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Slavia Colony Co: 1915 Plat Plan
Early in 1911, a small group of Slovak immigrants, members at that time of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Cleveland, Ohio, established the Slavia Colony Company, for the purpose of purchasing land in Florida as the eventual location of a new community for themselves and other Slovak-Lutheran settlers. After considering several sites, including properties near Taft and Bartow, the companies stockholders ultimately chose land near Oviedo. On Oct. 7, 1911 the company purchased 1,200 acres of land lying in sections 19,20,12, 28 and 29 in township 31 south, range 31 east for a grand total of $17,400. Slavia Colony Company's President, Martin Stanko, certified the survey and the company's ownership of the property. A plat plan for the Slavia Colony "subdivision" was recorded on July 9, 1915 in Book 2, page 71 of the Public Records in Seminole County...which was, itself, established in 1913. (At the time of the original sale, the referenced land lay in Orange County.)
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St. Luke's Pastors and Church Staff, Christmas, 2013
As a token of their appreciation to the many volunteers who assist in the ministries of St. Luke's Lutheran Church, the Pastors and members of the church staff established two collective gifts and sent those donations to the Redeeming Life Outreach Ministries (Sanford) and to Lutheran World Relief/Philippines Disaster Fund in honor of the volunteers' dedicated service to the church. The Pastors and staff members posed for a Christmas greeting photo which was then sent to each volunteers as a memento (December, 2013). The group assembled in the cloisters for the photo. Left to right (women): Megan Skelton, Rhonda Betterdige, Lori Mc Natt, Jane Wiant (Santa hat), Sherri Mang, Claudia Ramirez, Jill Mudge, Janet Brock, Karines Nieves-Rosado, Patty Sidlik, Holly Leonard, Nikki Rach (Santa hat). Men: Gary Hickey, Steve Lehenbauer(beard), Jim Coe, Rev. Gary Schuschke (hat), Jeremy Johnson, Rev. Wally Arp, Vicar Brennan Woell. Pictured in separate (circular) images on the card are (left) Rev. Brian Roberts and Kinsley Elfand. The cards were signed by the staff members and mailed to each volunteer.
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The Slavian 1955-56 edition of St. Luke's School annual-Pages 3-5
Pages 3-5 of "The Slavian," the 1955-56 edition of the "Annual of St. Luke's Christian Day School-Slavia, Florida" (Volume VI, June, 1956) Images are of the draft pages hand-assembled by the faculty members. Photos of the Faculty: Rev. Stephen M. Tuhy, Principal, Elmer L. Bellhorn, Teachers: Steven R. Sidlik, Emmeline Best and Marian Stanko. School Calendar for 1955-56. Group photo of entire student body (Kindergarten-Grade 8)and faculty.
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Three iconic images of St. Luke's new sanctuary wall rising. c.1992
Offering views taken through the interior of the only remaining portion of St. Luke's original brick church, an unidentified photographer captured three images of the east wall of St. Luke's new facility under construction. c.1992. The transepts added to the brick church in 1957 had, by this time in the construction process, been demolished and the ground east of the original (1939) church had been leveled to make way for the large new facility. Ultimately the open east wall of the old brick church would serve as an entry to the narthex of the new sanctuary. The brick structure, itself, would be remodeled and used as a chapel in later years
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Three men on site of future Slavia Colony, 1911
Three men (unidentified) pose on a portion of the undeveloped land which became Slavia Colony. Exact location is not known. Photo was taken in the spring of 1911. 4x6 sepia print, scanned at SLLC, 2011.
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Tractor power at Mikler Barn, c. 1920s, Enhanced
Slavia settlers pose in front of Mikler barn with what is likely to be one of the first powered tractors used in the community, shown (left to right): 1. Joe B. Mikler, 2. Joseph Mikler, Sr., 3. Adam Klimek, 4. Andrew Mikler, 5. Andrew Sobek, 6. Andrew Scerba, 7. Adam Scerba, 8 and 9 unidentified. Men are dressed as though they had just been to Sunday worship in the wood church and were enjoying a neighborly gathering to celebrate the acquisition of the new tractor at the Mikler farm.; Snapshot (Courtesy: Gertrude Lukas) scanned at SLLS, 2001 for the church's 90th anniversary display. Image also appeared in Like a Mustard Seed: Like a Mustard Seed: The Slavia Settlement (1982).