Waldo's Historic Houses

According to the Alachua County Historic Preservation Society.

The Waldo House, built in 1869, was owned by  J.T.Green, and provided quarters for men who worked for the railroad, at $2. per night. the Beckham House offered rooms at half the price.

Winter-Routh House, 302 Main St. This two-story frame house with prominent front gable was built circa 1895. Early owners were Laura J. Winter and her husband, Joseph H. Winter. In 1921 the house was sold to Charles H. Wouth, a Seaboard Railroad conductor.

Dr. George Ambrose House - This stately, old two-story house was built in 1882, about two years after George Ambrose arrived in Waldo. The house was not far from Raulerson & Ambrose General Merchandise, the business he operated in Waldo with Hardee Raulerson.

Ambrose House

Geiger House - C.E.Geiger, an engineer employed by the Seaboard Railroad in 1910, lived in this house. The house was also occupied by Ed Donnegan, who worked for the railroad and married Geiger's daughter, Belle.

John Winter House - 120 1st Ave. This house was constructed for John L. Winter and Effie Parke several years after their marriage in Waldo on April 27, 1892. In 1900 Winter was made supervisor of buildings and bridges for Seaboard Air Line Railroad (known as Seaboard Railroad) and in 1913 became a vice-president of the Bank of Waldo.

Typical Bungalow - 118 1st Ave. This 'cottage-style' home was constructed circa 1910-15 to provide housing for one of Waldo's many railroad workers. Residents of Waldo have been enmployed by the railroad since 1859.

Newman House - The Newman family moved to this corner in the 1890's and the house on the property is known to have been occupied by Newman family members since the early 1900's.

Dr. Joe Strickland House - In the 1890's when this house was built for Joe Strickland, one of Waldo's first doctors, it was described as a 'mansion'. The house was later occupied by J.L.McCauley, who was employed by the railroad as an engineer in 1901.

Cauthen-Boring House - This old home was built for Thomas M. Cauthen, an influential member of the Waldo community in the 1880's. It was later occupied by Arthur Boring. Borins's father, Methodist circuit rider Issac Boring, had preached near Bellamy Station (renamed Waldo in 1858).

George H. Barker House - Captain Barker built this house which was originally located across from the George Ambrose House on what is now US 301. He operated the wood burning dridge which dug canals 1878-81 to Lake Alto and Lake Santa Fe. He was also captain of the F.S.Lewis on the new water route.

Harry M. Agin House - Although the front of the house has been remodeled, the north side exhibits original turn-of-the century styling. Agin was an engineer for the Seaboard Railroad and mayor of Waldo in 1919. He married Mary Bell.

Dr. D.L.Renault House - This two-story frame house belonged to D.L.Renault, a physician from Paris France. Renault had established a practice in Waldo by 1883. Ben Fry, a conductor for the Seaboard Railroad, lived in this house during the 1920's and 30's.

Waldo Library - the small structure which houses the town library was originally a rectory for the church next door.

Episcopal Church - This beautiful old church was built in 1884 by the first Presbyterian Church of Waldo. It was purchased in 1918 by the Episcopalians. The wood frame building has a spire and stained glass windows.

Boy Scout Log Cabin - The logs used to construct this cabin are much older than the structure itself which was built during the last twenty or thirty years.

Andrew Jolly House - 285 SW 1st Blvd. Andrew Jolly, who was born in 1864, lived in this house. During the 1880's Andrew owned an 'apothecary shop'. His son Frank was Waldo's drugist during the WWI era.

Thigpen House - Members of the Thigpen family lived in this cottage which dates from around 1910 to 1915. Thigpens were neighbors of William Sparkman, the earliest English speaking settler in the Waldo area.

Ransome Meade House - 205 SW 3rd Way This house was occupied by Ransome Meade, who was employed in Claude Sparkman's store around the turn of the century.

Jim Wills House - 325 SW 3rd Way The Wills family occupied this house during the early 1930's. J.T.Wills became a conductor of the Seaboard Railroad during the years before World War I.

Una Lee Donaldson Houses - These two houses were recently moved from there original location on SW 4th Blvd. One was used as a thelphone office sometime after telephones came to Waldo in the 1920's Mrs.W.H.Donaldson was living in one of the houses in 1970/s.

Raulerson House - SW 5th Blvd. The house on this property was at one time occupied by Sarah Elizabeth Raulerson and her widowed mother, Mary Clement Sparkman. Sarah was the granddaughter of William Sparkman and the first baby girl born 1848 to the English speaking settlers in the Waldo area.

John Ambrose House - The son of George Ambrose lived in this house which dates from about 1908. Dr.John Ambrose was Waldo's druggist.

Pettit House - 320 SW 2nd Way The lot on which this house stands was purchased in the 1880's by Nathan Conan Pettit. He was a city council member in 1883 and mayor of Waldo in 1907-8. Pettit women were Waldo school teachers. During the first decade of the twentieth century before the bank was built, the 'Pettit Gardens' attracted train passengers who had disembarked to have lunch at the Waldo Hotel down the street.

Manning House - 400 SW 4th Blvd. Thhis house, which was owned by members of the Manning family in the 1970's, was used much earlier 1890's as a school.

Joel Weeks House - this is one of Waldo's earliest houses. It belonged to Joel T. Weeks, a member of the city council in 1883, and his wife Catherine inherited the house which remained in the Weeks family until 1941.

Lelia Sparkman House - 285 SW. 6th Blvd. This house was occupied by Lelia Sparkman, a descendant of Waldo's founder William Sparkman.

Kinzer House - W.E.Seigler, a Waldo businessman, and his wife, Lula, lived in this house during the first decade of the twentieth century. Their daughter, Illa, married an engineer for the Seaboard Railroad, W.D.Kinzer, and continued tolive in the 'old' house.

George Granger House - George Summer Granger, a railroad engineer, built this elaborate, Victorian-style house before 1894. It is located on 'Cracker Hill'. The original frame structure had a fanciful two-story full-length veranda and a narrow two and a half-story tower. The house remained in the Granger family until 1981.

Coleman House
Coleman House Hotel


Louise Ashley

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29 May 2003
Waldo, Florida, USA