The community of Spring Lake can trace its origins back to the 1840s. It first appeared on maps around that time and slowly grew into a small community.
According to local historian Virginia Jackson, "The Spring Lake area was settled by Edward M. Harville and Captain John Townsend." Michael Garrison was another early arrival. He received a 160 acres via an Armed Occupation Act Land Permit and additional land for his military service. This land was located in the Spring Lake area. Michael sold his lands to the son-in-law of Henry Hope after Michael moved to the Tampa area. The Hope family is considered one of the founding families of Brooksville.
Alatha Frances Garrison was the wife of Henry Hope and is credited with donating the land that was used to for the Methodist Church and Cemetery. During the 1880s, School at Spring Lake was held in the Methodist Church, then in 1889 Frank Saxon donated an acre of land to be used for a schoolhouse. The schoolhouse had 3 rooms which were used for students from first through twelfth grade. This schoolhouse was torn down in 1919 and replaced with a larger school nearby.
Another early resident of Spring Lake was was Joseph Robles an immigrant from Spain. He married Mary Anne Garrison, a daughter of Michael Garrison, in 1841 and moved to Hernando County in 1845. The location of their land obtained through the Armed Occupation Act was in the Spring Lake area. After six years, Joseph moved to Tampa where he became an important figure. He originally received 80 acres of land in Tampa which is near the park named for him, Robles Park. He fought for the Confederacy with distinction and was a successful surveyor, farmer, and builder. He added to his original holdings until he owned many acres along the Hillsborough River.
Spring Lake is home to a National Historical Site. The Spring Lake Community Center received this designation October 20, 2009. It is considered an excellent example of rubble stone masonry. The community center was built in 1939 with labor provided by the WPA (Works Progress Administration) as a joint venture of the Spring Lake Woman's Club and the Board of County Commissioners. The community center provided the nearby school with a much need library, lunchroom, and toilet facilities. It also served as a recreation facility and polling place for the community. The Spring Lake school was closed in 1967 and demolished in 1999.
Spring Lake became well known for citrus production. One of the details that persuaded the Czecho-Slovak immigrants to develop a farming community named Masaryktown in Hernando County was the nearby orange groves in Spring Lake.
According to Frank E. Mackle III who was a leader of the Deltona Corporation that developed Spring Hill, “During the planning process the working name for the community was Spring Lake (after the small town where Dad and the family summered)”. The nearby community of Spring Lake precluded them using the name of Spring Lake, so they settled on a new name, Spring Hill.
Spring Lake is home to several of Hernando County's best known destinations. Papa Joe's Italian restaurant draws local visitors as well as patrons from the surrounding counties. Boyett's Grove is a tourist attraction (Gift Shop and Zoo) that harkens back to a time before interstate highways when there were many unique roadside attractions vying for travelers to stop in. Boyett's Grove has a gift shop that carries their citrus, jams, and an eclectic mix of souvenirs and old Florida memorabilia.
The next time you are in the eastside of the county, stop by this small community with a long history. Boyett's Grove still sells local citrus and trees and the view from the top of the hill is amazing.