LAND O' LAKES, FL — Settlers came to Land O' Lakes at the turn of the 20th century, long before it was even called Land O' Lakes.
Dr. Susan MacManus' grandfather was one of them. And like many others, he stayed for its beauty, his family, and the hope of making it big in the citrus industry.
Today, five generations of her family have lived in the area.
You may be used to seeing Dr. MacManus on Tampa Bay 28 as a political expert. Turns out, she's an expert on Land O' Lakes as well and even wrote a book about it.
In the book, there are some incredible historic photographs of what life was like in Land O' Lakes a hundred years ago.
WATCH Dr. Susan MacManus share photos and history of Land O' Lakes
Dr. MacManus said her mother was a historian, and she started taking recordings and pictures from others in the community. As a professor, MacManus encouraged her to turn them into books.
In this photo, Dr. MacManus said you can see early settlers from the 1910s. At the time there wasn't housing so people would live in tents.
This photo is of the sawmill, which was the first big industry in the Land O' Lakes area. Dr. MacManus said the man who created the sawmill company came from Germany, just like her ancestors. The man bought thousands of acres and developed the sawmill because there were pine trees and cypress everywhere.
Family charged hundreds for car towed from paid lot during downtown Tampa event
A family claims a 17-year-old was waved into a parking spot by an attendant, paid $45 to park, and still had her grandfather's truck towed during a Lightning playoff game.
