LW Public Library's
Electronic Resource of the Month
Allen Carleton Nydegger Digital Archives
The Lake Wales Public Library houses the collection of papers and ephemeral of
Allen Carleton Nydegger
.
In 1910 the young civil engineer, Allen Carleton Nydegger, was contracted by the Lake Wales Land Company to plot out a new community, 15 miles east of the Polk County government seat, Bartow. Nydegger and his crew spent months plotting out the community that would become Lake Wales.
In 1976 Mr. Nydegger donated his maps, field guide, photos and surveying equipment to the Lake Wales Public Library. In 2014 the papers, maps and photos were digitized and are now housed on the Lake Wales Public Library's CONTENTdm site.
An interesting piece of trivia -
In 1911 Nydegger was instructed to select a street to name for himself. He was convinced no one would want to live on a street named "Nydegger". He chose his middle name, Carleton Avenue. Over the years the 'e' was removed and the street named Carleton on his maps is now Carlton Avenue.
