South Lake County Historical Society

In 1996, the City of Clermont purchased the Clermont Historic Village property, which included the Train Depot and the Quonset Hut. The South Lake County Historical Society was formed in 1998. The SLCHS and the City of Clermont have a cooperative agreement allowing the Historical Society to operate the Historic Village.

The Herring Hooks Schoolhouse, the most recent addition to the Village, was dedicated on April 13, 2013. It is a replica of the original 1881 Herring Hooks one room schoolhouse. The original building was located on the east side of US 27, north of SR 50 near Jack’s Lake. The building first served as Herring Hooks’ Hunting Lodge, until it was appropriated for use as a schoolhouse. Mrs. Thomas J. Hooks was the teacher at Clermont’s first school.

The Cooper Memorial Library was originally located on West Desoto Street and built in 1914. It was moved to the village in 2009. It underwent refurbishment in 2011 and was dedicated in February 2012.

The Outhouse was built between the Kern and Townsend Houses as part of an Eagle Scout Project. Jamaal Anderson Reid helped the Village create a replica of a typical Outhouse. He was awarded the honor of Eagle Scout for his time and effort.

Clermont’s Train Depot stands in its original home at the Village. In 2011, the Depot was refurbished.

This building is an original Quonset Hut from World War II. In 2012, it was renovated to house a WWII museum.

The Kern House was originally built around 1895 on Montrose Street. In 2008, it was moved to the Historic Village and was opened for tours.

The Townsend House was originally built around 1895. In 2002, the house was moved from its original location on SR 50 to the Historic Village. It has been open for public tours since 2005.

The mission of the South Lake County Historical Society is to preserve, maintain, and share the history of the pioneering families of South Lake County. We cover the period from the eighteen hundreds to the end of World War II. The SLCHS continues to uphold the dreams of the original members to have a Historic Village where people of all ages, especially young students, can learn about the lifestyle of times gone by.

Quonset hut was constructed in 1943 and used by Army searchlight unit for training. Unit moved out in 1944 to combat service in the Pacific.