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A VISIONARY IN THE PINES
35" X 56" Oil Painting
John B. Stetson, A Visionary in the Pines, 1886.
John B. Stetson (1830-1906), a founding trustee of Stetson University, was admired not just for his invention of the famous hat he called "The Boss of the Plains," but also for his philanthropy and caring treatment of employees.
Born in Orange, NJ, he struck out at age 30 for the dryer, more healthful climate of the West. Having experimented with hat designs while there, Stetson returned to Philadelphia in 1865 to open a hat factory. At its peak, the company employed 3,500 workers and manufactured 2,000,000 hats per year.
In 1885, Henry A. DeLand convinced Stetson to visit the town of Persimmon Hollow, now DeLand, Florida. The Stetson family spent the next 20 winters there, despite his wife Sarah's complaints about the lack of culture in Central Florida. The Stetsons donated generously to DeLand Academy, eventually renamed in Stetson's honor John B. Stetson University. The Stetson family, along with their friend Henry DeLand, fostered a community based on education and culture, and a town once called "The Athens of the South."
In the painting, John B. Stetson stands in front of his mansion, the historical John B. Stetson house in DeLand. Designed in eclectic style by architect George T. Pearson and erected in 1886, it served as the Stetson family's winter retreat. The electrical system for the 9000 sq. foot structure was planned and installed by the company of Stetson's friend Thomas Alva Edison, making it one of the first homes in the world designed and built with Edison Electricity. Famous guests such as the Astors, Mellons, Vanderbilts, and Carnegies attended parties and receptions at the home.
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