. |
| 1873 |
Holy Cross Episcopal Church is built on the wishes of Mrs. Henry S. Sanford. |
| 1874 |
First Methodist Church is organized. |
| 1875 |
Sanford's first newspaper begins publication. The Sanford House Hotel is built on Commercial Street. |
| 1876 |
Mellonville is incorporated on June 27. |
| 1877 |
City of Sanford is incorporated on September 29. |
| 1878 |
St. Paul's Missionary Baptist Church organized. |
| 1879 |
Henry Sanford forms the Florida Land and Colonization Company in London to provide funds for his growing city. |
| 1880 |
Former President U.S. Grant attends the groundbreaking ceremony for the South Florida Railroad. |
| 1882 |
First Presbyterian Church organized. |
| 1883 |
Mellonville is annexed into Sanford. First public school built at 6th & Palmetto Avenue. |
| 1884 |
Chase & Co. is started by Stanley O. Chase and Joshua C. Chase. First Baptist Church organized. |
| 1886 |
All Souls Catholic Church established. |
| 1887 |
The east side of Sanford burns to the ground, during the night of September 20. |
| 1890 |
Upsala Presbyterian Church organized. |
| 1891 |
Goldsboro is incorporated. |
| 1894-95 |
"The Great Freeze" wipes out the citrus industry in Sanford. Farmers begin to grow celery, "Apium Gravolens". |
| 1902 |
Sanford High School opens on 7th Street. |
| 1908 |
Sanford Herald established. |
| 1909 |
Sanford Traction Company builds streetcar line between downtown Sanford and Cameron City. |
| 1911 |
Sanford High School at 9th & Palmetto Ave. completed. Goldsboro is annexed into Sanford. |
| 1913 |
Seminole County is created on April 25 with Sanford as the county seat. Construction of the bulkhead on Sanford's waterfront begins. |
| 1917 |
Hopper Academy is built on Pine Ave. |
| 1920 |
Fernald-Laughton Memorial Hospital opens. |
| 1923 |
Milane Theatre (later Ritz Theatre) opens on August 2. |
| 1924 |
Sanford Public Library, designed by Elton Moughton, is built at 5th St. and Oak Ave. Bandshell and pier are built. |
| 1925 |
Sanford Zoo opens on the waterfront. |
| 1926 |
Hotel Forrest Lake (later Mayfair Inn) opens January 4 on First Street. |
| 1927 |
Seminole High School opens on French Avenue. |
| 1934 |
Florida's first State Farmers Market is established at Sanford. |
| 1935 |
Seminole Boulevard is completed. |
| 1936 |
National Guard Armory is completed. |
| 1937 |
Fort Mellon Park is created. |
| 1942 |
Sanford Naval Air Station opens as a training base for carrier pilots. |
| 1946 |
Sanford Naval Air Station is decommissioned. New York Giants baseball team move farm team operations to Sanford. |
| 1951 |
Memorial Stadium built on Mellonville Avenue. |
| 1951 |
Sanford Naval Air Station is reopened. New York Giants leave Sanford. |
| 1956 |
Seminole Memorial Hospital opens on First Street. |
| 1960 |
Hurricane Donna hits Sanford. |
| 1961 |
Seminole High School opens on Ridgewood Avenue. |
| 1965 |
Seminole Junior College established. |
| 1968 |
Sanford Naval Air Station closed permanently. |
| 1969 |
I-4 opens at Sanford. |
| 1970 |
Sanford becomes southern terminus of the Autotrain. |
| 1971 |
Seminole County Courthouse is built on Park Avenue. |
| 1973 |
Central Florida Zoo moves to North 17-92. |
| 1976 |
Sanford's commercial district is placed on the National Register of Historic Places. |
| 1989 |
Sanford's downtown residential district is placed on the National Register of Historic Places. |
| 1994 |
Green Way (Highway 417) reaches Sanford. |
| 1995 |
Sanford's airport (former Naval Air Station) becomes Orlando/Sanford International Airport. Seminole Towne Center shopping mall opens. |
| 1998 |
Tornado hits Sanford killing 12. |
| 2002 |
Sanford celebrates 125 years. Construction begins on Sanford's Riverwalk. |
| 2003 |
Naval Air Sanford Memorial Park Dedication occurred on May 30th. |
| 2004 |
Riverwalk completed. First Street downtown renovation begins. Hurricanes Charley, Frances and Jeanne hit Sanford. |