There are conflicting records about when this house was actually built. But the most likely story goes that it was constructed in 1924 by Charles Entzminger. Popular legend says he built it for his daughter, who had “recently” gotten married. Entzminger’s only daughter was Maud. She was born in 1899 and married William Satcher of Sanford in 1918. Satcher was a railroad worker.
The Entzminger family were among the most prominent citizens during the Boom Period of Longwood. Charles Entzminger was a member of the Florida legislature and a popular businessman. He owned the Longwood Hotel for a time, after purchasing it in 1910. He was a partner in Overstreet Turpentine Company, which operated southwest of downtown Longwood starting in 1905, before changing its name to Overstreet Investment Company in 1923.
The date of construction and whether it was built for Maud or not is up for debate; however, we do know for sure that in 1926 local merchant Claude C. Jackson purchased this bungalow style house from Entzminger (who then moved to Greenwood Lake). Jackson relocated his family there from Maitland, including his wife (Sallie), 7-year old son (Glydon) and 6-month-old daugther (Sarah Elizabeth “Lib” Jackson Bothel). Jackson purchased the Longwood market grocery from F. A. Reiche and ran that general store out of the Henck-Tinker Building.
Lib Jackson Bothel lived in the house her entire life, moving in with her husband (Gene Botel), after her father passed away. Lib lived in the home until their death in 2016; Gene passed in 2012.
References:
- Maud Enzminger/William Satcher 1918 marriage certificate
- 1926 Orlando Sentinel – CC Jackson buys grocery from Reiche and home from Enzminger
- 1910, 1920, 1930, 1935 Census records
- Lib Bothel obituary
- Gene Bothel obituary
- Oral History with Lib and Gene
- County Property Appraiser – References 1915 date of construction
- Historic Trail by Steve Rajtar – References 1926 build date
- National Register of Historic Places – References 1926 build date
- Historic Longwood Walking Tour – References 1924 build date
Oral History: Gene Bothel and Lib Jackson Bothel (2009)
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