The Oviedo Heritage, a supplement for The Oviedo Outlook, published on June 30, 1977. This article, by Donna Neely of the Oviedo Historical Society, chronicles the history of Oviedo, Florida. According to the article, Oviedo began on the south shore of Lake Jessup as a settlement called Solaria's Wharf. Some of its early settlers include Dr. Henry Foster, Joseph Watts, and Steen Nelson. Citrus and celery dominated the area's farmland, although Central Florida suffered a severe freeze in 1894. Oviedo suffered another disaster in 1914 when a fire wiped out much of the downtown section. Disaster hit again in 1929 with the Wall Street Crash and the beginning of the Great Depression. That same year, Oviedo's fruit crops were decimated by a fruit fly infestation. Another fire destroyed the Wheeler Fertilizer Plant in 1946. Nonetheless, Oviedo continued to grow, with new paved roads going to Geneva and Chuluota and the opening of the Citizens Bank of Oviedo in 1948. In 1949, Oviedo began receiving once-a-day bus service to Orlando from Greyhound Lines. By 1950, Oviedo was the second largest town in Seminole County, following Sanford. The Oviedo City Hall was built that same year and in 1968, Florida Technological University (present-day University of Central Florida) opened, bringing new residents to the area.
Original newspaper article: Neely, Donna. "Oviedo Began as Solaria's Wharf." The Oviedo Heritage, June 30, 1977: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
First Baptist Church of Oviedo, Oviedo, Florida
First United Methodist Church of Oviedo, Oviedo, Florida
Wheeler Fertilizer Plant, Oviedo, Florida
Florida Technological University, Orlando, Florida
The Oviedo Heritage, a supplement for The Oviedo Outlook, published on June 30, 1977. The Oviedo Outlook was published every Thursday at 173 West Broadway Street in Oviedo, Florida. The newspaper was operated by the NPN Corporation, president and general manager Lawrence E. Neely, vice president and managing editor James "Randy" R. Noles, and secretary-treasurer and business manager Marilyn Neely. Topics discussed in various articles in this issue include the history of Oviedo, Andrew Duda and his family, the history of the Citizens Bank of Oviedo, and the life of Dr. Theodore Luqueer Mead (1852-1936).
Original 8-page newspaper supplement: The Oviedo Heritage, June 30, 1977: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
A. Duda and Sons Celery Farm, Slavia, Florida
Citizens Bank of Oviedo, Oviedo, Florida
Reception in Honor of Mr. and Mrs. Thompson: Community Welcomes Newly Married Couple at Baptist Church
A newspaper article published by The Central Florida Press on June 20, 1930. The article describes a reception held in honor of Allen Thompson and his bride. The reception was held at the First Baptist Church of Oviedo on June 16, 1930. The Thompson had migrated to Oviedo from Macon, Georgia, where they were married a week earlier.
Original newspaper article: "Reception in Honor of Mr. and Mrs. Thompson: Community Welcomes Newly Married Couple at Baptist Church." The Central Florida Press, Vol. 1, No. 9, June 20, 1930, page 3: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
A newspaper article published by The Central Florida Press on June 20, 1930. The article reports news in Chuluota, an unincorporated community southeast of Oviedo, Florida. News topics include return of the Wagner family from their trip to South Florida; Alive Story's trip to Sanford with her daughters; the Tribble family's trip to a Baptist church in Reno, Nevada; and the Chuluota Sunday School's attendance at the Seminole Associational Sunday School's workers program, which was held at a church in Oviedo.
Original newspaper article: "Chuluota News." The Central Florida Press, Vol. 1, No. 9, June 20, 1930, page 3: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
A newspaper article published by The Central Florida Press on June 20, 1930. The article reports news in Geneva, a community northeast of Oviedo, Florida. News topics include the disappearance of 19-year-old Charles W. Summersill, Howard Lindsey's vacation on the Chapman farm, a camping trip in Palm Beach, a dinner hosted by P. T. Wakefield with J. C. Mrs. J. C. Bills and Dr. Bristol, a lawn party hosted by the Sanford branch of the American Association of University Woman, Blanche Leonard's trip to Jacksonville, a teacher's institute in Gainesville, and Mr. Stover's business with the Wakefields.
Original newspaper article: "Geneva News." The Central Florida Press, Vol. 1, No. 9, June 20, 1930, page 3: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
A newspaper article published by The Central Florida Press on June 20, 1930. The article reports news in Slavia, an unincorporated community southwest of Oviedo, Florida. News topics include the silver wedding anniversary of Andrew Jakubcin and Barbara Jakubcin; the annual meeting of the Slavia Drainage District, the return of Andrew Duda, John Duda, and Joe Mikler from Chicago; and the shipment of vegetables, especially celery, from Slavia.
Original newspaper article: "Slavia News." The Central Florida Press, Vol. 1, No. 9, June 20, 1930, page 3: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
A newspaper article published by The Central Florida Press on June 20, 1930. This article states that automobile accidents in 1929 resulted in 31,000 deaths and one million injuries. At the time that the article was written, steam-powered cars and wagons dominated the road. Such vehicles would reach its peak in development in the early 1930s, with the advent of lightweight boilers and efficient engine designs. During World War I, internal combustion engines allowing automobiles easier to operate and more reliable. The high-speed diesel engine was developed in 1930, resulting in the decline of wagons in favor of automobiles.
Original newspaper article: "Our Motor Massacre." The Central Florida Press, Vol. 1, No. 9, June 20, 1930, page 2: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
A newspaper article published by The Central Florida Press on June 20, 1930. This article argues the need for Seminole County to develop a cooperative for celery growers. Seminole County, especially Sanford, was well-known in the late 19th and early 20th century for its celery industry. The origins of Sanford's connection to celery farming began on December 26, 1894, when a freeze damaged the area's citrus groves. They began to recover during a warm and wet January which promoted new shoots, but a second freeze hit on February 7, 1895, practically wiping them out. The 24 degree temperature was the coldest known in Florida to that point. The freeze was so intense that the sap froze inside the trunks, many of which split open, sounding like gunshots, and crashed to the ground. The population quickly dropped from 5000 to 2000 as the groves were abandoned. I. H. Terwilliger stayed after the freezes and is believed to have planted the first celery grown in Sanford in 1896. By 1898, celery became the crop synonymous to Sanford, with the town earning the nickname "Celery City."
Original newspaper article: "Celery Cooperative Needed." The Central Florida Press, Vol. 1, No. 9, June 20, 1930, page 2: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
A newspaper article published by The Central Florida Press on June 20, 1930. According to the article, the Fort Myers Growers' Association, which was a local unit of the Florida Citrus Exchange (FCE), was considering a proposal to build a packing, pre-cooling, coloring, cold storage, and canning plant in Fort Pierce, Florida. The article states that an appraisal of the proposed site, which was the Fort Pierce Financing and Construction Company's port pier, was expected to be made in mid-June by the American Appraisal Company.
Original newspaper article: "Florida Progress." The Central Florida Press, Vol. 1, No. 9, June 20, 1930, page 2: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
A newspaper article published by The Central Florida Press on June 20, 1930. The article describes plans for a logrolling convention to be held in Orlando, with 5,000 delegates expected to attend. The convention was hosted by the Central Florida Log Rollers' Association, which was a branch of the Woodmen of the World, on July 3-4, 1930. Logrolling was a sport in which two athlete would stand on the end of a log of wood floating in water. The competitors would then attempt to sprint and kick the log until his/her opponent would fall off.
Original newspaper article: "Orlando Log Rolling Convention." The Central Florida Press, Vol. 1, No. 9, June 20, 1930, page 2: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
A newspaper article published by The Central Florida Press on June 20, 1930. The article reflects on the different kinds of religions by discussing rites and rituals, worldviews, faith, and morality.
Original newspaper article: "Many Kinds of Religion." The Central Florida Press, Vol. 1, No. 9, June 20, 1930, page 2: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
A newspaper article published by The Central Florida Press on June 20, 1930. This article lists a number of predicts for Oviedo in 1940. Predicts include population growth, expansion of land cleared in Black Hammock, the operation of a canning factory and a crate factory, the success of a bank, the operation of a plant for persevering fruit juices and citrus products, the establishment of a bakery, the construction of a road to Winter Park, the widening of a road to Chuluota, and the addition of a bus line or railroad from Sanford or Orlando to the east coast.
Original newspaper article: "Prediction for 1940." The Central Florida Press, Vol. 1, No. 9, June 20, 1930, page 2: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
Rev. A. L. Medcalf at Baptist Church: Will Preach on the Subject of Pentecost Sunday Morning
A newspaper article published by The Central Florida Press on June 20, 1930. According to the article, Reverend A. L. Medcalf was slated to preach about the Pentecost at the Baptist Church of Oviedo on June 23. The end of the article appears to be cut off. The first service for the First Baptist Church was led by Reverend W. G. Powell on the property of W. H. Luther, located along Lake Jessup Avenue, in 1869. The first church building was made of wood and was located on what was the property of Lois Ruddell. The old building served the church until 1887 and later became the house of the Beasley family, which was later torn down. A new wooden church building was erected in 1887 and remained in use until 1926.
Original newspaper article: "Rev. A. L. Medcalf at Baptist Church: Will Preach on the Subject of Pentecost Sunday Morning." The Central Florida Press, Vol. 1, No. 9, June 20, 1930, page 1: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
A newspaper article published by The Central Florida Press on June 20, 1930. According to the article, Edson Goit, a resident from Geneva, had volunteered to repaint Oviedo Masonic Lodge No. 243. In 1884, Andrew Aulin, the postmaster of Oviedo, applied for dispensation for the lodge, which was granted by Deputy Grand Master George S. Hallmark, who was acting as the Most Worshipfull Grand Master. The Ionic Lodge No. 68 was chartered by Robert J. Perry, the Most Worshipfull Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Florida, on January 22, 1885. Lodge members met in a building owned by Aulin for the next 10 years. However, the lodge lost its charter in 1895, due to lack of members, which was likely caused by a number of freezes driving members out of Oviedo By 1914, Oviedo's economy had recovered. Seminole County separated from Orange County, allowing Oviedo to come out of the shadow of Orlando. Additionally, the Big Oviedo Fire of 1914 forced the town to rebuild several important building. As a result, Oviedo grew rapidly. On October 31, 1916, the Grand Lodge of Florida authorized the charter for Oviedo Masonic Lodge No. 243. Brethren met in the Hunt Building, which is located at 534 King Street.
Original newspaper article: "Masonic Lodge Hall is Being Repainted." The Central Florida Press, Vol. 1, No. 9, June 20, 1930, page 1: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
Oviedo Masonic Lodge No. 243, Oviedo, Florida
Must Call Doctor if Family is Ill: But A Man Does Not Have to Get Medical Attention for Himself
A newspaper article published by The Central Florida Press on June 20, 1930. The article describes a legal opinion provided by Florida Attorney General Fred Henry Davis (1894-1937) regarding Criminal negligence and medical care. According to Davis, a man is legally required to get medical attention if a family member is ill, but not if he himself is ill. A former lawyer and judge, Davis served as Attorney General from 1927 to 1931, when he was appointed a justice of the Florida Supreme Court, a position that he held until his death in 1937. Before becoming Attorney General, Davis served in the U.S. Army during World War I, then as Leon County prosecutor from 1919 to 1920, and fin ally as a member of the Florida House of Representatives from 1921 to 1927.
Original newspaper article: "Must Call Doctor if Family is Ill: But A Man Does Not Have to Get Medical Attention for Himself." The Central Florida Press, Vol. 1, No. 9, June 20, 1930, page 1: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
A newspaper article published by The Central Florida Press on June 20, 1930. The article reports that Reverend C. W. Mathison, the pastor of the Oviedo Methodist Church, left on a trip to West Palm Beach, Florida, for the Florida Methodist Conference. which was to be presided over Bishop John Moore of St. Augustine. Mathison was a Methodist pastor from North Alabama who preached in Florida. Mathison passed away on May 3, 1940, in Fernandina. The First United Methodist Church, located at 300 Ruth Street in Oviedo, Florida. The program covers the events of the day, centennial celebrations, the church history, and a number of hymns and sermons. The Methodist Church has a far-reaching history in the South that goes back to the schism of 1844. Divided by the issue of slavery, Southern churches moved to create their own polity during a conference in Louisville, Kentucky. The Southern church eventually reunited with the elder Methodist Episcopal Church, as well as the Methodist Presbyterian Church in 1939, becoming a single polity. In 1940, more conservative congregations dissented from the merge and formed the Southern Methodist Church. The United Methodist Church was fin ally created on April 23, 1968, when the Evangelical United Brethren Church and the Methodist Church merged.
Original newspaper article: "Rev. C. W. Mathison Leaves for Meeting." The Central Florida Press, Vol. 1, No. 9, June 20, 1930, page 1: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
First United Methodist Church, Oviedo, Florida
A newspaper article published by The Central Florida Press on June 20, 1930. The article describes a trip made by Florida Gold Star Mother Mrs. Paul T. Butler to Aisne-Marne American Cemetery and Memorial in Belleau, France, to visit the grave of her son, Paul Butler, Jr., who died fighting in the U.S. military during World War I. The Gold Star Mothers Club was established by Grace Darling Seibold to provide support for mothers who lost children in world War I. Now called the American Gold Star Mothers Inc., the club has extended support to mothers who lost children during all American wars.
Original newspaper article: "Gold Star Mother Returns to Orlando." The Central Florida Press, Vol. 1, No. 9, June 20, 1930, page 1: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
Aisne-Marne American Cemetery and Memorial, Belleau, France
Florida is Third in Southern States Education Salaries: Applies Only to Administrative Branch of Educational System
A newspaper article published by The Central Florida Press on June 20, 1930. According to the article, Florida ranked third among 16 Southern states in the amount of money paid as salaries to the administrative branch of the Florida Department of Education (FLDOE). The report was compiled by William Stanmore Cawthon, who was the Florida superintendent of public instruction. Florida spent $64,830 a year on educational administration, while Texas spent $165,000 and Alabama spent $152,000.
Original newspaper article: "Florida is Third in Southern States Education Salaries: Applies Only to Administrative Branch of Educational System." The Central Florida Press, Vol. 1, No. 9, June 20, 1930, page 1: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
Construction is on the Upgrade: Total of $557,725 in Hotel Building
A newspaper article published by The Central Florida Press on June 20, 1930. The article reports construction figures compiled by the state hotel commission for the month of May. According to the article, the total sum of money expended for the construction of hotels, apartments, and cafes was $557,725. Over half of that amount was due to construction in South Florida, while Central Florida had expenditures of $183,400 in Orlando and Sanford. Thirty-four permits were issued in May for 10 hotels, nine apartment houses, two rooming houses, and 13 cafes.
Original newspaper article: "Construction is on the Upgrade: Total of $557,725 in Hotel Building." The Central Florida Press, Vol. 1, No. 9, June 20, 1930, page 1: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
Melon is Cut by Bank Directors: Sanford Atlantic Bank Declares a Dividend
A newspaper article published by The Central Florida Press on June 20, 1930. The article reports that the Sanford Atlantic National Bank had declared a dividend of $1.50 during a meeting of the board of directors held on June 17. According to the article, A. L. Betts was elected assistant cashier and that board of directors had lowered the interest rate on saving deposits and on time certificates. The article also reported that the interest rate on call loans in New York had dropped to 2.5 percent, showing that an abundance of money was available for safe investment. The bank was Originally established in 1928, but was later renamed the Atlantic National Bank of Sanford in 1974. In 1978, the bank was renamed the Atlantic National Bank of Seminole. In 1981, the bank was acquired by the Atlantic National Bank of Florida, was moved to 101 East First Street, and became a branch of the First Union National Bank of Florida.
Original newspaper article: "Melon is Cut by Bank Directors: Sanford Atlantic Bank Declares a Dividend." The Central Florida Press, Vol. 1, No. 9, June 20, 1930, page 1: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
Sanford Atlantic National Bank, Sanford, Florida
Believe It or Not—Quail Hatches Out Hen Egg in Oviedo
A newspaper article published by The Central Florida Press on June 20, 1930. The article describes a "freak happening" in which a quail hatched a hen egg in Oviedo, Florida. The quail was owned by Max Leinhart, who appeared on the radio program Ripley's Believe It or Not!. The radio show premiered on April 14, 1930 and was hosted by its founder, Robert Ripley, and ran until 1948, when Ripley began to convert the show to a television program.
Original newspaper article: "Believe It or Not—Quail Hatches Out Hen Egg in Oviedo." The Central Florida Press, Vol. 1, No. 9, June 20, 1930, page 1: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
Geneva Station to Remain Open: Railroad Commission Denies Petition to Close Depot
A newspaper article published by The Central Florida Press on June 20, 1930. The article announces that the Florida Public Service Commission had denied a petition from the Florida East Coast Railway Company (FEC) to close a railroad station in Geneva, Florida. Both citizens of Geneva and the Sanford Chamber of Commerce opposed to closing of the station, citing the need to transport citrus fruits during both the profitable winter months and during the slack season.
Original newspaper article: "Geneva Station to Remain Open: Railroad Commission Denies Petition to Close Depot." The Central Florida Press, Vol. 1, No. 9, June 20, 1930, page 1: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
Methodist Pastor Delivers Sermon on Righteousness
A newspaper article published by The Central Florida Press on June 20, 1930. The article describes a sermon on righteousness delivered by C. W. Mathison. Mathison was a Methodist pastor from North Alabama who preached in Florida. Mathison passed away on May 3, 1940, in Fernandina.
Original newspaper article: "Methodist Pastor Delivers Sermon on Righteousness." The Central Florida Press, Vol. 1, No. 9, June 20, 1930, page 1: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
Public Opinion Sought on Taxes: Sanford Citizens to Express Views on Sales Tax Plan
A newspaper article published by The Central Florida Press on June 20, 1930. The article announces a meeting of the League of Municipalities, and organization composed of numerous cities in Florida, to discuss the possibility of a sales tax on luxury goods for Sanford, Florida. The meeting was scheduled for June 26-27 in St. Petersburg. According to the article, the chamber of commerce in Sanford had planned to vote on the issue on June 23.
Original newspaper article: "Public Opinion Sought on Taxes: Sanford Citizens to Express Views on Sales Tax Plan." The Central Florida Press, Vol. 1, No. 9, June 20, 1930, page 1: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
St. Johns River Floods Rampant: Lake Monroe May Overflow Banks
Lake Monroe (Seminole County and Volusia County, Fla.)
A newspaper article published by The Central Florida Press on June 20, 1930. The article describes floods occurring on the bulkheads of Lake Monroe, which is part of the St. Johns River system. The flooding was first reported by J. A. Young, who was the superintendent of the Florida Light and Power Company in Sanford, Florida.
Original newspaper article: "St. Johns River Floods Rampant: Lame Monroe May Overflow Banks." The Central Florida Press, Vol. 1, No. 9, June 20, 1930, page 1: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
Gray, Crawford in Second Race: Second Primary Tuesday, June 24
A newspaper article published by The Central Florida Press on June 20, 1930. The article discusses the runoff primary election for a state and county offices, which was held on June 24, 1930. The race for Florida Secretary of State was between Robert Andrew Gray and Henry Clay Crawford, both Democrats. Presumably, Crawford was the son of Henry Clay Crawford, who served as Secretary of State from 1902 until his death in 1929. William Monroe Igou served as interim secretary until Gray was elected in 1930. Gray served in that position until 1961. Other races discussed in the article include a run-over race for Seminole County Commissioner between W. S. Enztminger, C. B. Searcy, and H. E. Fuller. However, according to the article, the election had been suspended due to the withdrawal of Entzminger, leaving Searcy as the county commissioner for District 3, which consisted of the Town of Longwood.
Original newspaper article: "Gray, Crawford in Second Race: Second Primary Tuesday, June 24." The Central Florida Press, Vol. 1, No. 9, June 20, 1930, page 1: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
Financiers Plan For Institution: New Sanford Bank May Be Organized
A newspaper article published by The Central Florida Press on June 20, 1930. The article describes rumors about the establishment of a new bank in the old First National Bank No. 2 Building, located at 101 East First Street in Sanford, Florida. According to the article, the bank would have a capital of $100,000 and a surplus of $30,000. Also known as Sanford's first skyscraper, the First National Bank Building was designed by Mowbray & Uffinger of New York. Construction began in 1922 using steel, limestone, brick, and tile. A major reason why masonry and steel was used in the construction of the building was in response to a fire that occurred in Sanford in 1887. Originating from a bakery in downtown, many of the surrounding buildings were destroyed because they were constructed out of wood. After the fire, commercial buildings were constructed either with bricks or masonry. The First National Bank remained in the building until 1929. The building has served as a home for several banks since 1938.
Original newspaper article: "Financiers Plan For Institution: New Sanford Bank May Be Organized." The Central Florida Press, Vol. 1, No. 9, June 20, 1930, page 1: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
First National Bank No. 2, Sanford, Florida
A newspaper article published by The Central Florida Press on June 20, 1930. The article is about a missing person named Charles W. Summersill. According to the article, the 19-year-old had gone missing while driving from Geneva to Chuluota in his father's 1926 Essex Coach. E. T. Summersill, the youth's father, filed a missing person report at Sheriff's Office in Sanford, Florida. E. T. Summersill worked as a railroad engineer for the Osceola Cypress Company from 1919 until 1942.
Original newspaper article: "Charles Summersill Missing at Geneva." The Central Florida Press, Vol. 1, No. 9, June 20, 1930, page 1: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
The Central Florida Press, Vol. 1. No. 9, June 20, 1930
Volume 1, number 9 of The Central Florida Press, published on June 20, 1930. The Central Florida Press was a weekly newspaper published in Oviedo, Florida. At the time that this issue was printed, C. J. Broom was the editor. Topics discussed in various articles include a missing 19-year-old names Charles W. Summersill; plans for a new bank in Sanford, the primary election for Florida Attorney General, floods along St. Johns River and Lake Monroe, public opinion on a new luxury tax, the decision to keep a railroad station in Geneva open, a Ripley's Believe It or Not! program featuring a quail that hatched a hen in Oviedo, the Sanford Atlantic National Bank's declaration of a dividend, Reverend C. W. Mathison's sermon on righteousness, statewide construction of hotels and other types of housing, Florida's standing in administrative salaries in the Florida Department of Education, a Gold Star Mother's return to Orlando, a legal decision requiring men to call a doctor if a family member falls ill, C. W. Mathison's trip to West Palm Beach, renovations on Oviedo Masonic Lodge No. 243, A. L. Medcalf's sermon at the First Baptist Church of Oviedo, predictions for 1940, automobile accident deaths in 1929, the types of religions, packing houses in Fort Pierce and Avon Park, a logrolling convention hosted by the Central Florida Log Rollers' Association, the minutes for an Oviedo Boy Scouts meeting, local news for towns around Oviedo (Longwood, Slavia, Chuluota, and Geneva), and a reception in honor of Allen Thompson and his bride. This issue also includes a number of advertisements feature local businesses, as well as a column called "Oviedo Mirror."
Original 4-page newspaper edition: The Central Florida Press, Vol. 1, No. 9, June 20, 1930: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
Fort Pierce Growers' Association, Fort Pierce, Florida
A newspaper article published by The Oviedo Outlook on May 26, 1977. The article the election of officers to the Parent-Teacher Association for Jackson Heights Middle School, located at 41 Academy Avenue in Oviedo, Florida. Jean Rumsey Bob Szelc , Gordon Hathaway, Charles Mays, and Helen Hill were elected president, first vice president, second vice president, treasurer, and secretary, respectively.
Original newspaper article: "Jackson Hts. PTA Elects Officers." The Oviedo Outlook, Vol. 4, No. 40, May 26, 1977, page 9: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
Jackson Heights Middle School, Oviedo, Florida
A newspaper article published by The Oviedo Outlook on May 26, 1977. The article lists the local graduates of Florida Technological University (present-day University of Central Florida) during the spring semester of 1977. Lee R. Scherer, Director of the John F. Kennedy Space Center, was the guest speaker at the commencement ceremony to be held on June 10. Florida Technological University (FTU) was founded by the Florida Legislature in 1963 and opened in 1968. The intended goal of the university was to train personnel to support the U.S. space program at the John F. Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. In 1978, Reubin Askew renamed FTU the University of Central Florida (UCF). By 2014, enrollment preacher over 60,000 students. While the main campus is located at 4000 Central Florida Boulevard in Orlando, there are also 12 satellite campuses.
Original newspaper article: "FTU Grads Named." The Oviedo Outlook, Vol. 4, No. 40, May 26, 1977, page 3: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
A newspaper article published by The Oviedo Outlook on May 26, 1977. The article announces the death of Lillian Della Lee Lawton (ca. 1883-1977). Lawton was the daughter of former Orange County Commissioner James Hiram Lee, Sr. (1844-1920) and Laura Agusta Barnett Lee (1851-1940). She married Winborn Joseph Lawton, Sr. (1881-1971), who served as a trustee of the First Baptist Church of Oviedo, a secretary and treasurer for the church's Sunday school, an insurance agent, and a citrus grower. Together, the couple had four children: Elizabeth Lawton Laney, Kathryn Lawton, John. K. Lawton, and Winborn Joseph Lawton, Jr. Lawton was a charter member and the former present of the Oviedo Woman's Club (OWC), the former president of the Woman's Missionary Society, and a lifelong member of the First United Methodist Church of Oviedo.
Original newspaper article: "Lifelong Resident, Mrs. Lawton Dies." The Oviedo Outlook, Vol. 4, No. 40, May 26, 1977, page 3: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
Home of Lillian Della Lee Lawton, Oviedo, Florida
A newspaper article published by The Oviedo Outlook on May 26, 1977. The article details the arrest of three youths who were committing burglary at T. W. Lawton Elementary School, located at 151 Graham Avenue in Oviedo, Florida. Originally called the T. W. Lawton Elementary School, the one-room schoolhouse was first constructed in 1876 in order to serve the three families that lived on Old Orlando Road, near Bear Bully. Julia Golden was the first teacher and most of the students were African Americans. When one of the families moved to Clonts Quarters during the first year, the school moved with them. In 1899, the school was moved to the middle of town. In 1922, Seminole County built a four-room brick schoolhouse with an auditorium seating 500. White students attended the new schoolhouse, while black students remained at the Original school, then called Oviedo Elementary School and later renamed Jackson Heights. In 1923, the new school had its first graduating class. H. J. Laney was the school principal at the time that this photograph was taken and Thelma Lee Clonts, the contributor of the picture, was beginning her education at the school with Katy Walken as her teacher. The school's name was later changed to T. W. Lawton Elementary School and is now known as Lawton Elementary School.
Original newspaper article: "Police Arrest Youths." The Oviedo Outlook, Vol. 4, No. 40, May 26, 1977, page 9: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
T. W. Lawton Elementary School, Oviedo, Florida
A newspaper article published by The Oviedo Outlook on May 26, 1977. The article describes the winners of a literary contest sponsored by the Seminole County Language Reading Arts Council. According to the article, ten students from Jackson Heights Middle School, located at 41 Academy Avenue in Oviedo, were selected to have their works published in the Seminole County Literary Magazine. Additionally, an annual authors' luncheon was to be held at the Langford Resort Hotel in Winter Park.
Original newspaper article: "Students Honored for Poetry." The Oviedo Outlook, Vol. 4, No. 40, May 26, 1977, page 9: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
Langford Resort Hotel, Winter Park, Florida
OHS Honors Outstanding Athletes at Banquet
A newspaper article published by The Oviedo Outlook on May 26, 1977. The article describes Oviedo High School's Athletic Banquet that was held at the Sanford Civic Center and lists the various awards and recipients. Oviedo High School is a Seminole County Public School located in Oviedo, Florida. Originally called the Oviedo School, the institution was first established in 1922 as a K-12 school. In 1948, the secondary grades separated from the elementary school. The upper grade levels formed Oviedo High School and moved to the campus at 601 King Street. Oviedo High School is notable for The Lion's Tale, the award-winning school newspaper recognized by various national and state scholastic press associations of its high ratings from the Governor's A+ Plan for Education of and its successful athletics programs.
Original newspaper article: "OHS Honors Outstanding Athletes at Banquet." The Oviedo Outlook, Vol. 4, No. 40, May 26, 1977, page 2: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
A newspaper article published by The Oviedo Outlook on May 26, 1977. The describes the fundraising efforts by Gary Metcalf, a former drum major at Oviedo High School, who was trying to raise money to travel with the Continental Singers to Europe. At the time that the article was posted, Metcalf was attending North Texas State University. Metcalf received contributions from Wayne Johnson of Orangewood Feed and Tack and the First Baptist Church of Oviedo.
Original newspaper article: "Metcalf Fund Short." The Oviedo Outlook, Vol. 4, No. 40, May 26, 1977, page 2: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
A newspaper column published by The Oviedo Outlook on May 26, 1977. "Over the Coffee" was a weekly column by Donna Neely and Ralph Neely. This week's column discussed the work of archaeologist Dr. Ron Wallace of Florida Technological University (FTU) in Chuluota, renovations on Oviedo City Hall, the Florida Road Department, and handicap parking. The column also includes a quote by investor and statesman Bernard Baruch and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Original newspaper column: "Over the Coffee." The Oviedo Outlook, Vol. 4, No. 40, May 26, 1977, page 2: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
Oviedo City Hall, Memorial Building, Downtown Oviedo, Florida
Something to Think About: Rape Ruling a Travesty
A newspaper article published by The Oviedo Outlook on May 26, 1977. The article discusses a recent ruling by Circuit Judge Robert McGregor regarding a rape case in the Seminole-Brevard Circuit Court. According to the article, Judge McGregor dismissed sexual battery charges against a convicted rapist because the victim did not resist "to the degree that the law expects." Larry Neely, the author of the article, argues that the ruling is in appropriate and that victim's rights should be respected.
Original newspaper article: Neely, Larry. "Something to Think About: Rape Ruling a Travesty." The Oviedo Outlook, Vol. 4, No. 40, May 26, 1977, page 2: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
Seminole County Criminal Justice Center, Sanford, Florida
Letters From the People: VICA Sponsor Thanks Citizens
A newspaper article published by The Oviedo Outlook on May 26, 1977. The article features a letter to the editor by Wayne E. Lanham, an instructor at Oviedo High School and the sponsor of the school's chapter of Vocational Industrial Clubs of America (VICA). VICA is career and technical student organization founded in 1965. In the letter, Lanham thanks members and sponsors of the high school's VICA. In 1999, the national organization changed its name to SkillsUSA-VICA and then shortened it to SkillsUSA in 2004.
Original newspaper article: "Letters From the People: VICA Sponsor Thanks Citizens." The Oviedo Outlook, Vol. 4, No. 40, May 26, 1977, page 2: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
Oviedo's Plan: A Variety of Rules on Everything from Roads to Recreation
A newspaper article published by The Oviedo Outlook on May 26, 1977. The article describes the Oviedo Comprehensive Plan developed by the Local Planning Agency (LPA). Plans include rules and regulations for land use, natural resources, housing, community services and facilities, transportation, parks and recreation, potable water, and sewage and solid waste disposal.
Original newspaper article: Noles, Randy. "Oviedo's Plan: A Variety of Rules on Everything from Roads to Recreation." The Oviedo Outlook, Vol. 4, No. 40, May 26, 1977, page 1 and 4: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
Chuluota 1st Baptist Church: 104 and Still Growing
A newspaper article published by The Oviedo Outlook on May 26, 1977. The article describes the history of the Chuluota Baptist Church from its founding to 1977. The congregation's first services were held in November of 1874 in the home of W. C. Jacobs with Reverend R. W. Lawton and Reverend George Gandez leading religious services. Many of the church's founding congregants were migrants from Whiteville, North Carolina. The church was officially founded two months later as Harmony Baptist Church on January 8, 1875. A log church was constructed about one mile east of Chuluota, near Lake Pickett. In 1883, church meetings were moved to a schoolhouse near the southern portion of Chuluota. A new church building was built and dedicated as Harmony Baptist Church of Chuluota, located at 201 Lake Mills Road, in 1888. The Sunday school was established on November 10, 1889. Construction for a new concrete building began in 1955 and was dedicated in 1956. An education wing was added in 1961. The church is now known as the First Baptist Church of Chuluota.
Original newspaper article: "Chuluota 1st Baptist Church: 104 and Still Growing." The Oviedo Outlook, Vol. 4, No. 40, May 26, 1977, page 1 and 9: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
Harmony Baptist Church, Chuluota, Florida
First Baptist Church of Chuluota, Chuluota, Florida
A newspaper article published by The Oviedo Outlook on May 26, 1977. The article discusses a fish fry to raise money for former Oviedo Chief of Police, George Kelsey, who had undergone surgery for a degenerative bone ailment. The event was held at the Fin and Feather Restaurant on June 4 and was sponsored by the Greater Oviedo Junior Chamber of Commerce and the Oviedo Police Benevolent Association (PBA). The continuation of the article is missing.
Original newspaper article: "Kelsey Fish Fry Slated June 4." The Oviedo Outlook, Vol. 4, No. 40, May 26, 1977, page 1: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
Suspicious Councilmen Agree to Meet with Commissioners
A newspaper article published by The Oviedo Outlook on May 26, 1977. The article discusses the planned meeting between members of the Oviedo city council and Dick Williams, chairman of the Seminole County Commission, on June 2, 1977. According to the article, city council members were suspicious of the county's plans. The continuation of the article is missing.
Original newspaper article: "Suspicious Councilmen Agree to Meet with Commissioners." The Oviedo Outlook, Vol. 4, No. 40, May 26, 1977, page 1: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
The Oviedo Outlook, Volume 4, Number 40, May 26, 1977
Volume 4, number 40 of The Oviedo Outlook, published on May 26, 1977. The Oviedo Outlook was published every Thursday at 173 West Broadway Street in Oviedo, Florida. The newspaper was operated by the NPN Corporation, president and general manager Lawrence E. Neely, vice president and managing editor James "Randy" R. Noles, and secretary-treasurer and business manager Marilyn Neely. Topics discussed in various articles in this issue include a meeting between Oviedo City Council members and Seminole County Commissioners, a fish fry held in honor of former Chief of Police George Kelsey, Oviedo's new city plan, the history of the First Baptist Church of Chuluota, Oviedo High School's (OHS) Vocational Industrial Clubs of America (VICA) chapter, Circuit Judge Robert McGregor's ruling on a rape case, athlete awards at OHS, poetry wards for students of Jackson Heights Middle School (JHMS), a burglary at T.W. Lawton Elementary School, the death of Lillian Della Lee Lawton, graduation at Florida Technological University (present-day University of Central Florida), Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) elections at JHMS, and results of the Oviedo Little League. This issue also includes a classified section and numerous advertisements through the issue. This issue is missing pages 5 through 8.
Original 8-page newspaper edition: The Oviedo Outlook, Vol. 4, No. 40, May 26, 1977: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
The centennial edition of The Oviedo Outlook published in 1979 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of Oviedo, Florida. The newspaper begins with a brief history of Oviedo, followed by articles devoted to important members of the community, including Evelyn Cheek Lundy and John Lundy, Thad Lee Lingo, Jr. and Lacy Aire Lingo, Clare Wheeler Evans, Wayne Jacobs and Karen Jansen Jacobs, Thomas Moon, Marguerite Partin, Frank Wheeler, Katherine Lawton, Tom Estes, Ed Yarborough and Ima Jean Bostick Yarborough, Virginia Balkcom Mikler, Paul Mikler, Sparks Lingo Ridenour and John Ridenour, Ray "Rex" Clonts and Thelma Lee Clonts, Jean Jordan and Harold Jordan, the Malcolm family, Edward Duda, Penny Mitchem Olliff and Leon Olliff, Louise Wheeler Martin and Bill Martin, Miriam "Mimi" Wheeler Bruce and Douglas Allen, Viola Smith, and Cay Westerfield.
Original 28-page booklet: The Oviedo Outlook: Centennial Edition, 1979: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
First Methodist Church of Oviedo, Oviedo, Florida
St. Luke's Lutheran Church, Slavia, Oviedo, Florida
History of the First Baptist Church, Oviedo, Florida: First 100 Years, 1869-1969
A history of the First Baptist Church of Oviedo from its founding in 1869 to its centennial celebration in 1969. The book begins with a brief history of the Central Florida area, followed by a history of Oviedo. The first service for the First Baptist Church was led by Reverend W. G. Powell on the property of W. H. Luther, located along Lake Jessup Avenue. The first church building was made of wood and was located on what was the property of Lois Ruddell at the time that this book was written. The old building served the church until 1887, later became the house of the Beasley family, and was finally torn down. A new wooden church building was erected in 1887 and remained in use until 1926. The brick church building constructed later on is still in use by CrossLife Church.
Original 32-page booklet: History of the First Baptist Church, Oviedo, Florida: First 100 Years, 1869-1969, 1969: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
The Nelson and Company Packing Plant, located in what is now the Nelson and Company Historic District, in 1979. The company was Originally founded by Steen Nelson and Gus Nelson and called Nelson Brothers. The company changed its name to Nelson and Company after it became a three-way partnership between the brothers and Benjamin Franklin Wheeler. In 1923, Wheeler became sole owner after buying out the company. The 80-acre historic district was incorporated in September of 2001 and encompasses four of Nelson and Company's historic buildings.
Original black and white photograph, 1979: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
Nelson and Company Packing Plant, Downtown Oviedo, Florida
Thomas Willington Lawton and Winborn Joseph Lawton, Sr. at the Lawton General Store
Thomas Willington Lawton (1882-1963) and his brother, Winborn Joseph Lawton, Sr. (1881-1971), at the Lawton General Store in Oviedo, Florida. T. W. Lawton graduated from Rollins College in 1903. He later received his master's degree from Andover Newton College in Boston, Massachusetts. Following college, Lawton returned to Oviedo, where he married Charlotte "Lottie" Lee (1887-1984) and served as the principal of the Oviedo School from 1905 to 1907. In 1916, he became the first elected Superintendent of Schools of Seminole County. He held that post until 1952 and passed away 11 years later in 1963. Lawton Elementary School is named in his honor. W. J. Lawton, Sr. served as a trustee of the First Baptist Church of Oviedo, as well as a secretary and treasurer for the church's Sunday school. He graduated from Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, in 1900. Lawton married Lillian Della Lee (ca. 1883-1977) and had four children: Elizabeth Lawton Laney, Kathryn Lawton, John. K. Lawton, and Winborn Joseph Lawton, Jr. Lawton was in the mercantile business, worked as an insurance agent, and grew citrus.
Original black and white photograph: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
A Fourth of July barbecue at Sweetwater Park, located at 201 East Magnolia Street in Oviedo, Florida. Theodore Luqueer Mead and his wife, Edith Katharine Antill Edwards Mead, donated five acres of wooded hammock land to be used for the park. The Oviedo Woman's Club (OWC) Originally spent a number of years trying to develop the park, but ultimately deferred the project to the Town of Oviedo. The OWC later donated benches to the park in 1950. The event was hosted by American Legion Post 243 to raise funds for a chlorinator for the town swimming pool. Post 243 is currently located at A491 West Broadway Street. The American Legion is a social veterans' organization for former and current members of the United States Armed Forces. The organization was chartered by the United States Congress on September 16, 1919, following World War I. The American Legion has been active in influencing political and social change, such as the founding of the U.S. Veterans Bureau, which was the forerunner of the Veterans Administration and later the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA); efforts to pass a constitutional amendment prohibiting the physical desecration of the American flag; the creation of the American Legion Baseball program; the passing of the Servicemen's Readjustment Act, commonly known as the GI Bill of Rights; contributing to the launch of the National Association for Mental Health; sponsorship of an independent study on the effects of the exposure of Agent Orange, a herbicidal weapon, on veterans of the Vietnam War; as well as many other activities and achievements.
Northbound on Central Avenue in Downtown Oviedo, Florida, in 1974. A number of businesses can be seen in the photograph, including Oviedo Florists, located at 40 West Broadway Street; Oviedo City Cleaners, Inc., located at 30 West Broadway Street, and Citizens Bank of Oviedo, located at 156 Geneva Drive. Oviedo City Cleaners was established on April 5, 1976, with Frances A. Crews as its Director. The company filed for dissolution on September 26, 2008. Citizens Bank of Oviedo opened on July 1, 1946. The land on which the bank sits was Originally the Bill Browning celery farm. The Citizens Bank of Oviedo took in over half a million dollars in deposits on its first day, with B. F. Wheeler as president and Charles Shaffer as the cashier. Citizens' Bank of Oviedo is now the Citizens' Bank of Florida with locations throughout Seminole County.
Original color newspaper photograph, 1974: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
Oviedo City Cleaners, Inc., Oviedo, Florida
The Memorial Building, located at 38 South Central Avenue in Downtown Oviedo, Florida, in 1974. The building was dedicated during the tenure of Mayor Lee Gary in honor of Oviedo's veterans. At the time that the photograph was taken, the Memorial Building housed Oviedo City Hall, which include the Mayor's Office, the City Clerk's Office, the Oviedo Water Department, the Oviedo Municipal Court, and the Oviedo Police Department. The city hall and the police department are now located at 400 Alexandria Boulevard. The Memorial Building is currently being used for event rentals.
A map of Lake Charm, a 19-acre lake located in the Lake Jesup Watershed of Oviedo, Florida, sometime between 1865 and 1870. The map shows mostly orange groves and farmland owned by a handful of individuals: Walter Gwynn, Dr. Henry Foster, Mary E. Foster, and Catherine M. Remington. Walter Gwynn (1828-1897), comptroller for the State of Florida, bought the land south of Lake Jesup in 1859 and built his home on Lake Charm in 1868. His daughter, Martha Gwynn, is credited with naming the lake. In 1870, Dr. Henry Foster migrated to Lake Charm from New York and began growing oranges. He later developed the area as a resort in the 1880s.
Original map: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
Old Downtown Oviedo, Florida. The Timucuan Native Americans Originally inhabited the area of present-day Oviedo, although the remains of their settlements have disappeared. Homesteaders arrived along the shores of Lake Jesup in 1865 just after the Civil War ended and began growing celery and citrus. The area was called the Lake Jesup Community until March 13, 1879, when postmaster Andrew Aulin, a Swedish immigrant, chose the name Oviedo.
Joe Lee on Charles Simeon Lee's Celery Farm
Joe Lee, an African-American laborer, with Blue Goose celery at Charles Simeon Lee, Sr.'s farm in Oviedo, Florida, in 1928. The two Lees were of no relation. C. S. Lee (1892-1991) was born on October 27, 1892, and married Goldie Eva Beckley Lee (1892-1976) on April 21, 1915. During the Great Depression, Lee grew celery and bought 20,000 acres to start a cattle ranch. He passed away on November 9, 1991.
Original black and white photograph, 1928: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
The Oviedo band at a Sunday school picnic at White's Wharf, located near Lake Jesup in Oviedo, Florida, in 1911. Some of the individuals appearing in the photograph are Cater Lawton, Karl Graff, Hugh White, bandmaster Stuman, John McCulley, McKnight, Joe Leinhart, McKnight, Edward McCall; Henry Bun McCall, Charles Lee, and Seaboard Air Line Railroad agent Koppel. White's Wharf marks the approximate location where John Bartram and William Bartram camped during their excursion along the St. Johns River in 1765-1766. William g. White migrated to the area in the late 1870s and built a store here in 1879. White moved his store to Orlando in the 1880s. The site was also known as Clifton Springs, which is a name in honor of the hometown of Dr. Henry Foster, a wealthy grower from Lake Charm in Oviedo. Many Oviedo residents used the site as the location for their annual May picnics, which began in 1880. The picnics were hosted by a joint committee of the local Baptist and Methodist churches. The wharf is now known as Hiley's Fish Camp.
Original black and white photograph, December 13, 1911: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
Laura Agusta Barnett Lee (1851-1940), who migrated to the Oviedo area from Columbia County, Florida. Barnett married James Hiram Lee, Sr. (1844-1920), a veteran of the Confederate military, in 1867 and the couple settled near Lake Charm in the Lake Jesup community (present-day Oviedo) in 1874. Her husband served as an Orange County Commissioner, before Seminole County was established. The county courthouse was constructed in 1892, while Lee was chairman of the commission. Together, the Lees had nine children, including William "Wiley" Lee (1869-1905); John Theodore Lee (1871-1959); Mary Louise Lee (1876-1877); Annie Ethel Lee Carter; James Hiram Lee, Jr. (1890-1959); Charles Simeon Lee (1892-1991), George Lee Wheeler, and Lillian Della Lee Lawton (ca. 1883-1977).
Photocopy of original black and white photograph: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
James Hiram Lee, Sr. (1844-1920). a veteran of the Confederate military. Lee served as an Orange County Commissioner, before Seminole County was established. The county courthouse was constructed in 1892, while Lee was chairman of the commission. Lee's wife, Laura, migrated from Columbia County to Oviedo and married Lee in 1867. The couple settled near Lake Charm in the Lake Jesup community (present-day Oviedo) in 1874 and had nine children, including William "Wiley" Lee (1869-1905); John Theodore Lee (1871-1959); Mary Louise Lee (1876-1877); Annie Ethel Lee Carter; James Hiram Lee, Jr. (1890-1959); Charles Simeon Lee (1892-1991), George Lee Wheeler, and Lillian Della Lee Lawton (ca. 1883-1977).
T. W. Lawton Elementary School, located at 151 Graham Avenue in Oviedo, Florida. Originally called the T. W. Lawton Elementary School, the one-room schoolhouse was first constructed in 1876 in order to serve the three families that lived on Old Orlando Road, near Bear Bully. Julia Golden was the first teacher and most of the students were African Americans. When one of the families moved to Clonts Quarters during the first year, the school moved with them. In 1899, the school was moved to the middle of town. In 1922, Seminole County built a four-room brick schoolhouse with an auditorium seating 75-80. White students attended the new schoolhouse, while black students remained at the original school, then called Oviedo Colored Elementary School and later renamed Jackson Heights. In 1923, the new school had its first graduating class. H. J. Laney was the school principal at the time that this photograph was taken and Thelma Lee Clonts, the contributor of the picture, was beginning her education at the school with Katy Walken as her teacher. The school's name was later changed to T. W. Lawton Elementary School and is now known as Lawton Elementary School.
Original color photographs: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
Robert Floyd King and Minnie Lee King at a Black Hammock Celery Field
Robert Floyd King and Minnie Lee King (ca. 1918-2002) at a celery field in Black Hammock, an area in Oviedo, Florida, in the early 1920s, when Minnie was four or five. Minnie graduated from Oviedo High School in 1936 and later married George C. Means. As an active members of the community Minnie Lee King Means helped organize the Oviedo Garden Club and the Oviedo Historical Society. She was also a member of the Oviedo Woman's Club. Minnie's husband was a salesman for the Wheeler Fertilizer Company from 1947 to 1985.
The Whitney-Wolcott House, located at 6297 Lake Charm Circle, near Lake Charm in Oviedo, Florida. After buying property from Dr. Henry Foster in 1886, Calvin Whitney built his Victorian Revival-style, two-story winter home near Lake Charm. Whitney, who was the president of the A.B. Chase Piano Company, partnered with Dr. Foster in 1889-1890 to form the Lake Charm Improvement Company, which built a bulkhead, drained from the lake, and removed muck from the bottom. Whitney and Dr. Foster hired a Philadelphia-based mason to construct a sidewalk around the lake. The home was later owned by O. Gus Wolcott. Another well-known inhabitant of the house was Wyatt Wyatt, author of Catching Fire and Deep in the Heart, in the 1990s.
James Hiram Lee, Jr. and Charles Simeon Lee with Friends
James Hiram Lee, Jr. (1890-1959) and Charles Simeon Lee (1892-1991), sons of James Hiram Lee, Sr. (1844-1920) and Laura Agusta Barnett Lee (1851-1940), with other children in Oviedo, Florida. C. S. Lee was born on October 27, 1892, and married Goldie Eva Beckley Lee (1892-1976) on April 21, 1915. During the Great Depression, Lee grew celery and bought 20,000 acres to start a cattle ranch. He passed away on November 9, 1991. Other boys seen in the photograph include blue Anderson, Joe Leinhart, a McKnight boy, Cater Lawton, Robert Lawton, William Clark, and Fred Poiller.
The Lee Family on the front porch of their home along Lake Charm in Oviedo, Florida. Photographed standing, from left to right, are Lillian Della Lee (ca. 1883-1977); William "Wiley" Lee (1869-1905); John Theodore Lee (1871-1959); George Lee; B. F. Wheeler; and James Hiram Lee, Sr. (1844-1920). Seated in the photograph are Annie Ethel Lee; Laura Agusta Barnett Lee (1851-1940); James Hiram Lee, Jr. (1890-1959); and Charlotte "Lottie" Lee (1887-1984). The family patriarch, James Hiram Lee, Sr., was a veteran of the Confederate military, Lee served as an Orange County Commissioner, before Seminole County was established. The county courthouse was constructed in 1892, while Lee was chairman of the commission. Lee's wife, Laura, migrated from Columbia County to Oviedo and married Lee in 1867. The couple settled near Lake Charm in the Lake Jesup community (present-day Oviedo) in 1874 and had nine children. Wiley Lee married Fannie Vaughan Lee (1873-1944) and later committed suicide in 1905. James, Jr. served in the military during World War I. Lottie married Thomas Willington Lawton (1882-1963), the first elected Superintendent of Schools of Seminole County. Lillian married Winborn Joseph Lawton, Sr. (1881-1971), who served as a trustee of the First Baptist Church of Oviedo, a secretary and treasurer for the church's Sunday school, an insurance agent, and a citrus grower. She was also a charter member and the former present of the Oviedo Woman's Club (OWC), the former president of the Woman's Missionary Society, and a lifelong member of the First United Methodist Church of Oviedo. Annie married Walter Pascal Carter (1879-1939). George married Benjamin Franklin Wheeler, a prominent citrus grower, celery cultivator, and politician.
T. W. Lawton Elementary School, located at 151 Graham Avenue in Oviedo, Florida, in 1931. Originally called the T. W. Lawton Elementary School, the one-room schoolhouse was first constructed in 1876 in order to serve the three families that lived on Old Orlando Road, near Bear Gully. Julia Golden was the first teacher and most of the students were African Americans. When one of the families moved to Clonts Quarters during the first year, the school moved with them. In 1899, the school was moved to the middle of town. In 1922, Seminole County built a four-room brick schoolhouse with an auditorium seating 75-80. White students attended the new schoolhouse, while black students remained at the original school, then called Oviedo Colored Elementary School and later renamed Jackson Heights. In 1923, the new school had its first graduating class. H. J. Laney was the school principal at the time that this photograph was taken and Thelma Lee Clonts, the contributor of the picture, was beginning her education at the school with Katy Walken as her teacher. The school's name was later changed to T. W. Lawton Elementary School and is now known as Lawton Elementary School.
Photocopy of original black and white photograph, October 1, 1931: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
A Sunday school picnic at White's Wharf, located near Lake Jesup in Oviedo, Florida, in 1910. Some of the individuals appearing in the photograph are J. C. Brainan, J. H. Lee, Olauc Howard-Huret, Frank Anderson, Sid Brown and his wife, H. B. McCall, and Hugh White. White's Wharf marks the approximate location where John Bartram and William Bartram camped during their excursion along the St. Johns River in 1765-1766. William G. White migrated to the area in the late 1870s and built a store here in 1879. White moved his store to Orlando in the 1880s. The site was also known as Clifton Springs, which is a name in honor of the hometown of Dr. Henry Foster, a wealthy grower from Lake Charm in Oviedo. Many Oviedo residents used the site as the location for their annual May picnics, which began in 1880. The picnics were hosted by a joint committee of the local Baptist and Methodist churches. The wharf is now known as Hiley's Fish Camp.
Original black and white photograph, November 12, 1910: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
The Nelson and Company Packing Plant, located in what is now the Nelson and Company Historic District. The company was Originally founded by Steen Nelson and Gus Nelson and called Nelson Brothers. The company changed its name to Nelson and Company after it became a three-way partnership between the brothers and Benjamin Franklin Wheeler. In 1923, Wheeler became sole owner after buying out the company. The 80-acre historic district was incorporated in September of 2001 and encompasses four of Nelson and Company's historic buildings.
The Oviedo Depot, located at 636 South Lake Jessup Road in Oviedo, Florida, in 1975. The depot was Originally constructed at 520 South Lake Jessup Avenue in 1886 as part of the Henry Bradley Plant railroad system. The design of the depot was based on the design standards set by the Plant System. This standardized system for the Florida lines had three depot styles based on the population of the town or city it serviced. The Oviedo design was the small town wooden depot design, as opposed to the larger cities that had brick depots. The depot was later moved to its present location at 636 South Lake Jessup Road. During World War II, the roof of the depot was used as guide for patrolling planes that flew out of Sanford Airport. Along with the depot, there was Originally a red warehouse for the produce and a water tank used for the train engines. In the 1970s, the depot was sold to the Connolly family, which chose to preserve it from demolition. The depot now sits on the Connolly's property as a guesthouse and its exterior is fully restored.
Chuluota Baptist Church Sixty-Fifth Anniversary
A history of the Chuluota Baptist Church from its founding to its 65th anniversary in 1939. The congregation's first services were held in November of 1874 in the home of W. C. Jacobs with Reverend R. W. Lawton and Reverend George Gandez leading religious services. Many of the church's founding congregants were migrants from Whiteville, North Carolina. The church was officially founded two months later as Harmony Baptist Church on January 8, 1875. A log church was constructed about one mile east of Chuluota, near Lake Pickett. In 1883, church meetings were moved to a schoolhouse near the southern portion of Chuluota. A new church building was built and dedicated as Harmony Baptist Church of Chuluota, located at 201 Lake Mills Road, in 1888. The Sunday school was established on November 10, 1889. Construction for a new concrete building began in 1955 and was dedicated in 1956. An education wing was added in 1961. The church is now known as the First Baptist Church of Chuluota.
Original typewritten document, November 16, 1939: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
Chuluota Baptist Church, Chuluota, Florida
Old Downtown Oviedo, Florida, looking east from the intersection of Broadway Street/County Road 419/Florida State Road 426 and Florida State Road 434/Florida State Road 419. A Coca-Cola sign can be seen the right side of the photograph. The two-story building on the left was later replaced by the Townhouse Restaurant, which is located at 9 East Broadway Street.
Allstate Construction College Advertisement
A newspaper advertisement for Allstate Construction College's electrical engineering program. According to the ad, the college prepared students to pass the new state electrical exam and was taught by an instructor who was a state-licensed electrical contractor, a state general contractor, and an electrical engineer. The college was located at 401 Cranberry Lane in Brandon, Florida.
Original newspaper advertisement, 1974: Oviedo Historical Society, Downtown Oviedo, Florida.
Allstate Construction College, Brandon, Florida
Seaboard Air Line Railroad Train in Black Hammock
A Seaboard Air Line Railroad (SAL) train in Black Hammock of Oviedo, Florida, on May 25, 1927. The train was shipping Sunrise and Big Win brands of celery. Oviedo's earliest settlers grew citrus and celery on the area's mucky, rich topsoil. While citrus was the dominant crop for sometime, celery took the lead after the Great Freeze of 1894-1895, which destroyed many citrus groves in the Central Florida area. Oviedo's celery industry flourished, especially during World War II, and thus contributed to Central Florida's unprecedented growth and development during that period.
Original black and white photograph, May 25, 1927: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
Charles Simeon Lee on Lettuce Farm in Black Hammock
Charles Simeon Lee (1892-1991) on his lettuce farm in Black Hammock, an area along Lake Jesup in Oviedo known for its groves, farms, and nurseries. Early settlers to the area grew citrus, celery, lettuce, and other vegetables on Oviedo's mucky, rich topsoil. A farmer and the youngest son of Orange County Commissioner James Hiram Lee, Sr. (1844-1920) and Laura Agusta Barnett Lee (1851-1940). Lee was born on October 27, 1892, and married Goldie Eva Beckley Lee (1892-1976) on April 21, 1915. During the Great Depression, Lee grew celery and bought 20,000 acres to start a cattle ranch. He passed away on November 9, 1991.
Three African-American farm workers on a celery field in Oviedo's Black Hammock. Oviedo's earliest settlers grew citrus and celery on the area's mucky, rich topsoil. While citrus was the dominant crop for some time, celery took the lead after the Great Freeze of 1894-1895, which destroyed many citrus groves in the Central Florida area. Oviedo's celery industry flourished, especially during World War II, and thus contributed to Central Florida's unprecedented growth and development during that period.
The Dance Floor at Sweetwater Park, located at 201 East Magnolia Street in Oviedo, Florida, circa 1942. In 1926, Theodore Luqueer Mead and his wife, Edith Katharine Antill Edwards Mead, donated five acres of wooded hammock land to be used for the park. The Oviedo Woman's Club (OWC) Originally spent a number of years trying to develop the park, but ultimately deferred the project to the Town of Oviedo. The OWC later donated benches to the park in 1950.
Lake Charm Fruit Company Packing House, 1942
The Lake Charm Fruit Company Packing House, located along Geneva Road, on the south side of County Road 419 in Oviedo, Florida, in 1942. The Lake Charm Fruit Co. was established on January 22, 1923. Although the backside of the photograph states that the packing house burned down in the 1970s, it was actually destroyed in a fire in 1961. The company officially dissolved on October 21, 1974.
Original black and white photograph, 1942: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
Lake Charm Fruit Company Packing House, Oviedo, Florida
Looking west along East Broadway Street towards Central Avenue in Oviedo, Florida. The shops in the photograph include a pet food and supply store, Pot Latch, a barber shop, and Albert's Jewelers, which was located at 24 East Broadway Street.
Oviedo Drug and Meat World, two local stores located in Oviedo, Florida, in 1979. The two stores were located on the corner of East Broadway Street/County Road 419 and Florida State Road 426.
Oviedo Florists and Oviedo City Cleaners, Inc.
The intersection of Broadway Street and Central Avenue in Downtown Oviedo, Florida. Oviedo Florists was located on the corner of the intersection at 40 West Broadway Street, with Oviedo City Cleaners, Inc. just next door at 30 West Broadway Street. The laundromat was established on April 5, 1976, with Frances A. Crews as its Director. The company filed for dissolution on September 26, 2008.
Original black and white photograph: Oviedo Historical Society, Downtown Oviedo, Florida.
Oviedo Florists, Downtown Oviedo, Florida
Oviedo City Cleaners, Inc., Downtown Oviedo, Florida
Browdy's Mini-Mart, a convenience store located at the north side of the intersection of Avenue B and East Broadway Street/County Road 419 in Downtown Oviedo, Florida.
Browdy's Mini-Mart, Downtown Oviedo, Florida
Whitaker's Old Country Store, a junk resale store located on East Broadway Street across the street from the Antioch Missionary Baptist Church, near the old railroad tracks of the Orlando-Winter Park Railroad, also known as the Dinky Line.
Whitaker's Old Country Store, Downtown Oviedo, Florida
A newspaper advertisement for Vista Del Mar, an oceanfront adult condominium located at 5400 Florida State Road A1A in Vero Beach, Florida. According to the ad, which was published in 1974, real estate developers were planning an adult condo community with nine three-story, garden-type buildings. A 748-foot one- and two-bedroom apartments ranged from $24,000.
A newspaper article published by The Central Florida Press on June 20, 1930. According to the article, an individual (whose name is unreadable) arrived in Avon Park, Florida, on June 15, 1930. The article discusses the box-manufacturing capacity of a number of packing houses in Avon Park. Avon Park was first settled in 1884 by Oliver Martin Crosby, a native of Connecticut who came to study wildlife in the Everglades. As president of the Florida Development Company, Crosby recruited settlers to the area, which was named Lake Forest in 1886. Avon Park was officially incorporated on January 1, 1926, and was named after the English town of Stratford-upon-Avon, which was the home of many of its early settlers.
Original newspaper article: "Avon Park Packing Houses." The Central Florida Press, Vol. 1, No. 9, June 20, 1930, page 2: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
A newspaper article published by The Central Florida Press on June 20, 1930. According to the article, the Fort Pierce Growers' Association, which was a local unit of the Florida Citrus Exchange (FCE), was considering a proposal to build a packing, pre-cooling, coloring, cold storage, and canning plant in Fort Pierce. The plan would have required a loan from the Federal Farm Board. The Fort Pierce Growers' Association was incorporated on December 10, 1917. Located at 18 Fisherman's Wharf in Fort Pierce, Florida, Philip C. Gates, Sr. served as the president and director of the business; Norman W. Platts as its vice president and director; and James A. Kerce the' secretary, treasurer, and agent at the time that it became in active in 1983.
Original newspaper article: "Fort Pierce Growers' Association." The Central Florida Press, Vol. 1, No. 9, June 20, 1930, page 2: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
The Seminole County jail records from 1926 to 1939, which include handwritten information on all booked parties that entered the jail. It includes the person's name, age, sex, skin color, eye color, hair color, height, weight, shoe size, commuting officer, date of commutation, crime, term of sentence, destination of commutation, and the date delivered. Also included is a section for remarks that occasionally provides extra details about the case or suspect. The records are in alphabetical order and some of these jail records were written during Prohibition (1920 to 1933). According to the records, a significant number of arrests in Seminole County, Florida, can be attributed to alcohol-related crimes. Records for 1940 to 1946 are available upon request.
Original color digital image, 2015: Museum of Seminole County History, Sanford, Florida.
Seminole County Jail, Downtown Sanford, Florida
For many parents in Orlando, Florida, Richard Peeples, also known as Mr. Richard, is a big-time musical talent, thanks to his popularity with their children. Peeples and his band, the Pound Hounds, entertain children with what he describes as "whimsical pop rock." Henry Stone was a record company executive and producer in Miami, who recorded Ray Charles, James Brown, KC and the Sunshine Band, and was responsible for many disco recordings. The segment looks at a documentary being filmed about the recording legend. The Artisode also includes brief segments on recording artist Justin Hayward and the Moody Blues, an upcoming documentary on Bing Crosby, WUCF's Student Artist of the Week, Michael Romaniello, and the Jungle Book on Broadway. WUCF-TV is a Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) television station serving the Central Florida television market. The station, operated by the University of Central Florida, is the region's sole PBS member station, reaching an estimated population of 4.6 million people in its aerial viewing area. Arts and culture take center stage in WUCF-TV's weekly local series: "WUCF Artisodes." Each episode airs Thursdays at 8 p.m., featuring a local artist or initiative, as well as stories on the arts from across the country. Developed in partnership with 28 PBS stations nationwide, this series is part of WUCF-TV's mission to give everyone a front-row seat to the arts. This Artisodes originally aired as "WUCF Artisodes #171: Mr. Richard" on September 10, 2015.
Original 24-minute and 42-second audio/video recording: WUCF Artisodes. "WUCF Artisodes #171: Mr. Richard." Directed by . Written by . WUCF-TV. September 10, 2015.
WUCF-TV
Orangewood Christian School, Maitland, Florida
40 Years of the Parliament House is a documentary film about the history of the Parliament House, a gay resort located at 410 North Orange Blossom Trail in Orlando, Florida. The Parliament House Motor Inn chain was founded in Kansas City, Missouri, by Ned Eddy, Sr. and his two sons, Ned Eddy, Jr. and James "Jimmy" Eddy. The Orlando Parliament House was a 120-room hotel and the first motor inn established by the chain. The inn was designed by Alan Berman and was built on Orlando’s Rock Lake by Hodes and Cumming Construction. Parliament House officially opened on February 11, 1962. Ned Eddy, Jr. served as the inn manager and his brother, Jimmy Eddy, was the manager of the cocktail lounge. With the opening of the Walt Disney World Resort in 1971, came the construction of hotels and motels on International Drive, leaving the Parliament House Motor Inn outside the tourist district. The motor inn soon became a hotspot for prostitution as the OBT area declined. By 1975, the Parliament House was near bankruptcy. On March 27, 1975, William G. Miller (d. 1987) and Michael Hodge (d. 1992) purchased the motor inn and converted it into a gay resort. A couple of years after the deaths of Bill Miller and Mike Hodge, the Parliament House was sold to Susan Unger and Don Granatstein in August of 1999. Unger and Granatstein began renovating the resort, which had been in decline since Hodge's death in 1992. Renovations were completed in 2000. The Parliament House again faced foreclosure in 2010 and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on July 25, 2014. Stakeholders approved a $14-million debt relief plan in February of 2015.
Original 34-minute and 24-second motion picture: 40 Years of the Parliament House: GLBT History Museum of Central Florida, Inc., 2015.
GLBT History Museum of Central Florida, Inc.
IDEAS
Parliament House Resort, Orlando, Florida
Orange County's Sheriff's Book of Wanted Persons, 1882-1889
The Orange County book of wanted persons from 1882 to 1889, during the tenure of two sheriffs: Sheriff Thomas "Long Tom" Shine who served from January 27, 1877, until February 15, 1885, and Julias Caesar Anderson, who served until his death on January 20, 1901. Sheriff Anderson saw a very different Orange County than his predecessors, because railroads had doubled the local population in five years. While most of the wanted fugitives are from Central Florida, there were also warrants from across Florida. There were also warrants from different states, such as California, Alabama, New York, and Georgia. The reward prices varied from suspect to suspect, but most were within the range of 50 dollars, although some were as high as 450 dollars. While there are no more warrants issued from Florida after 1889, there were national warrants dating to 1897. This book was donated to the Museum of Seminole County History by Sheriff John Polk, who was the dean of Florida sheriffs from 1969 to 1990.
Bullets from the American Civil War, which was fought between the Union and the Confederacy between 1861 and 1865. After four years of battle, the Union destroyed the Confederacies infrastructure, successfully crushing their ability to continue fighting. The Civil War became the testing ground for advanced rifles and new kinds of bullets. The U.S. Ordnance Department, after conducting tests, determined that the Army should use percussion lock guns, rifled, firing conical bullets of moderate (.58 Caliber) size. Confederate President Jefferson Davis had approved these findings on July 5, 1855, when he was U.S. Secretary of War. The Confederate States of America (CSA), which was short on money and arms, rifled older muskets, which fired 0.69 caliber bullets. Along with those rifles, the CSA also bought foreign guns of many types and also used captured Union weapons. This wide range of rifles used during the war explains the multiple kinds of bullets later found on battlegrounds. The Museum of Seminole County History has a wide range of bullets found from that period that include: .54, .68, .58, .69, .53, .54, .57, .44, hospital bullets, and sharps rifle bullets.
This straight tube is considered the most primitive form of a smoking pipe. This specific pipe is made out of Steatite ,but it is also common to find these pipe’s made out of Greenstone. These pipes are known to be symmetrical and have a smooth prepared finish. Most of these pipes were used as smoking pipes, but it is also known that indigenous shamans used pipes in ritual settings and for healing purposes. Commonly used during tribal pow-wows, members of the tribe put tobacco into one side of the pipe and smoked the tobacco at the other end with a reed. This rare pipe was found in Seminole County, Florida, and has numerous cracks throughout with one side of the pipe’s bowl broken off.
Dolls in patchwork clothing created by members of the Seminole tribe in the 1940s. By the end of the 19th century, the few indigenous people remaining in South Florida after the Seminole Wars lived in isolated camps in the wilderness of the Everglades area known as Big Cypress Swamp. Their encounters with white settlers and traders introduced them to hand-cranked sewing machines and other goods. With these new sewing machines, different designs were sewn out of brightly colored cotton fabric pieces in a style that came to be known as patchwork. The designs were intricately made and were inspired by animals and elements of their natural environment. In 1917, Alice Osceola, the wife of William McKinley Osceola, became the first known woman to wear patchwork adornment on her clothing. As more women took up the practice, the clothing became more elaborate and colorful. Indigenous women made patchwork articles to sell to tourists visiting their camps and settlements. Patchwork clothing and goods became a hallmark of the tribes' handicrafts and sales of these items helped support many Seminole and Miccosukee families before the arrival of the gaming industry. Seminole seamstresses made these dolls out of red palmetto fibers and dressed them in patchwork-style clothing like that of the tribe's women. The dolls are highly prized today by collectors of Seminole Indian artifacts. These specific dolls date to the 1940s and were donated to the Museum of Seminole County History by Clarabel Van Tuyl.
The fossilized vertebra of a mastodon found in the Wekiva River in Florida around 1924. The area around the Wekiva River and springs is now known, through fossils and discovered bones, as a major source for large prehistoric animals such as mastodons, mammoths, rhinoceros, giant sloths, horses and alligators. Mastodons are a distinct species from the Proboscidea order that lived in North America almost 11,000 thousand years ago. The mastodon was a herding animal with a diet consisting of a mix of browsing and grazing diets. They were around seven to ten feet tall and weighed roughly four to six tons. While the exact reason for extinction is unknown, it is widely accepted that mastodons disappeared during the mass extinction known as the Pleistocene megafauna.
This table, made of wood, was submerged under water for 115 years in Lake Monroe, Florida. The table was initially from the old Fort Mellon dock, built by an individual referred to as "Colonel A. C." in 1836. Fort Mellon, established during the Second Seminole War, was originally named Camp Monroe. The name was later changed after Captain Charles Mellon became the sole causality of an Indian attack year later in 1837. The table measures 46 inches long and 17 inches wide. The table is broken up into three distinct sections, with the end sections having their own design crafted out of wood. The center of the table has an "x" in the center. One hundred and fifteen years later, Sidney M. Richarde discovered and removed the wooden table from Lake Monroe. It was donated to the Museum of Seminole County History by Marlene Heaps and Richard Heaps.
A replica of a 1931 Ford Model A mail truck. During the 20th century, the U.S. Post Office Department began to increasingly rely on automobiles for the rapid and effective delivery of mail. First used in rural areas, mail trucks began to see increased use in urban areas starting from the 1930s with the entry of new mail trucks, such as the Ford Model A pictured here. Able to carry an enormous amount of mail, these trucks began to proliferate across the major cities of the United States. Additionally, various other mail vehicles were used depending on the location of the post office and the terrain that the vehicles needed to handle. For example, tinier tri-wheeled mail trucks would sometimes be used to tiny suburbs, while heftier and larger mail trucks would be used to traverse the dirt roads of the countryside to deliver mail in rural places.
Original color digital image, September 2015: Orlando Remembered Exhibit, Downtown Orlando Post Office, Downtown Orlando, Florida.
Downtown Orlando Post Office, Downtown Orlando, Florida
Personnel at the Downtown Orlando Post Office, 1938
The staff of the Downtown Orlando Post Office, located at 44 East Central Boulevard in Downtown Orlando, Florida, in 1938, including Postmaster Beggs. All employees of the Post Office, including the custodians, were considered full employees of the federal government making these jobs quite sought after by the general public. Employees were well taken care of thanks to government benefits and job security was rather high making these jobs secure and reliable sources of income. In 1935, when James Beggs, Jr. became the postmaster, he began petitioning to move the post office from its Central Boulevard and Court Avenue location to a more spacious building. In 1939, St. James Catholic Church sold a plot of land on Jefferson Street for the new building. The building's designer was Louis Simon, who used a Northern Italian Palazzo Revival-style. The new building opened in 1941 and housed the post office, the courthouse, and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) offices.
Original black and white photograph, 1938: Orlando Remembered Exhibit, Downtown Orlando Post Office, Downtown Orlando, Florida.
Personnel at the Downtown Orlando Post Office, 1930
The staff of the Downtown Orlando Post Office, located at 44 East Central Boulevard in Downtown Orlando, Florida, in 1930, including Postmaster Dr. Laycock and assistant Postmaster Dedaney. All employees of the Post Office, including the custodians, were considered full employees of the federal government making these jobs quite sought after by the general public. Employees were well taken care of thanks to government benefits and job security was rather high making these jobs secure and reliable sources of income. In 1935, when James Beggs, Jr. became the postmaster, he began petitioning to move the post office from its Central Boulevard and Court Avenue location to a more spacious building. In 1939, St. James Catholic Church sold a plot of land on Jefferson Street for the new building. The building's designer was Louis Simon, who used a Northern Italian Palazzo Revival-style. The new building opened in 1941 and housed the post office, the courthouse, and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) offices.
Original black and white photograph, 1930: Orlando Remembered Exhibit, Downtown Orlando Post Office, Downtown Orlando, Florida.
Personnel at the Downtown Orlando Post Office, 1941
Taken in 1941, this group photograph shows all the operational staff at the newly constructed Downtown Orlando Post Office, located at 51 East Jefferson Street in Downtown Orlando, Florida. All employees of the Post Office, including the custodians, were considered full employees of the federal government making these jobs quite sought after by the general public. Employees were well taken care of thanks to government benefits and job security was rather high making these jobs secure and reliable sources of income. In 1935, when James Beggs, Jr. became the postmaster, he began petitioning to move the post office from its Central Boulevard and Court Avenue location to a more spacious building. In 1939, St. James Catholic Church sold a plot of land on Jefferson Street for the new building. The building's designer was Louis Simon, who used a Northern Italian Palazzo Revival-style. The new building opened in 1941 and housed the post office, the courthouse, and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) offices.
Original black and white photograph, 1941: Orlando Remembered Exhibit, Downtown Orlando Post Office, Downtown Orlando, Florida.
An oral history interview of Mick Dolan, a radio personality, news and traffic reporter, voiceover actor, promotions director, talk show producer and social media blogger based in Central Florida. The interview was conducted by Geoffrey Cravero at the Salem Media Group radio stations in Altamonte Springs, on July 30, 2015. Topics covered in the interview include how Dolan got into broadcasting, his experiences working on The Baxter and Mark Show, Clear Channel’s impact on broadcasting, the evolution of the Orlando music scene, including some of his favorite musicians and venues, Rock Super Bowls at the Tangerine Bowl, interviewing David Lee Roth and George Thorogood, being onstage for The Who, his attempt to put together a country music fantasy camp with CMT’s Camp Nashville, what he’s been up to lately, and his final thoughts and advice to young musical artists and broadcasters.
Dolan, Mick. Interviewed by Geoffrey Cravero. Audio/video record available. RICHES of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
Lakeland Civic Center, Lakeland, Florida
Orlando Citrus Bowl Stadium, Orlando, Florida
Salem Media Group, Altamonte Springs, Florida
A postcard displaying a drawing of the new Downtown Orlando Post Office building, located at 51 East Jefferson Street in Downtown Orlando, Florida. The post office was built and finished in 1941 as a result of funding provided by the federal government. The land it was built upon had formerly been the site of a Catholic school, but was sold during the Great Depression. The post office building, after debuting in 1941, served Downtown dutifully through the middle of the 20th century in numerous capacities. It served as a post office, a courthouse, and a base for the United States Marshals Service (USMS), as well as several important roles in government adjudication at a federal and local level. In 1989, the Federal Building at Jefferson Street was declared a landmark in the city of Orlando.
Original color postcard: Orlando Remembered Exhibit, Downtown Orlando Post Office, Downtown Orlando, Florida.
Letter from J. D. Beggs (March 13, 1941)
A letter of correspondence concerning the formal dedication of the new Downtown Orlando Post Office building, located at 51 East Jefferson Street in Downtown Orlando, Florida. The ceremony was sponsored by the Greater Orlando Chamber of Commerce. The letter is from J. D. Beggs, acting postmaster, to another postmaster concerning his attendance. The ceremony took place on April 15, 1941. Beggs sought to make the ceremony grand, and many prominent guests were there including then U.S. Senator Charles O. Andrews (1877-1946).
Original typewritten letter from J. D. Beggs, March 13, 1941: Orlando Remembered Exhibit, Downtown Orlando Post Office, Downtown Orlando, Florida.
In 1922, the letter carrier’s badge was redesigned. The new badge was solid, of nickel-plated metal, elliptical in shape, and topped with a 1/2 inch tall eagle with wings spread two inches wide. The numbers, raised in the center of the badge, were 9/16ths of an inch long. The words "U. S. Post Office" were raised along the top, and the name of the Post Office and state were along the bottom. Raised five-pointed stars adorned the right and left sides, visually separating the text. The badge was curved at 10% to conform to the shape of the headgear.
A mailman badge worn on hats and coats by post office staff. In 1922, the letter carrier’s badge was redesigned. The new badge was solid, of nickel-plated metal, elliptical in shape, and topped with a 1/2 inch tall eagle with wings spread two inches wide. The numbers, raised in the center of the badge, were 9/16ths of an inch long. The words "U. S. Post Office" were raised along the top, and the name of the Post Office and state were along the bottom. Raised five-pointed stars adorned the right and left sides, visually separating the text. The badge was curved at 10% to conform to the shape of the headgear.