Florida Historical Markers Programs - Marker Detail

Description: This house was built in 1901 by pioneer cattleman, financier, and philanthropist W. Henry Lewis (1860-1940). Lewis was born in Thomasville, GA, and came to Florida as a young man. He married Sallie Singletary in 1887. Six of their children lived to be adults: Asa, James, Lettie, Martha, Anna Belle, and Virginia. Lewis was a keen businessman, successful in cattle-raising, citrus, and real estate. In partnership with "Doc" Lightsey, he was a leading cattleman in Polk County, owning thousands of head of cattle and thousands of acres of land along the Kissimmee River. Lewis held interests in several Polk County banks and helped to organize and served as president of the First State Bank of Fort Meade. He was an advocate of good roads and was one of three trustees of a million-dollar road bond issue in Polk County, the first of its kind in Florida. Lewis chose Fort Meade, the center of his cattle enterprises, as home. After his death, his house was purchased by daughter Virginia and her husband Carlton Marsh. She lived here until her death in 1998. The two-story Lewis House combines elements of the Colonial Revival and Queen Anne architectural styles, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2012.