Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 18, 2026

Bluford Sims

Bluford Marion Sims was a Confederate officer who settled in Ocoee, Florida. He founded the town and was a citrus grower He moved to Florida from North Carolina and built a home by Starke Lake. He held public offices in Ocoee. He sold land owned by African Americans who were killed or fled after the Ocoee Massacre. The main road through Ocoee and its Confederate veterans group are named for him.

Last revised
Jul 18, 2026
Read time
≈ 1 min
Length
338 w
Citations
14
Source
Wikipedia ↗

Bluford Marion Sims was a Confederate officer who settled in Ocoee, Florida. He founded the town1 and was a citrus grower2 He moved to Florida from North Carolina and built a home by Starke Lake. He held public offices in Ocoee.3 He sold land owned by African Americans who were killed or fled after the Ocoee Massacre. The main road through Ocoee and its Confederate veterans group are named for him.

Bust of William T. Withers source ↗

William Temple Withers (1825–1889), a Mexican War veteran and Confederate general from Kentucky who led soldiers from Kentucky and Mississippi,4567 wintered in Ocoee. He founded Morehead Normal School that became Morehead State University.8 He owned the Withers-Maguire House and his memoir was published.9 Bluford donated the land on which Withers and his family built the Ocoee Christian Church.

Sims handled land sales of properties owned by blacks after the massacre.10 B. M. Sims advertised citrus groves for sale that had been owned by blacks until those that survived fled after the Ocoee Massacre.11 In 2018, commemorations of the election day violence and its aftermath were organized.12

The local chapter of the Sons of Confederate Veterans is named for Sims as is Bluford Avenue in Ocoee, the main thoroughfare.313

References

References

  1. "City History | Ocoee, FL". www.ocoee.org.
  2. "Celebrating Ocoee's Centennial: 1945-55". West Orange Times & Observer. March 19, 2025.
  3. "WFTV". WFTV.
  4. "William T. Withers family papers". exploreuk.uky.edu.
  5. "GEN. WILLIAM TEMPLE WITHERS | Harness Museum". harnessmuseum.com.
  6. "William Temple Withers · Civil War Governors of Kentucky". discovery.civilwargovernors.org.
  7. "William Temple Withers Historical Marker". www.hmdb.org.
  8. "Sketch of Life of General W. T. Withers: Was Man of Manifold Interests - Founded Morehead Normal School". Morehead State College Histories. January 14, 1907.
  9. "Memoirs of William Temple Withers | WorldCat.org". search.worldcat.org.
  10. "Bending Toward Justice Chapter 8: Aftermath of Ocoee". bendingtowardjustice.cah.ucf.edu.
  11. "WFTV". WFTV.
  12. "A Century Removed: Truth and Reconciliation of the 1920 Ocoee Massacre". West Orange Times & Observer. October 28, 2020.
  13. Davis-Marks, Isis. "The Little-Known Story of America's Deadliest Election Day Massacre". Smithsonian Magazine.
External links