Once Lake Jackson, Always Lake Jackson
Before the founding of Sebring, lakes and streams in this area were often named after people who lived near them. Ever heard of Lake Hare? The Hare family lived on the lake, hence the name.
But on the first maps of Sebring (1912), Lake Hare had been changed to Lake Jackson. No one knows for sure why the name Lake Jackson was chosen, but it is widely believed that it was intended to honor the man who surveyed the area in the 1850s.
According to historian Allen Altvater, “a rather feeble effort was made in the early 1920s to change the name from Lake Jackson to Lake Nancesowee but the public did not react positively, so the effort was dropped.
“A more positive approach was made after well known author Rex Beach moved to Sebring in 1928. Against his wishes, a bill was passed in the legislature to rename it Lake Rex Beach but when this was not received with enthusiasm, another bill restored it to Lake Jackson.” No more efforts have been made to change the name again.
Lake Jackson is one of the more sizable lakes in Sebring. It covers 9,200 acres and consists of two lakes - Lake Jackson and Little Lake Jackson. The shore is surrounded today by homes. City Pier Beach, just west of Sebring, remains popular for swimming, just as the photo to the left, taken in 1926, shows.
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