Guernsey Park

ABOVE: Lovely Guernsey Park at 1320 Guernsey Street and Northumberland Avenue in College Park.

The park was named for the Guernsey family who made so many  outstanding contributions to the City Beautiful.

Many Orlandoans will remember the Guernsey  Good  Citizenship Cup awarded to students in area schools for civic excellence. Astronaut John Young, who grew up in College Park, received the Guernsey Good Citizenship Cup in 1948 as a graduating senior at Orlando High School.

ABOVE: Street sign at Guernsey Street and Edgewater Drive in College Park. Guernsey Street was named for the Guernsey family who made so many outstanding contributions to the City Beautiful.

ABOVE: College Park resident Joseph S. Guernsey is the grandson of Orlando banking pioneer, Joseph L. Guernsey who came here in 1886, purchased considerable property from the city centre to Colonial Drive, as well as residences on Lake Eola and Lake Ivanhoe.  Joseph L. Guernsey’s son, Joseph W. Guernsey, would continue in the family banking business, Guernsey & Warfield, and real estate enterprises. After serving his country as a pilot in WWII and flying as an airline pilot for Pan American, Joseph S. Guernsey returned to Orlando to enter the real estate business. He founded the Florida Mortgage Service, Orlando Federal Savings and Loan Association, served as leader of the realty firm Guernsey, Green and Slemons, and founded Lake Highland Preparatory School in addition to serving in numerous leadership positions in church and civic life.

ABOVE: The stately College Park home on Lake Ivanhoe which at one time belonged to the Guernsey family who owned many properties and contributed much to the City Beautiful. College Park resident Joseph S. Guernsey recalls the family home fondly where he spent some of his boyhood days. He can remember the view of Lake Ivanhoe before the bird sanctuary and his school days at Marks Street School with Carl Langford. He says, “…those of us who grew up in this wonderful Orlando and Orange County, Central Florida to me is about the best place on earth. I look on it generally as a garden of Eden. We really have everything when you think about it. Climate and location and water on both sides, lakes in the interior. How could you be better on this earth?”

Listen to the oral history interview with Mr. Joseph L Guernsey conducted by Jane Tracy on May 21, 2012 at his home in College Park, Florida.

LISTEN Part I (14:19)

LISTEN Part II (14:58)

LISTEN Part III (8:44)

LISTEN Part IV (3:37)

LISTEN Part V (3:04)  

LISTEN Part VI (3:38) World War II

Mr. Guernsey was born in Orlando on October 12, 1918 and passed away November 1, 2016. Read his obituary.

For more information, images and audios, search OrlandoMemory.info using the term “Guernsey.”

To view the attached images, right click and “Open image in new tab” then use the magnifying glass + to enlarge.

Persons mentioned in attached images include: Joseph S. Guernsey, Joseph W. Guernsey, Orlando Federal Savings and Loan Association, Virginia Guernsey, Lake Highland Preparatory School, Orlando Junior College, Guernsey Street.