Big Tree Park, the Oldest and Largest Cypress Tree in U.S.A. Postcard
Longwood (Fla.)
Parks--Florida
A photographic postcard featuring The Senator, the giant bald cypress tree that was once the oldest and largest cypress tree in the country. At the time that the photograph was taken, The Senator was 3,500 yers old, 126 feet and 3 inches tall, and 47 feet in circumference.<br /><br />As early as the late 1800s, this centuries-old tree was considered a tourist attraction, but it wasn't until 1927 that a park was established around the tree. Senator Moses O. Overstreet donated six acres of land, which included the tree, to Seminole County to establish a park with the stipulation that a road would be built to take visitors into the park. The generosity of Sen. Overstreet inspired residents to name the giant cypress tree "The Senator."<br /><br />Located at 761 General Hutchinson Parkway in present-day Longwood, Florida, the new park was named the Seminole Big Tree Park in honor of the main attraction. In 1929, President Calvin Coolidge (1872-1933) dedicated a bronze plaque at the site of the tree. The plaque was stolen in 1945, which would place this photograph sometime between 1940 and 1945. Based on a core sample taken by the American Forestry Association, The Senator was estimated to be 3500 years old in 1946. The Big Tree Park also features another giant cypress estimated to be 2000 years old. In 2005, local elementary students named the tree Lady Liberty. It was considered to be the companion tree to The Senator, as they were only 40 feet apart. The Senator continued to be a tourist attraction and local landmark until January 16, 2012, when it was lost in a fire.
Original 14 x 9 centimeter black and white photographic postcard: "Big Tree Park." <a href="http://library.ucf.edu/about/departments/special-collections-university-archives/" target="_blank">Special Collections & University Archives</a>, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
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Seminole Big Tree Park, Longwood, Florida
Cypress 2800 Years Old
Longwood (Fla.)
Ecotourism--Florida
Bald cypress
Cypresses
The giant bald cypress tree known as The Senator during the first quarter of the 20th century. As early as the late 1800s, this centuries-old tree was considered a tourist destination, but it wasn't until 1927 that a park was established around the tree. Senator Moses O. Overstreet donated six acres of land , which included the tree, to Seminole County to establish a park with the stipulation that a road would be built to take visitors into the park. The generosity of Senator Overstreet inspired residents to name the giant cypress tree "The Senator."
Located at 761 General Hutchinson Parkway in present-day Longwood, Florida, the new park was named the Big Tree Park in honor of the main attraction. In 1929, President Calvin Coolidge dedicated a bronze plaque at the site of the tree. The plaque was stolen in 1945. Based on a core sample taken by the American Forestry Association, The Senator was estimated to be 3500 years old in 1946. The Big Tree Park also features another giant cypress estimated to be 2000 years old. In 2005, local elementary students names the tree Lady Liberty. It was considered to be the companion tree to The Senator, as they were only 40 feet apart. The Senator continued to be a tourist attraction and local landmark until January 16, 2012, when it was lost in a fire.
Chase & Company
Original 5 x 7 inch black and white photograph by Chase & Company: Chase Collection (MS 14), box 211, folder 3.30B, item 129, <a href="http://web.uflib.ufl.edu/spec/" target="_blank">Special and Area Studies Collections</a>, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.
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Seminole Big Tree Park, Longwood, Florida
Girl Scout Troop at Big Tree, 1951
Orlando (Fla.)
Schools
Education--Florida
A Girl Scout troop from Hillcrest Elementary School visiting Big Tree, which is the oldest and largest cypress tree in the world. At the time of the photograph, the tree was 3,500 years old and measured 17x127 feet.<br /><br />Hillcrest Elementary School is one of Orlando’s oldest schools, opening in 1923. Since the 1980s, it has had a vibrant foreign language component and today it continues that tradition through the Orange County Public Schools Foreign Language Academy.
Girl Scouts of the United States of America
Original black and white photograph: Private Collection of Julia Rowe.
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Hillcrest Elementary School, Orlando Florida
Oral History of Dr. Storm Leslie Richards
Oral history--United States
Sanford (Fla.)
Museums--Florida
Grant writing
Historic preservation--Florida
Historic sites--Florida
Longwood (Fla.)
Walt Disney World (Fla.)
Urban sprawl
United States. Navy
Navy
Nuclear weapons
Archaeology--Florida
Urban development
Archaeologists--United States
Geographers--United States
Conservation--United States
Lake Monroe (Seminole County and Volusia County, Fla.)
Tourism--Florida
Traffic
Oral history interview of Dr. Storm Leslie Richards, an archaeologist and environmental consultant for Storm L. Richards & Associates, Inc. Dr. Richards was born in Patuxent River, Maryland, on August 20, 1950, but his family migrated to Sanford, Florida, in 1953. He graduated from Seminole High School in 1969 and received his B.A., M.A., and Ph.D from the University of Florida in Tallahassee in 1973, 1978, and 1987, respectively. Dr. Richards also wrote the grant for the Sanford Grammar School, located at 301 West Seventh Street. This interview was conducted by Ian McLaughlin at Dr. Richards' home in Geneva on October 24, 2012.
McLaughlin, Ian
Richards, Storm Leslie
Richards, Storm Leslie. Interviewed by Ian McLaughlin. UCF Public History Center. October 24, 2012. Audio/video record available. UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida.
video/mp4
application/pdf
eng
Moving Image
Sanford Grammar School, Sanford, Florida
Student Museum and Center for the Social Studies,Sanford, Florida
UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida
Walt Disney World, Lake Buena Vista, Florida
Cuba
Orlando: City Beautiful Brochure
Orlando (Fla.)
Tourism--Florida
Tourism--Maps
Lake Wales (Fla.)
Silver Springs (Fla.)
Cypress Gardens (Winter Haven, Fla.)
Marineland (Fla.)
Longwood (Fla.)
Daytona Beach (Fla.)
Sarasota (Fla.)
Pamphlet on tourist attractions in Orlando, Florida. The pamphlet shows many photos of Central Florida, as well as a basic map of the state of Florida showing US-441, which is present-day Orange Blossom Trail. Images include a aerial view of downtown Orlando, Bok Tower, Marineland, Daytona Beach, Sanlando Springs, Ringling Art Museum, and Silver Springs.
Original pamphlet: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
Cook, Thomas
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Text
Orlando, Florida
Lake Wales, Florida
Silver Springs, Florida
Longwood, Florida
Sarasota, Florida
Daytona Beach, Florida
Sanlando Springs, Florida
Winter Haven, Florida
St. Augustine, Florida
Homestead, Florida
Winter Park, Florida
Street Map of Orlando
Orlando (Fla.)
Maps
Churches--Florida
Schools--Florida
Hotels--Florida
Street map of the City of Orlando, Florida, printed in 1936. The map shows the route of a 23-mile scenic drive around 18 lakes in Orlando. It has listings of apartment houses, churches, hotels, real estate brokers, newspapers, schools, clubs, newspapers and more. The map also lists 66 places on the scenic drive illustrated on the map.
Original 17 x 22 inch map, 1936: <a href="http://www.orlando.org/" target="_blank">Greater Orlando Chamber of Commerce</a>, Orlando, Florida: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
<a href="http://www.orlando.org/" target="_blank">Greater Orlando Chamber of Commerce</a>
Cook, Thomas
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Orlando, Florida
Winter Park, Florida