| BLUFORD M. SIMS |
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Following the end of the Civil War, a number of settlers moved into the area including Captain Bluford M. Sims, a native of Tennessee who served in the Confederacy. He had purchased a tract of land from Dr. J. D. Starke and established the first citrus nursery in the United States. Sims had a number of other credits and accomplishments to his name including road commissioner, Freemason, and contractor for the first framed court house in Orlando. It is this section of land Sims used for citrus growth which now comprises most of what is considered downtown Ocoee. Sims led a group of early settlers in having the town platted and in 1886 the name was changed to Ocoee. The original inspiration and source for the name is not clear. Some say it came from an Indian word meaning "no cold". Some believe it means "apricot vine place", while others say it came from either the river or town of the same name in Tennessee. Whatever the source, the town of Ocoee eventually became the City of Ocoee in May of 1925.
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