Dylan and Samantha Bashore had no plans to become amateur archaeologists when they woke up Saturday morning, but by the end of the day, they had uncovered a hidden piece of Sanford’s history.
The Bashores own the old Thrifty Service Station at the northeast corner of Palmetto Avenue and 2nd Street(Gmap). The couple are renovating the building so they can open their brewery, Inner Compass Brewing Co. (Website | Facebook), later this year.
Saturday’s project was to begin removing the asphalt and concrete in front of the building in preparation to create a more pleasant outdoor seating area.
The couple soon discovered something unusual: six shuffleboard courts, three made of concrete and three made of terrazzo, where underneath all that asphalt.
“It’s weird, we had no idea this was under there,” said Dylan.
Neither did anyone else. Sanford resident Mike Smith was passing by on his bicycle when the Bashores made their discovery. He took pictures of the shuffleboard courts and showed them to Alicia Clarke, curator of the Sanford Museum.
Clark had never heard of shuffleboard courts in that location, although a quick check of the 1947 city directory indicated that the Sanford Shuffleboard Club had called that site home. Thomas Jones was listed in the directory as the president of the club.
“We really don’t have any information other than that,” said Clarke. “We’re hoping someone in the community can come forward and provide us with some more details.”
The courts were most likely covered up in the 1950s when the Thrifty filling station was built. The station was owned by Sanford baseball legend Buddy Lake (“The legend of Buddy Lake still stands after 70 years”).
The Bayshores said they hope to preserve the shuffleboard courts and incorporate them in their patio design.
If anyone has information about the courts, please contact The Bokey (Facebook | BokeyNews@gmail.com) or call Clarke at 407-688-5198.
– by Dan Ping
UPDATE: Blake recalls long-forgotten shuffleboard courts
Sanford, Fla. 
Unfortunately we won’t be able to keep them for use, but we will incorporate a piece of the original courts into our new outside area. Unfortunately the city sidewalk covers a good portion of them as well as the old pumps at the gas station.
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Hi Dan : Jim use to play on those courts back when. He thought there were 4 or 6 courts. There was no building then just courts and racks. This was in 1948 when he played.
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