City: Lake Alfred   County: Polk   Year: 2023
Location: 730 N Buena Vista Drive / State Road 557

The Evans family emigrated from Nantyglo, Wales, to Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, during the mid-19th century. In 1875, John H. Evans was the first of the family to be born in America. Under the employ of the Mexican Crude Rubber Company, John traveled to Mexico where he met and married Artemisa Ramonet. The Mexican Revolution of 1910 forced them to flee to the United States. Mr. Evans became a prominent figure in the citrus industry. He was President of the prestigious Floridagold enterprise and Mayor of Lake Alfred in 1929-1930. Artemisa Evans was an industrious homemaker. Prominent among Spanish language poets around the world, the John H. Evans Residence is also known as “la casa de los abuelos.” The home was built in 1923. Upon their death, the house became the property of their daughter, Artemisa Evans McNeer, who passed away in 1996. Since then, the residence has been lovingly cared for by their grandchildren, Ann McLeod and Gordon E. McNeer. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 24th, 2022. Authors from 17 countries have petitioned for its preservation as a national monument. It has been recognized in the work “America” by the Spanish poet Fernando Valverde.