In the early 1900s many immigrants came to the area from Slovakia and they were not at ease working in an industrial setting. They wanted to raise their children on farms. They felt that if they raised their children on a farm rather then a city that it would cause less temptation and wickedness.  Their slogan in America was Spat Ku Gazdovstvu which means "Back to the farm" but how the colony was started that was another story.

In 1911 a Slovak Lutheran Church in Ohio chose Rev. Leopold Alexander Jarosi and a member named Martin Stanko to investigate Florida and places that had productive soil. They found various sites that had great climate and soil. Three of them were Bartow, Taft and Oviedo. They then turned around to form what was called the Slavia Colony Company which would be based in Cleveland where the church was based. They then purchased 1,200 acres of land near Oviedo from a man by the name of Currie. 

The first settler to arrive in Slavia near Lake Jessup was a man by the name of Joseph Mikler in 1912. He sold his house in Ohio boarded a trail to Florida which took them to Orlando. They then switched to a smaller rural train which took them to Oviedo. The old set of tracks that ran right through the heart of the Big Little Econ Forest which is known for Bigfoot Sightings, Indian Mounds and Ghost Lights. When they arrived off the train they noticed that most of the land was swampy wet lands which had to be drained before they could farm. Their was a few buildings like wood shacks in the area, sawmills, and black turpentine camps. Mikler built the first new house by 1913 here. Can you imagine how eerie it was at night here arriving in a heavy forested area and being homeless. 

Then another couple arrived later in 1912 which was the Lukas couple and yes they are buried in St. Luke's Cemetery. They had a daughter which was the first white person born in Slavia perhaps even child.

The one thing you have to understand is these settlers came here by train and they lived in little shacks. A surveyor did draw up a plot for the colony which had 140 lots. But since nobody could locate the corner stakes the colonist did avoid building near property lines. That was later corrected in the 1920s.

Andrew Duda Sr. who settled in Cleveland heard about the colony so in 1912 he also moved to Florida soon after his wife/children following. He tried in 1912 to grow celery in 1913 it was unsuccessful so he moved back to Cleveland a few years later. In 1926 he returned to Slavia with his sons and this time was very successful with his Celery Farm. That farm became the biggest in 1967 in the country. They eventually changed the celery crop to sod and today the A. Duda & Sons, Inc. is still in business.

In 1912 the St. Luke Evangelizer Church was formed by Andrew Duda Senior and as you can see their was even a road named after him if you look at the photo below. He was the president of the church and the services were held in one of the pre Slavia workers shacks. The building has been modified many times over the years once being covered in aluminum siding and eventually used for storage. The building use to be located at the edge of the cemetery also not far from the celery fields. I was told it was moved a similar looking shack you can see in the photos below which says burger and spirits emporium. Probably once a little tavern of some kind.

The men in Slavia worked in a shingle mill owned by Henry Overstreet in Oviedo. Others worked at a citrus packing plant which employed most of the Slavia population. The Slavia children went to school in Oviedo. The colony was very simple and at peace. Financial aid came from Ohio and Slovak religious organizations. 

In the 1930s the Slavia Drainage District was formed to bring 4,500 acres of wetlands into production. That eventually went bankrupt when the non resident investors defaulted who wanted to settle in the area. Martin Stanko and Andrew Duda Jr obtained a loan and took over the project. Since then the area had been developing. So today if you were to walk around the area you will see very little signs of this colony as their are many ranches, private homes, dirt roads, barbed wire fences etc 

We did not have an exact location for the Celery Fields but we did find a road which is said to be haunted by a man carrying a suitcase. I believe the connection with that its a residual haunting. Perhaps an early Slavia settler arriving to the area. Rumor has it a man was killed back here by a vehicle. Today where the dirt road ends is electrical poles. But also near by is the cemetery and a very large open field. Since the Celery farm was so large it probably consumed most of Slavia anyways including the dirt roads we hiked on in search of the supernatural.

One of the dirt roads leads to a dead end where their are signs that a colony existed back here probably bulldozed for the building of a house. Their are a few private houses back on the dirt road most of them are new. But most of the area is full of wet lands, patchy woods, fields etc. On one of the dirt roads we found an old historical shack that said Slavia on it. Nearby we also found an old well and concrete holes hidden in the grass. All signs that the area at one time was perhaps part of a farm or community. We even found a giant pond and the area still seems to be quite secluded.

Their is alot of rumors from the locals that the celery fields are haunted by many young children. Some say you can hear them laughing and playing. Where the field use to be their is at least three to four homes. Some say you see strange fog back hear and sometimes hear screams when you drive down the dirt road. Some say you can hear the words saying help me while others have seen actual children apparitions. 

The entire place is surrounded perhaps with ghost it is likely these ghost were earlier settlers of Slavia. At that time diseases broke out in colonies like this killing off many of the children. I do not see this place as eerie or uncomfortable. I believe that whatever is here is content. These settlers chose to live here live their lives here and spend the afterlife here that is my opinion.

I will admit to hearing voices in the woods near the dirt road on my first investigation here. The houses all sit further back off of the dirt road and their are areas where their is small fields. The heart of Slavia perhaps is here and perhaps that is why many find this place to be so active or haunted. Many mysteries surround the Celery Fields Of Chapman Road!

© By

Rick-AngelOfThyNight