![\"Apopka](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Apopka-Mayor-Nick-Nesta-left-and-Orange-County-Mayor-Jerry-Demings-right-pose-with-the-144th-anniver.jpeg\")
Photo by Sarah Merly Apopka Mayor Nick Nesta (left) and Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings (right) pose with the 144th anniversary proclamation.<\/p>\nApopka residents and city officials\u00a0celebrated the 144th anniversary of Apopka\u2019s incorporation Wednesday at the Apopka Community Center, where Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings issued a proclamation in honor of the city\u2019s birthday.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father, when he was about 18 years old, came to Florida from Alabama, and he moved to Apopka. This is where he met my mother,\u201d Demings said. \u201cMy mother was born in North Florida, and somehow, she ended up here in Apopka, and so because of that union, I\u2019m able to stand here today as the fifth-elected countywide mayor\u00a0\u2014\u00a0how about that?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Photo by Sarah Merly Apopka Mayor Nick Nesta (left) and Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings (right) pose with the 144th anniversary proclamation.<\/p>\n
The Apopka Historical Society and community volunteers followed the proclamation with a presentation\u00a0of Apopka\u2019s story,\u00a0starting with the Timucua and Seminole tribes\u2019 settlements, early white and\u00a0Black\u00a0settlers from the Deep South, and the founding of Orange Lodge No. 36 F & AM.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
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See Member Benefits<\/a>Join Our Newsletter<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIn 1856, Orange Lodge No. 36 was established, becoming one of the earliest permanent institutions in the area,\u201d\u00a0said Worshipful Master Michael Berry. \u201cThe settlement grouped around the lodge as a regional trading center, with people trading animal skins, natural resources, foreign goods and other supplies.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The settlement, then known as The Lodge due to the Masons\u2019 local influence, was later incorporated as the Town of Apopka City on Sept. 2, 1882.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cDuring August of 1882, the Apopka Citizen newspaper\u00a0carried\u00a0a notice that on September 2, all citizens should meet at Fudge Hall\u00a0\u2014\u00a0the lodge\u00a0\u2014\u00a0to organize a municipal government, choose a name and seal, and define the limits of the town. This was the official incorporation of the city,\u201d said Apopka Museum trustee Lorena Potter. \u201cThe limits of the city were originally one mile from the lodge in every direction, and soon the town began to grow larger.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Volunteers then recounted Apopka\u2019s role in Florida\u2019s citrus,\u00a0turpentine\u00a0and indoor foliage industries.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cMy grandfather, Harry\u00a0John Ustler, moved to Apopka in 1912 and created the first foliage nursery in Apopka and all of Florida,\u201d said Judy Ustler. \u201cThe warmer clay allowed ferns in Central and South America to\u00a0be grown in the United States. Others began to grow ferns in Apopka in the 1910s and the 1920s, and the industry here flourished. By 1920, Apopka was known as the Fern City.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Other community members discussed the\u00a0Cyclone of 1918\u00a0and\u00a0the\u00a0city\u2019s long-repealed segregation ordinance, then brought listeners to where Apopka stands now as Orange County\u2019s second-largest city.\u00a0Afterward, Apopka Historical Society President Maribel Brinkle gifted the Apopka mayor\u2019s office with the city\u2019s original\u00a0incorporation papers.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cOur story began as a small trading station in northwest Orange County in 1882. We were officially incorporated as the Town of Apopka City,\u201d said Mayor Nick Nesta in his closing remarks. \u201cFrom those humble beginnings, generations of families, farmers, business\u00a0ownersand community leaders helped build the remarkable city we are proud to call home today.\u00a0As we honor that rich history, we also recognize that Apopka stands at the threshold of a new era.\u00a0Our city is growing, opportunities are expanding, and our future is filled with promise. Through every change, we will remain committed to preserving the\u00a0character, traditions, and sense of community that make Apopka so special.\u201d<\/p>\n Sarah Merly is an editorial assistant and reporter for The Apopka Chief. She joined the Chief in May 2025 after graduating from Patrick Henry College’s journalism program in Washington, D.C., where she served as the layout editor for her school newspaper. In her spare time, Sarah loves serving her local church, visiting Disney, and throwing parties.<\/p>\n![\"Judy](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/IMG_5989-768x1024.jpeg\")
Photo by Sarah Merly Judy Ustler reflects upon her grandfather\u2019s legacy in Apopka.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/2-1.png\")
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