{"id":675,"date":"2026-05-15T08:38:24","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T08:38:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=675"},"modified":"2026-05-15T08:38:24","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T08:38:24","slug":"orlando-sentinel-150-monday-memory-of-how-why-and-where-did-orlando-get-its-swans-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=675","title":{"rendered":"Orlando Sentinel 150: Monday Memory of how, why and where did Orlando get its swans"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Last week\u2019s news that the city of Orlando was removing the iconic swans from Lake Eola encouraged us to dig into the Orlando Sentinel\u2019s archives to see how we reported the birds\u2019 arrival in the City Beautiful.<\/p>\n

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W.R. O\u2019Neal wrote about the swans\u2019 history in his \u201cMemoirs of a Pioneer\u201d column in the Dec, 11, 1932, edition of the Sunday Sentinel and Reporter-Star. He noted that Lake Eola wasn\u2019t the swans\u2019 first Orlando home. They were secured for Lake Lucerne in 1910.<\/p>\n

Englishman and Orlando businessman Charles Lord has been given credit for bringing swans to Orlando, securing a pair of black and a pair of white swans from the royal family\u2019s collection in the U.K. O\u2019Neal\u2019s account is a little different and, we must say, a little confusing.<\/p>\n

With the headline \u201cOrlando in the making; Charles Lord and the swans,\u201d here\u2019s O\u2019Neal\u2019s column from more than 90 years ago:<\/p>\n

To our own people, as well as winter visitors, the swans on several lakes of the city have been of continuing interest.<\/p>\n

When the cygnets are hatched each year, everyone, both young and old, are interested in their living and growth and the changing of the gray color to white.<\/p>\n

Many years ago when Lake Lucerne did not have the well-kept shores that it now has, a Lake Lucerne Improvement Association was formed of the property owners living around the lake, each contributing $10 to keep the lake free of grass and weeds and to build a shell walk around the lake.<\/p>\n

Mr. George Abbott \u2026 who was always forward looking for everything benefitting the town, at a meeting of the association suggested that two pairs of swans be purchased for the lake.<\/p>\n

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This was done, the swans being bought in Connecticut at a cost of $75 per pair. The trouble at that time was that alligators travelled from one lake to another. A large gator killed one of the swans, another was injured and died, leaving one pair.<\/p>\n

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From this pair of swans, some 50 cygnets have been hatched.<\/p>\n

The mortality of the cygnets has been great, most of which has been charged to alligators. Our information is that the gators are not to blame for all the losses.<\/p>\n

While travelling in England, the late Charles Lord got in touch with Messrs. Turk, who had charge of all the swans on the River Thames, there being three owners, the king of England, the Vintens Co. and the Dyers Co.<\/p>\n

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Mr. Lord secured introduction to the president of the Dyers Co., who graciously gave a pair of black swans to the City of Orlando.<\/p>\n

On Oct. 6, 1910, the matter was laid before the court of assistants, a pair of swans was voted and the company\u2019s swan marker, Mr. F. T. Turk, of Albany Boat House, Lower Ham Road, Kingston-on-the-Thames, ordered to deliver.<\/p>\n

On Nov. 15, 1910, the American Express Co. shipped by S.S. Minneapolis four live swans, value 20 pounds, London to Orlando, the cost of carriage being $95.05. The original bills of shipment are before me, furnished by Mr. Lord.<\/p>\n

From the day of their arrival, through all the years from babies to grandmothers and grandfathers, the swans have been a constant source of interest and delight.<\/p>\n

Have you watched them in orderly procession as they move about the lakes? There are lessons that may be learned by observing them. I do not know whether they sing when life is passing, or not, but this I know, that for grace and beauty there is nothing that makes as fine a picture as the pure white swans on Lake Lucerne, when the sun is sinking below the western horizon and the afterglow brings the reflected shadows upon the lake.<\/p>\n

Want more Orlando history? Buy a copy of the Orlando Sentinel\u2019s 150th anniversary book with 150 front pages from our 150 years.\u00a0Get it OrlandoSentinel.com\/150book.<\/em><\/p>\n

Read more Pictures: Orlando Magic Lose Game 6, Force Game 7 in Detroit<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“From the day of their arrival, through all the years from babies to grandmothers and grandfathers, the swans have been a constant source of interest and delight,” the Sentinel reported in 1932.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":347,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-675","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-news","category-orlando-sentinel-150"],"yoast_head":"\nOrlando Sentinel 150: Monday Memory of how, why and where did Orlando get its swans - Orlando Relocation Report<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=675\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Orlando Sentinel 150: Monday Memory of how, why and where did Orlando get its swans - 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