At that time, the only way of getting to Central Florida was by
boat from Jacksonville down the St. Johns River to Fort Mellon
(Sanford), then by horse or foot. Fort Maitland was a small fort
built on the west shore of Lake Maitland as a rest stop between
Fort Mellon and Fort Gatlin (Orlando). What is now Maitland
Avenue was part of the Old Black Bear Trail which ran from
Montreal, Canada to St. Petersburg, Florida, and passed by the
fort. The city was called Lake Maitland for years, then in 1959
a charter was passed to call the city Maitland. The fort is gone
and the city maintains a park there, mostly used for boat access
to Lake Maitland. The Maitland name is Scottish , and we have
had the pleasure of having the Vicount and Vicountess of
Maitland as guests here at Thurston House . He is also the
Lourde of Lauderdale with ties to the City of Fort Lauderdale.
The Maitland tartan is a very colorful one as you can see here.
Today’s City of Maitland police cars have the Maitland Chief’s
Arms on their front door