Del Oro Groves Estates

Del Oro Groves Estates

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Did You Ever Wonder....
How Del Oro Groves was Established

In the 1880s a Mr Sampson from Mackintosh bought 100 acres of land on the shores of Old Tampa Bay, south of Green Springs—now Safety Harbor, stretching from Alligator Creek south to where Drew Street enters Bay Shore Drive. His citrus groves around Mackintosh had frozen so he decided to come farther south and try again. The land he bought was a high hammock suitable for citrus. He first cleared 20 acres just northwest of the Kapok Tree Restaurant and planted Villa Franco lemons. He found a good market in Boston and New York so he extended his plantings and built a large packing house where San Jose Street now ends. The fruit was packed and carried by barge to Port Tampa where it was loaded on steamers for the northern market.
In 1907 he decided to retire and sold his grove and citrus business to R.J. Knight Sr., who had large turpentine holdings in Citrus and Hernando Counties. At that time malaria was a problem where he and his family were living. He felt the Clearwater area was more healthful so he built a home on the bay and brought his family here.
Only lemons of a certain size were saleable on the markets then. Therefore a great many good lemons had to be discarded. Sometimes the bayou around the packing house would be afloat with thousands of good lemons—the wrong size. After two or three years, Knight decided he couldn’t stand to see such a waste so he had his lemon trees cut down and grafted with Duncan Grapefruit. He named his groves Del Oro and shipped under the name Cavalier Brand, with a knight in armor on the seal.
In October 1921, a hurricane blew in from the Carribean and lasted about three days. Before it was over, the wind had blown from every point of the compass, twisting the heavily laden trees out of the ground. After that, the grove wasn’t profitable but the land boom of the 1920s had begun.
Bruce Knapp developed about 90 acres of the grove into lots for sale as a subdivision named Del Oro Estates. However, just as it was ready to go on the market—complete with paved streets, sidewalks, lights and water and sewer systems—the land boom ended and none of Del Oro was sold. The city removed the utilities—even the bricks from the streets—and oaks and palms took over the subdivision.
It remained in this condition until World War II when R.J. Knight Jr. with two of his sisters bought it back from the City of Clearwater, which held a mortage on it for the utilities it had installed. In 1966, Del Oro was again put on the market as a subdivision.

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About our association

Del Oro Groves Estates Association, Inc.

The Del Oro Groves Association is a non profit corporation organized for the purpose of promoting and protecting the rights of the property owners of the Del Oro Subdivision. Membership is open to all property owners and dues of $25 are collected on an annual basis.

The Annual Membership Meeting of the Association which all members are requested to attend, is scheduled for the last quarter of the year. Board of Directors Meetings are held on the third Thursday of the months January, March, May, July and September. Members are encouraged to attend meetings, participate on committees and VOTE in the annual elections.

Please check out the "Community Calendar" Link on the home page for dates of upcoming Board meetings and Del Oro events.

Our Mission Statement

To provide a voice in our community representing the ideals, property rights, safety and well being of each of its members. The officers have been entrusted to serve its members with integrity and fairness.

Del Oro Committees

Please review the various active committees below and contact the chairperson listed to volunteer &/or offer comments or suggestions. Thank You!

AIRPORT
JB Johnson 726-3564; Dave Chilcote 796-2929; Don Casey 726-5279

ANNUAL MEETING
Jerry Baker 812-9380

AWARDS
Sandee Geres 725-1634

GARAGE SALE
Jerry & Katie Baker 812-9380

GRANTS
Help! We Need a Volunteer!

LANDSCAPE ENTRY
Betty & Allen Arnold 725-4060

MEMBERSHIP
Robert Schwartz 723-9005; Sandee Geres 725-1634

NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH
Al Galbraith 725-3828

NEWSLETER/WEBSITE
Ryan Stanley

NOTARY
Judy Foster 725-3681

PICNIC
Sharon Mills 726-7992

WELCOME
Sue Ellis 726-2215; Britt Schwartz 723-9005