| LEONARD C. CARTER FAMILY PAPERS (RG1080), 1903-1990 |
SERIES II: BUSINESS FILES, 1905-1990 |
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Biographical Sketch |
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Scope and Content Note |
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Family Papers |
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Photographs |
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This series contains records relating to the business activities of Henry B. Carter and his grandson, Leonard C. Carter, Jr. The elder Carter was a leading figure in the Florida lumber and turpentine industries at the turn of the century, as well as owning one of early Lakeland's finest hotels, the Hotel Thelma. Leonard C. Carter, Jr. was a prominent lawyer, realtor, and developer in Lakeland until is death in 1990.
Records relating to the elder Carter include the articles of incorporation for three companies which he founded between 1905 and 1921, as well as the purchase and sales agreement between Henry B. Carter and D. B. and Lily Kibler for Carter's purchase of the Kibler Hotel. Carter renamed it the Hotel Thelma in honor of his daughter. His broad business interests are reflected in other records in this series, such as a certificate of membership in the Lakeland Citrus Growers Association and stock certificates in his name for the Lake Groves Company (pictured above) and the Lake Placid Land Company.
The elder Carter's stock in the latter company generated a considerable amount of correspondence from his grandson, who had discovered the stock certificates among the family papers. Leonard C. Carter, Jr. spent a considerable amount of time trying to persuade the successor company to the Lake Placid Land Company that the stock certificates were worth considerably more than the 1932 market value for which the company was willing to redeem them.
The younger Carter was also involved in commercial real estate through his Carter Realty Company. Plat maps for two residential developments and correspondence relating to a multi-million dollar citrus grove sale attest the diversity and scale of his business interests.
The records in this series are arranged alphabetically by name, subject, or type of record, and chronologically within folders.
| BOX | FOLDER | FOLDER TITLE | DATES | | 3 | 1 | Carter Manufacturing Company: Articles of Incorporation | 1905 | | | 2 | Carter Manufacturing Company: Stock Certificates | 1908-09 | | | 3 | Carter Realty Company: Berry Groves Sale | 1981 | | | 4 | Citrus Harbor/Orangewood Village | 1980, 1990 | | | 5 | Dixieland Development: Plat Map | n.d. | | | 6 | Kibler Hotel: Sale to Henry B. Carter | 1919 | | | 7 | Lake Groves Company: Stock Certificates | 1921 | | | 8 | Lake Placid Land Company: Stock Certificates | 1932 | | | 9 | Lake Placid Land Company Stock: Correspondence re. | 1932-90 scattered | | | 10 | Lakeland Citrus Growers' Association: Certificate of Membership for Henry B. Carter | 1910 | | | 11 | Richey Company: Articles of Incorporation | 1919 | | | 12 | Richey Company: Name Change to the Carter-Richey Company | 1922 | | | 13 | Saddle Creek Cypress Lumber Company: Articles of Incorporation | 1907 |
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