Lake Charm

Lake Charm is a historic lakeside community just east of downtown Oviedo, known for its roots as one of the area’s earliest resort destinations in the late 1800s. Centered around its namesake lake, the neighborhood still reflects its heritage through landmarks like the 1880 Lake Charm Memorial Chapel, along with longtime family homes nestled beneath oaks and citrus trees. Today, it remains a quiet, close-knit enclave that preserves the charm and character of Old Florida.

Lake Charm's history as a charming Central Florida enclave stretches back to the late 19th century. The area was first settled by Walter and Mattie Gwynn in 1868 — Gwynn later served as Florida’s state comptroller and treasurer — and their daughter Martha dubbed the lake "Charm" for its healing beauty.

In the early 1870s, Dr. Henry Foster from New York transformed the shoreline into a winter resort destination, planting groves and encouraging winter homes to be built there. Among the structures from that era is the Lake Charm Memorial Chapel, built in 1880 as a non-denominational place of worship and still standing today, now housing Oviedo’s mayor.

The community’s golden era continued into the late 1880s with the Lake Charm Improvement Company — founded by Foster and Calvin Whitney — overseeing key developments such as a paved sidewalk encircling the lake, a lake bulkhead, and muck removal from the lakebed

This era eventually came to a halt after the Great Freeze of 1895, which, combined with economic downturns, ended Lake Charm’s resort heyday.

According to the Friday, October 15, 1886 Daily Bulletin of Orders Affecting the Postal Service (Volume VII, No. 2017), the post office at Lake Charm was established on 14 September 1886. (Lake Charm, Orange Co. - Special from Oviedo, 1-1/4 ms. W., Route 16010. [14 sept. 86.) Thomas J. Lawton commissioned postmaster on 14 October 1886, Lake Charm, Orange County.