Stetson University, founded in 1883 in historic DeLand, Florida, has been educating students for over a century thanks to the passionate vision of the town’s early promoter, Henry Addison DeLand. DeLand, a New Yorker with a dream, wanted his newly adopted town to be distinctive in rural Central Florida. Since the state had no four-year college, his foresight brought to fruition the excellent educational facility we have today.
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the campus boasts the oldest continually operated building used for higher education in the state of Florida—DeLand Hall—completed by Henry DeLand in 1884. The forerunner of DeLand Hall opened in November 1883 to include advanced studies in preparation for college. Thirteen students met in classes in the First Baptist Church until DeLand’s two-story frame building was erected at a cost of $6,000 on four acres at the northeast corner of Woodland Boulevard and Minnesota.
Images from the Stetson University archives will educate, enthrall, and entice history buffs, students, tourists, and residents alike. These vintage photographs will link readers to the past while inspiring appreciation for the quality education and cultural events Stetson University affords its students, the community, and the state.
Hall is a retired education, realtor, writer, and award-winning historic preservationist, environmentalist, and Stetson graduation from the class of 1967.

The Campus History Series: Stetson University is available direct from the author for $20 which includes tax and postage. Contact Maggi at 717 N Amelia Avenue, DeLand FL 32724 or email maggihall14@gmail.com