Contains material related to George Oden who owned four businesses and five parcels of land in Apopka, on which he maintained citrus groves. Mr. Oden was also a recipient of the City of Apopka's 50 years in business award. Michael Gladden, executor of the Oden estates, is a prominent figure on these documents as well, especially the legal documents after Oden's death in 1939. In 1933 George Oden donated the land for Pleasant View Baptist church, the church still sits on that land. Many of the documents in this portion of the collection are property deeds, receipts, tax documents and other legal materials relating to these groves. Also significant is a collection of documents from Ella Wall, an Apopka resident who was the inspiration for a character in Zora Neale Hurston's Mules and Men. Ella Wall was born 1874 in Washington County, Pennsylvania and died in 1938 in Apopka, Florida. She came to Apopka as a widow and became a property owner and in four years she owned 4 parcels of land. As an entrepreneur and businesswoman, Mrs. Wall ran an Orange Grove and built small wooden structures that she rented to migrant workers. Mrs. Wall was a close friend and confidant of Michael Gladden, Jr. until her death.
