“My neighbors keep telling me about the Beeman Bubblegum House in my neighborhood. It looks like an old dollhouse in Audubon Park. What’s the story behind this house? Thanks for
all you do!” – Jenny
Edwin Beeman, the “Chewing Gum King” was born in LaGrange, Ohio to Julius and Margaret Beeman. He studied medicine and joined his father in the pharmacy business after college and specialized his practice in digestive orders. After applying the use of pepsin, an extract from pig stomachs, to relieve indigestion in his patients, he moved to Cleveland in 1883 to manufacture it on a large scale.
It wasn’t until 1890 when an employee of Beeman’s suggested that he add pepsin to chewing gum, which led to his founding “Beeman’s Pepsin Gum” in 1891. It’s said that pepsin sales were immediately eclipsed by the gum, and in 1898 they sold $1,449 of pepsin to $408,685 of gum.
Beeman sold the company to American Chicle Co. in 1899 when it became mass produced and hit the larger American market. Beemans Gum became even more popular during the first World War, as it was before the roll-out of pressurized cabins and it helped to lessen pressure in the inner ear during take-off. Pilots like Amelia Earhart and Howard Hughs were said to never fly without a pack on their person.
Mass production finally stopped in the late 70s due to poor sales, which could have been attributed to their ad campaigns (see below). But don’t worry, it’s still being made in limited editions spurts by Cadbury Adams but it doesn’t have any pepsin in it anymore.
Edwin’s son, Edwin, inherited the family gum fortune and lived on a family-owned estate on the southeastern shore of Lake Sue in what is now known as Beeman Park. The three-story main house, located at 2308 Lake Sue Drive [GMap], was built in 1890 in the shingle style, which borrows heavily from Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, and Richardsonian Romanesque styles of the day.
Edwin Jr. (not his official name) purchased the San Juan Hotel in 1893 and was the president of Orlando Bank and Trust Co.
It’s rumored that there was a period of time when the Beeman home operated as a bordello and casino for Winter Park and Orlando elite. But something must have happened, as the six bed and five bath home served as the Ann Lisbeth Seese boarding school from the 1930s through 1971 as a private boarding school.
The Orange County Regional History Center provided Bungalower with an archived interview with a former resident of the boarding school who believed it was haunted by the spirit of “a young woman in a party dress.” He said children would hear footsteps on the back stairs and run screaming to Miss Seese’s bed.
Editor’s Note: The “Beeman Bubblegum” home is not to be confused with this other sweet spot in Orlando, the Sweet Escape luxury vacation rental (Website). Also, Edwin Jr. (again, not his official name) is buried in the beautiful, historic Greenwood Cemetery.
Do you have a question you’d like the answer to? Reach out to us at [email protected] and we’ll do our best to sleuth it out for you.
I actually grew up in this house. My parents bought it when I was just a kid and have made many renovations while still focusing on keeping the history and architecture intact. It’s truly an amazing home. Growing up we’d find all sorts of old bottles and other things buried in the yard. Opening walls was interesting as well. It’s really cool to know more about the in depth history. I love reading the comments as well! I will agree though it definitely is haunted, although the spirits are always nice. We’ve heard voices, heard children laughing, heard footsteps on the stairs, things would mysteriously go missing and never be found, instruments would play themselves. Truly a magical place to grow up!
I lived in the neighborhood with my family in the early 70s in a sprawling ranch style house on Woodside. It was a great place to be a kid, I Loved that place. There was a glassed gazebo behind the Carriage house it looked straight out of The Sound of Music. The water of Lake Sue is spring fed so it was crystal clear.
I grew up on Christy Avenue just across Corrine Drive. As a young girl I would ride my
Bike everywhere, this was in the late 50’s, early 60’s. I would go to the Beeman house and Hang out with one of the kids who was living there. I have no idea who he was, but he went to school there. Across the street was the lake lot, where the park is now located. We would walk through a wooded area and there was a Dilapidated boathouse that we liked to hang out in and sometimes we would jump in and swim in the lake. I almost drown trying to swim to land from the boathouse. I always wondered about the house and the young man. Had no idea of the house history. Amazing story.
Great story and great neighborhood. Love that house. Awesome new modern architecture cropping up in the area as well.
When I was an 18 year old in 1976 I rented a room here at the old beat-up mansion from the two elderly Beeman sisters that lived upstairs.
There were about four or five of us renting at the time.
While chatting with one of the sisters after a small argument with one of the other renters she looked me in the eye and offered this advice ” self preservation young man self-preservation.” I’ve always lived by that mantra sense and share the wisdom.
I camped out in a pup tent in the yard and made love to some girl that worked from Montgomery Ward’s haha.
I’ve been in that school house and never felt any strange entities – but that long narrow Kitchen in the main house was spooky as the Dickens.
As life would layout my son would be the starting right tackle for the UCF Knights and while visiting the area I showed him where I once lived as a young traveling kid from Michigan.
The new owners were in the process of renovating and restoring the old home back in 2003 and asked us who we were turns out he’s a big alumni for UCF and the rest is history.
David Watkins
Texas
Wow, great story! Thanks so much for sharing, David!
Brendan- Beeman owned two homes in Central Florida – one was at 32 W. Gore near what is now Orange. That’s the house that was home to both the Hampden-DuBose Academy and the Perrydell Tea House according to Steve Rajtar’s book on Orlando.
Thanks. I believe there was a third as well. This post was in direct response to the house by Beeman Park so we focused on it.
Those commercials are great, thanks for sharing!
Aren’t they funny/awful? Can’t get enough.