Loring Augustus Chase (born July 1, 1839 in

Nashua, New Hampshire Nashua is a city in southern New Hampshire, United States. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 91,322, the second-largest in northern New England after nearby Manchester, New Hampshire, Manchester. Along with Manc ...

- August 21, 1906) was a cofounder of Winter Park, Florida as one of the incorporators of the

Winter Park Company The Winter Park Company was incorporated by Florida state law chapter 3669, approved February 6, 1885. It was owned by Loring A. Chase, Olive E. Chapman and J. F. Welborne of Winter Park, Florida, and Orrison S. Marden and Frank G. Webster ...

. He is listed as a Great Floridian. Born to Otis Nelson Chase and Joanna (Colburn) Chase, Loring Chase became an orphan at the age of two after his mother died on May 4, 1841 and after his father died on August 6, 1841. He was sent to live with his uncle Albert M. Chase and his aunt Mary in

Canton, Massachusetts Canton is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 24,370 at the 2020 census. Canton is part of Greater Boston, about 15 miles (24 kilometers) southwest of downtown Boston. Hist ...

. In October 1862, Loring Chase enlisted in a Massachusetts regiment and served nine months in a North Carolina camp during the

U.S. Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. He was honorably discharged in June 1863, returned to

, and became a bookkeeper for a wholesale firm in Boston.Augustus Chase
/ref> On December 6, 1864 Chase arrived in Chicago and worked as a bookkeeper at the first National Bank. He enrolled in the Bryant & Stratton Business College and entered

Illinois State Normal University Illinois State University (ISU) is a public university in Normal, Illinois. Founded in 1857 as Illinois State Normal University, it is the oldest public university in Illinois. The university emphasizes teaching and is recognized as one of th ...

. He worked as a real estate broker, teacher at Bryant & Stratton, and with the Pantagraph Stationary Co. He visited Winter Park, Florida for health issues and "fell in love with the landscape and climate." Old Knowles Hall, Rollins College, Winter Park, FL

Old Knowles Hall, Rollins College, Winter Park, FL

In 1881, he purchased six hundred acres of land with his lifelong friend Oliver Everett Chapman and set out establishing a new town. He also supervised the construction of the Seminole Hotel (1886) and Knowles Hall at

Rollins College Rollins College is a private college in Winter Park, Florida. It was founded in November 1885 and has about 30 undergraduate majors and several graduate programs. It is Florida's fourth oldest post-secondary institution. History Rollins Colle ...

. Loring's incorporation plan was supported by Gus C. Henderson who assisted with the city's establishment with the inclusion of Hanibal Square. He encouraged black residents to vote for the plan.

References

Additional sources

*John Williston Cook, “In Memory of Loring Augustus Chase: One Of The Founders Of Winter Park, Addresses and Letters.” (Rollins College, 1907) *Seminole, Winter Park, Fla. Winter Park, Fl: Winter Park Co., 1887. * “Contentdm Collection,” Rollins College Archives, 16 June 2006
Contendm Collection
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chase, Loring Augustus People from Winter Park, Florida 1839 births 1906 deaths