In 1911, a small group of Czechoslovakian immigrants arrived at a wooded spot in south Seminole County and established a Lutheran community called Slavia.
They started successful farms on fields near where the Oviedo Marketplace and the new Oviedo Medical Center sit and built a church near Chapman Road.
Over the years, Slavia has been all but eclipsed by Seminole’s explosive growth. But a few reminders of the past remain: a road sign on County Road 426, a vacant grocery store with the word “Slavia” above the front door and a cemetery off Chapman that holds the graves of many of Slavia founders.
Now, several Slavia residents are worried about a proposed development on 43 acres on Chapman, just east of State Road 417. They would like to see growth either curtailed or better planned before their quiet community is entirely gone.
“I grew up in this area,” said John Tesinsky, 74, who lives off Chapman Road. “I remember when Chapman was a dirt road, and we used to play there as children. But this place is now growing too fast. Houses just started popping up little by little. Now I’d like to see fewer houses.”
At issue is a Winter Park developer’s request to build 61 single-family homes, 250 apartments and 10,000 square feet of commercial space on the mostly wooded site off Chapman.
Like Tesinsky, other Slavia residents aren’t necessarily opposed to more growth. But they fear that those additional new homes and apartments will bring more traffic to C.R. 426 and their surrounding roads. They would rather see that land be used by high-tech industry that provides jobs for nearby residents.
Clay Archey bought a home off Chapman about a decade ago after marrying Erin Duda, the great-great-granddaughter of Andrew Duda Sr., one of the original founders of Slavia. The Duda family built its global agri-business empire from the small community.
“They came here to start new lives and start businesses,” Archey, 37, said about Slavia’s founders. “And that’s one of the things that we need here today. We’ve got plenty of residences. But what we need now are job opportunities. Otherwise, we are selling ourselves short.”
It was a harsh and miserable experience when the nine Slavak families arrived in the early 1900s. They moved into small abandoned shacks left by the earlier turpentine workers. With no windows and large gaping cracks in the wood floors, they ignited rags and placed them under the floors at night so that smoke would rise through the cracks and drive away the mosquitoes, ticks and horseflies.
Today, one of the last remaining shacks has been rebuilt and serves as a chapel for the cemetery.
It’s important to preserve Slavia’s history, Archey said. He proposes erecting historic markers in the community, especially along the Cross Seminole pedestrian trail, which runs alongside C.R. 426 in Slavia.
Judith Duda, 79, whose first husband was Andrew Duda’s grandson, is Slavia’s unofficial historian and recently co-authored a book, “Like a Mustard Seed: A Century of Faith” that details the community’s past.
Duda said it’s inevitable that growth will soon overtake the small community.
“I’m a pragmatist. Growth is going to happen,” Duda said. “But it has to be smart growth.”
In November, Seminole’s planning and zoning commission recommended the land use change to allow the mixed-use project be denied and sent it to county commissioners. Commissioners were scheduled to hear the request on Jan. 24, but the developer JEL Land Development asked that the hearing be rescheduled for Feb. 28 so representatives could meet with residents.
Bryan Potts, a civil engineer who is working with JEL Land Development on the project, said the developers are willing to work with residents.
“We’re trying to listen to their concerns, and see what we can do to alleviate their concerns,” Potts said.
Rita Pruitt, a 62-year-old Oviedo native who now lives in Slavia, also remembers when most roads in the community were unpaved.
“Slavia is a community that was based on family,” Pruitt said. “It was based on faith. And it was based on growth. But it was smart growth. You can’t have too many rooftops. You need to balance it with industry and well paying jobs.”
mcomas@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5718
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