City Supports Application: Hospital Headway?
A newspaper article published in The Oviedo Voice on September 16, 2004. According to the article, the Oviedo City Council sent a letter the State of Florida supporting the application of certification for the Central Florida Regional Hospital, located at 1401 West Seminole Boulevard in Sanford, Florida. The hospital was seeking certification in order to open a 60-bed satellite facility in Oviedo that would include emergency, outpatient, obstetric, and diagnostic services. The hospital later received its certificate and established the Oviedo ER, located at 8300 Red Bug Lake Road. The article continues onto page 6 of the newspaper, which is currently unavailable.
Original newspaper article: "City Supports Application: Hospital Headway?." The Oviedo Voice, Vol. XIV, No. 38, September 16, 2004, page 1: Private Collection of Edwin White and Carolyn White.
Central Florida Regional Hospital, Sanford, Florida
Clara Walters, principal of Jones High School in Orlando, Florida, from 1981-1990. During her administration, Walters expanded the Foreign Language Department, renovated the auditorium, and added a guidance suite. Located in the Parramore/Lorna Doone neighborhood of downtown Orlando, Jones High School was the first area public school for African-Americans. The original building was located on the corner of Garland Avenue and Church Street, but the school was renamed the Johnson Academy and moved to a new building on the corner of Chatham Avenue and West Jefferson Street. In 1921, the school was renamed in honor Principal L. C. Jones and a brick colonial revival building was constructed on the corner of Parramore Avenue and Washington Street. The school was finally moved to its current location at 801 South Rio Grande Avenue in 1952.
Jones High School
Original black and white photograph: Jones High School Historical Museum, Orlando, Florida.
Clare Gortez's Fifth Grade Class at Sanford Grammar School, 1920-1921
Clare Gortez's fifth grade class at Sanford Grammar School during the 1920-1921 school year. Some of the students photographed include L. P. Hogan, Jessie Neeley, Gene Adams, Evelyn Moffett, Pearl Robinson, Harriett Rossitor, Helen Jenkins, Maggie Lynch, and Irene Brandit. Originally located at 301 West Seventh Street in Sanford, Florida, Sanford Grammar School was first established as Sanford High School in 1902. The building was designed by W. G. Talley in the Romanesque revival style. Due to an increasing student population, a new school building was constructed on Sanford Avenue in 1911. The original building on Seventh Street served as Westside Grammar Elementary School, which was later renamed Sanford Grammar School. In 1984, the building was placed on the National Registry of Historic Places and converted into the Student Museum. The building reopened as the University of Central Florida's Public History Center in 2012. In 1927, a high school campus was designed by Elton J. Moughton in the Mediterranean revival style and constructed at 1700 French Avenue. The school reopened on January 10 and was renamed Seminole High School. In 1960, the high school moved to a new campus at 2701 Ridgewood Avenue and the former building on French Avenue was converted to Sanford Junior High School, which was later renamed Sanford Middle School. The old building was demolished in the summer of 1991 and replaced by a $5.77 million school complex. As of 2013, Seminole High School offers various Advanced Placement courses, the Academy for Health Careers, and the International Baccalaureate Programme for students.
Original 6.7 x 4.5 inch black and white photograph: Sanford Grammar Collection, Archives Box 4B, UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida.
Sanford Grammar School, Sanford, Florida
Clarence Huston Pygman and Alverna V. Nellis
Clarence Huston Pygman (1898-1988) and Alverna V. Nellis wearing colorful Poly Leis. Born on June 27, 1898, Pygman registered for the draft in September of 1918. At the time, he worked as a timekeeper for the Wabash Railroad Company. He entered the service on October 20, 1918, serving in the United States Army. After completing his service, Pygman moved back home with his parents and began teaching in public schools. On December 22, 1923, at twenty-five years old, Pygman married Sylvia Hummel. Less than four years later, they welcomed a daughter, Janet Eileen Pygman, on April 15, 1927. By 1930, Pygman rose to the position of principal in a Maywood area public school, and became a school superintendent by 1940. On July 12, 1952, Pygman married Alverna V. Nellis. Pygman and his wife moved to Fort Myers, Florida, in the 1970s, where they remained until Pygman passed away on November 29, 1988. Both Pygman and his wife are buried together in Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell. In 2017, the University of Central Florida was one of three universities selected to launch the National Cemetery Administration’s Veterans Legacy Program Project. The program engaged a team of scholars to make the life stories of veterans buried in the Florida National Cemetery available to the public. The project engages UCF students in research and writing and fosters collaboration between students, faculty and local Central Florida schools to produce interactive curriculum for k-12 students. The corresponding website exhibit uses RICHES Mosaic Interface to create a digital archive of related data. The public can use the project-developed augmented-reality app at more than 100 gravesites at the Florida National Cemetery, where they can access the UCF student-authored biographies of veterans.
Digital reproduction of original color photograph: Private Collection of The Pygman Family.
Clark C. Griffith Memorial at Tinker Field
Griffith, Clark (Clark Calvin), 1869-1955
The Clark C. Griffith Memorial at Tinker Field, located at 287 South Tampa Avenue in Downtown Orlando, Florida, in 2003. Clark Calvin Griffith (1869-1955), also known as "The Old Fox," was a Major League Baseball pitcher, team manager, and team owner. He began his career in the MLB with the St. Louis Browns (present-day St. Louis Cardinals) in 1891. That same year, he played with the Boston Reds. From 1893 to 1900, he pitched for the Chicago Colts/Orphans (present-day the Chicago Cubs). Griffith both played and managed the Chicago White Stockings (present-day Chicago White Sox) from 1901 to 1902 and the New York Highlands (present-day New York Yankees) from 1903 to 1907. He retired as a player following the 1907 season, but reamined manager in 1908. He later managed the Cincinnati Reds from 1909 to 1911 and the Washington Senators (present-day Minnesota Twins) from 1912 to 1920. In 1920, he bought the Senators and continued as owner until his death in 1955. In 1946, he was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Tinker Field is named after Joseph B. Tinker, who was a shortstop for the Chicago Cubs, manager of the Orlando Tigers, and the first Floridian to be selected for the Baseball Hall of Fame. The first baseball field at this location was built in 1914. The stadium was dedicated in 1923 and could seat approximately 1,500 people. In 1934, a fence was added. The field was home of the Orlando Rays, a minor league baseball team, until they moved to the Cracker Jack Stadium in 2000. Tinker Field was also the Spring Training home for the Cincinnati Reds from 1923 to 1935, the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1934 to 1935, and the Washington Senators and the Minnesota Twins from 1936 to the 1990s. On May 14, 2004, Tinker Field was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The field has also served as the home to the Orlando Electric Daisy Carnival, an electric dance music festival, in 2011 and 2012. The stadium currently seats 5,100 people.
Original color image by Thomas Cook, 2003: Private Collection of Thomas Cook
RICHES of Central Florida
An integrated class assembly at Jones High School in 1970. The photograph appeared in the Jones High School yearbook that year. Located in the Parramore/Lorna Doone neighborhood of downtown Orlando, Jones High School was the first area public school for African-Americans. The original building was located on the corner of Garland Avenue and Church Street, but the school was renamed the Johnson Academy and moved to a new building on the corner of Chatham Avenue and West Jefferson Street. In 1921, the school was renamed in honor Principal L. C. Jones and a brick colonial revival building was constructed on the corner of Parramore Avenue and Washington Street. The school was finally moved to its current location at 801 South Rio Grande Avenue in 1952.
A class at Sanford Grammar School in 1916. Originally located at 301 West Seventh Street in Sanford, Florida, Sanford Grammar School was first established as Sanford High School in 1902. The building was designed by W. G. Talley in the Romanesque revival style. Due to an increasing student population, a new school building was constructed on Sanford Avenue in 1911. The original building on Seventh Street served as Westside Grammar Elementary School, which was later renamed Sanford Grammar School. In 1984, the building was placed on the National Registry of Historic Places and converted into the Student Museum. The building reopened as the University of Central Florida's Public History Center in 2012. In 1927, a high school campus was designed by Elton J. Moughton in the Mediterranean revival style and constructed at 1700 French Avenue. The school reopened on January 10 and was renamed Seminole High School. In 1960, the high school moved to a new campus at 2701 Ridgewood Avenue and the former building on French Avenue was converted to Sanford Junior High School, which was later renamed Sanford Middle School. The old building was demolished in the summer of 1991 and replaced by a $5.77 million school complex. As of 2013, Seminole High School offers various Advanced Placement courses, the Academy for Health Careers, and the International Baccalaureate Programme for students.
Original 5.5 x 3.5 inch black and white photograph, March 29, 1916: Sanford Grammar Collection, Archives Box 4B, UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida.
A class at Sanford Grammar School in 1929. Originally established as Sanford High School, the main building was constructed at 301 West Seventh Street in Sanford, Florida, in 1902. The building was designed by W. G. Talley in the Romanesque revival style. Due to an increasing student population, a new school building was constructed on the corner of East Ninth Street and South Palmetto Avenue in 1911. The original building on Seventh Street served as Westside Grammar Elementary School, which was later renamed Sanford Grammar School. After a desperate need for an addition to the school developed, the city granted the school $75,000. The school's lunchroom was opened on October 10, 1921, after months of fundraising efforts hosted by the Woman's Club. In November 23, 1984, the main school building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places and converted into the Student Museum. However, despite objections from the community, the lunchroom was demolished on September 25, 2008. The main school building reopened as the University of Central Florida's Public History Center in 2012.
Original 9.5 x 7 inch black and white photograph, 1929: Sanford Grammar Collection, Archives Box 4B, UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida.
Claude H. Wolfe, Inc. Buggy in Front of the Frigidaire Store
Claude H. Wolfe driving a horse and buggy to deliver refrigerators during World War II. This photograph was used as an advertising campaign for his Frigidaire store. Because gasoline was being rationed during WWII, Wolfe made his deliveries using a horse and buggy. Frigidaire was an appliance company that started in Indiana in 1916. In 1928, Wolfe opened a Frigidaire store at 130 North Orange Avenue, which was previously Jefferson Court Arcade, in Downtown Orlando, Florida. Later, the store moved to 19 East Washington Street. Frigidaire was an appliance company that originally sold refrigerators. Wolfe's pitch to get people to buy his product was to tell prospective customers that they could either continue buying blocks of ice for their ice boxes, or buy a refrigerator, which keeps itself cold and will not get infested with bugs, thus being more sanitary. Later, Frigidaire also sold stoves, room air conditioners, and washing machines. In 1959, the store moved to Garland Avenue, where the current Lynx bus station is located. The old building on Washington Street was later demolished to build the Regions Bank, also known as the Copper Whopper.
Original black and white photograph: Orlando Remembered Exhibit, Regions Bank, Orlando, Florida.
Frigidaire Store, Downtown Orlando, Florida
Claudius J. Manigault, principal of Jones High School in Orlando, Florida, from 1964-1968. During his tenure, Manigault oversaw several expansions of the school and the addition of sports facilities. Located in the Parramore/Lorna Doone neighborhood of downtown Orlando, Jones High School was the first area public school for African-Americans. The original building was located on the corner of Garland Avenue and Church Street, but the school was renamed the Johnson Academy and moved to a new building on the corner of Chatham Avenue and West Jefferson Street. In 1921, the school was renamed in honor Principal L. C. Jones and a brick colonial revival building was constructed on the corner of Parramore Avenue and Washington Street. The school was finally moved to its current location at 801 South Rio Grande Avenue in 1952.
A postcard depicting the Clearwater Beach Causeway, now known as the Clearwater Memorial Causeway, in Clearwater, Florida. The road connects Downtown Clearwater with Clearwater Beach, carrying Florida State Road 60 (SR 60). Originally a two-lane road, the bridge was first constructed in the 1920s. That original causeway was later replaced by a new bridge in the 1950s. Construction for the new Clearwater Memorial Causeway began in 2001 and the bridge opened in 2005.
Original 9 x 14 centimeter color postcard by Burgert Bros. and Tichnor Quality Views: Private Collection of Bob Van Horn.
Clearwater Beach Causeway, Clearwater, Florida
A postcard depicting the Clearwater Marina, also known as the Clearwater Beach Marina, located at 25 Causeway Boulevard in Clearwater, Florida. Present-day Clearwater was originally inhabited by the Tocobaga. The U.S. Army began construction of Fort Harrison around 1835 to serve as an during the Second Seminole War. The area, which was then known as Clear Water Harbor, experienced significant growth following the passage of the Federal Armed Occupation Act of 1842, which offered land to settlers who would bear arms and cultivate the land. In 1888, the Orange Belt Railway added an extension into Clearwater, adding to the town's growth. In 1891, the Town of Clearwater was incorporated with James E. Crane as its first mayor. In 1897, Henry B. Plant (1819-1899) built his Belleview Hotel, thus allowing Clearwater to become a popular vacation destination. Clearwater was designated as the county seat for Pinellas County when it seceded from Hillsborough County in 1912. In 1915, Clearwater was a reincorporated as a city in 1915. During World War II, the city became a major training area for American troops.
Original 9 x 14 centimeter color postcard by Tichnor Bros., Inc.: Private Collection of Bob Van Horn.
Clements' Pharmacy Receipt for the Oviedo Woman's Club (February 23, 1924)
A receipt from Clements' Pharmacy in Oviedo, Florida, for February 23, 1924. According to the receipt, the Oviedo Woman's Club (OWC) purchased five gallons of vanilla ice cream and one pint of whole cherries. The Oviedo Woman's Club was founded in 1906 as the Oviedo Magazine Club by seven charter members: H. B. McCall, Edith Meade, Georgia Lee Wheeler, Lillian Lee Lawton, Mattie Aulin Wheeler, Milcah Yonge, and Mary King. The first clubhouse was constructed in 1914 and also served as Oviedo's first library. In 1916, the club joined the FFWC and officially changed its name to the Oviedo Woman's Club. In 1923, the woman's club was federated under the umbrella of the General Federation of Woman's Clubs (GFWC). A new clubhouse was built in 1961 on property donated by R. L. Croom, a former member, which is located at 414 King Street. The Oviedo Woman's Club is involved in many civic projects, including the annual Great Day in the Country Arts and Crafts Festival, the Spring Fundraiser, Tasting Luncheons, and Celebrate Spring Teas.
Original receipt, February 23, 1924: Private Collection of Beatrice Gestrich.
Oviedo Woman's Club
A newspaper article highlighting local club news. The highlights include a meeting for the United Daughters of the Confederacy, as well as the 75th anniversary celebration of the Oviedo Woman's Club (OWC). Following the American Civil War, numerous associations were founded by women to organize the burials, funerals, commemorations, and monuments honoring the Confederacy. The majority of these individual associations were merged into the National Association of the Daughters of the Confederacy, led by Caroline Meriwether Goodlett and Anna Davenport Raines, on September 10, 1894 in Nashville, Tennessee, for daughters, granddaughters, and other female descendants of Confederate servicemen. In 1895, a meeting was held in Atlanta, Georgia, to change the name of the organization to the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC). The UDC was officially incorporated in Washington, D.C., on July 18, 1919. The Oviedo Woman's Club was founded in 1906 as the Oviedo Magazine Club by seven charter members: H. B. McCall, Edith Meade, Georgia Lee Wheeler, Lillian Lee Lawton, Mattie Aulin Wheeler, Milcah Yonge, and Mary King. The first clubhouse was constructed in 1914 and also served as Oviedo's first library. In 1916, the club joined the Florida Federation of Women's Clubs (FFWC) and officially changed its name to the Oviedo Woman's Club. In 1923, the woman's club was federated under the umbrella of the General Federation of Woman's Clubs (GFWC). A new clubhouse was built in 1961 on property donated by R. L. Croom, a former member, which is located at 414 King Street. The Oviedo Woman's Club is involved in many civic projects, including the annual Great Day in the Country Arts and Crafts Festival, the Spring Fundraiser, Tasting Luncheons, and Celebrate Spring Teas.
Original newspaper article: "Club News," February 19, 1981: Private Collection of Beatrice Gestrich.
Steamboats--Florida--St. Johns River--History
Lake Monroe (Seminole County and Volusia County, Fla.)
The Clyde Line Steamboat Company Dock on Lake Monroe in 1887. The Clyde Steamship Company operated the pier until 1930. The Clyde Line was established by Thomas Clyde in 1844 and connected Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with other east coast ports. In 1872, the headquarters moved to New York and began connections with the Caribbean Islands. Charles W. Morse's Consolidated Steamship Lines purchased the company in 1907, only to collapse the following year. In 1911, the Atlantic, Gulf & West Indies Steamship Lines began operating Clyde Line, which continued to be used under that name until 1932 when the line was combined with the Mallory Line to form the Clyde-Mallory Line. The Clyde-Mallory Line operated until 1949 when it was sold to the Bull Line.
Original 9 x 14 centimeter color postcard by Hugh C. Leighton Company: Postcard Collection, call number PC3079, Florida Photographic Collection, State Library and Archives of Florida, Tallahassee, Florida.
State Library and Archives of Florida
Co-Educational Physical Education Class at Seminole High School
Physical education and training--Florida
Co-educational physical education class at Seminole High School in 1959. Originally located at 301 West Seventh Street in Sanford, Florida, Seminole High School was first established as Sanford High School in 1902. The building was designed by W. G. Talley in the Romanesque revival style. Due to an increasing student population, a new school building was constructed on Sanford Avenue in 1911. The original building on Seventh Street served as Westside Grammar Elementary School, which was later renamed Sanford Grammar School. In 1984, the building was placed on the National Registry of Historic Places and converted into the Student Museum. The building reopened as the University of Central Florida's Public History Center in 2012. In 1927, a high school campus was designed by Elton J. Moughton in the Mediterranean revival style and constructed at 1700 French Avenue. The school reopened on January 10 and was renamed Seminole High School. In 1960, the high school moved to a new campus at 2701 Ridgewood Avenue and the former building on French Avenue was converted to Sanford Junior High School, which was later renamed Sanford Middle School. The old building was demolished in the summer of 1991 and replaced by a $5.77 million school complex. As of 2013, Seminole High School offers various Advanced Placement courses, the Academy for Health Careers, and the International Baccalaureate Programme for students.
Original 6 x 4 inch black and white photograph, 1959: Special Project 100th Anniversary SCPS Box, Seminole County Public Schools Collection, UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida.
A video simulation of the Cocoa Beach Glass Bank as it appear in 1963. The video was produced by the Institute for Simulation & Training and the College of Arts & Humanities at the University of Central Florida. Also known as the First Federal Savings and Loan Building, construction for the Cocoa Beach Glass Bank began in 1960 and was completed in 1961. The First Federal Savings and Loan Association of Cocoa officially opened the following year. The Sky Room Restaurant also opened in 1962, but closed in 1963. In 1963, construction on the external Express Elevator began and Ramon's Rainbow Room opened. Ramon's closed in 1970 and was replaced by Marby's Rainbow Room that same year. Marby's, which was not replaced by a new restaurant, closed in 1972. The First Federal Savings and Loan Association was acquired by the First FA in 1983. Reliance Bank occupied the banking facilities on the first floor from 1985 to 1995, when the name was changed to Huntington Bank. In 2004, the lower portion of the building had no tenants. Demolition of the building was approved in 2014 and the building was razed the following year.
Institute for Simulation & Training
UCF College of Arts & Humanities
Original 2-minute and 11-second video: "Cocoa Beach Glass Bank in 3D."
Chronopoints
Cocoa Beach Glass Bank, Cocoa Beach, Florida
A postcard depicting the intersection of Atlantic Avenue and Minutemen Causeway in Cocoa Beach, Florida. Bernard's Surf was a restaurant located at 2 South Atlantic Avenue and originally founded by Bernard Fischer in 1948. In 1965, Fischer's nephew, Rusty Fischer, took over operations. Fischer sold the restaurant in 2006 and Bernard's Surf closed in 2010. In 2012, the building was purchased by Luke Johnson, who has expressed plans to rebuild the restaurant. Ocean Realty and Teght's can also be seen across the street from Bernard's. Ocean Realty has since moved its operations to 3201 North Atlantic Avenue. Teght's was replaced by Missile Lounge, a topless bar, by the late 1960s. The building has since been occupied by a variety of gift shops, piercing businesses and tattoo artists, and restaurants.
Original 9 x 14 centimeter color photographic postcard: Private Collection of Bob Van Horn.
Cocoa Beach, Florida, in September of 1991. The first non-Amerindian settlement of the area, known as Oceanus, was a group of emancipated slaves following the end of the American Civil War. A group of citizens of neighboring Cocoa purchased the property in 1888, but left it undeveloped for several decades. In 1923, one of the groups members, Gus C. Edwards, purchased the land from his fellow co-owners. Cocoa Beach was incorporated as town on June 5, 1925. Edwards was elected the first mayor. The Florida Department of Transportation constructed State Road 140 (present-day State Road A1A) in 1935, allowing for increased development. In 1944, a Florida Legislature bill that would have dissolved the city government was defeated. The town was incorporated as a city on June 29, 1957. With the construction of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)'s John F. Kennedy Space Center (KCS), the city of Cocoa Beach experienced major growth in population and economic development. However, the city experienced layoffs and economic decline during the period between the conclusion of the Apollo Program and the introduction of the Space Shuttle Program.
Original color photographs, September 1991: Private Collection of Nancy Lynn Cepero.
A newspaper article from The Seminole Star discussing the Altamonte Springs-Casselberry Chamber of Commerce's leasing issue with the city government. The Chamber of Commerce had been paying $1 a year to rent out a city-owned building. Florida Attorney General Robert Shevins, who said the terms of the agreement were to be renoegoitated, because the city could not charge the Chamber of Commerce lesser rent than they would any other organization.
Original newspaper article: "CofC, City to Meet on Building Lease." The Seminole Star: Private Collection of Sue Blackwood.
This postcard depicts the outside of the Colosseum (also known as the Coliseum) in Rome, Italy. Built in the first century during the Flavian dynasty, it housed games such as hunts and gladiator fights, and remains the largest ampitheatre in the world. This postcard is part of a collection of postcards kept by Lucile Campbell, a schoolteacher in Sanford, Florida, for 30 years. In 1931, she took advantage of a special rate for teachers and sailed to Europe, where she traveled for several months and is thought to have acquired many of these postcards. During the 1940-1941 school year, Campbell taught at Sanford Grammar School. Before her retirement in 1970, she taught at many other area schools, including the Oviedo School, Westside Grammar School, and Pinecrest Elementary School. Campbell used these postcards as aids in her classrooms to teach advanced subjects, such as Shakespearean drama. The collection, along with her other teaching aids, papers, and photographs, was later found at Sanford Grammar School after it became the University of Central Florida's Public History Center. Campbell's postcard collection and photographs provide insight into the life of a respected Florida educator.
Original 3 x 5 inch color postcard: ACC# SM-00-243, file folder 1 (U.S. blanks), box 10A, Lucile (Mary Lucile) Campbell Collection, UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida.
Fotocolor Kodak Ektachrome
Colla Woodcock, the great-uncle of Christine Kinlaw-Best, in Sanford during the 1960s. When the photograph was taken, Woodcock was in his fifties or sixties. He was also a former student at Westside Grammar Elementary School.
Original black and white photograph: Private Collection of Christine Kinlaw-Best.
A postcard depicting one of the bedchambers in Colleen Moore's dollhouse, which was exhibited at the Gimbel Brothers in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Moore was a silent film actress who built the dollhouse with a former set designer in 1928. She contributed pieces to the house until her death in 1988. It is currently on display in the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, Illinois. This postcard is part of a collection of postcards kept by Lucile Campbell, a schoolteacher in Sanford, Florida, for 30 years. In 1931, she took advantage of a special rate for teachers and sailed to Europe, where she traveled for several months and is thought to have acquired many of these postcards. During the 1940-1941 school year, Campbell taught at Sanford Grammar School. Before her retirement in 1970, she taught at many other area schools, including the Oviedo School, Westside Grammar School, and Pinecrest Elementary School. Campbell used these postcards as aids in her classrooms to teach advanced subjects, such as Shakespearean drama. The collection, along with her other teaching aids, papers, and photographs, was later found at Sanford Grammar School after it became the University of Central Florida's Public History Center. Campbell's postcard collection and photographs provide insight into the life of a respected Florida educator.
Original 3 x 5 postcard. File folder 1 (U.S. blanks), box 10A, of the Lucile (Mary Lucile) Campbell Collection UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida.
Colonel Michael Norman Wright McCoy and Mayor J. Rolfe Davis at Pinecastle Air Force Base
Colonel Michael Norman Wright McCoy (1905-1957), commanding officer of Pinecastle Air Force Base, with J. Rolfe Davis (1904-1988), who served as Mayor of Orlando from 1953 to 1956, at Pinecastle AFB in Orlando, Florida. Col. McCoy died in a flight demonstration of a Boeing B-47 Stratojet. The bomber had a faulty wing and crashed north of Orlando. As a result, Pinecastle Air Force Base became, McCoy Air Force Base to honor the memory of Col. McCoy. In 1974, McCoy AFB officially closed. What used to be McCoy Air Force Base is now Orlando International Airport. Some of the base property went to private companies for research purposes.
Original black and white photograph: Orlando Remembered Exhibit, Orlando City Hall, Orlando, Florida.
Pinecastle Air Force Base, Orlando, Florida
Postcard depicting a colorized art rendition of New York Avenue. The drawing shows the street with storefront buildings along either side. The top left corner states in red "New York Avenue, St. Cloud, Fla." In a smaller black font on the bottom right corner is "M16080". On the back of the postcard is a long message that states, "St. Cloud - Fla - Oct. 29, 1915. Dear friend - Your card received in due time so kind of you to remember my birthday. I am living on borrowed time now as I have passed the three score years and ten. We are feeling the effects of a long, hot summer. The weather is delightful now and we hope to gain strength. Was sorry to hear that Mr. Reinkle was poorly, think he better come to St. Cloud and spend the Winter. Mrs. Baswell keeps about the same, he is quite poorly would not be surprised if she outlived him. Mr Lynch has some old friend living in the front-room, they are pleasant neighbors and have improved the looks of his place greatly. Wish you could all come and spend the Winter here - Accept for all our kindest regards and best wishes. Jennie Scriber" This postcard is part of a private collection kept by Roger Hipel of St. Cloud, Florida.
Original 5 x 3 inch colored postcard: Private Collection of Roger Hipel.
The Seminole Pharmacy and Dale's Variety Store
This item is a brochure produced by Westinghouse Combustion Turbine Systems Division in Concordville, Pennsylvania, to describe the application of the 50MW model W251B10 and 100MW W501D5 combustion turbines (a.k.a. gas turbines) for use in cogeneration plants. Such plants were built for the simultaneous production of both electric energy and useful thermal energy for industrial process use. In the early 1980s, cogeneration became very popular among independent (non-utility) power generators (or Independent Power Producers, IPPs) since it enabled the owner to obtain an exemption from the Fuel Use Act, which, as part of the broad National Energy Act of 1978, specifically prohibited the base load (i.e. continuous year-'round) production of electricity using oil or natural gas fuels. Cogeneration plants were exempt from the Fuel Use Act due to their high efficiency compared to power-only generating plants. Also, owners of cogeneration plants were allowed to sell the electricity that they produced to the local electric utility company under another part of the National Energy Act, namely, the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act, popularly known as "PURPA." the brochure provides data on the power and efficiency (heat rate) of the W251B10 and W501D5 gas turbines, as well data on the steam production capability by each via use of heat recovery boilers or steam generators.
Original 23-page brochure: Private Collection of Harry Jaeger.
Combustion Turbine Systems Division, Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Concordville, Pennsylvania
Turbine and Generator Division, Westinghouse Canada, Inc., Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Combustion Turbine Repowering of Reheat Steam Power Plants
An academic paper by Richard W. Foster-Pegg, presented at the Pacific Coast Electric Association in March of 1980. During the mid-1970s and into the 1980s, Westinghouse Electric Corporation's Combustion Turbine Systems Division actively participated in numerous industry-sponsored studies of the conversion of existing steam turbine power plants to highly efficient combined cycle power generation with the addition of a gas turbine to supply its "exhaust waste heat" to Thermodynamic power cycle. The benefits of converting older steam power plants to combined cycle included it being an economical way to add substantially more power generating capacity to an existing power plant site, and it was an attractive way to replace old boiler equipment with a gas turbine/heat recovery boiler while extending the useful life of the existing steam turbine generator and other balance-of-plant equipment. This form of power plant upgrade and expansion became popular in the U.S. some time after this paper was written. The Combustion Turbine Systems Division headquarters were located in Concordville, Pennsylvania, until it was relocated to Power Generation World Headquarters in Orlando, Florida, in 1987.
Original 19-page academic paper by Richard W. Foster-Pegg, 1980: Private Collection of Harry L. Jaeger.
A poster for the Orlando Gay Chorus concert, "Come As You Are". The event was held at the Ann Giles Densch Civic Theater Complex (now the Orlando Repertory Theater), located at 1001 East Princeton Street in Orlando, Florida, on June 21 and 22, 1997. The poster features artwork by Gary Gessford and Windon S. Newton, depicting people of various races and genders standing on the earth with a rainbow banner in the background. A black panel at the bottom of the page contains information like time, location, and the OGC header. The Orlando Gay Chorus is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts and humanitarian organization part of GALA Choruses. Founded on Valentines Day 1990, OGC is not only one of the largest mixed gay choirs in the United States at over 100 members, but they also boast four smaller ensembles that perform annual concerts, cabarets, and a whole host of community events like Come Out With Pride, Orlando Museum of Art’s Festival of Trees, and World Aids Day memorial services. In 2017, the group performed at over 105 events, including 15 performances for the first anniversary of the Pulse Nightclub tragedy. Members come from all walks of life and all sexual and gender orientations, including straight allies. OGC lives by the motto “Singing the World to a Better Place” and strives to use music to change attitudes and build a stronger community.
Orlando Gay Chorus
Original color poster: University of Central Florida Special Collections, Orlando, Florida.
Ann Giles Densch Civic Theater Complex, Orlando, Florida
Comisión Federal de Electricidad's Westinghouse 251 EconoPac Gas Turbines
The installation of the Westinghouse 251 (W251) EconoPac gas turbine units at Comisión Federal de Electricidad's (CFE) generation station in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, which began operations in 1980. Originally called the Westinghouse Electric Company, George Westinghouse (1846-1914) founded his manufacturing company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on January 8, 1886. In 1889, he renamed his business The Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company. Westinghouse's primary products include turbines, generators, motors and switchgear related to the generation, transmission, and use of electricity. The company changed its name to Westinghouse Electric Corporation in 1945. In 1981, the company began to relocate its division headquarters for the Steam-Turbine Generator Divisions from Pennsylvania (turbines from Lester and generators from Pittsburgh) to Orlando, Florida. The Power Generation Business Unit (PGBU) building was located in The Quadrangle, at 4400 Alafaya Trail. Originally, Westinghouse had purchased a large plot of land for future development that extended westward from Alafaya Trail to Rouse Road. The original headquarters was located on several acres of that land parcel close to Alafaya Trail. As the PGBU grew in size, other buildings were rented and then, after PGBU was sold to Siemens Corporation, additional buildings were added to the complex. In 1994, after a major corporate management shuffling and commitment to change from an industrial manufacturing company to primarily a broadcasting/communications company, Westinghouse bought the CBS Network and changed its name to the CBS Corporation. As the PGBU grew in size, other buildings were rented and then, after PGBU was sold to Siemens Corporation in 1998, additional buildings were added to the Quadrangle.
Original color photograph, 1980: Private Collection of Harry L. Jaeger.
Commemorating the Opening of a Museum Honor George Westinghouse
A brochure of commemorative images published in 1988 as part of the celebration of the dedication of the George Westinghouse Museum, located in Wilmerding, Pennsylvania. The historic building, colloquially called The Castle, selected to house the museum was the original Westinghouse Air Brake Company General Office Building and the office of the great American inventor, engineer, and entrepreneur himself. George Westinghouse (1846-1914) served in the American Civil War as a teenager. Afterwards, at the age of 19, he created his first invention, a rotary steam engine. In 1869, at age 22, Westinghouse invented a railroad braking system using compressed air, and this became the basis of his first major business venture, the Westinghouse Air Brake Company. His important contributions to electric power generation, distribution and application began later in the 19th century. This brochure highlights the career of Westinghouse and his great accomplishments.
Original 14-page brochure, 1988: Private Collection of Harry L. Jaeger.
George Westinghouse Museum, Wilmerding, Pennsylvania
Westinghouse Air Brake Company General Office Building, Wilmerding, Pennsylvania
Communications Facility at New Tribes Mission
The communications facility at the New Tribes Mission, located at 1000 East First Street in Sanford, Florida. Originally named after the Sanford Mayor and president of Seminole County Bank, construction of the Forrest Lake Hotel began in 1916. Local architect Elton J. Moughton designed the hotel. In 1925, Hotel Forrest Lake opened and became a popular destination for tourists visiting Sanford. By 1929, the hotel closed after the stock market crash and the downfall of Florida's tourism and real estate boom. William E. Kirchhoff leased the building in 1934 and the hotel reopened in 1935 with the new name Mayfair Hotel. Under Kirchhoff's ownership, the Mayfair Hotel became known as one of the finest hotels in the South. Kirchhoff sold the hotel in 1948 to Horace Stoneham, owner of the New York Giants. Stoneham then sold the building to the Bernard McFadden Foundation in 1963 and the new owner significantly altered the building to house students from the Sanford Naval Academy. After the Naval Air Station Sanford acquired $1.3 million to fund the construction of a naval academy in 1963, the Foundation made significant alterations to the building to house students from the Sanford Naval Academy. In 1967, the Bernard McFadden Gymnasium was constructed on the property. The New Tribes Mission purchased the building and property in 1977 and converted the gymnasium into a communications facility. The New Tribes Mission's goal is to reach tribes who have no access to the Gospel through translated publications and missionary work.
Original color digital image by Laura Cepero, June 10, 2011.
Community Redevelopment Area Design Studio
A sign for the Community Redevelopment Area Design Studio, located at the Ocala Union Station at 531 Northeast First Avenue in Ocala, Florida, in 2014. The Office of Long Term Planning & Sustainability in Ocala has designated Ocala Union Station as a redevelopment area and hosts weekly lectures, presentations, and design exercises. Built in 1917, the Ocala Union Station was not the pioneer depot for Ocala's booming phosphorus mining, citrus cultivation, and Silver Springs tourism. Ocala was a developing city for transportation long before Seaboard Air Line Railroad (SAL) and Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL) crossed lines and created Union Station. According to the Historic Ocala website, Ocala had achieved its population, well-developed system of transportation, and prosperous economy by 1895, well before the arrival of the Ocala Union Station, Periodic recessions, however, from 1890 to 1920 took an especially hard toll on Florida. U.S. Census data shows that the Marion County population fell from 26,941 in 1910 to 23,968 in 1920—an 11 percent drop. As the Ocala Union Station grew as a result of tourism, trade, and the Florida Land Boom, it helped reverse the trend. Census data from 1930 shows 29,578 people living in Marion County, which houses the station to this day.
Original color digital image by Carlos R. Mercado, March 12, 2014.
Photographs of Company G of the 105th Infantry taken between 1917 and 1919. 35 black and white photographs of men appear in seven rows. Below them is a numerical list of names corresponding to the photographs. A notable soldier featured is Charles "Carlo" Leonetti (1895-1994). Born on January 9, 1895, in Naples, Italy, Leonetti moved to New York around 1910. He enlisted in the United States Army on July 26, 1917, and served in Company G of the 105th Infantry Regiment during World War I. While serving overseas, he retained his presence in the art world and gained notoriety from his covers of The Masses, a journal published in New York. Discharged from the army in April 1919, Leonetti continued officers’ training in the Army Reserve. After his return to the United States, Leonetti became naturalized in May of 1920. Upon his return, Leonetti became a figure in the New York art scene. He participated in a variety of niches: photographing celebrities, painting, opening up a Greenwich Village-themed nightclub, translating “The Jest”, written by John Barrymore, acting in movies like Broken Blossoms, and dancing on Broadway. Leonetti entered the service again in February 1941. Discharged in August 1946, after five years of service, Leonetti reentered civilian life with the “Soldier’s Medal for Bravery.” That same year, he moved to Tampa with his wife, Mayme, where they maintained active involvement in the art community. Leonetti passed away on June 3, 1994, and is buried at Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell, Florida. In 2017, the University of Central Florida was one of three universities selected to launch the National Cemetery Administration’s Veterans Legacy Program Project. The program engaged a team of scholars to make the life stories of veterans buried in the Florida National Cemetery available to the public. The project engages UCF students in research and writing and fosters collaboration between students, faculty and local Central Florida schools to produce interactive curriculum for k-12 students. The corresponding website exhibit uses RICHES Mosaic Interface to create a digital archive of related data. The public can use the project-developed augmented-reality app at more than 100 gravesites at the Florida National Cemetery, where they can access the UCF student-authored biographies of veterans.
Digital reproduction of original black and white company photograph.
Compiled Service Record, Florida Indian Wars, 1857-1858
Handwritten compiled military service records for volunteer soldiers who served in organizations from the State of Florida during the Florida Indian Wars from 1835-1858. The document records the soldier's name, unit served, length of service, war served, rank and indexed card numbers. The veteran listed in the document is William Stephen Fussell, (1837 – 1862). Born on December 20, 1837, in Telfair, Georgia, Fussell's parents were both from North Carolina. He moved to Florida some time before 1850, and first entered military service in 1856, when he joined Bullock’s Company, Florida Mounted Volunteers during the Third Seminole War. After the war, Fussell settled down in Sumter County, and married Elizabeth Ann Matchett on February 15, 1859. When Florida seceded from the Union in 1861, Fussell joined the Confederate Army, enlisting in Company F of the 7th Florida Infantry Regiment. While in this regiment, Fussell died of disease in Knoxville, Tennessee, on November 5, 1862. He is memorialized at Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell, Florida. In 2017, the University of Central Florida was one of three universities selected to launch the National Cemetery Administration’s Veterans Legacy Program Project. The program engaged a team of scholars to make the life stories of veterans buried in the Florida National Cemetery available to the public. The project engages UCF students in research and writing and fosters collaboration between students, faculty and local Central Florida schools to produce interactive curriculum for k-12 students. The corresponding website exhibit uses RICHES Mosaic Interface to create a digital archive of related data. The public can use the project-developed augmented-reality app at more than 100 gravesites at the Florida National Cemetery, where they can access the UCF student-authored biographies of veterans.
Digital reproduction of original handwritten compiled military service record.
Composition, an oil painting by Ralph L. Bagley (ca. 1914-2008). Bagley was an artist and instructor who taught in Central Florida from the 1950s until his death in 2008, when he was 94 years old. He was born in Bertrand, Missouri, and attended the Flint Institute of Art in Flint, Michigan, continuing his studies in New York and Washington, D.C. Bagley and his wife, Marianne Bagley, moved to Orlando, Florida in 1950, where Bagley founded the Orlando Institute of Art, the city’s first fine-arts school. Bagley depicted landscapes, still lifes, and portraits in a variety of media, including oil, watercolor, and charcoal. Bagley also taught at Orlando Junior College, becoming head of the school’s art department in 1965. After the college closed in 1971, he taught at Lake-Sumter Community College in Leesburg, the Maitland Art Center in Maitland, and the Loch Haven Art Center (now the Orlando Museum of Art). He toured the nation with at least 30 one-man art shows featuring his paintings. Among many positions he held in art organizations, Bagley was president of the Orlando Art Association and a founding member and president of the Artists’ League of Orange County. The works of his many students sustain his legacy.
Original oil painting: Bagley, Ralph L. Composition: City of Orlando Terrace Gallery, Orlando, Florida.
A pamphlet and calendar for the 1993-1994 concert season of the Orlando Gay Chorus. The pamphlet includes short biographies on Music Director Dr. Charles Callahan and Accompanist Ken Thompson, II, a brief history of the Orlando Gay Chorus, a music review by Steven Brown, calendar of events, and an enrollment form. The Orlando Gay Chorus (OGC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts and humanitarian organization, and part of the Gay and Lesbian Association (GALA) of Choruses. Founded on Valentines Day 1990, OGC is not only one of the largest mixed gay choirs in the United States at over 100 members, but they also boast four smaller ensembles that perform annual concerts, cabarets, and a host of community events, such as Come Out With Pride, Orlando Museum of Art’s Festival of Trees, and World AIDS Day memorial services. In 2017, the group performed at over 105 events, including 15 performances for the first anniversary of the Pulse Nightclub tragedy. Members come from all walks of life and all sexual and gender orientations, including straight allies. OGC lives by the motto “Singing the World to a Better Place” and strives to use music to change attitudes and build a stronger community.
Original 6-page black and white pamphlet with pink trims, Special Collections and University Archives, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida
Knowles Memorial Chapel, Rollins College, Winter Park, Florida
Ann Densch Theater, Loch Haven Park, Orlando, Florida
Confederate Soldiers, Sailors, and Statesmen Memorial at Lake Eola
The Confederate Soldiers, Sailors, and Statesmen Memorial was erected in 1911 by the Annie Coleman Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC). The construction of the monument was spearheaded by Mrs. Abernethy, the President of the Annie Coleman Chapter. The monument was erected at the intersection of East Central Avenue and Main Street in Downtown Orlando, Florida In 1917, the Confederate Memorial was deemed a traffic hazard and was moved to its permanent location on the east side of Lake Eola.
Original digital color images by Katherine Bowers, August 8, 2013.
Confederate Soldiers, Sailors, and Statesmen Memorial, Lake Eola Park, Downtown Orlando, Florida
Conference on Lake Apopka Fish Kills, June 12, 1963
A report by Harold L. Moody for a conference held by various state officials to investigate the fish kills in Lake Apopka, Florida. Moody's notes describe the current fish kill, some past kills, and efforts by the different State departments to investigate the fish kills. Various causes of the fish kills are discussed. Moody disagrees with the State Board of Health that oxygen supersaturation is causing the kills; Moody believes the cause is either pesticides or an unknown fish disease.
Photocopy of original 5-page typewritten report, June 12, 1963: binder 1963, drawer 1938-1987, Friends of Lake Apopka Archives, Ginn Museum, Oakland Nature Preserve, Oakland, Florida.
Conn's Department Store and Pennsylvania Hotel Postcard
Postcard depicting the Pennsylvania Hotel and Conn's Department Store. A sign on the side of the store markets the sale of dry goods, shoes, and furnishings. On the bottom of the postcard is printed, "Conn's Department Store and Pennsylvania Hotel, St. Cloud, Fla." Conn's Department store was owned and operated by James K. Conn, who was born in Pennsylvania and moved to St. Cloud, Florida sometime between 1910 and 1920. In 1917, the town of St. Cloud suffered a fire which engulfed business buildings and apartments along Pennsylvania Avenue. The townspeople decided to rebuild, replacing previously wooden building with concrete and brick. Conn's Department Store was one of these rebuilt buildings. The Pennsylvania Hotel was also built just after the fire in the rebuilding process. The building is now the site of the St. Cloud Twin Theater. This postcard is part of a private collection kept by Roger Hipel of St. Cloud, Florida.
Original 5 x 3 inch black and white postcard: Private Collection of Roger Hipel.
55 West, located at 55 West Church Street in Downtown Orlando, Florida, during construction in 2007. 55 West is an apartment building that overlooks Church Street Station and stands next to the SunTrust Center. Construction was completed in 2009. 55 West is currently the fifth tallest building in Downtown Orlando. The building also houses a 7-Eleven and Loft 55, a restaurant/nightclub on the bottom floor.
Original color digital images by Thomas Cook, March 7, 2007: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
55 West on the Esplanade, Downtown Orlando, Florida
Church Street Station, Downtown Orlando, 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.
Construction of Hercules Beetle Sculpture at Weeki Wachee Springs
A team of people guide the placement of a Hercules beetle sculpture in the 1950s. A crane lowers the sculpture in place near the May Museum of the Tropics at Weeki Wachee Springs, Florida. The large beetle sculpture served as an advertisement to attract visitors to the museum. The May Natural History Museum of the Tropics is a non-profit organization that displays the world’s largest private insect collection. James May acquired the thousands of insects and arthropods that make up the collection from the late 1800s until his death in 1956. John May continued his father’s legacy, building a museum in Weeki Wachee, Florida, that lasted from 1954-1964, and a museum in Colorado that opened in the 1950s and is still open today. John May also took parts of the collection across the United States and Canada to display at fairs and exhibitions. Along with a group of investors, Newton Perry opened Weeki Wachee Springs to the public in October of 1947. At the time, roadside attractions were becoming popular stops along Florida roadways. The attraction consisted of an amalgamation of vendors, an orchid garden, a river boat tour, as well as the star attraction: a mermaid show that took place in an underwater theater. Eventually, the May Museum of the Tropics, an "abandoned Seminole village", a show called “Birds of Prey”, and a petting zoo were added. After peaking in the 1950s and 1960s, attendance began to decline as theme parks and highways changed the dynamics of Florida's tourism. The State of Florida took over the attraction as a state park in 2008. Since then, the park has focused on appealing to a modern audience while preserving its history.
Original black and white photograph by John May: May Natural History Museum Colorado Springs, Colorado.
RICHES
May Museum of the Tropics, Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, Weeki Wachee, Florida
Construction of Special Assembly Building
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (U.S.)
An aerial photograph of the Special Assembly Building (later known as Hangar AF) under construction at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) in Cape Canaveral, Florida. At present, the hangar is used by John F. Kennedy Space Center's (KSC) for its Ground Systems Development and Operations Program and, in particular, for production related to the Space Launch System (SLS).
Original color photographic print, February 28, 1962: Space Walk of Fame Collection.
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Cape Canaveral, Florida
Construction of the Downtown Orlando Post Office, 1917
Construction of the Federal Building, located at 44 East Central Boulevard in Downtown Orlando, Florida, in 1917. From 1917 to 1941, the Federal Building was used for multiple purposes, which included housing the Downtown Orlando Post Office. 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 was designed by Louis A. Simon in the Northern Italian Palazzo Revival-style, and was constructed by J. P. Cullen and Sons. The new building opened in 1941 and housed the post office, the courthouse, and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) offices. The Confederate Soldiers, Sailors, and Statesmen Memorial can also be seen in the first photograph. The memorial was erected in 1911 by the Annie Coleman Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC). The construction of the monument was spearheaded by Mrs. Abernethy, the President of the Annie Coleman Chapter. The monument was erected at the intersection of East Central Avenue and Main Street in Downtown Orlando, Florida In 1917, the Confederate Memorial was deemed a traffic hazard and was moved to its permanent location on the east side of Lake Eola.
Original black and white photographs, 1917: Private Collection of Texann Ivy Buck.
Downtown Orlando Post Office, Downtown Orlando, Florida
Construction of the Downtown Orlando Post Office, April 1, 1940
Construction of the new Downtown Orlando Post Office building, located at 51 East Jefferson Street, in 1940. The original post office was housed in the Federal Building, located 44 East Central Boulevard in Downtown Orlando, Florida, from 1917 to 1941. 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 was designed by Louis A. Simon in the Northern Italian Palazzo Revival-style, and was constructed by J. P. Cullen and Sons. The new building opened in 1941 and housed the post office, the courthouse, and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) offices. The building was named an Orlando Historic Landmark in 1989. However, it was eventually sold back to the St. James Church. In 2003, the building was renovated and came under joint ownership by both the church and the federal government. Today, the building retains its post office services but also includes offices for the Catholic Diocese.
Original black and white photograph by O'Rork Studios, April 1, 1940: Private Collection of Texann Ivy Buck.
Construction of the Downtown Orlando Post Office, April 15, 1940
Original black and white photograph by O'Rork Studios, April 15, 1940: Private Collection of Texann Ivy Buck.
Construction of the Downtown Orlando Post Office, April 1917
Construction of the Federal Building, located at 44 East Central Boulevard in Downtown Orlando, Florida, in 1917. From 1917 to 1941, the Federal Building was used for multiple purposes, which included housing the Downtown Orlando Post Office. 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 was designed by Louis A. Simon in the Northern Italian Palazzo Revival-style, and was constructed by J. P. Cullen and Sons. The new building opened in 1941 and housed the post office, the courthouse, and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) offices.
Original black and white photographs, April 1, 1917: Private Collection of Texann Ivy Buck.
Construction of the Downtown Orlando Post Office, August 1, 1940
Original black and white photographs by O'Rork Studios, August 1, 1940: Private Collection of Texann Ivy Buck.
Construction of the Downtown Orlando Post Office, August 31, 1940
Original black and white photographs by O'Rork Studios, August 31, 1940: Private Collection of Texann Ivy Buck.
Construction of the Downtown Orlando Post Office, December 1940
Original black and white photographs, December 3, 1940: Private Collection of Texann Ivy Buck.
Construction of the Downtown Orlando Post Office, February 1, 1941
Construction of the new Downtown Orlando Post Office building, located at 51 East Jefferson Street, in 1941. The original post office was housed in the Federal Building, located 44 East Central Boulevard in Downtown Orlando, Florida, from 1917 to 1941. 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 was designed by Louis A. Simon in the Northern Italian Palazzo Revival-style, and was constructed by J. P. Cullen and Sons. The new building opened in 1941 and housed the post office, the courthouse, and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) offices. The building was named an Orlando Historic Landmark in 1989. However, it was eventually sold back to the St. James Church. In 2003, the building was renovated and came under joint ownership by both the church and the federal government. Today, the building retains its post office services but also includes offices for the Catholic Diocese.
Original black and white photographs, February 1, 1941: Private Collection of Texann Ivy Buck.
Construction of the Downtown Orlando Post Office, February 1917
Original black and white photograph, February 1, 1917: Private Collection of Texann Ivy Buck.
Construction of the Downtown Orlando Post Office, February 1940
Original black and white photograph by O'Rork Studios, February 27, 1940: Private Collection of Texann Ivy Buck.
Construction of the Downtown Orlando Post Office, January 1917
Original black and white photographs, January 1, 1917: Private Collection of Texann Ivy Buck.
Construction of the Downtown Orlando Post Office, January 1941
Original black and white photographs, January 2, 1941: Private Collection of Texann Ivy Buck.
Construction of the Downtown Orlando Post Office, July 1917
Original black and white photographs, July 1, 1917: Private Collection of Texann Ivy Buck.
Construction of the Downtown Orlando Post Office, July 1940
Original black and white photographs by O'Rork Studios, July 1, 1940: Private Collection of Texann Ivy Buck.
Construction of the Downtown Orlando Post Office, June 1917
Original black and white photographs, June 1, 1917: Private Collection of Texann Ivy Buck.
Construction of the Downtown Orlando Post Office, June 1940
Original black and white photographs by O'Rork Studios, June 3, 1940: Private Collection of Texann Ivy Buck.
Construction of the Downtown Orlando Post Office, March 1917
Construction of the Federal Building, located at 44 East Central Boulevard in Downtown Orlando, Florida, in 1917. From 1917 to 1941, the Federal Building was used for multiple purposes, which included housing the Downtown Orlando Post Office. 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 new building was designed by Louis A. Simon in the Northern Italian Palazzo Revival-style, and was constructed by J. P. Cullen and Sons. The new building opened in 1941 and housed the post office, the courthouse, and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) offices.
Original black and white photographs, March 1, 1917: Private Collection of Texann Ivy Buck.
Construction of the Downtown Orlando Post Office, March 1940
Original black and white photograph by O'Rork Studios, March 22, 1940: Private Collection of Texann Ivy Buck.
Construction of the Downtown Orlando Post Office, March 1941
Original black and white photograph by O'Rork Studios, March 1, 1941: Private Collection of Texann Ivy Buck.
Construction of the Downtown Orlando Post Office, May 1, 1940
Original black and white photographs, May 1, 1940: Private Collection of Texann Ivy Buck.
Construction of the Downtown Orlando Post Office, May 18, 1940
Original black and white photographs by O'Rork Studios, May 18, 1940: Private Collection of Texann Ivy Buck.
Construction of the Downtown Orlando Post Office, May 1917
Original black and white photographs, May 1, 1917: Private Collection of Texann Ivy Buck.
Construction of the Downtown Orlando Post Office, November 1940
Original black and white photographs by O'Rork Studios, November 1, 1940: Private Collection of Texann Ivy Buck.
Construction of the Downtown Orlando Post Office, October 1917
Original black and white photographs, October 1, 1917: Private Collection of Texann Ivy Buck.
Construction of the Downtown Orlando Post Office, October 1940
Original black and white photographs, October 1, 1940: Private Collection of Texann Ivy Buck.
Construction of the Downtown Orlando Post Office, September 1917
Original black and white photographs, September 1, 1917: Private Collection of Texann Ivy Buck.
Construction of the First Baptist Church of Winter Garden
The construction of the First Baptist Church of Winter Garden, Florida, around 1922. The congregation was originally organized in Ocoee, Florida, in August of 1888 with nine charter members. After eight years, the church voted to relocate to 125 East Plant Street in Winter Garden, on land donated by James Lafayette Dillard (1858-1943). Before construction, which occurred in the early 1920s, the site was occupied by a small sawmill operated by Will Pennington. The first wooden building in Winter Garden was constructed at the southwest corner of Plant Street and Woodland Street. In 1921, members initiated a building campaign and commissioned architect J. J. Baldwin to design a new building. The cornerstone of the present church was laid in 1922, and the church was completed in 1923 at a cost of $150,000, a substantial amount for a small community. The construction of the church was supervised by R. W. Wimbish, who also oversaw the construction of the Edgewater Hotel and the Black Building (now known as the Cappleman Building).
Original black and white photograph: Up From the Ashes Exhibit, Winter Garden Heritage Foundation, Winter Garden, Florida.
First Baptist Church, Winter Garden, Florida
Construction of the New Downtown Orlando Post Office Building
The new Downtown Orlando Post Office building, located at 51 East Jefferson Street, during construction circa 1941. 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. The building was named an Orlando Historic Landmark in 1989. However, it was eventually sold back to the St. James Church. In 2003, the building was renovated and came under joint ownership by both the church and the federal government. Today, the building retains its post office services but also includes offices for the Catholic Diocese.
Original black and white photographic print: Orlando Remembered Exhibit, Downtown Orlando Post Office, Downtown Orlando, Florida.
James Lafayette Dillard (1858-1943) built the Shelby Hotel in 1913 on 1 West Plant Street in Winter Garden, Florida. In this photograph, it is evident that construction was still in progress. The hotel was located a block away from both the Tavares & Gulf Railroad Company line and the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL) line. Dillard migrated to Central Florida from Virginia with his wife, Mattie Showalter, in 1887. He established himself primarily as a citrus and vegetable grower, but he also operated the M. V. Dillard and Company Garage, which was managed by his son, Marvin Dillard. In addition, he founded the Bank of Winter Garden, served as Wnter garden City Commissioner and a Florida State Legislator, and helped rebuild Downtown Winter Garden after two destructive fires in 1909 and 1912. Some of the buildings that Dillard helped construct include the Dillard and Boyd General Merchandise Store, the Shelby Hotel, and the Mann and Mills Dry Goods Store. He also donated land to the First Baptist Church of Winter Garden.
A newspaper article published by The Naples Daily News on September 9, 1971. The article describes William Woznak (1919-1997) and his wife Elizabeth's plans to construct a new townhouse complex called Madison Manor. Born on August 5, 1919, in Montreal, Canada, William Woznak's family immigrated to Michigan. He enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps on January 6, 1942, serving on the Repair Squadron at Wendover Field in Utah. After the war, Woznak returned to Michigan and married Elizabeth Beatrice Genick. He fathered three children, named Marian, Bill, and Walter. By the 1970s, the family moved to Naples, Florida, where Woznak worked as a realtor and building consultant. He died on January 28, 1997, in Naples, and is memorialized at the Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell. In 2017, the University of Central Florida was one of three universities selected to launch the National Cemetery Administration’s Veterans Legacy Program Project. The program engaged a team of scholars to make the life stories of veterans buried in the Florida National Cemetery available to the public. The project engages UCF students in research and writing and fosters collaboration between students, faculty and local Central Florida schools to produce interactive curriculum for k-12 students. The corresponding website exhibit uses RICHES Mosaic Interface to create a digital archive of related data. The public can use the project-developed augmented-reality app at more than 100 gravesites at the Florida National Cemetery, where they can access the UCF student-authored biographies of veterans.
Naples Daily News
Digital reproduction of original newspaper article: "Construction of Town House Begins." Naples Daily News, Naples, Florida, 1969.
A newspaper article written by Megan Sladek and published by The Oviedo Voice in February of 2006. The article discusses a lawsuit filed against the City of Oviedo on behalf of the Masci Corporation on February 7. According to Masci, the city owed the contractor over $630,000 for work done on the city's reclaimed water system along Lockwood Road.
Original newspaper article: Sladek, Megan. "Contractor Sues Oviedo." The Oviedo Voice, Vol. XVI, No. 7, February 16-22, 2006: Private Collection of Beatrice Gestrich.
Conway United Methodist Church Cemetery, 2011
The Conway United Methodist Church Cemetery in 2011. Located at 3401 South Conway Road in Conway in Orlando, Florida, the Conway United Methodist Church (UMC) was formed in 1870 as the Prospect Methodist Episcopal Church, South (MECS). In 1874, Morgan Montgomery Mizell and his wife donated two acres of land to build a church for the congregation. One acre was designated for the cemetery and a log cabin-like structure was constructed on the other acre, which was located at the corner of Conway Road and Anderson Road. Reverend James D. McDonald was the first to lead the church. In 1881, a new wood-frame building was constructed and was used by the Prospect MECS until it was replaced by Callaway Hall in 1959. A new sanctuary was completed in 1973. The hall was remodeled in 1994 and currently serves as the administration building. The cemetery includes graves of several members of the English Colony, which was platted in 1892 as the East Conway Churchyard Cemetery.
Original color image by Thomas Cook, 2011: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
Conway United Methodist Church Cemetery, Conway, Orlando, Florida
A program for the Orlando Gay Chorus' concert, "Cool Yule", on December 11, 12, &amp
13, 1998, at the First Unitarian Church of Orlando in Orlando, Florida. The program includes short biographies on the Music Director Aubrey Connelly and the Accompanist Kathy Slage, program notes, an outline of the show's itinerary, a list of chorus members and contributors, and a history of GALA Choruses. The Orlando Gay Chorus (OGC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts and humanitarian organization, and part of the Gay and Lesbian Association (GALA) of Choruses. Founded on Valentines Day 1990, OGC is not only one of the largest mixed gay choirs in the United States at over 100 members, but they also boast four smaller ensembles that perform annual concerts, cabarets, and a host of community events, such as Come Out With Pride, Orlando Museum of Art’s Festival of Trees, and World AIDS Day memorial services. In 2017, the group performed at over 105 events, including 15 performances for the first anniversary of the Pulse Nightclub tragedy. Members come from all walks of life and all sexual and gender orientations, including straight allies. OGC lives by the motto “Singing the World to a Better Place” and strives to use music to change attitudes and build a stronger community.
Original 28-page black and white program with a colored front and back cover, Special Collections and University Archives, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida
First Unitarian Church of Orlando, Orlando, Florida
A postcard depicting the Cooper River Bridge in Charleston, South Carolina. Officially known as the John P. Grace Memorial Bridge, the bridge opened in 1929 to cross the Cooper River. The Cooper River Bridge was closed in 2005 and replaced by the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge. This postcard is part of a collection of postcards kept by Lucile Campbell, a schoolteacher in Sanford, Florida, for 30 years. In 1931, she took advantage of a special rate for teachers and sailed to Europe, where she traveled for several months and is thought to have acquired many of these postcards. During the 1940-1941 school year, Campbell taught at Sanford Grammar School. Before her retirement in 1970, she taught at many other area schools, including the Oviedo School, Westside Grammar School, and Pinecrest Elementary School. Campbell used these postcards as aids in her classrooms to teach advanced subjects, such as Shakespearean drama. The collection, along with her other teaching aids, papers, and photographs, was later found at Sanford Grammar School after it became the University of Central Florida's Public History Center. Campbell's postcard collection and photographs provide insight into the life of a respected Florida educator.
Original 4 x 6 inch color postcard by the Gulf Stream Card and Distributing Company: ACC# SM-00-243, file folder 1 (U.S. blanks), box 10A, Lucile (Mary Lucile) Campbell Collection, UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida.
John P. Grace Memorial Bridge, Charleston, South Carolina
A postcard depicting a Coral Sands, a motel in Cocoa, Florida. Non-indigenous fishermen first arrived in Cocoa, Florida, around 1860, and in 1882, settlement plats were made under the name Indian River City. In 1895, Cocoa was officially incorporated, following significant development and grown brought with the extension of the Jacksonville, St. Augustine, and Indian River Railway to the area. Cocoa's population dropped following the Great Freeze of 1894-1895, which destroyed many citrus crops. Population growth returned in the 1920s, although the economy declined against during the Great Depression. During the Space Race, Cocoa and its surrounding areas benefited greatly from the development of the space industry, as well as the tourism industry.
Original 9 x 14 centimeter color postcard: Private Collection of Bob Van Horn.
Corner of East First Street and North Palmetto Avenue
The corner of East First Street and North Palmetto Avenue in Sanford, Florida. Although the earliest type of stereoscope dates back to 1838, this stereoscope card is from a Holmes-style stereoscope invented by Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. (1841-1935) in 1861. The two separate images are printed side-by-side. When viewed with a stereoscopic viewer, the images appear to create one three dimensional image. Items in the foreground appear closer, items in the background appear farther away, and the overall image is also magnified. Published by J. G. Mangold of Palatka, Florida. This stereoscope boasts, "Always on hand a good assortment of Florida Stereoscopic and large views of Residences, Groups, Picnics, Excursions, etc."
Original 7 x 3.5 inch black and white photograph:Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
East First Street and North Palmetto Avenue, Sanford, Florida
A postcard depicting showing the Corner of Four Laws at the intersection of Broad Street and Meeting Street in Charleston, South Carolina. At the intersection are four historic sites: St. Michael's Episcopal Church, the U.S. Post Office and Courthouse, Charleston City Hall, and Charleston County Courthouse. This postcard is part of a collection of postcards kept by Lucile Campbell, a schoolteacher in Sanford, Florida, for 30 years. In 1931, she took advantage of a special rate for teachers and sailed to Europe, where she traveled for several months and is thought to have acquired many of these postcards. During the 1940-1941 school year, Campbell taught at Sanford Grammar School. Before her retirement in 1970, she taught at many other area schools, including the Oviedo School, Westside Grammar School, and Pinecrest Elementary School. Campbell used these postcards as aids in her classrooms to teach advanced subjects, such as Shakespearean drama. The collection, along with her other teaching aids, papers, and photographs, was later found at Sanford Grammar School after it became the University of Central Florida's Public History Center. Campbell's postcard collection and photographs provide insight into the life of a respected Florida educator.
St. Michael's Episcopal Church, Charleston, South Carolina
U.S. Post Office and Courthouse, Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston City Hall, Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston County Courthouse, Charleston, South Carolina
A gathering of Winter Garden citizens on the corner of Main Street and Plant Street around 1913. To the right of the image by the car is a few of James Lafayette Dillard's (1858-1943) family. Dillard migrated to Central Florida from Virginia with his wife, Mattie Showalter, in 1887. He established himself primarily as a citrus and vegetable grower, but he also operated the M. V. Dillard and Company Garage, which was managed by his son, Marvin Dillard. In addition, he founded the Bank of Winter Garden, served as Winter Garden City Commissioner and a Florida State Legislator, and helped rebuild Downtown Winter Garden after two destructive fires in 1909 and 1912. Some of the buildings that Dillard helped construct include the Dillard and Boyd General Merchandise Store, the Shelby Hotel, and the Mann and Mills Dry Goods Store. He also donated land to the First Baptist Church of Winter Garden.
Plant Street and Main Street, Winter Garden, Florida
Corner view of the Ritz Theater from South Magnolia Avenue and East Second Street in the 1930s. Originally the Milane Theatre, the Ritz was built at 203 South Magnolia Avenue in Sanford, the former location of the Star Theatre, an abandoned movie house. Scroggs and Ewing, architects from Georgia, prepared the plans for the Milane. The name of the new theater was derived from the combination of the presidents of the Milane Amusement Company president and vice president: Frank L. Miller and Edward F. Lane. The Milane opened in July of 1923 and seated 823 patrons. In 1933, the Milane was sold to Frank and Stella Evans, investors from Lake Mary, Florida. The new owners renamed their business the Ritz Theatre and held the property until the 1990s. However, the Ritz struggled financially in the 1960s and closed in 1978 due to failure to compete with the new multiplex theaters. The building remained vacant until 1984, when it reopened as the Showtime Cantina. The Showtime Cantina closed in 1988 and remained vacant and in decay. In the mid-1990s, Ritz Community Theater Projects, Inc. acquired the property and began rehabilitation in 1998. On May 6, 2000, the theater reopened as the Helen Stairs Theatre in honor of the citizen who led the restoration project, Helen Stairs. The following year, the location was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2008, additional renovations were completed at the theater was renamed the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center in honor of the Wayne Densch Charitable Trust Fund for contributing to the renovations fund.
Photocopy of original black and white photograph: Ritz Theatre Collection, Museum of Seminole County History, Sanford, Florida.
Cornerstone of New $500,000 Hotel Will Be Laid on Tuesday
Newspaper article on the Sanford Chamber of Commerce's plans to begin construction of the new Forrest Lake Hotel, which was expected to cost $500,000 to build. The construction of a lakefront hotel in Sanford was first proposed by mayor and president of Seminole County Bank, Forrest Lake. In 1925, construction of the building began. Local architect Elton J. Moughton designed the hotel. On January 4, 1926, Hotel Forrest Lake opened and became a popular destination for tourists visiting Sanford. Named after the Sanford Mayor and president of Seminole County Bank, the Forrest Lake Hotel has also been known as the Mayfair Inn and was briefly occupied by the Sanford Naval Academy. In 1916, construction of the building began. Local architect Elton J. Moughton designed the hotel. In 1925, Hotel Forrest Lake opened and became a popular destination for tourists visiting Sanford. By 1929, the hotel closed after the stock market crash and the downfall of Florida's tourism and real estate boom. William E. Kirchhoff leased the building in 1934 and the hotel reopened in 1935 with the new name Mayfair Hotel. Under Kirchhoff's ownership, the Mayfair Hotel became known as one of the finest hotels in the South. Kirchhoff sold the hotel in 1948 to Horace Stoneham, owner of the New York Giants. Stoneham then sold the building to the Bernard McFadden Foundation who later sold it to the New Tribes Mission. The New Tribes Mission's goal is to reach tribes who have no access to the Gospel through translated publications and missionary work.
Original newspaper article: "Cornerstone of New $500,000 Hotel Will Be Laid on Tuesday," The Sanford Herald, April 11, 1925.
The Sanford Herald
Corporate Farming: How Chase & Company Has Grown Into a Dominant Force in Florida Agri-Business
A pamphlet about the history and structure of Chase & Company. One of the first vendors to lease a stall at the first Sanford State Farmers' Market, Chase & Company was established by brothers Sydney Octavius Chase and Joshua Coffin Chase in 1884. The company sold insurance and later invested in storage facilities and fertilizer sales. Chase & Company was known mainly for its agricultural interests and maintained a series of citrus groves throughout Central Florida. The company was based out of Sanford and became one of the city's largest employers into the early twentieth century. By 1886, the Chase brothers purchased several citrus groves to expand their business, including Isleworth Grove in Windermere, Florida. Isleworth Grove covered a total of 1,300 acres along the Butler Chain of Lakes. Between 1894 and 1895, Central Florida was hit by several freezes and most of the citrus crop was destroyed. Chase & Company did not grow citrus crops again until 1904 when Joshua came back from an extended stay in California. Between 1894 and 1900, different types of pesticide equipment was created, including equipment driven by steam, machines, and horses.Randall Chase joined in the family business soon after his brother, Sydney Chase, Jr., did in 1922. Randall became the president of Chase & Company from 1948-1965. The Isleworth property stayed in the Chase family until 1984 when Franklin Chase, the son of Sydney Chase, sold the property to famed golfer Arnold Palmer.
Original pamphlet: "Corporate Farming: How Chase & Company Has Grown Into a Dominant Force in Florida Agri-Business": Agricultural Collection, Celery Collection, Museum of Seminole County History, Sanford, Florida.
The historic marker for Council Oak, located on South Ferncreek Avenue in Orlando, Florida, in 2002. This two-and-a-half-foot concrete marker with a brass plaque designates the traditional meeting place of the Native American chiefs during the Second Seminole War (1835-1842). The original location had the Council Oak, believed to be the largest living oak in all of Central and South Florida. In the late 1800s, the tree was struck by lightning and no longer exists. The marker was erected by the Orange County Historical Commission on August 19, 1970.
Original color digital images by Thomas Cook, 2002: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
Council Oak Historic Marker, Orlando, Florida
Countdown "Key" Given to Schirra by Convair Crew
Schirra, Walter M. (Walter Marty), 1923-2007
A newspaper article about Dr. Cal Fowler (1929-2013) and B. G. MacNabb presenting an engraved launch key to astronaut Wally Schirra (1923-2007) Dr. Fowler, the Launch Conductor at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS)'s Launch Complex 14 (LC-14) in Cape Canaveral, Florida, used the key to launch Schirra's spacecraft, Sigma 7, into orbit on October 3, 1962. Mercury-Atlas 8 (MA-8) was the fifth manned space mission and was launched as part of Project Mercury. General Dynamics Astronautics, the firm which conducted the launch, had the key gold-plated and engraved with the following message: "Wally Schirra (1923-2007), MA-8 Orbital Launch, 10-3-62 7:15 a.m." The opposite side of the key stated: "Atlas, Launch Console Arming Key, Mercury Sigma 7, General Dynamics Astronautics."
Original newspaper article: "Countdown 'Key' Given to Schirra by Convair Crew." 1963: Private Collection of Dr. Calvin D. Fowler.
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 14, Cape Canaveral, Florida
A postcard depicting a thatched roof home surrounded by a rural setting in Cuba. This postcard is part of a collection of postcards kept by Lucile Campbell, a schoolteacher in Sanford, Florida, for 30 years. In 1931, she took advantage of a special rate for teachers and sailed to Europe, where she traveled for several months and is thought to have acquired many of these postcards. During the 1940-1941 school year, Campbell taught at Sanford Grammar School. Before her retirement in 1970, she taught at many other area schools, including the Oviedo School, Westside Grammar School, and Pinecrest Elementary School. Campbell used these postcards as aids in her classrooms to teach advanced subjects, such as Shakespearean drama. The collection, along with her other teaching aids, papers, and photographs, was later found at Sanford Grammar School after it became the University of Central Florida's Public History Center. Campbell's postcard collection and photographs provide insight into the life of a respected Florida educator.
Original 3 x 5 inch black and white photographic postcard: ACC# SM-00-243, file folder 1A (non-U.S. blanks), box 10A, Lucile (Mary Lucile) Campbell Collection, UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida.
Country Store Night Friday at the Milane
Newspaper article listing the prizes donated by various merchants for the Milane Theatre's Country Store Night. Merchants included J. M. Gillon, Baumel's Specialty Shop, W. H. White, Ball Hardware Company, T. J. Miller & Son, P. Weinberg, the Sanford Steam Pressery, The Sanford Daily Herald, McMullen's Barber Shop, R. C. Bower, Churchwell's, and the Lloyd Shoe Store. The Milane Theatre was built at 203 South Magnolia Avenue in Sanford, the former location of the Star Theatre, an abandoned movie house. Scroggs and Ewing, architects from Georgia, prepared the plans for the Milane. The name of the new theater was derived from the combination of the presidents of the Milane Amusement Company president and vice president: Frank L. Miller and Edward F. Lane. The Milane opened in July of 1923 and seated 823 patrons. In 1933, the Milane was sold to Frank and Stella Evans, investors from Lake Mary, Florida. The new owners renamed their business the Ritz Theater and held the property until the 1990s. However, the Ritz struggled financially in the 1960s and closed in 1978 due to failure to compete with the new multiplex theaters. The building remained vacant until 1984, when it reopened as the Showtime Cantina. The Showtime Cantina closed in 1988 and remained vacant and in decay. In the mid-1990s, Ritz Community Theater Projects, Inc. acquired the property and began rehabilitation in 1998. On May 6, 2000, the theater reopened as the Helen Stairs Theatre in honor of the citizen who led the restoration project, Helen Stairs. The following year, the location was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2008, additional renovations were completed at the theater was renamed the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center in honor of the Wayne Densch Charitable Trust Fund for contributing to the renovations fund.
Photocopy of original newspaper article, August 23, 1923: Milane Theater Collection, Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
A newspaper article published in The Fort Lauderdale News on July 2, 1965. The article describes a Sunday brunch at the Barefoot Mailman Hotel held by Wesley John Zimmerman (1893-1990) and his wife to entertain a group of neighbors. Born on August 20, 1893, in St. Louis, Missouri, Zimmerman joined the United States Army in 1917. Originally an infantry cook, he was later transferred to the front as a machine gunner with the 140th Infantry Division. After his service, Zimmerman returned to St. Louis and married Agnes Maines. He would stay in St. Louis for the remainder of his working life. He retired to Florida during the 1960s, where he spent the rest of his life. Zimmerman died on July 27, 1981, and was buried at Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell. In 2017, the University of Central Florida was one of three universities selected to launch the National Cemetery Administration’s Veterans Legacy Program Project. The program engaged a team of scholars to make the life stories of veterans buried in the Florida National Cemetery available to the public. The project engages UCF students in research and writing and fosters collaboration between students, faculty and local Central Florida schools to produce interactive curriculum for k-12 students. The corresponding website exhibit uses RICHES Mosaic Interface to create a digital archive of related data. The public can use the project-developed augmented-reality app at more than 100 gravesites at the Florida National Cemetery, where they can access the UCF student-authored biographies of veterans.
Digital reproduction of original newspaper article: "County Party Goers Step Lively." Fort Lauderdale News, July 2, 1965.
A newspaper article from The Seminole Star discussing a feasibility study regarding project plans to construct an exchange for Florida State Road 46A and Interstate Highway 4. A committe was set to review the plans for the proposed project. However, Altamone Springs Mayor Norman Floyd expressed his opinion that funds should upgrading interchanges at SR 436 and 434. After retiring in 1980, Floyd was the last mayor of Altamonte Springs as the city changed to a city manager form of local govenrment.
Original newspaper article: "County Reviews SR 46A Plans." The Seminole Star: Private Collection of Sue Blackwood.
North Court Avenue at East Washington Street in Downtown Orlando, Florida, in 2003. The Orlando area was originally occupied by the Creek and Seminole tribes. In 1838, Fort Gatlin was erected on the shores of Lake Gatlin, just a few miles south of present-day Downtown Orlando. Centered around Church Street in Orlando, Orlando became a city in 1884. Originally a cattle town, Orlando grew into a major citrus growing center by the 1920s. The city continued to grow during the Great Depression with aid from the Work Progress Administration (WPA). During World War II, Orlando became a major military center as well with the development of the McCoy Air Force Base and Pinecastle Air Force Base, and with the addition of the Naval Training Center (NTC) Orlando in 1968. Downtown Orlando declined in the 1960s and 1970s. Redevelopment began in the 1970s and continued into the 1980s, with projects such as the Church Street Station entertainment complex. In 1998, a building boom began and continued through the 2000s.
Original color digital image by Thomas Cook, 2003: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
Postcard showing the Victorian-style Orange County Courthouse with Lake Eola in the background. The streets are Main Street (present-day Magnolia Avenue) and Central Avenue (present-day Central Boulevard). The Orange County Courthouse was constructed in 1892 and its cornerstone was laid on January 15, 1892. The architect was A. S. Wagner and the general contractor was the W. C. Green Company of Chicago, Illinois. The red brick, three-story building, which cost $57,000, was built in the Gothic Revival style with a eighty-foot high clock tower. The clock and bell were provided for by W. C. Sherman, a local businessman who raised several thousand dollars for the project. The clock mechanism was manufactured by Dent, London, founded by Edward John Dent, the company which made the Big Ben clock movement in London, England. The bell in the tower weighed 1,500 pounds, was tuned "F", was selected by local musician Harry Newell, and, as of 2011, is on display in the lobby of the Orange County Courthouse. The Orange County Courthouse occupied the building until 1927, when a new primary courthouse was constructed next door. Afterward, it was used for Orange County offices. On July 30, 1957, the building was condemned and then demolished on December 30, 1957. A new Orange County Courthouse Annex building was constructed on the site. In the late 1990s, the Courthouse Annex was demolished and replaced with an urban park called Heritage Square, owned by Orange County. The gray building on the right is the McEwan Clinic, located at 100 East Central Boulevard, which was constructed in 1911. The original owner was Dr. John Singer McEwan. The building was designed to be Orlando's first public hospital. A third story was added circa 1920 to make a total of twenty hospital rooms. Apart from being a hospital and clinic, it was also the Florida Public Service Corporation, later the office of the Florida Gas Company, clothing stores (Artistry), and a 7-Eleven. As of 2011, it is the Central Station Bar. Across the Main Street from the Courthouse is the Orlando Lawn Bowling Clubs grounds.
Original 5.5 x 3.5 inch color postcard by C. T. American Art: Asheville Post Card Company, Asheville, North Carolina: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
Courtesy Admission Ticket to Weeki Wachee Springs
Mermaids--Florida--Weeki Wachee--History
A courtesy admission ticket to Weeki Wachee Springs, good for one free viewing of an underwater show. The ticket was given to Rebecca Young (then Rebecca Stalhart) on the day of her pre-employment interview and water test, February 20, 1973. Rebecca was interviewing for a position as mermaid Along with a group of investors, Newton Perry opened Weeki Wachee Springs to the public in October of 1947. At the time, roadside attractions were becoming popular stops along Florida roadways. The attraction consisted of an amalgamation of vendors, an orchid garden, a river boat tour, as well as the star attraction: a mermaid show that took place in an underwater theater. Eventually, the May Museum of the Tropics, an "abandoned Seminole village", a show called “Birds of Prey”, and a petting zoo were added. After peaking in the 1950s and 1960s, attendance began to decline as theme parks and highways changed the dynamics of Florida's tourism. The State of Florida took over the attraction as a state park in 2008. Since then, the park has focused on appealing to a modern audience while preserving its history.
Original admission ticket to Weeki Wachee Springs, February 20, 1973: Private Collection of Becky Young.
Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, Spring Hill, Florida
Creative Sanford, Inc. is a non-profit organization created to manage Celery Soup: Florida's Folk Life Play community theater productions. The original idea for the Celery Soup project came from Jeanine Taylor, the owner of a folk-art gallery on First Street in Sanford, Florida. Their first production was Touch and Go, a play focusing on the people of Sanford and their determination to overcome various obstacles, including the Freeze of 1894-1895, the fall of Sanford's celery industry, and the closing of Naval Air Station (NAS) Sanford in the 1960s. In the process of producing the show, Creative Sanford decided to rehabilitate an historic building, the Princess Theater, which is located on 115 West First Street and owned by Stephen Tibstra. The Creative Sanford offices are housed in the Historic Sanford Welcome Center, located at 203 East First Street.
Creative Sanford, Inc.
The Princess Theater 115 West First Street Sanford, Florida 32771
Historic Sanford Welcome Center 203 East First Street Sanford, Florida 32771
Crew 1 and Crew 2 with Space Shuttle Enterprise
The first two crews for the Space Shuttle Enterprise during the Approach and Landing Tests. Photographed, from left to right, are Crew 1 Pilot C. Gordon Fullerton (1946-2013), Crew 1 Mission Commander Fred Haise (1933-), Crew 2 Mission Commander Joe Engle (1932-), and Crew 2 Pilot Richard H. Truly (1937-). Rockwell International built the Space Shuttle Fleet in Palmdale, California. Enterprise was not used for space flight, but rather for a series of landing tests after being flown to altitude on the back of a Boeing 747 jet. The Space Shuttle was meant as a reusable alternative to the traditional ballistic rockets used to launch manned spacecraft in the 1960s and 1970s. From 1981 to 2011, when the fleet was retired, five shuttles were flown over 130 times. It was the first space launch system that was mostly reusable, as the shuttles themselves and the solid rocket boosters were reused multiple times. Space shuttles were launched from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) and Launch Complex 39B (LC-39B) at John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Merritt Island, Florida.
Original color photographic print: Leonard Pugh Collection.
Crooms Academy Graduating Class of 1927. Professor Joseph National Crooms, the school principal, can be seen in the center of the photograph. The Crooms Academy of Information Technology is located at 2200 West Thirteenth Street in the Goldsboro community of Sanford, Florida, and was founded by Joseph Nathaniel Crooms as the first African-American high school in Seminole County in 1926. Professor Crooms and his wife, Wealthy Crooms, donated the land on which the school was constructed. The professor served as the school's principal until his retirement in 1953. In 1970, Seminole County Public Schools desegregated and changed the school's functions numerous times. In 1973, the original school building burned down; other school buildings have deteriorated over the past couple of decades. In 2000, the United States Department of Justice allowed Seminole County to lift it's desegregation order by 2003 under several conditions, one of which was to rebuild Crooms Academy as an academy of information technology. Crooms Academy currently functions as a magnet school with Information Technology Certifications in A+, MOUS, MCP, CCNA, MCSE, and others.
Original 8 x 10 inch black and white photograph, 1927: Seminole County Public Schools Collection, UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida.
Crooms Academy, Goldsboro, Sanford, Florida
Crooms Academy Graduating Class of 1929 on the steps of the home of Professor Joseph National Crooms, located at 812 South Sanford Avenue in Sanford, Florida. The Crooms Academy of Information Technology is located at 2200 West Thirteenth Street and was founded by Joseph Nathaniel Crooms as the first African-American high school in Seminole County in 1926. Professor Crooms and his wife, Wealthy, donated the land on which the school was constructed. The professor served as the school's principal until his retirement in 1953. In 1970, Seminole County Public Schools desegregated and changed i's functions numerous times. In 1973, the original school building burned down; other school buildings have deteriorated over the past couple of decades. In 2000, the United States Department of Justice allowed Seminole County to lift it's desegregation order by 2003 under several conditions, one of which was to rebuild Crooms Academy as an academy of information technology. Crooms Academy currently functions as a magnet school with Information Technology Certifications in A+, MOUS, MCP, CCNA, MCSE, and others.
Original 8 x 10 inch black and white photograph, 1929: Seminole County Public Schools Collection, UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida.
Home of Professor Joseph Nathaniel Crooms, Goldsboro, Sanford, Florida
Crop Acreage by Year, Seminole County, 1919-1949
Bar chart representing crop acreage for Seminole County from 1919 to 1949. Corn was often planted in the summer after the celery fields were harvested. Because the fields still contained fertilizer from the previous celery production, there was often a high yield of corn in Seminole County. In 1926, it was reported that most of the corn produced in Seminole County was a cross between Hasting Prolific and Cuban flint, a hardy type resistant to corn weevils. In the early-1900s, Seminole County was known for its agricultural development and close proximity to shipping lanes. By the 1920s, citizens in Seminole County, particularly in Sanford, soon shifted their interests in making the area a tourist destination. Mosquito County, a massive county south of St. Johns County that consisted of much of Central Florida, was established in 1824. In 1845, Mosquito County was renamed Orange County when Florida earned statehood. This new county included present-day Osceola, Seminole, Lake, and Volusia counties. Orange County was named so for the area's major fruit crop: oranges. The area was devastated by a freeze during the winter of 1895-1896, which allowed for subsequent land speculators to initiate a land boom in Florida, with Orlando becoming a "boom town." Seminole County separated from Orange on April 25, 1913 and was named for the Seminole tribes that originally inhabited the area. In the early-1900s, Seminole County was known for its agricultural development and close proximity to shipping lanes. By the 1920s, citizens in Seminole County, particularly in Sanford, soon shifted their interests in making the area a tourist destination.
Original bar chart by Laura Cepero, July 15, 2011.
Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway (Fla.
A newspaper article by Captain Charles Henry Coe (1856-1954) regarding the Cross Florida Barge Canal, also known as the Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway. In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945) allocated $5 million to construct a canal that would link the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico. Construction was cancelled a year later due to strong opposition from some locals. In 1942, the canal project was reauthorized. In the article, which was published on April 12, 1942, Capt. Coe makes a number of arguments against the construction of a new canal. According to the author, there was already a waterway cutting across the state of Florida from the St. Lucie Inlet to Fort Myers. The project did not continue, as the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) never received the funds to begin construction. Attempts to complete the project again resurfaced in 1963 and construction recommenced the following year. However, the project was again halted in 1971 and the project was officially cancelled in 1991. In 1998, the canal was renamed the Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway, in honor of Marjorie Harris Carr (1915-1997), who was a leading opponent of the project.
Original newspaper article: Coe, Charles Henry. "Cross-Florida Waterway." The Palm Beach Post, April 12, 1942: Private Collection of Andrew M. Foster.
The Palm Beach Post
Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway, Florida
A postcard depicting the Crossway Inn, located at 3901 North Atlantic Avenue in Cocoa Beach, Florida. The inn had 100 rooms, a cocktail lounge, a restaurant, a swimming pool, and a private beach. The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) constructed Florida State Road 140 (present-day Florida State Road A1A) in 1935, allowing for increased development of Cocoa Beach. In 1944, a Florida Legislature bill that would have dissolved the city government was defeated. The town was incorporated as a city on June 29, 1957. With the construction of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC), the city of Cocoa Beach experienced a major growth in population and economic development. However, the city experienced layoffs and economic decline during the period between the conclusion of the Apollo Program and the introduction of the Space Shuttle Program. The Crossway Inn was located just off of A1A,