When the Harlan Hotel burned, everyone blamed the Halloween Boys for the fire. One year, the pranksters put a wagon on John McGill’s roof. Another year, they locked a mule inside the old jail and filled the lock with resin. It was a tradition to hide in the bushes near Blake Baptist Church and blow a siren. Then, Preacher Holland would run out in his underwear to investigate. People said they had gone too far this time. But witnesses on Halloween night, 1921, said the boys had nothing to do with it. They were behind the Lake Helen bank, planning their tricks. Then, someone yelled that the water tower behind the hotel was on fire. People tried to get ropes to pull the tower away from the hotel, but it was too late. The water tower fell onto the hotel roof. Lake Helen residents could only watch as flames consumed their beloved hotel.
When Henry DeLand first saw the lake, later named for his daughter, he saw potential for a town among its untouched waters and pines. A community of charming homes and orange groves around a lake for those who wanted to get away from the busy streets of DeLand's booming population. On Thanksgiving Day 1884, the Harlan House Hotel opened its doors. It was a two-story, lakefront establishment, named for DeLand's son. The hotel drew tourists nationwide and became the town's social hub. There were card parties, dances, and masquerade balls. They played tennis, croquet, and rode horses. Boating and picnicking around the lake were popular pastimes. The hotel was always booked, forcing overflow into local boarding houses. Visitors slept in hallways and on top of pool tables when no rooms were available.
In 1886, the DeLeon Springs Courier ran a story about the editor’s visit to Lake Helen. 'We secured one of Charles Miller's best turnouts. The route took us out New York Avenue, and it took only one hour to get to the great hotel.' The headline on this story read: 'The Gem City of Volusia.' This later led to Lake Helen’s nickname, “The Gem of Florida."
In 1887, the railroad finally reached Lake Helen. In her book, Story of DeLand and Lake Helen, Florida, Helen DeLand recalls her father's joy when he set foot on the rail line. He removed his hat and swung it through the air, yelling, "Hurrah!" Hurrah!”
But ultimately, it may have been the railroad that led to the downfall of the hotel. In 1895, Flagler’s rail line stretched across Florida and down to West Palm Beach, giving tourists easier access to his massive, gilded age resort, the Royal Poinciana Hotel. With more exotic locations open to northern visitors, business at smaller hotels like the Harlan began to decline. By 1920, the hotel didn’t have enough bookings to open for the season, and by 1921, it had burned.
“Things had a way of catching fire for the insurance money back then,” said Lewis Long, former Vice Mayor of Lake Helen and lifelong resident. He recalls his grandmother telling him how they watched the hotel burn from their front porch on Euclid Avenue. “Sure, they’d conduct investigations, but how could you prove it was arson back then? The insurance companies had to pay out.”
The Harlan fire marked the beginning of rough times for Lake Helen. In the years that followed, the Great Depression closed the Lake Helen Bank. The Cassadaga Spiritual Camp lost its new hotel to tax collectors. The area vanished from tourist maps, slipping into obscurity.
Today, Lake Helen and Cassadaga belong to a small group of communities still described as “Old Florida." One could say they were spared from the tentacles of Flagler’s progress and industry. While other communities grew, Lake Helen and Cassadaga stood still.
"On Halloween night, you'll see large groups of children on every road. They will be in costumes, laughing and skipping from house to house. It's the holidays that show why Lake Helen is so special," said City Commissioner Heather Rutledge. "We come together in good times and bad. That's never going to change."
On October 18th, the GEMs in Lake Helen sponsored a talk on the history and burning of the hotel. For more info, please visit the Lake Helen Historical Society's two museums in City Hall and the GEM Station.
Special thank you to Marcalee Parrish for research help.
Sources:
DeLand, Helen., (1928). Story of DeLand and Lake Helen Florida. Louis H. Waldon.
French, L., & Ste. Claire, D. (2018). Grand Hotels of West Volusia County. Arcadia Publishing.
Schneider, D., & Blackman, E. L. (2007). Lake Helen, the gem of Florida: The first 100 Years. Lake Helen League for Better Living.
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