Florida Historical Markers Programs - Marker Detail

Description: Side One: In 1858, the David W. Mizell family homesteaded this property, and in 1862, built their first home. The Mizells farmed the land, growing cotton, corn, and sugar cane. David W. Mizell was appointed sheriff of Orange County in 1868. He was ambushed and murdered a year later while attempting to arrest Moses Barber for alleged cattle rustling. Mizell is the only sheriff in Orange County killed in the line of duty. Mizell was buried in the family cemetery plot on the property, located approximately 100 yards away from the house. The current house was erected by Mizell’s son, John Thomas, in 1888. The family sold the house in 1902 to Duncan Clarkston Pell, a member of the socially-prominent Pell family of New York. Pell brought his bride, Helen Louise Gardner, to his new house that same year. Pell expanded the two-story frame farmhouse, adding a detached kitchen. For the couple, it provided a place to live and entertain lavishly on the weekends during the winter social season. The couple separated in 1906 and Pell sold the property. They moved back to New York and Pell took a job with General Motors, while Helen pursued an acting career and became one of the first actors to form her own production company. Side Two: Joseph H. Woodward was the third owner of this property. Woodward had made his fortune in the steel industry, and named the property “LaBelle,” after his company’s ironworks in Ohio. Woodward and his wife used the house as their winter retreat until Joseph’s death in 1915. After the death of Woodward’s widow in 1928, the house had a variety of tenants until 1936, when it was purchased by Orlando native and industrial goods supplier Harry P. Leu and his bride Mary Jane. They also purchased the original Mizell homestead. As world travelers, the Leus enjoyed gardens and private estates abroad, and created their very own in Orlando. Leu's fascination with the genus Camellia was legendary, and he assembled one of the largest collections in North America. To ensure their estate was protected from development, the Leus donated their home and gardens in 1961 to the City of Orlando. The city continues to expand the gardens, adding a gazebo, two bridges and greenhouse. In 1994, the house and gardens were listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Leus’ legacy was the creation of an emerald green oasis in the middle of a thriving metropolis where guests come to experience a bit of “Old Florida.”