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Joe Herrmann

The ultimate path of I-75 shaped Pasco County’s future

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Robert Frost has a famous poem that talks about two roads diverging in the woods, and how taking the one less traveled by made all of the difference.

In Pasco County’s case, the final alignment of Interstate 75 had similar, far-reaching implications.

Back in the 1960s, before I-75 began construction, locals debated with state officials about where the interstate highway should go.

This 1956 photograph shows a dirt road, which would later be paved to become State Road 54 in Wesley Chapel. (Courtesy of the Department of Transportation, State Archives of Florida)

The county’s power base in Dade City argued for a path closer to that settlement, which at the time had a population of about 4,700.

After all, it was the largest town between Ocala and Tampa during the 1960s.

Several interstate routes already had been moved — in response to public outcry around the state — including in Ocala, Tampa and Wildwood.

Dade City leaders decided to push for an alignment closer to their community, which they believed would be an economic boost.

In 1961, the Dade City Chamber championed moving I-75’s path closer to the city.

The Pasco County Commission passed a resolution favoring the shift.

Commissioners proposed that the route would leave Hernando County and continue south, passing west of Trilby, and continuing to a point about 1 ½ miles northwest of Dade City, then turning southwest to pass 2 miles west of Dade City, and 1 mile east of St. Leo.

Sydney Houston, of the Dade City Chamber, led a public relations campaign that encouraged telegrams and letter-writing.

Those pushing for I-75 to be closer to Dade City lamented the damage that had been done to the city’s economic prowess from the closing of Cummer & Sons Cypress in Lacoochee and from the discontinuation of single-strength canning at Pasco Packing.

They predicted that I-75 circumventing the town would trigger additional economic stress.

They claimed the official plan to enter the state at the Georgia line and then move due south to the Sumter-Hernando County line, where it veered to the southwest toward Tampa, would hurt Pasco County whose population and power base was in the eastern portion of the county.

Popular sentiments claimed Pasco would benefit more, if the interstate sliced through an area closer to Dade City.

This 1956 photograph shows a well-paved Highway 52 near Dade City, as compared to the dirt road near Wesley Chapel.

Initially, their efforts made little headway.

Gov. Farris Bryant retorted that the present alignment of I-75 was justified, via John R. Phillips, chairman of the State Road Board.

However, in response to community outcry, a public hearing was set at the county courthouse on Aug. 8, 1961.

More than 200 people crowded into the circuit courtroom.

O. Perry, state road department engineer, listened intently.

Pasco Commissioner Robert K. Butler pleaded for the I-75 shift.

County Clerk of the Circuit Court Stanley Burnside contended that I-75’s bypassing Dade City would ignore an essential resource — the National Guard unit of the 51st Infantry stationed in Dade City. That unit would be deployed to metropolitan centers in need, and moving I-75 would delay its response times, he said.

Dade City Chamber Director Ed Carren proclaimed by realigning the route the greatest number of people would be served — including Pasco’s largest population living in Dade City, San Antonio, Lacoochee and Zephyrhills, and residents in neighboring Lakeland, Plant City and other communities, in Polk and Hillsborough counties.

George Sanford, a city planner from Lakeland, and representatives of the Lakeland Chamber of Commerce endorsed the plan. They believed the thoroughfare would provide direct access to U.S. 98.

Attorney Bill Larkin, who had been instrumental in getting U.S. 301 positioned through Dade City, pointed to the scenic beauty that the altered route would allow motorists to view – the hills, groves and land of the area.

This 1966 photo shows the completed Interstate 75, near the closest access to Dade City. Resident Jeanette Reilly, a retired educator and a member of the Pasco County History Society, recalled that soon after completion of I-75, one could travel for several miles without seeing another driver. Note in this photograph, there are just four cars.

Undoubtedly, the Dade City contingent did not anticipate the opposition that would be wielded by the towns of San Antonio and Brooksville.

San Antonio Mayor Joe Herrmann was worried that the new route would cut through the middle of several small citrus groves, whereas the current route passed through large acreages allowing resulting damages to be more easily absorbed.

Representatives from Brooksville, the county seat of neighboring Hernando County, had grown accustomed to the existing plan and stood firm in their defense of the governor’s map.

Dade City’s champions failed in their efforts to shift I-75’s path.

If they had prevailed, Burnside, now 97, is confident the altered path would have made a real difference in Dade City’s economic development.

Instead, it was Wesley Chapel’s growth that was fueled by I-75’s path.

What a difference an interstate makes
Growth in the aftermath of I-75 literally put Wesley Chapel on the map.

The community had fewer than 100 residents before I-75 was built — about 2 ½ times smaller than the population needed, to be recognized by a circle on the map by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Throughout most of its history, Wesley Chapel had been known for its open ranges, lumber and turpentine-making operations, and sparse population.

Highway 54 was a dirt path used by carts to haul resin to the turpentine stills and for wagons to carry lumber from sawmills to the railroad line.

But since I-75 sliced through, the landscape in Wesley Chapel has changed from a place dominated by orange groves and cattle ranches to one which features scores of housing subdivisions, a hospital, a state college, numerous schools, two regional shopping malls, several churches and all sorts of businesses.

Wesley Chapel’s population has grown. U.S. Census figures put the community’s population at more than 44,000 in 2016. That compares to Dade City’s population of 7,099, at the same time.

Still, both communities have their strengths.

Wesley Chapel residents have more choices, now.

Dade City residents, though, can enjoy the quiet streets, historic buildings and ambience that combine to give the community its widely recognized Old Florida charm.

By Madonna Jervis Wise

Madonna Jervis Wise is a local historian who has written local history books about Dade City, Zephyrhills and Wesley Chapel.

Published April 18, 2018

Credit union is 60, and going strong

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Anyone who has spent much time in the community of San Antonio has undoubtedly seen the tangible results of the San Antonio Citizens Federal Credit Union’s handiwork.

The credit union, which serves the eastern half of Pasco County, and the tip of Hernando County, has been handling the financial transactions of its members for 60 years.

Tim Baldwin and Terri Gude, left, flank the portrait of Joe Herrmann, one of founders of the San Antonio Citizens Federal Credit Union. Carolina Rodriguez and Andy Kinross, are on the other side of the portrait. Baldwin, president, and Gude, vice president, have worked at the credit union the longest. Kinross and Rodriguez are the two newest members on the credit union’s 40-member staff. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)
Tim Baldwin and Terri Gude, left, flank the portrait of Joe Herrmann, one of founders of the San Antonio Citizens Federal Credit Union. Carolina Rodriguez and Andy Kinross, are on the other side of the portrait. Baldwin, president, and Gude, vice president, have worked at the credit union the longest. Kinross and Rodriguez are the two newest members on the credit union’s 40-member staff.
(B.C. Manion/Staff Photos)

In a world of bank mergers and takeovers, this credit union is the oldest chartered financial institution in Pasco County, said Tim Baldwin, the credit union’s current president.

“I think the credit union has made a big difference in the lives of a lot of people in this area, and we feel that’s what we’re here to do — help people make their lives better,” Baldwin said.

“We make home loans, car loans, personal loans. We have credit card accounts. We even do member business lending,” he said.

The credit union has offices in San Antonio, Dade City and Zephyrhills, and expects to have a soft opening on its fourth location — in Wesley Chapel — this week.

It all began with two men.

Joe Herrmann and some of his friends wanted to bring a financial institution to San Antonio, a small community between Dade City and the town of St. Leo.

“They applied for a state bank charter and were denied. And, they applied for a federal

bank charter and were denied,” Baldwin said.

During his research, Herrmann found out about credit unions and decided to find out more.

So, Herrmann and his friend, Joe Collura, did some field research.

“They got together, and they drove around Florida and Georgia visiting credit unions.

“They decided that would fit what they wanted to do here,” Baldwin said.

The San Antonio Citizens Federal Credit Union was chartered on Dec. 12, 1955.
The San Antonio Citizens Federal Credit Union was chartered on Dec. 12, 1955.

The charter was dated Dec. 12, 1955, and the credit union opened for business on Jan. 3, 1956.

The desire for a financial institution likely stemmed from the community’s civic pride, Baldwin said.

“It’s a little town, and it’s always been a little town; but, it was always a vital little town,” Baldwin said.

While some credit unions are established to serve a certain group of employees, or a particular business, the San Antonio credit union has always been a community charter.

Under its original charter, anyone who lived within a 5-mile radius could join. Now, the credit union is open to anyone who lives, works, worships or attends school within its field area.

In those days, the credit union was located in a storefront of a building owned by Joe Herrmann.

As it grew, it moved to a new location in San Antonio and then built its current location.

It also has offices in Zephyrhills and Dade City, and will have a soft opening this week for a new location in Wesley Chapel.

This is the current location for the San Antonio Citizens Federal Credit Union in San Antonio.
This is the current location for the San Antonio Citizens Federal Credit Union in San Antonio.

Its membership and assets grew, too. During its first year, it had 358 members and $67,000 in assets.

It finished last year with more than 13,000 members and slightly more than $175 million in assets, Baldwin said.

“I can remember, it has probably been 25 years ago or so, I remember at one of our annual meetings we were reporting that we had crossed $22 million in assets.

“I remember Mr. Herrmann got up and spoke to us. He almost cried. He said, ‘We never dreamed that there would be $22 million in assets in this credit union,’ ” Baldwin said.

“To me, it’s just a remarkable story about how this got started,” Baldwin said.

“In the early days, everybody that worked at the credit union was a volunteer. They couldn’t afford to pay anybody,” he said. “I don’t know if you could start a credit union from scratch again today, I would hate to try. It would be a daunting task.”

Now, the credit union has 40 employees.

Baldwin, who has been with the credit union for 27 years, loves his job.

“We still make small personal loans to people. Usually at a commercial bank, unless a loan is a certain size, they won’t do it.

“You just feel like you can actually make a difference for people,” Baldwin said.

Terri Gude, vice president of branch operations and compliance, has been around the credit union most of her life.

Her mother, Veda Gude, was the former credit union president.

“I really grew up in the credit union. I used to come in on the weekends and in the evenings, and things like that, with my mother,” she said.

She enjoys the personal nature of the credit union.

“We’re not as big as some of the banks, so you get that true hometown feeling when you come in,” she said.

“If you need a $500 loan, we’re willing to do it. We have the opportunity to change lives. We do that everyday,” Gude said.

Stockholders own banks, but members own credit unions.

It makes a difference in pricing and policy decisions, Baldwin said.

It also affects the environment, said Andy Kinross, who is one of the credit union’s two newest employees.

“You’re literally a member. You aren’t just one of the masses,” said Kinross, who worked at a credit union in Ohio before moving to Florida.

She’ll be working at the new Wesley Chapel, at 28909 State Road 54, just east of Interstate 75.

The new office will serve a rapidly growing area, Baldwin said.

He also expects the credit union’s territory to continue to grow.

“I don’t think we’d ever want to go too far west in the county, but I think a next natural progression would be to try to incorporate some of the Land O’ Lakes area,” Baldwin said. “Land O’ Lakes would be a nice westerly boundary for us, eventually.”

Published January 13, 2016 

 

Antiques store is repository of memories

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Johnny Herrmann’s business card boasts that his antiques business, in San Antonio, is “not your grandma’s antiques store.”

But, there’s no doubt that the shop where his business operates is steeped in his family’s history.

The store is in the 1946 Herrmann Building, at 11853 S. Curley St.

Johnny Herrmann enjoys being surrounded by items he’s purchased at estate sales, other antiques stores and from individual sellers. He has a particular weakness for paintings. He just loves having them around. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)
Johnny Herrmann enjoys being surrounded by items he’s purchased at estate sales, other antiques stores and from individual sellers. He has a particular weakness for paintings. He just loves having them around.
(B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)

The building is one of a collection of structures on Curley Street, south of State Road 52, constructed by the Herrmann family, beginning in the 1920s.

“People used to refer to this part of town as Herrmann-ville, because there were so many buildings that my grandfather and father built,” said Johnny, whose grandfather moved to the area in the 1920s, according to published reports.

The collection of businesses is now called the South San Antonio Arts and Antiques District, or s.o.s.a for short. The businesses, as well as San Antonio Pottery, are part of that district.

Step inside San Antonio Antiques, and you’ll find a place chock full of unusual items — purchased from estate sales, other antique shops and individual sellers.

A few years ago, the place was vacant, and it had been that way since the mid-1970s, Johnny said.

Now, it houses the antiques shop, Tangerine Hill and Red Dog Designs & Home, and A Healthy Convenience. Upstairs, there’s a yoga studio and a place for martial arts classes.

Beyond its current role, the building is a physical reminder of a family that has played a considerable role in San Antonio.

Johnny lives in the house that belonged to his grandfather, Lucius, who was a baker by trade.

His business is in the space that was once occupied by his father’s business.

Indeed, the gleaming terrazzo floor near the front door is emblazoned with the logo for Saf-T-Gas, the business that Joe Herrmann ran from the building.

Joe Herrmann arrived in San Antonio when his father, Lucius, moved there and set up a bakery.

Lucius Herrmann left the area, but Joe and his wife, Rose Ullrich Herrmann, stayed, raising nine children there.

Joe and Rose were deeply involved in community life.

These are the buildings that were built by Johnny Herrmann’s grandfather, Lucius and his father, Joe. At one point, the area was known as “Herrmannville.” (Courtesy of Johnny Herrmann)
These are the buildings that were built by Johnny Herrmann’s grandfather, Lucius and his father, Joe. At one point, the area was known as “Herrmannville.”
(Courtesy of Johnny Herrmann)

Joe played a role in so many different ventures and organizations there, he was called “Mr. San Antonio,” according to news accounts.

He was entrepreneurial from a young age.

He delivered newspapers and fresh bread. He set up a radio store. He caddied at a golf course, too.

News accounts and historic documents detail Joe’s involvement in politics, banking, business and civic life.

He was appointed by the governor to fill a seat on the Pasco County Commission, upon the death of Arthur Schrader. He served as San Antonio’s mayor.

He helped establish the Traveler’s Rest community and was one of the founding fathers of the San Antonio Credit Union, the Pioneer Florida Museum and Village, and the Pasco County Fair Association.

He also championed the San Antonio Rattlesnake Festival and the Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce.

Before he died, Joe made it known he would like to see the former Saf-T-Gas building revived, Johnny said.

Now, it’s a showcase of the items Johnny has accumulated through years in the antiques business.

In the past, Johnny and a partner had stores in Seminole Heights and Ybor City, and then Johnny traveled thousands of miles each year, going to shows in cities from New York to Miami.

He still has a passion for collecting and selling. He enjoys the thrill of finding an unusual item, or a great bargain, and he continually seeks to broaden his knowledge.

He enjoys being surrounded by interesting objects and paintings in his shop.

And, it’s nice, he said, to be able to walk to work from the house that his grandfather built to work in the building that his father constructed and to do business in a community that he calls home.

Published November 11, 2015