DELTONA, Fla. — Just off the shores of Lake Monroe sits a little red school house, where those who treasure Deltona’s past preserve it for the future.

• City of Deltona will turn 25 years old in 2020
• 1st mayor recalls carrying file box called 'first city hall'
• City leaders will reveal celebration plans in January

“There’s a story with every scrap of paper and picture in here,” says John Masiarcyzk, who was the city's first mayor.

“I am very proud to say I was mayor for 18 years," he says.

Masiarcyzk and Nancy Schleicher of the Deltona Historical Memorabilia Committee sifted through every piece of Deltona’s history that they could find ahead of the city’s 25th anniversary in 2020.

“It’s so great to see that we are going to make the 25th. That's the silver. That's a big step,” Schleicher says.

In that time, they’ve both seen Deltona transform first hand, and formed memories of their own.

“When I got here, there was only about 8,000 to 10,000 people. It was still a new city,” Schleicher says. "There was only one (traffic light), and it was a blinking light. That was the only traffic light there was."

Deltona was founded in 1961 by the Mackle brothers, who built model homes. Decades later and after two failed attempts to incorporate, Deltona finally became its own city in 1995.

“It's gone from a bedroom community dependent on the county for all services and everything, to now, a big self-serving community of over 100,000. I guess the new census next year will probably indicate (that),” Masiarcyzk says.

Masiarcyzk was a blank slate when he was elected to govern the new city.

“I was told, 'You’re the mayor. You’re elected mayor. Go ahead and do what you’ve got to do,' and I had no idea where to start.”

That's evidenced by one piece of memorabilia he shows off.

“One of the artifacts we have is a file box we called the 'first city hall.' I carried it with me all over Deltona,” Masiarcyzk says.

Over time, officials built an actual city hall, infrastructure, and schools.

“With the big industrial stuff that's coming in and some of the other growth like the hospital and things like that, the community is recognizing it now, and the economic development arm of the city is going to continue to do more and more and provide more services," Masiarcyzk says. "People will be able to shop at home, stay at home. It will increase camaraderie in the community and will make it a better community."

As Deltona heads toward that future, Masiarcyzk and the committee will be here to ensure it doesn't forget its past.

“We’re committed to making sure it doesn’t get lost. We want to see it protected,” Masiarcyzk says.

In January, the city of Deltona plans to reveal its plans for celebrating its rich history throughout 2020.