John P. Donnelly came to Mount Dora in 1879 from Pittsburgh, PA. He married Annie McDonald Stone in 1881 and built this Queen Anne style house in 1893 as a gift to her. He was among the founders of the local yacht club, and served as the city´s first mayor in 1910. The Donnelly House, now owned by Mount Dora Lodge #238, F&AM, was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on April 4, 1975.