Dorothy Slemons Houghton

Mrs. Dorothy Slemons Houghton born in Orlando in 1894, the spring before the Great Freeze of 1894-1895.

This interview was conducted by Sandra Hinson on February 26, 1975 for the Friends of the Orlando Public Library’s Oral History Committee.

LISTEN 30:47
Part One

In part one, they discuss her parents, William Melville Slemons (later referred to as W.M. Slemons), and Mary Ella Taylor, who came from Jonesboro, Tennessee and their arrival in Orlando in 1885. Mrs. Slemons Houghton also discusses her father’s general store on West Church Street, when pastors visited the Slemons home and going out on Sundays with her father. She also relates the history of the First Presbyterian Church, and Sunday Bible lessons.

LISTEN 30:46
Part Two

In part two, they discuss her college days and her sorority. Then, Sally (Slemons, Duncan) Pace, Dorothy Slemons Houghton’s daughter, reads a Sunday Reporter Star article from June 27, 1926 about W. M. Slemons, who was also a successful businessman. They also read from Cathedral School Graduation book of 1909, and tell about the Duncan family history.

We are grateful for the Orange County Regional History Center’s making this recording available for Orlando Memory.

Listen to other oral histories with other Orlando pioneers.