1 100 2 https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/files/original/a5a1a1ae08fc21e63bad6e5850283126.jpg 03c4500a0c0568f0a3efebc1d908dcd2 Omeka Image File The metadata element set that was included in the `files_images` table in previous versions of Omeka. These elements are common to all image files. Width 2533 Height 3287 Bit Depth 8 Channels 3 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title Sanford State Farmers' Market Collection Description The Sanford State Farmers' Market Collection contains images of the market's history and its significance to local and state agriculture. The Sanford State Farmers' Market was founded in 1934 in order to provide a central location in which farmers would sell their produce directly to consumers. The idea for the Sanford State Farmers' Market was devised by Fred Dorner and Gus Schmach, both members of the Seminole Agricultural Club. The Sanford Chamber of Commerce president Harry Papworth also contributed to the development of the market. The Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) authorized construction plans on June 11, 1934. On June 20, 1934, the City of Sanford donated a portion of the Alex V. French properties to the Florida State Marketing Board, which selected the northwest corner of French Avenue and Thirteenth Street. The board approved the installation of telegraph and telephone equipment, as well as a three-pump filling station. The Sanford State Farmer's Market opened on December 18, 1934. By 1939, the Farmers' Market was bringing a total volume of business of $627,065.81. In 1941, business volume reached over $700,000. On April 4, 1957, a fire destroyed the building and caused damages estimated at $2.5 million. Reconstruction began almost immediately and the Farmers' Market was expected to re-open by the fall of 1957. In 1991, plans were created to restore, preserve, and convert the citrus packing house into a museum. Contributor <a href="http://www.seminolecountyfl.gov/departments-services/leisure-services/parks-recreation/museum-of-seminole-county-history/" target="_blank">Museum of Seminole County History</a> <a href="http://www.sanfordfl.gov/index.aspx?page=456" target="_blank">Sanford Museum</a> <a href="http://dlis.dos.state.fl.us/" target="_blank">State Library and Archives of Florida</a> Alternative Title Sanford Farmers' Market Collection Subject Sanford (Fla.) Farmers' markets--Florida Agriculture--Florida Farming Is Part Of <a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/16" target="_blank">Sanford Collection</a>, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Cenral Florida. Language eng Type Collection Coverage Sanford State Farmers' Market, Sanford, Florida Curator Marra, Katherine Cepero, Laura Digital Collection <a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a> External Reference Sheffield, Glenn. "<a href="http://www.hmdb.org/Marker.asp?Marker=52232" target="_blank">Sanford State Farmers' Market</a>." The Historical Marker Database. http://www.hmdb.org/Marker.asp?Marker=52232. Lewis, L. H. <a title="Florida State Farmers' Markets" href="http://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00015016" target="_blank">Florida State Farmers' Markets</a>. Tallahassee, Florida: State of Florida Department of Agriculture, 1955. http://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00015016. Florida. <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1403385" target="_blank">Florida State Farmers Markets:...Annual Report</a>. Jacksonville, Fla: Board, 1945-, 1945. Sanford Historical Society (Fla.). <a title="Sanford" href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/53015288" target="_blank">Sanford</a>. Charleston, SC: Arcadia, 2003. "<a title="Sanford: a Brief History" href="http://www.sanfordfl.gov/index.aspx?page=48" target="_blank">Sanford: a Brief History</a>." City of Sanford Florida. http://www.sanfordfl.gov/index.aspx?page=48. Bishop, Katherine. <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/3576018" target="_blank">Sanford Now and Then: An Official Project of the Greater Sanford Chamber of Commerce, Commemorating the Incorporating of the City of Sanford, 1877</a>. 1976. Document A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text. Original Format 1 page typewritten letter Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title Letter from Cecil A. Tucker II to George Percy (May 15, 1991) Alternative Title Tucker to Percy (May 15, 1991) Subject Sanford (Fla.) Buildings--Florida Farmers' markets--Florida Historic preservation--Florida Restoration and conservation Museums--Florida Description Letter from Cecil A. Tucker II, president of the Seminole County Historical Society, to George Percy, director of the Division of Historical Services, in support of the restoration and preservation of the Sanford State Farmers' Market in 1991. The Sanford State Farmers' Market, at 1300 South French Avenue, was founded in 1934 in order to provide a central location in which farmers would sell their produce directly to consumers. The idea for the Sanford State Farmers' Market was devised by Fred Dorner and Gus Schmach, both members of the Seminole Agricultural Club. Sanford Chamber of Commerce president Harry Papworth also contributed to the development of the market. The Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) authorized construction plans on June 11, 1934. On June 20, 1934, the City of Sanford donated a portion of the Alex V. French properties to the State Marketing Board, which selected the northwest corner of French Avenue and Thirteenth Street. The board approved the installation of telegraph and telephone equipment, as well as a three-pump filling station. The Sanford State Farmer's Market opened on December 18, 1934. By 1939, the Farmers' Market was bringing a total volume of business of $627,065.81. In 1941, business volume reached over $700,000. On April 4, 1957, a fire destroyed the building and caused damages estimated at $2.5 million. Reconstruction began almost immediately and the Farmers' Market was expected to re-open by the fall of 1957. In 1991, plans were created to restore, preserve, and convert the citrus packing house into a museum. Creator Tucker, Cecil A. II Source Original letter from Cecil A. Tucker II to George Percy, May 15, 1991: State Farmers' Market Collection, <a href="http://www.seminolecountyfl.gov/departments-services/leisure-services/parks-recreation/museum-of-seminole-county-history/">Museum of Seminole County History</a>, Sanford, Florida. Date Created 1991-05-15 Is Format Of Digital reproduction of original letter from Cecil A. Tucker II to George Percy, May 15, 1991. Is Part Of State Farmers' Market Collection, <a href="http://www.seminolecountyfl.gov/departments-services/leisure-services/parks-recreation/museum-of-seminole-county-history/">Museum of Seminole County History</a>, Sanford, Florida. <a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/11" target="_blank">Sanford State Farmers' Market Collection</a>, Sanford Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida. Format image/jpg Extent 57.2 KB Medium 1 page typed letter Language eng Type Text Coverage Museum of Seminole County History, Sanford, Florida Division of Historical Resources, Tallahassee, Florida Sanford State Farmers' Market, Sanford, Florida Spatial Coverage 28.743181, -81.299129 30.438037, -84.284999 28.800733, -81.273112 Temporal Coverage 1991-05-15/1991-05-15 Accrual Method Donation Mediator History Teacher Economics Teacher Geography Teacher Provenance Originally created by Cecil A. Tucker II. Rights Holder Copyright to this resource is held by Cecil A. Tucker II and is provided here by <a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/">RICHES of Central Florida</a> for educational purposes only. Contributing Project <a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/buildingblocks.php">Building Blocks</a> Curator Cepero, Laura Digital Collection <a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/">RICHES MI</a> Source Repository <a href="http://www.seminolecountyfl.gov/departments-services/leisure-services/parks-recreation/museum-of-seminole-county-history/" target="_blank">Museum of Seminole County History</a> External Reference Florida. <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1403385" target="_blank">Florida State Farmers Markets:...Annual Report</a>. Jacksonville, Fla: Board, 1945-, 1945. Lewis, L. H. <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/10264262" target="_blank">Florida State Farmers' Markets</a>. Tallahassee, Fla: State of Florida Dept. of Agriculture, 1955. http://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00015016. Sheffield, Glenn. "<a href="http://www.hmdb.org/Marker.asp?Marker=52232" target="_blank">Sanford State Farmers' Market</a>." The Historical Marker Database. http://www.hmdb.org/Marker.asp?Marker=52232. Transcript Seminole County Historical Society May 15, 1991 Mr. George Percy, Director Division of Historical Resources R. A. Gray Building 500 South Bronough Street Tallahassee, Fl 32399-0250 Dear Mr. Percy, On behalf of the officers, directors, and members of the Seminole County Historical Society, it is with considerable pleasure that I write this letter of support for the request. for a Special Category Grant for the restoration, preservation, and conversion to a museum of Unit 5 at the Sanford State Farmer's Market. Unit 5 was used primarily as a citrus packing house and is one of the original buildings in the first state owned farmer's market complex in the nation. We are currently in the process of getting it placed on the National Register of Historic Places in America. The proposed museum will bring to the attention of the public a portion of little known history of how projects such as the farmer's market system helped shape the economy and destiny of re¬gions throughout our state and nation. In addition, the anticipated exhibits will reach far beyond this in their interest level of the old tools, machinery and en¬gines of yesteryear. Should any additional information concerning the historical significance of this project or any part of the grant request be needed, please do not hesitate to call upon us to provide it. Sincerely yours, Cecil A. Tucker, II President Seminole County Historical Society CC: Board of Seminole County Commissioners 300 BUSH BOULEVARD SANFORD, FLORIDA 32771 PHONE NO. 305-321-2489 13th Street Board of Seminole County Commissioners Bronough Street Bush Boulevard citrus citrus packing house Division of Historical Resources farmers’ market French Avenue museum National Register of Historic Places packing house Percy, George preservation R. A. Gray Building restoration Sanford Sanford State Farmers' Market Seminole County Commission Seminole County Commissioners Seminole County Historical Society Special Category Grant Tallahassee Thirteenth Street Tucker, Cecil A. II https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/files/original/04510635174e81e5ea6f3d3a9146efca.pdf 662c717c7a532bcff96e4980fcd28e48 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title Student Museum and UCF Public History Center Collection Subject Museums--Florida Schools Elementary schools Grammar schools Sanford (Fla.) Description The Student Museum and UCF Public History Center Collection encompasses a broad range of materials and items ranging from the late 19th Century into the present. The collection includes artifacts, photographs, documents, videocassettes, and other historical records pertaining to the history of the Sanford Grammar School, the Sanford community through the years, and the history of teaching and learning within the United States from the 19th century to the 2010s. The Student Museum has collaborated with the University of Central Florida and established the UCF Public History Center (PHC). All of the Student Museum's collections are presently housed at the PHC. The goal of the PHC is to promote access to history through ground-breaking research connecting local to global, provide cutting-edge hands-on educational programs for students and visitors, and to engage the community in contributing to and learning from history. Contributor Student Museum UCF Public History Center Language eng Type Collection Coverage Sanford High School, Sanford, Florida Westside Grammar Elementary School, Sanford, Florida Sanford Grammar School, Sanford, Florida Student Museum, Sanford, Florida UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida Contributing Project Student Museum UCF Public History Center Curator Marra, Katie Cepero, Laura Digital Collection <a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a> Source Repository Public History Center/Student Museum External Reference "Public History Center." Public History Center, University of Central Florida. "Student Museum." Seminole County Public Schools. http://www.scps.k12.fl.us/studentmuseum/Home.aspx. Alternative Title Student Museum and PHC Collection Is Part Of <a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/44" target="_blank">Seminole County Collection</a>, RICHES of Central Florida. Has Part <a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/32" target="_blank">General Photographic Collection</a>, Student Museum and UCF Public History Center Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida. <a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/73" target="_blank">Seminole County Public Schools Collection</a>, Student Museum and UCF Public History Center Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida. Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer McLaughlin, Ian Interviewee Richards, Storm Leslie Location Geneva, Florida Original Format 1 DVD/DAT recording Duration 19 minutea and 4 seconds Bit Rate/Frequency 125kbps Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title Oral History of Dr. Storm Leslie Richards Alternative Title Oral History, Richards Subject 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 Description 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. Table Of Contents 0:00:00 Introduction 0:03:25 Grant writing and rehabilitation for the Student Museum and Center for the Social Studies 0:07:21 Other historic preservation projects 0:09:18 How Seminole County has changed over time 0:12:45 Impact of Walt Disney World Resort 0:15:42 Father’s experience in the Navy 0:17:57 Closing remarks Abstract Oral history interview of Dr. Storm Leslie Richards. Interview conducted by Ian McLaughlin at Dr. Richards' home in Geneva, Florida. Type Moving Image Source Richards, Storm Leslie. Interviewed by Ian McLaughlin. UCF Public History Center. October 24, 2012. Audio/video record available. UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida. Requires <a href="http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/" target="_blank">Adobe Flash Player</a>. <a href="http://java.com/en/download/index.jsp" target="_blank">Java</a>. <a href="http://www.adobe.com/products/reader.html" target="_blank">Adobe Acrobat Reader</a> Is Part Of UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida. <a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/31" target="_blank">Student Museum and UCF Public History Center Collection</a>, Sanford Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida. Has Format Digital transcript of original 19-minute and 04-second oral history: Richards, Storm Leslie. Interviewed by Ian McLaughlin. UCF Public History Center. October 24, 2012. Audio/video record available. UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida. Coverage 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 Creator McLaughlin, Ian Richards, Storm Leslie Date Created 2012-10-24 Date Modified 2012-10-28 Format video/mp4 application/pdf Extent 46.9 MB 155 KB Medium 19-minute and 4-second DVD/DAT recording 6-page typed transcript Language eng Mediator History Teacher Civics/Government Teacher Geography Teacher Provenance Originally created by Ian McLaughlin and owned by UCF Public History Center. Rights Holder Copyright to this resource is held by the UCF Public History Center and is provided here by <a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES</a> for educational purposes only. Accrual Method Donation Contributing Project UCF Public History Center Curator Cepero, Laura Digital Collection <a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a> Source Repository UCF Public History Center/Student Museum External Reference "Public History Center." Public History Center, University of Central Florida. "Exhibits." Public History Center, University of Central Florida. "Student Museum." Seminole County Public Schools. "<a href="http://www.seminolehs.scps.k12.fl.us/" target="_blank">Seminole High School</a>." Seminole High School, Seminole County Public Schools. http://www.seminolehs.scps.k12.fl.us/. Sanford Historical Society (Fla.). <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/53015288" target="_blank">Sanford</a>. Charleston, SC: Arcadia, 2003. Click to View (Movie, Podcast, or Website) <a href="https://youtu.be/OjlBRZidNQ4" target="_blank">Oral History of Dr. Storm Leslie Richards</a> Transcript McLaughlin Alright, today is Wednesday, the 24th of October, 2012. It is 3:05 PM. I am with Dr. Storm [Leslie] Richards at his home in Geneva, Florida, and we’re going to discuss his experiences as related to historic preservation in Sanford, specifically concerning the Sanford Student Museum [and Center for the Social Studies]. Richards We moved to Sanford in 1953. My dad was in, uh, the Navy at the time, and, um, we came here, uh, when Sanford was a very small community. It was very agriculturally-oriented. Um, there were many, many schools in Sanford. Uh, I went to, uh, about four of them, uh, from about elementary school through high school—all in Sanford, and then I went to Seminole Community College,<a title="">[1]</a> which was what it was called at the time in the 1970s, uh, and got my Associate of Arts degree, and went on to the University of Florida and finished my Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctorate at, uh, the University of Florida in Gainesville. Um, did some graduate work at Tulane University, but, uh, for the most part, I was always at the University of Florida, and I had a very strong interest in historic preservation and archaeology and, uh, urban—urban development, and I think, uh, first time that I really became—became directly, um, associated with the school [inaudible] was I was asked to help write a grant. Um, he grant was originally through the Division of Historical Resources, which is part of Florida Department of State for doing architectural reconstruction and rehabilitation. Um, one of the things that came to me from the very, very beginning was that the school—the [Sanford] Grammar School was such a tremendous resource in terms of historically where[?] Sanford had been. It was constructed in 1907, I think—’02-’07, and, um, it had always been a real focal point for—for education for—for young kids, and I think, uh—I didn’t go to school there and—and I always remember the school having, uh, teeter-totters and having, um, jungle gyms and the having the maypole, uh, swing that the kids would swing around and stuff like that. It’s—it’s the kind of thing where you still remember the kids yelling and screaming, and just, uh, it was a very fun place. Um, academically, I can’t really speak for it, but, uh, I can remember that—that there was always a lot of activity there, and the school, uh, that I identified with the grant that I worked on was a very important hub for Sanford and for Seminole County to—to look at something historic and say that so many people had gone there and so many people’s lives had been involved. I just thought it was a wonderful focal point, um, to try to keep, and, uh, at that time, they were really the first time that they were getting into the notion of it being an historic properties, and being important for a museum, and—and I was just really, uh, excited about that for the kids to be able to go back and look at things the way they were a hundred years ago. McLaughlin All right. Um, in what capacity were you involved, specifically with the grant-writing process? Richards Um, because I was—I am a certified archaeologist, and I have a really strong background in historic preservation with the University of Florida and the Urban Re-Use and Planning Department, I was asked to—to come in and take a critical look at if the site was really historic. Now, it had already been designated on the [U.S.] National Register of Historic Places, which one would assume would make it very important, uh, but because it’s part of a district, um, that’s not necessarily the case, and you really want a building like that to stand on its own, be—because the importance not of just the neighborhood, but the importance of it being, uh, the structure that was there, uh, and so I put together, uh, all of the documentation on, uh, why it was historically important, and what it meant to the community, and why the state should look at it as being not just some local landmark, but as something that was important to the county and the State of Florida. So I wrote that up, and what really ended up happening was that the state looked at that and felt that there was enough merit there that it was designated on a, uh, state list of very important, uh, uh, schools for the State of Florida and it was designated as such with that important notice. I think that the other thing that I did was, uh, I contacted a number of commissioners and a number of people that had on a say on, uh—on how money was being spent, whether it was the school board of, uh, Seminole County, because it was certainly a focus of not just the City of Sanford, but the county also, uh, and told them the importance of preserving that, because at a certain point, older buildings have a way of just deteriorating to the point that they can no longer be used, and it takes an investment, and sometimes, that investment can actually cost more than—than new construction, you know? Rehabilitation’s a very expensive proposition, but what it does for a community, in terms of identifying the importance of a city, and importance of schools, and importance of looking at the people who got an education there and what they went on to do, and is—and it is far more important than any single dollar value. McLaughlin Right, I see. About how long did that process take from start to finish? From the beginning to the end[?]? [laughs]. Richards It took probably—the grants program probably took six months. McLaughlin Hm. Richards I think though the writing that I did, because I had a familiarity with it, was probably in days. McLaughlin [laughs]. Richards I’m very quick at what I do, and so I think I wrote the, uh, four- or five-page report of why it was important in—in a day or two days. McLaughlin Excellent, and what year was this again? Richards You know, I think it was probably about, uh, 10 or 15 years ago. I mean, it was probably in the [19]90s—[inaudible] or something like that. McLaughlin So like 90s? Richards Yeah. McLaughlin Right, and who all—do you remember which people from the museum you worked with? Richards Se—Serena [Rankin Parks] Fisher… McLaughlin Serena Fisher. Richards Uh, she was, you know—and I’ve known her for years and years before that, because she’s a geographer and an educator, and—and I’m a geographer also, and so I knew her from the Florida Alliance, um, which was a group of educators who try to—to convey the importance of educating children, and she was working the museum, and, uh, it was the kind of thing that I felt real honored to help her with, because of the possibility of helping people, and, uh, when you drive by the school even today, which I did, McLaughlin [laughs]. Richards Um, it’s one of those things that you can go look at and be proud that it’s still there, because it could be somebody’s patio brick, you know? McLaughlin Yeah. Richards And—and so it’s a real good place for kids to go and look at the way that things used to be. McLaughlin Excellent, and were there any other instances in Sanford, in which you helped with local preservation efforts? Richards Um, yes. Uh, the Hopper Academy, which was the African-American school, h, over near the stadium. Uh, I put together the environmental assessment and some of the feasibility studies for—for looking at the rehabbing of that and making that, uh, another focal point, and because it was a wooden building and it had a lot of decay, it was really difficult, and the neighborhood, uh, didn’t lend itself to, you know—there were a lot of transients in the area, and people were sleeping near—in the school, and people were doing a lot of things that were just destructive. I’m not sure that worked out as well as I would have liked, but it was a real, eh, effort for someone to go over there and say, “We’d like to see, you know this—this kept for the community,” and so I worked on that, and, um, also, when I was the senior planner with Seminole County and worked, um, on comprehensive planning, I—I worked very hard to try to get a conservation element that reflected the importance of archaeological and historic sites, um, in—in Central Florida and Seminole County. In—in the profession that I have now, we do an awful lot of work in Seminole County. Uh, we worked for the airport in Seminole—the Orlando-Sanford [International] Airport. We’ve identified historic sites and identified preservation, uh, concepts for them. [inaudible]. We’ve worked for the Division of Historic Resources on the railroad sites[?] that existed here that came from the 1900s, when they were shipping an awful lot of, uh, produce out throughout—throughout the state and throughout different parts of the country, and so I’ve, you know, worked a lot on different aspects on Seminole County on—on cultural[?] resource assessments and evaluations, uh, both historic and archaeological resources for the county, and provided information for the of State of Florida. McLaughlin Excellent, and here’s a little bit of a different question. In your experience working in Seminole County and living here and growing up, how has it changed environmentally? You—what do you think are probably the biggest ways that it’s changed? Richards You know, I think—the—the interesting part of that story—and it just hits me immediately—is how recently—this year, someone burnt down the big.<a title="">[2]</a> They got inside the tree and they lit it on fire, and you have a tree that is older than the for—the 1400s. Before [Christopher] Columbus and… McLaughlin Wow. Richards This country. McLaughlin [laughs]. Richards And the tree was there, and they burnt it up and destroyed it, and it was considered an “accident,” and it was considered of no great significance, and I can remember riding my bike out to the tree when I was a child from Sanford. It’s—it’s probably halfway between Sanford and Longwood on [U.S. Route] 17-92. Uh, I can remember there was a wonderful book written by [Elvira] Gardner, it was called Ezekiel’s Travels. McLaughlin Mmhmm. Richards And—and Ezekiel, a little black boy, rode his bicycle out to the big tree and they documented that in the 1930s. McLaughlin Wow. Richards You know, and—and—and they burnt this tree up and it was considered just kind of a… McLaughlin An accident. Richards An accident. So, uh—and I think that—it really has an impact, you know? McLaughlin Yeah. Richards The—the other thing that I can remember that’s changed so much is, when I was, uh, very young, I used to ride my bike down to the—the band shell, and to the, uh—to Lake Monroe, and used to fish there, and there used to be just the band shell, and just the sea wall, and in the last 25 years, you know, they’ve built, uh—they built hotels there, and, uh, they built, uh, mixed used development there. They have had varying degrees of non-success. McLaughlin [laughs]. Richards Uh, but it’s taken away much of the character, you know? I can remember when the zoo was in Downtown Sanford, and, you know, it was a very small zoo. Sorta not like the really nice complex that they have now, but—but Sanford was [inaudible], you know—libraries were there, and it was a place that—that kids went, and young people went, and it was just very different. The [Sanford] Civic Center was a big, big deal, and they had dances every week, and it was just, you know—it was just a place that people went all the time, and, uh, I don’t see that in Sanford anymore. I don’t see that. McLaughlin You think some of the character is gone? Richards I think—I think the character—and I think that, you know, its—its, um—its environment, and its, um—the neighborhood, and it’s, um—it’s just the changes that have taken place, you know? I can remember the parades in Downtown Park Avenue, and just, um, very large parades that everybody in the community got involved in, and we have something like that now, but [inaudible]—it’s just a, uh—an agglomeration of people with big bands, and—and crazy things happen from early afternoon to way late McLaughlin [laughs]. Richards [inaudible], and it’s just not something that I’m interested in participating in, you know? Probably there are a lot of people that do, but it’s—it’s just very different from when I was raised in Sanford. McLaughlin Yeah. As far as developmentally, what effect do you think that the arrival of like Disney Corporation<a title="">[3]</a> and things like that had on the change, if any? Richards Yeah, eh, Disney is a very large beast. McLaughlin [laughs]. Richards And it has a lot of beasts that, uh, have attracted to it—whether it’s the whale beast or the, you know, uh, any number of other international destinations that I think that it’s affected probably not just all of Florida, but the Southeast. It’s the number one tourist destination, you know, in the world, u, and I think it makes Interstate [Highway] 4, which used to be a wonderful opportunity to go to Orlando and you just got on the interstate and ten minutes later, you were in Orlando, and today, it’s, um—it’s questionable if it even functions at all. McLaughlin [laughs]. Richards You know, we have a—we have a toll road system, in which, uh, I was assigned to that. I was Deputy Director of the toll way [inaudible] before they actually started developing it, and it was supposed to relieve the traffic and make traffic a lot different in Central Florida, but Central Florida is so densely populated that it was probably nothing can significantly change that. You know, whether it’s a rail system that they won’t put in, it will cost billions of dollars, whether it’s increasing lanes on I-4, or whether the [Central Florida] GreeneWay builds out. It’s—it’s not going to make the quality of life significantly different, in my opinion, you know, but that’s just part of the price you pay. McLaughlin Yeah. Just out of curiosity, how many lanes did I-4 use to be? [laughs]. Richards You know, I think it was always six—divided six. McLaughlin Divided six? Richards Yeah, um, eh, it—it had fewer ramps. McLaughlin Mmhmm. Richards And so they put in more ramps and more access, and it’s—it’s—the speed is much quicker today than it’s ever been. Uh, the Fairbanks [Avenue] curb is a problem that people have been having for years, and everybody’s looking at the engineering and saying, “It’s got to be engineering.” They say, “It’s got to be, you know, your problems,” you know? People are traveling between their ears if they don’t pay attention to traffic, and that’s why we gotta have people at such a quick pace today, you know? It used to be if you made it to work at 8- 8:30, you know, or if you, you know, were just there. Now, everybody fills the building up at 10-to-8, and, you know, so consequently, everybody gets on the interstate and it’s as fast as they can go, and it reminds me a little bit of Atlanta[, Georgia]. McLaughlin Yeah. Richards You know, if you’re not doing 80 [miles per hour], you’re not getting there. McLaughlin [laughs]. Richards I think that the—I think that I-4 is quickly approaching that. If you’re not doing 70, you’re probably not going to make it. McLaughlin Yeah. Richards You know, that’s just part of reality, part of the [inaudible], and the—the—it’s the quickness of what happens today. It wasn’t like that in the, you know, 1960s. McLaughlin Okay, before we go, if you could—would you like to share the story about your father Richards Uh… McLaughlin And what he did at the Navy base? Richards We moved to Sanford in—in ’53. My dad was stationed in Jacksonville, um, before that in the, um—in the Navy, and—and when we moved here, my dad was a navigator bombardier and a mechanic, and when the first jets, which were the [Douglas] A-3D[ Skywarrior]s came from California, my dad was part of the crew that flew the jets from California to Florida. That was before the [North American A-5] Vigilantes, before the larger aircraft. These were, you know twin-engine jets, but their total design and their total purpose was, uh, to launch a, uh, nuclear strike, and—and art of what Sanford, you know—Orlando-Sanford Airport today has the bunkers that they kept the nuclear weapons in, and they were going to load onboard the A-3Ds and—and go to Cuba, and my dad was the slim pickins’ of the aircraft, because it was his job to arm the nuclear weapons—To go back in the bomb bays and arm the nuclear weapons with, uh, I guess a detonation device that you screwed in the—in the nose of the bomb, and that was his job. It—and it was very, very stressful, and you know, at the time, I can just barely remember—I guess I was probably about seven—six or seven years old that all these young kids from the Navy would come over to the house, and they would have parties and stuff, and—and what they were doing was, h, the vanguard of changing the world, if—if they had to, and they all agreed to that—that that’s what they were going to do, and my dad was a really big part of that, and I guess there’s—there’s some pride in that, but there’s also some looking back and saying, “Is this really where we were?” You know, and [inaudible], and I know today—you know, 2012—we’re still talking about the Cuban Missile Crisis and trying to figure out what really happened, and when you think about the people that were going to do whatever they were told to do, you know, there’s a lot of frighteningness[sic] there, and there is a lot of, Have we gone that far? Or, Are we still in the same place? I kinda think about that occasionally. McLaughlin Do you have any other thoughts about Sanford or Seminole County or the Student Museum that you would like to share with us before we… Richards I think that the Student Museum is, you know—it—it—it—it’s probably a lot bigger than most people really think. It’s—it’s not a matter of postcards and maps and little things that you can touch or handle, but it’s the notion of where we come from and where we’re going, and will people identify those things in 10 years, in 20 years, in 30 years, and say that, uh—that there was something that was very valuable here? It was something that was very important to a lot of people, and I hope we can still see that, and I hope that that’s, uh, a multicultural thing that—that, uh, everybody can look at and say, “This is—this is where we were, and this is where we are, and lot of good things have taken place.” McLaughlin Excellent, and once again, my name is Ian McLaughlin, and I’m interviewing Dr. Storm Richards at his home in Geneva, Florida. Today is Wednesday, the 24th of October, 2012. <div> <div> <a title="">[1]</a> Present-day Seminole State College. </div> <div> <a title="">[2]</a> The Senator. </div> <div> <a title="">[3]</a> Correction: The Walt Disney Company. </div> </div> 17-92 7th Street A3-D band shell Big Tree Park Central Florida City of Sanford Columbus, Christopher Cuban Missile Crisis deputy directory Disney Disney Corporation Disney World Division of Historical Resources environmental consultant Ezekiel’s Travels Fairbanks Fairbanks Ave. Fairbanks Avenue Fisher, Serena Florida Alliance Florida Department of State Garner, Elvira Georgetown grant writer Greenway Hopper Hopper Academy I-4 Interstate 4 Interstate Highway 4 maypole McLaughlin, Ian mechanic National Register of Historic Places navigator bombardier Orlando-Sanford Airport Orlando-Sanford International Airport parade Park Avenue Patuxent River PHC Reconstruction rehabilitation Richards, Storm Leslie Sanford Civic Center Sanford Grammar School Sanford State College SCC School Board of Seminole County Seminole Seminole Community College Seminole County Seminole High Seminole High School Seminole HS senator senior planner Seventh Street SHS SSC State of Florida Storm L. Richards & Associates Storm L. Richards & Associates, Inc. Student Museum Toll Way TU Tulane Tulane University U.S. Route 17-92 UCF Public History Center UF University of Florida Urban Re-Use and Planning Department Vigilante WDW zoo