Samsula, A History for the Ages
To know the history of an area is to better understand its people. While the Spruce Creek area of Samsula has signs of human habitation going back to prehistoric times, the area was sparsely populated until the turn of the twentieth century.
One of the earliest detailed maps of the area, D. D. Rogers’ 1883 map of Volusia County, gives an idea of the terrain and transportation routes in those days. Early records indicate that the rail line that ran between Orange City and New Smyrna stopped at what would later become Samsula and at Indian Springs, which was close to the modern intersection of S.R. 44 and C.R. 415, and that several turpentine camps were located in the vicinity. The turpentine camps supplied one of Florida’s early major industries, naval stores. Farming at that point in time was mainly subsistence or for barter, not the commercial truck farming for which the area would later be known.
Around 1909, Eugene C. Howe and George H. Currier of Chicago, Illinois purchased 35,000 acres of land west of New Smyrna Beach from the Bond Lumber Company (DeLand News, June 4, 1909). The ten-acre plats surveyed in the Howe and Currier allotment formed the basis for the communities of Indian Springs, Alamana (near Lake Ashby), and eventually Briggsville (Samsula). By 1912, Howe and Currier were advertising in several national newspapers, encouraging people to seek an independent lifestyle as property owners and farmers in Florida.
A number of the earliest settlers to take up these offers were Slovene immigrants, lured here by the availability of land and what was advertised as the “most delightful climate in the world.” The Kravanja family was the first, coming in 1912. They were joined in 1914 by the Sopotnick and Luznar families. The area was truly a wilderness with all kinds of wildlife. Most of the roads we know today were non-existent. The immigrants were isolated, not only by distance, but by language and customs. With hard work, they persevered. Such varied names as Benedict, Hafner, Jontes, Luznar, Machek, Oresnik, Pleterski, Premro, Reichel, Sopotnik, and Tomazin have become an integral part of area history. Many of their descendants still live in the area.
By the mid-1920s the settlement was a thriving community. Briggsville became Samsula to honor Lloyd Samsula, a Bohemian who was the first veteran to return to the area after World War I., with the renaming occurring after the town of Indian Springs, along with their post office, burnt down. The postal service was subsequently moved to a Samsula address, and Indian Springs was never rebuilt. Post office records show the Samsula post office opening on September 19, 1919, and discontinued on September 30, 1936 (this building, currently used as a residence, is still standing at the corner of Samsula Drive and Watermelon Lane).
The main industry of Samsula for these immigrants was truck farming. Until the 1940’s produce was shipped out of the Samsula Packing house: early shipments by rail, then by truck after the local rail spur was closed due to the Great Depression. Primary crops included sweet bell peppers, endive, squash, bunch onions, sweet corn, cabbage, beets, and greens, many of which are still grown by today’s farmers. Samsula has also been home to other kinds of agricultural pursuits, such as cattle and horse ranches, chicken farms, and ornamental plant nurseries.
The young community also had a school; according to Volusia County School Board records, an early Briggsville School opened in 1893 (location unknown), which was followed by a second school, on the site of the present Samsula Academy, which opened in 1912. This school, a one-room schoolhouse, had one teacher—Lydia Geiger Samsula—teaching eight grades. One of the first students, the late John Luznar, Jr., grew up to serve on the local school board, which floated bonds to construct the present building in 1926. Sixty years later, in 1986, voters approved a bond issue including funds to renovate and provide additional classrooms for then Samsula School. Several families have had three and four generations attend the school. The wood from the original building was used in the construction of Samsula Baptist Church, which can be seen on the Lockwood property next to the school on Samsula Drive.
The SNPJ Lodge 603 was organized in 1926 with 11 adult and 7 youth members, with meetings held at various member’s homes. SNPJ stands for Slovene National Benefit Society, or Slovenska Nardona Podporna Jednota in Slovenian. It is a national fraternal organization with roots in efforts to provide financial security to early immigrants, who were often employed in dangerous occupations such as coal mining. For many years, the Samsula Lodge was the only Lodge in the Southeastern United States. The first building, begun in 1940, was destroyed by a tornado shortly before completion, and the present facility was dedicated on July 4th, 1941. The Lodge helps Samsulans maintain cultural traditions, and, since Samsula has no formal local government, often serves as a forum for local issues.
The Samsula Woman's Club was established in 1949, born of a need for some time apart from work and responsibility--time to visit and relax. Although it remains a social organization, members provide support to the SNPJ Lodge (where most monthly meetings are held), offer scholarships for local students, and seek to address community needs. Members have developed a reputation for fine cooking and bountiful tables over the many generations, and have published several cookbooks with pride as a reflection of their community, past and present.
One of the earliest detailed maps of the area, D. D. Rogers’ 1883 map of Volusia County, gives an idea of the terrain and transportation routes in those days. Early records indicate that the rail line that ran between Orange City and New Smyrna stopped at what would later become Samsula and at Indian Springs, which was close to the modern intersection of S.R. 44 and C.R. 415, and that several turpentine camps were located in the vicinity. The turpentine camps supplied one of Florida’s early major industries, naval stores. Farming at that point in time was mainly subsistence or for barter, not the commercial truck farming for which the area would later be known.
Around 1909, Eugene C. Howe and George H. Currier of Chicago, Illinois purchased 35,000 acres of land west of New Smyrna Beach from the Bond Lumber Company (DeLand News, June 4, 1909). The ten-acre plats surveyed in the Howe and Currier allotment formed the basis for the communities of Indian Springs, Alamana (near Lake Ashby), and eventually Briggsville (Samsula). By 1912, Howe and Currier were advertising in several national newspapers, encouraging people to seek an independent lifestyle as property owners and farmers in Florida.
A number of the earliest settlers to take up these offers were Slovene immigrants, lured here by the availability of land and what was advertised as the “most delightful climate in the world.” The Kravanja family was the first, coming in 1912. They were joined in 1914 by the Sopotnick and Luznar families. The area was truly a wilderness with all kinds of wildlife. Most of the roads we know today were non-existent. The immigrants were isolated, not only by distance, but by language and customs. With hard work, they persevered. Such varied names as Benedict, Hafner, Jontes, Luznar, Machek, Oresnik, Pleterski, Premro, Reichel, Sopotnik, and Tomazin have become an integral part of area history. Many of their descendants still live in the area.
By the mid-1920s the settlement was a thriving community. Briggsville became Samsula to honor Lloyd Samsula, a Bohemian who was the first veteran to return to the area after World War I., with the renaming occurring after the town of Indian Springs, along with their post office, burnt down. The postal service was subsequently moved to a Samsula address, and Indian Springs was never rebuilt. Post office records show the Samsula post office opening on September 19, 1919, and discontinued on September 30, 1936 (this building, currently used as a residence, is still standing at the corner of Samsula Drive and Watermelon Lane).
The main industry of Samsula for these immigrants was truck farming. Until the 1940’s produce was shipped out of the Samsula Packing house: early shipments by rail, then by truck after the local rail spur was closed due to the Great Depression. Primary crops included sweet bell peppers, endive, squash, bunch onions, sweet corn, cabbage, beets, and greens, many of which are still grown by today’s farmers. Samsula has also been home to other kinds of agricultural pursuits, such as cattle and horse ranches, chicken farms, and ornamental plant nurseries.
The young community also had a school; according to Volusia County School Board records, an early Briggsville School opened in 1893 (location unknown), which was followed by a second school, on the site of the present Samsula Academy, which opened in 1912. This school, a one-room schoolhouse, had one teacher—Lydia Geiger Samsula—teaching eight grades. One of the first students, the late John Luznar, Jr., grew up to serve on the local school board, which floated bonds to construct the present building in 1926. Sixty years later, in 1986, voters approved a bond issue including funds to renovate and provide additional classrooms for then Samsula School. Several families have had three and four generations attend the school. The wood from the original building was used in the construction of Samsula Baptist Church, which can be seen on the Lockwood property next to the school on Samsula Drive.
The SNPJ Lodge 603 was organized in 1926 with 11 adult and 7 youth members, with meetings held at various member’s homes. SNPJ stands for Slovene National Benefit Society, or Slovenska Nardona Podporna Jednota in Slovenian. It is a national fraternal organization with roots in efforts to provide financial security to early immigrants, who were often employed in dangerous occupations such as coal mining. For many years, the Samsula Lodge was the only Lodge in the Southeastern United States. The first building, begun in 1940, was destroyed by a tornado shortly before completion, and the present facility was dedicated on July 4th, 1941. The Lodge helps Samsulans maintain cultural traditions, and, since Samsula has no formal local government, often serves as a forum for local issues.
The Samsula Woman's Club was established in 1949, born of a need for some time apart from work and responsibility--time to visit and relax. Although it remains a social organization, members provide support to the SNPJ Lodge (where most monthly meetings are held), offer scholarships for local students, and seek to address community needs. Members have developed a reputation for fine cooking and bountiful tables over the many generations, and have published several cookbooks with pride as a reflection of their community, past and present.