In 1902, the Congregational Church of Orlando merged with the First Presbyterian Church. In 1912, the sanctuary was enlarged to seat 1,000 congregants. A second tower was added at that time as well. In 1914-1915, a major renovation was undertaken that completely changed the look of the building. The congregation added stained glass windows and the church was covered with stucco. It was changed from a traditional Gothic style to the newer Spanish Colonial style with white stucco, curved arches instead of Gothic, pointed features. The original peaked roofs were hidden with the use of curvilinear elements. The stained glass windows, which were designed and made by the Jacoby Art Glass Company of St. Louis, Missouri, were preserved after the building was demolished in 1958 and are stored in the Heritage Center at the church and in the Meditation Room at Westminster Towers. Murray S. King served as the remodeling architect, while Frank Meyers was the contractor. ]]>
RICHES of Central Florida]]> Thomas Cook Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.]]> RICHES of Central Florida.]]> RICHES of Central Florida for educational purposes only.]]>

Around 1855, Judge James G. Spear planted orange groves and built his home around Lake Apopka. Called Oakland, Speer's home served as a location for Christians to assemble daily for prayer and for Sunday services conducted by the judge himself. The first group of Presbyterians to arrive in Fort Read after the Seminole War were Dr. Andrew C. Caldwell and his family, who migrated to Florida from Greensboro, North Carolina, in May 1867.

In 1869, Reverend John W. Montgomery, the Evangelist of Florida Presbytery, organized the Sumter Church in Sumter County. The name of the church was later changed to the Leesburg Presbyterian Church and a building was constructed in 1884. Plans to organize and build a church at Fort Read began in 1869, with Reverend F. F. Montgomery conducting services. Silver Lake Church was officially organized in February 1870 and the church building was completed the following year. St. Johns Presbytery was organized at Silver Lake Church on March 9, 1878. In 1900, after much of the population shifted toward the growing Town of Sanford, the church dissolved.]]>
Chase Collection (MS 14), box 173, folder 9.52, Special and Area Studies Collections, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.]]> Sanford Country Club and Golf Course Collection, Sanford Collection, Chase Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.]]> Chase Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.]]> http://web.uflib.ufl.edu/spec/pkyonge/chase.htm.]]> Adobe Acrobat Reader]]> Chase Collection is comprised of four separate accessions from various donors, including Cecilia Johnson, the granddaughter of Joshua Coffin Chase and the children of Randall Chase.]]> Special and Area Studies Collections at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida. Rights to this item belong to the said institution, and therefore inquiries about the item should be directed there. RICHES of Central Florida has obtained permission from Special and Area Studies Collections at the University of Florida to display this item for educational purposes only.]]>
3.5 x 5.5 inch color postcard: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.]]> Postcard Collection, Thomas Cook Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.]]> Adobe Acrobat Reader]]> RICHES of Central Florida for educational purposes only.]]>
Episode 40 features an interview with Dr. Sheila Flemming Hunter about the history of Bethune-Cookman University, formerly Bethune-Cookman College, located at 640 Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Boulevard in Daytona Beach, Florida. The Daytona Educational and Industrial Training School was established by African-American educator and civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune in October of 1904. In 1923, the school merged with the Cookman Institute of Jacksonville and then became affiliated with the Methodist Church the following year. The school served as a co-educational high school until 1931, when it became a junior college. In 1941, the school was accredited as a four-year college and was renamed Bethune-Cookman College.]]>
RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Orlando, Florida.]]> RICHES of Central Florida]]> RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Orlando, Florida.]]> RICHES Podcast Documentaries Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.]]> QuickTime.]]> RICHES of Central Florida.]]> RICHES of Central Florida]]>