Construction of the Downtown Orlando Post Office, March 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, March 22, 1940: Private Collection of Texann Ivy Buck.
Downtown Orlando Post Office, Downtown Orlando, Florida
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
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, 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.
Oviedo Woman's Club
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.
RICHES of Central Florida
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.
Orlando Gay Chorus
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
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (U.S.)
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.
Chronopoints
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.
RICHES
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,
Original photograph of a large crowd that gathered for a vigil that was held for the victims of the Pulse Nightclub shooting. The event was held at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts at 445 South Magnolia Avenue in Orlando, Florida, on June 13, 2016. Pulse was located at 1912 South Orange Avenue in Orlando, Florida. In the early hours of June 12, 2016, an American born security guard named Omar Mir Seddique Mateen shot and killed 49 people and wounded an additional 53 at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida. Mateen, who swore allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), was shot and killed by the Orlando Police Department after a three-hour standoff. The incident was the deadliest mass shooting by a single gunman in United States history, the deadliest terrorist attack in the United States since the September 11th attacks of 2001, and the deadliest incident of violence against LGBT people in United States history. Most of the victims were Latino, as the club was hosting a Latin Night at the time of the massacre.
Original color photograph: RICHES of Central Florida, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, Orlando, Florida
Crowd for the Rolling Stones at Rock Superbowl XII
The crowd at Rock Superbowl XII featuring the Rolling Stones at the Tangerine Bowl in Orlando, Florida, on October 25, 1981. The ticket price was $15.60, including tax, and the show began at noon, with the doors opening at 9 am. The opening act was Van Halen. The concert was promoted by Cellar Door Productions and Beach Club Productions. This photograph was taken by Orlando radio personality, Mick Dolan. The Rolling Stones are an English rock and blues band formed in 1962 that have become one of the most successful musical acts of all time. The band enjoyed the height of their commercial and critical success during the 1960s and 1970s. The Tangerine Bowl has also been known as Orlando Stadium, the Citrus Bowl, Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium and is currently known as Orlando Citrus Bowl Stadium. It opened in 1936 and has been home to numerous sporting and entertainment events throughout its existence. The Rolling Stones 1981 Tour was the first time a band had a corporate sponsorship, allowing Jovan Musk to pay them several million dollars to sponsor the tour without the band having to officially endorse the company. The band explained that "selling out" to corporate sponsors would help keep ticket prices down. The average ticket price was $16 and the tour grossed $50 million in tickets sales, the highest of any tour in 1981. This would be the last time the band toured the United States until 1989.
Original color photograph: Private Collection of Mick Dolan.
The crowds of spectators observing the launch of Apollo 15 near the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). Apollo 15 was the first of three extended capabilities missions, which allowed astronauts greater mobility with the Lunar Rover and additional equipment. The mission was crewed by Mission Commander David Scott (1932-), Command Module Pilot Alfred Worden (1932-), and Lunar Module Pilot James Irwin (1930-1991), and was launched from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Merritt Island, Florida, on July 26, 1971. Apollo 15 continued on a 12-day mission, including a Moon landing on July 30 and a Pacific Ocean splashdown on August 7.
Original black and white photographic prints, July 26, 1971: Larry Summers Collection.
John F. Kennedy Space Center, Merritt Island, Florida
Crowds Observing the Apollo 11 Launch Along Florida State Road A1A
Crowds gather along Florida State Road A1A (SR A1A), also known as Florida State Road 528 (SR 528) or Martin Andersen Beachline Expressway (formerly known as the Martin Andersen Bee Line Expressway or the Bee Line), to observe the launch of Apollo 11. Apollo 11 was the first space mission where humans set foot on another celestial body, the Moon. Launched from Launch Pad 39A at John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Merritt Island, Florida, on July 16, 1969, the Apollo 11 fired the third stage engines two and half hours after launch to leave Earth's gravitational pull. The mission was highlighted by the first lunar landing by human beings and Mission Commander Neil Armstrong's (1930-2012) descent from the Lunar Module (LM) to place his foot on the surface of the Moon. He and Lunar Module Pilot Buzz Aldrin (1930-) spent less than 22 hours on the Moon, including two and half hours outside Eagle, their Lunar Module. The crew, which also included Command Module Pilot Michael Collins (1930-), returned to Earth on July 24, 1969.
Original black and white photographic print, July 16, 1969: Larry Summers Collection.
Florida State Road A1A, Merritt Island, Florida
Crypte de la Chapelle Louis XVI Postcard
A postcard depicting the crypt of the Chapel of King Louis XVI of France, also known as the Chapelle Expiatoire, in Paris, Île-de-France, France. The chapel was erected in 1814 on the interment site of Louis XVI, also known as Louis Capet, and his wife, Queen Marie Antoinette, after their remains were moved to Saint-Denis. The postcard shows the black and white marble altar that was built on the site where Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette's remains were found. 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 5 x 3 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.
Crypt, Chapel of Louis XVI, Paris, Île-de-France, France
Culinary Confessions of the PTA Divas: Stylish Recipes and Saucy Secrets for the Everyday Gourmet
A cookbook created by Anne-Marie Hodges and Pam Brandon, who were members of the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) at Hillcrest Elementary School. Hodges and Brandon began cooking and hosting dinners for teachers and the families of students. With encouragement and requests for their culinary creations, the cookbook was born. Hillcrest Elementary School is one of Orlando’s oldest schools, opening in 1923. Since the 1980s, it has had a vibrant foreign language component and today it continues that tradition through the Orange County Public Schools Foreign Language Academy.
Original color cookbook: Private Collection of Pam Brandon
Menasha Ridge Press
Hillcrest Elementary School, Orlando Florida
Cullen Banks, principal of Jones High School in Orlando, Florida, from 1935-1954. During his tenure, the Orange County School Board built a new school building at 801 South Rio Grande Avenue, which is the current location of the school. 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.
Jones High School
Original black and white photograph: Jones High School Historical Museum, Orlando, Florida.
The Cultural Festival at Kaley Square Park in the Parramore neighborhood of Downtown Orlando, Florida, in 1998. The festival featured a "dunk the pastors" booth and was created to represent local cultures. The first photograph shows a group of children at the festival and the second photograph shows the festival entrance. The third photograph shows, Vanessa Rivera, three of the sons of contributor of these photographs, Dedra Jenkins—Gaius Jenkins, Nathaniel Jenkins, and Benjamin Daniel Jenkins—and an unidentified child. The fourth photograph shows Jackie Rivera. This photograph was originally discarded, along with other similar photographs, and then found by a local resident near the Emmanuel Fellowship and Worship Center, which is located at the former site of Restore Orlando. The collection was given to the contributor, Dedra Jenkins.
Original 3 x 5 inch color photographs, 1998: Private Collection of Dedra Jenkins.
Kaley Square Park, Holden-Parramore, Downtown Orlando, Florida
Cultural Preservation Award for Creative Sanford, Inc. and Celery Soup
TheCultural Preservation Award presented by the Sanford Historic Trust to Creative Sanford, Inc. in 2011 for the play Touch and Go. The award contains images from the play and the address of the Princess Theater, where the play was performed. Creative Sanford, Inc. is a non-profit organization created to manage Celery Soup 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. Richard Geer and Jules Corriere, partners from Community Performance International, were in charge of assessing oral histories, converting them into scenes for the play, and writing original songs. Director Geer also used an all-volunteer cast from the local community, many of whom were not experienced actors. 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.
Sanford Historic Trust
Original 8.5 x 11 inch certificate, May 9, 2011: Sanford Historic Trust, Sanford, Florida: Creative Sanford, Inc., Historic Sanford Welcome Center, Sanford, Florida.
Creative Sanford, Inc., Sanford, Florida
A newspaper article published in The Seminole Chronicle in February of 2006. The article describes a skit performed by members to recreate what the club was like at the time of its founding. Pennie Mitchem Olliff played club president H. B. "Minna" McCall, while Louise Martin played her own aunt, Winborn Joseph Lawton, Sr.. Claire Evans, Martin's sister, played the women's mother, founding member B. F. Wheeler. 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 newspaper article: "Current Members Portrayed Original 7." The Seminole Chronicle, February 2006: Private Collection of Beatrice Gestrich.
The Seminole Chronicle
Current University of Central Florida Theatre Building
Between 1969 and 1982 the Theatre program lacked its own facilities. After spending the first three years (1969-71) in a pop up tent, the Theatre program was moved into the Science Auditorium until 1982, in which it the Auditorium was renamed as the Theatre Building. The new theatre building would receive a huge facelift and an added wing. The construction was roughly $1.2 million.
University of Central Florida Theatre Building
The giant bald cypress tree known as The Senator during the first quarter of the 20th century. As early as the late 1800s, this centuries-old tree was considered a tourist destination, but it wasn't until 1927 that a park was established around the tree. Senator Moses O. Overstreet donated six acres of land , which included the tree, to Seminole County to establish a park with the stipulation that a road would be built to take visitors into the park. The generosity of Senator Overstreet inspired residents to name the giant cypress tree "The Senator." Located at 761 General Hutchinson Parkway in present-day Longwood, Florida, the new park was named the Big Tree Park in honor of the main attraction. In 1929, President Calvin Coolidge dedicated a bronze plaque at the site of the tree. The plaque was stolen in 1945. Based on a core sample taken by the American Forestry Association, The Senator was estimated to be 3500 years old in 1946. The Big Tree Park also features another giant cypress estimated to be 2000 years old. In 2005, local elementary students names the tree Lady Liberty. It was considered to be the companion tree to The Senator, as they were only 40 feet apart. The Senator continued to be a tourist attraction and local landmark until January 16, 2012, when it was lost in a fire.
Original 5 x 7 inch black and white photograph by Chase & Company: Chase Collection (MS 14), box 211, folder 3.30B, item 129, Special and Area Studies Collections, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.
Seminole Big Tree Park, Longwood, Florida
Cypress Gardens booklet from the 1950s that includes information on plants, Cypress Gardens' water-ski show, and motion pictures filmed at Cypress Gardens. Billed as Florida's first commercial tourist theme park, Cypress Gardens opened on January 2, 1936 as a botanical garden planted by Dick Pope, Sr. and his wife, Julie. Over the years, it became one of the biggest attractions in Florida, known for its water ski shows, lush gardens, and Southern Belles. It became known as the "Water Ski Capital of the World" because many of the sport's landmark firsts and the over 50 world records broken there. Numerous motion pictures were filmed at the Cypress Gardens, including portions of This is Cinerama, the first feature filmed in the wide-screen format, as well as a string of Esther Williams films and television specials in the 1950s and 1960s. In the 1950s, young women dressed in the crinolines reminiscent of the Antebellum South. During the American Civil War Centennial, young men dressed in Confederate uniforms would be photographed with the Southern Belles. With the addition of a custom photography boat named Miss Cover Girl in the early 1960s, the park became a popular site for the filming of television commercials. Cypress Gardens closed in 2009. Legoland occupies the former lot.
Original booklet: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
Cypress Gardens, Semi-Tropical Wonderland Postcard
A postcard depicting Cypress Gardens in Moncks Corner, South Carolina. The land was originally part of the Dean Hall rice plantation in 1750. During the Great Depression, after years of disuse, Benjamin Kittredge opened the property to the public as a duck hunting reserve. The property closed in 2015 after devastating flooding. 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.
Cypress Gardens, Moncks Corner, South Carolina
Daily Personnel Diary for the USS Utina (ATF-163). The document includes gains, losses, miscellaneous, name, file or service number, rank or rating, change abbreviation, and description of and authority for change. A notable person listed is Denver Purtee. Born in Scioto, Ohio, on November 22, 1925, Purtee joined the United States Navy at 17 years old on December 4, 1942. He trained as a diesel operator in Chicago before being assigned to the USS Wyandot (AKA-92). When he retired from the Navy, Denver Purtee had reached the rank of Engineman Chief Petty Office. On June 17, 1948, he married Evelyn Irene George in Washington D.C. He passed away on November 15, 1991, and is buried at the 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. 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 daily personnel diary.
Daily Personnel Diary for the USS Astoria. The document includes gains, losses, miscellaneous, name, file or service number, rank or rating, change abbreviation, and description of and authority for change. A notable person listed is Willard Kenneth Paeplow. Paeplow was born on June 6, 1926, in Buffalo, New York. On April 21, 1944, just before his eighteenth birthday, he joined the United States Navy, where he served until June 1947. During his enlistment, Paeplow served on the USS Springfield (CL-66). He was present when the ship escorted President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to the Malta Conference in January 1945. Paeplow enlisted in the United States Navy again in June 1964, and served another twenty-two years, before retiring in June 1986. He passed away on April 22, 1993, and is buried in 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.
George W. B. Dakin with his daughter, Florence Dakin, and wife, Anna Marie Olcott Dakin, at the Racimo Plantation, an orange grove along the St. Johns River, in 1887. The caption incorrectly cites the name of Dakin's wife as Anne Maria Dakin purchased property near Georgetown, Florida, in the early 1880s and settled his family there. Within the next decade, his son, Leonard Dakin, who took this photograph, developed the Racimo Plantation with 5,000 orange trees, 40 laborers, and a packinghouse. The grove was destroyed by a freeze in 1895.
Original 8 x 10 inch black and white photoprint by Leonard Dakin, 1887: Private Collection of Bettye Reagan.
A painting by Bettye Reagan, a local artist in Central Florida, inspired by a photograph of George W. B. Dakin with his daughter, Florence Dakin, and wife, Anna Marie Olcott Dakin, at the Racimo Plantation, an orange grove along the St. Johns River, in 1887. The caption incorrectly cites the name of Dakin's wife as Anne Maria. Dakin purchased property near Georgetown, Florida, in the early 1880s and settled his family there. Within the next decade, his son, Leonard Dakin, who took the photograph, developed the Racimo Plantation with 5,000 orange trees, 40 laborers, and a packinghouse. The grove was destroyed by a freeze in 1895.
Original painting: Reagan, Bettye. Dakin Family. 1997: Private Collection of Bettye Reagan.
The Dakin family in Georgetown, Florida. The family consisted of George W. B. Dakin and Anna Marie Olcott Dakin, along with their children: Florence Dakin, Leonard Dakin, Paul Dakin, and Jesse Messmore Dakin. The Dakins owned Racimo Plantation, an orange grove along the St. Johns River, in 1887. Within the next decade, Leonard Dakin developed the Racimo Plantation with 5,000 orange trees, 40 laborers, and a packinghouse. The grove was destroyed by a freeze in 1895.
Original black and white photograph: Private Collection of Bettye Reagan.
A painting by Bettye Reagan, a local artist in Central Florida, inspired by a photograph of the Dakin family in Georgetown, Florida. The family consisted of George W. B. Dakin and Anna Marie Olcott Dakin, along with their children: Florence Dakin, Leonard Dakin, Paul Dakin, and Jesse Messmore Dakin. The Dakins owned Racimo Plantation, an orange grove along the St. Johns River, in 1887. Within the next decade, Leonard Dakin developed the Racimo Plantation with 5,000 orange trees, 40 laborers, and a packinghouse. The grove was destroyed by a freeze in 1895.
Original painting: Reagan, Bettye. Dakin Family Picnic. 1997: Private Collection of Bettye Reagan.
The Dance Floor at Sweetwater Park, located at 201 East Magnolia Street in Oviedo, Florida, circa 1942. In 1926, Theodore Luqueer Mead and his wife, Edith Katharine Antill Edwards Mead, donated five acres of wooded hammock land to be used for the park. The Oviedo Woman's Club (OWC) Originally spent a number of years trying to develop the park, but ultimately deferred the project to the Town of Oviedo. The OWC later donated benches to the park in 1950.
Original black and white photograph: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
A poster for the Orlando Gay Chorus concert, "Dance the Night Away". 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 24 and 25, 1995. The background of the poster depicts a cityscape set against a setting sun. Two pink figures dance in the foreground and the title of the show is written in the sky. Simple text includes the name of the chorus and the time and location of the show. 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.
Original color poster: University of Central Florida Special Collections, Orlando, Florida.
Ann Giles Densch Civic Theater Complex, Orlando, Florida
Dance the Night Away, June 24 & 25, 1995
A program for the Orlando Gay Chorus' concert, "Dance the Night Away", on June 24 &amp
25, 1994, at the Anne Giles Densch-Civic Theater Complex in Orlando, Florida. The program includes short biographies on Music Directors Kenneth R. Ramoska and Terry E. Thomas, program notes, an outline of the show's itinerary, a list of chorus members and contributors. It also contains an advertisement for the Parliament House Orlando. 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 20-page colored program, Special Collections and University Archives, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida
Anne Giles Densch-Civic Theater Complex, Orlando, Florida
Danny Richard and Dwight Saunders of Buckwheat
Danny Richard and Dwight Saunders of the band, Buckwheat. Known for their spontaneous blues-based jams and the pyrotechnics of Richard, Buckwheat was a three-piece high energy rock band that performed in the Tampa Bay area from the late 1960s through the mid-1970s. In addition to Richard on guitar and vocals, and Saunders on bass, Richard Radloff played drums. The band performed at Battle of the Bands and teen venues throughout the region, including the "Star Spectacular concert series" at Clearwater Auditorium, Indian Rocks Beach, Rowlett Park, and the old "Quest Inn" Coffee House in Downtown Clearwater.
Original black and white photograph: Buckwheat, Profiles: Bands & Artists, Tampa Bay Music Scene Historical Society.
Tampa Bay Music Scene Historical Society
Black and white photographs of Danny Richard performing on electric guitar with the band, Buckwheat. Known for their spontaneous blues-based jams and the pyrotechnics of Richard, Buckwheat was a three-piece high energy rock band that performed in the Tampa Bay area from the late 1960s through the mid-1970s. In addition to Richard on guitar and vocals, Richard Radloff played drums and Dwight Saunders played bass. The band performed at Battle of the Bands and teen venues throughout the region, including the "Star Spectacular concert series" at Clearwater Auditorium, Indian Rocks Beach, Rowlett Park, and the old "Quest Inn" Coffee House in Downtown Clearwater.
One of the daughters of Pilgrim Black (1905-2002) and Lula Mae Haynes Black (1917-2007), who got married in 1937. The daughter pictured is most likely Vivian Louise Black (1940- ). Vivian is also the oldest sister of Lula Yvonne Black (1942-); Charles Samuel Black (1945-); Pilgrim Black, Jr. (ca. 1947-); and Patricia Ann Black (1956- ); as well as the half-sister of David Harry Black (1929-2012). Vivian graduated from Crooms High School around 1958. She married Benjamin Moore Hawkins in the 1960s and moved to Rochester, New York. The couple had two children together: Benjamin Moore, Jr. (1960-) and Fejetta Michelle Hawkins (1972-). Vivian worked for several years in a factory until she suffered a stroke at age 35, when the left side of her body became completely paralyzed. She moved back to Sanford, Florida, after her stroke.
Original black and white photograph: Private Collection of Patricia Ann Black.
A Daughters of the Confederacy Chapter C. C. B. 348 ribbon owned by Jesse Street Roberts, the great aunt of the contributor of this item, Luticia "Tish" Gormley Lee. Roberts migrated to Sanford, Florida, from Wilmington, North Carolina, sometime around 1910. 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. Roberts was presumably a member of the Daughters of the Confederacy, though it is not clear if this particular chapter was integrated into the UDC.
Original ribbon: Private Collection of Luticia "Tish" Gormley Lee.
Daughters of the Confederacy
Lee, Luticia "Tish" Gormley
DAV: The Official Voice of the Disabled American Veterans and Auxiliary, October 1974
One page of a newsletter published by the organization of Disabled American Veterans (DAV) containing an article about an award given to Representative Louis Frey, Jr. (1934-2019), who served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1969 to 1979. He was on several committees during his time in office, including the Select Committee on Narcotics Abuse and Control and the Science and Technology Committee. He was also the chairman of the Young Republicans of Florida. This award was given for Congressman Frey's legislative efforts in the House of Representatives to advocate for veterans' issues. Some of these issues included World War I veterans' compensation, veterans' education benefits, and pensions. Additionally, Rep. Frey focused his efforts on advancing Central Florida's medical facilities for veterans by introducing several bills into Congress during the 1970s that would have called for the creation of a Veterans' Administration hospital in Brevard County.
Photocopy of original newsletter, October 1974: Lou Frey Papers, Clippings Binder, Lou Frey Institute of Politics & Government, Special Collections and University Archives, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
Disabled American Veterans
Six-month old David Harry Black (1929-2012), who was the son of Pilgrim Black (1905-2002) and his first wife Mae Henry Gilmore. Gilmore also had a second child named Bessie Mae Black that passed away around six months old. David Harry Black played baseball throughout high school and was drafted into the military during the Korean War on January 9, 1951, when he was 22 years old. After two years of military service, he received a discharge on February 2, 1953. Black went on to play baseball in the Negro Baseball League at age 24. He played for the Orlando Sentinels, a white baseball team, in 1954. While playing baseball, David was known by several nicknames that he acquired as a youth, including "Allstar" and "Kid Blister." At age 29, David became a long-distance truck driver, a profession he continued for 58 years. He retired several times, but returned to the job due to his love of the work. Black finally retired permanently at age 77, when his employer would no longer insure him. He was later diagnosed with cancer and was cared for by his half-sister, Patricia Ann Black (1956-). David passed away in December of 2012.
The Davis National Guard Armory, located at 649 West Livingston Street in Downtown Orlando, Florida, in 2003. In September of 1937, the City of Orlando donated land and $80,000 to deter the U.S. National Guard from relocating outside of Orlando. The City dedicated the Orlando Armory on December 23, 1938. In 1941, the armory was used as a disbursing station for the United States Air Force and was also used as a recreation club. In May of that same year, the building as renamed for Lieutenant Colonel Robert C. Davis (1898-1941), the first native of Orlando to be killed while serving in World War II. In 1951, the Armory was leased to the United States Naval Reserve and used as a training facility. In the 1960s, the military relocated the Armory to a new location on Primrose Street. The original building was converted to the Orlando Downtown Recreation Complex.
Original color digital images by Thomas Cook, 2003: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
Orlando Armory, Downtown Orlando, Florida
Davis National Guard Armory, Downtown Orlando, Florida
Orlando Downtown Recreation Complex, Downtown Orlando, Florida
The Daytona Beach Bandshell in Daytona Beach, Florida, in 1995. Located at 70 Boardwalk in Daytona Beach, Florida, this amphitheater was constructed between 1936 1937. The Federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) began constructed in September of 1936 and the first program was presented on July 4, 1937. The bandshell was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic places on March 5, 1999.
Original color photograph, 1995: Private Collection of Nancy Lynn Cepero.
The Daytona International Speedway, located at 1801 West International Speedway Boulevard in Daytona Beach, Florida, in 1995. Home of 500-mile-long National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) Spring Cup Series motor race, this race track was opened in 1959. Automobile and motorcycle races began in 1902, due to the smooth, compacted sand that covered the beach. Daytona Beach became the site of various land speed record attempts in the first half of the 20th century. On March 8, 1936, the first stock car race was held on the Daytona Beach Road Course, which is located in present-day Ponce Inlet. Bill France, Sr. (1909-1992), the founder of NASCAR, began planning the track's construction in 1953 to replace the beach course. The track was engineered by Charles Moneypenney and construction was completed in 1958. The track has been renovated in 1978, 2004, and 2010. New renovations for Project Daytona Rising is scheduled for completion in January of 2016. The track also hosts events for the Auto Racing Club of America (ARCA), the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA), Tudor United Sport scar Championship (USCC), the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA), and Motocross.
Sergeant John B. Hancock (1913-1944) was born in Thomasville, Georgia, in 1913, but later migrated to Auburndale, Florida. Hancock managed a Great Atlantic &amp
P) store in Haines City until he enlisted in the 45th Infantry Division's 179th Infantry Regiment. Sgt. Hancock served initially in Africa in 1943, until the 45th Infantry Division's participation in Operation Husky for the Allied invasion of Sicily, codenamed Operation Husky. The division then went on to participate in the Allied invasion of Italy, where Sgt. Hancock was injured. He was returned to duty in February of 1944 to tour southern France. On November 1, 1944, Sgt. Hancock went Missing in Action (MIA) after serving in the Allied invasion of Southern France, codenamed Operation Dragoon. He was eventually buried at Epinal American Cemetery and Memorial in Dinozé, France.
Photocopy of original newspaper article: Private Collection of Linda Hughes.
DeBartolo Announces Plans for the Florida Mall
This press release provides full insight into the design ideas that went into the development of the Florida Mall, as well as the companies future initiatives in the region. The Florida Mall was designed and constructed by the Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation, founded by Edward J. DeBartolo, Sr. (1909-1994) in 1944. Edward J. DeBartolo Jr. (b. 1946) joined his father's business and together they became known as the "kings of the shopping mall." By the late 1980s, the DeBartolo Corporation had constructed 51 shopping malls, including 21 in Florida. The Florida Mall, located on the corner of Sand Lake Road and Orange Blossom Trail, was designed to appeal to Central Florida's large tourist economy and opened in March of 1986. Originally, the mall sat on 250 acres, contained over 1.3 million square feet of shopping space, and featured over 160 stores.
Original 5-page typed press release: Pine Castle Historical Society, Pine Castle, Florida.
Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation
DeBary Players, Inc. Presents "The King and I"
A business card for the DeBary Players musical The King and I by Rodgers and Hammerstein at the DeBary Community Center in DeBary, Florida, from August 29 through September 1, 1974. The front of the card reads, “DeBary Players, Inc. Presents “The King and I” Aug. 29, 30 and 31, 1975 - 8:00 P.M. Matinee, Sept. 1sr, 1974 - 3:00 P.M. DeBary Community Center Admission $1.50 Children 12 or under .75 cents. The back of the card reads, “Tickets donated by ALLEN-SUMMERHILL - - FUNERAL HOME DeLand - 734-4663 Orange City - 775-4664 Established in 1877. A handwritten “22” appears in the top right corner.
Original black and white business card: Private Collection of the Davis Family.
DeBary-Baya Merchant Line Dock at Sanford Stereoscope
Sanford's Riverfront looking north during late 19th century, with a steamship pictured in the background. By the mid-1880s, Sanford had become a major distribution center due to the city's strategic location along Lake Monroe and the St. Johns River. Even before Florida obtained statehood, steamboats frequented the St. Johns River carrying U.S. Army soldiers to Fort Mellon, located on the shores of Lake Monroe, to defend the area against Native Americans during the Seminole Wars. Steamboats were used at the fort and during the Battle of Camp Monroe to relocate Seminoles, explore the St. Johns River, and to distribute military forces. During the second half of the 1830s, steamboats were used to tow barges from the river to Lake Monroe in order to stimulate trade. The first commercial steamboat was developed as the Brock Line in the early 1850s. As trade grew, various wharves and docks were built in locations such as Mellonville Avenue, Palmetto Avenue, Oak Street, and Sanford Avenue. The Debary-Baya Merchant Line began transporting passengers in 1883, which further developed the steamboat industry. The line was purchased by the Clyde Line in 1886 and remained open until 1933. The growth of railroads was the primary cause of the decline of the steamboat industry.
Original 7 x 4.25 inch black and white photograph: Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
Debunking the So-Called Spanish Mission Near New Smyrna Beach, Volusia County, Florida
Debunking the So-Called Spanish Mission Near New Smyrna Beach, Volusia County, Florida by Captain Charles Henry Coe (1856-1954). The book challenges the misconception that a site located two miles west of New Smyrna was the ruins of a Spanish mission dating back to the time of Christopher Columbus. In the book, Captain Coe demonstrates that the ruins were of a steam sugar and saw mill that was destroyed by Native Americans in 1845, just five years after it was erected. Also known as the New Smyrna Sugar Mill Ruins, the ruins are located at 600 Old Mission Road in New Smyrna Beach and were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970. Coe was born in Torrington, Connecticut, on February 3, 1856, to William Henry Coe (1824-1879), who founded the town of Glencoe, and Deborah Little Archer Coe (1824-1912). In 1874, his family migrated to Jacksonville, Florida, due to his father's poor health. At age 18, Coe began working for the Jacksonville Tri-Weekly Union. In 1875, Coe moved to New Smyrna Beach and started his first newspaper, The Florida Star. Coe was appointed Deputy Collector of Customs for the port at New Smyrna in 1879, after his father died. In 1880, Coe moved to Glencoe and began producing photographs. Seven years later, the moved to back to Torrington, where the met and married Emma Sophia Johnson (1846-1931). The following year, Coe moved to Asheville, North Carolina, and then later to Highlands, where the established The Highlands Star. In 1889, the moved to Washington, D.C. to work for the Government Printing Office (GPO). Coe published Red Patriots: The Story of the Seminoles (1898), a book about the plight of the Seminole tribe. A copy of Red Patriots was given to every member of Congress, which later passed legislation allowing Seminole land rights in Florida. In 1912, Coe returned to Florida and spent the next 20 years traveling the coast in his cabin cruiser called The Buccaneer. After retiring from the GPO in 1921, Coe spent much of his time exploring Florida's coast as an amateur archaeologist and publishing books, including Juggling a Rope (1927) and The Art of Knife Throwing (1931). He died of pneumonia on March 23, 1954.
Original book cover: Coe, Charles Henry. Debunking the so-Called Spanish Mission Near New Smyrna Beach, Volusia County, Florida. Daytona Beach, FL: Fitzgerald Publications, 1941: Private Collection of Andrew M. Foster.
New Smyrna Sugar Mill Ruins, New Smyrna Beach, Florida
Declaration of Intention for Herbert Alexander Wells
A Declaration of Intention for Herbert Alexander Wells (1882-1960), the first African American hired by the Florida East Coast Railway Company (FEC). A Declaration of Intention was required for the naturalization of immigrants. Born in the Bahamas in 1882, Wells migrated to Key West, Florida, via the Fearless in 1900 and began working for the FEC as a fireman around 1915. He worked for the FEC for 32 years before retiring in 1947. Wells also owned and operated a drug and grocery store that was located at Northwest 2nd Court and 17th Street in Miami. Wells married Mary Ellen Knowles Wells (1892-1948) in 1916 and had one daughter, Berdina Wells (b. 1930). This item was contributed by Cary Marshall Felton, the great grandson of Wells.
Digital reproduction of original 1-page typewritten document, August 2, 1935: Private Collection of Cary Marshall Felton.
Dedication Ceremony of Gerald Cassanova Performing Arts Center Invitation
An invitation to the dedication ceremony of the Gerald Cassanova Performing Arts Center at Oviedo High School, held on February 21, 2008. Gerald "Cass" Cassanova (1952-2008) was a musician and an educator at OHS in Oviedo, Florida. Born in Sanford in 1952, Cassanova was mentored by his musician father, Gerald “Brownie” Cassanova, and joined the Providence Missionary Baptist Church, where the sung in the youth choir. As a teenager, the joined the chorus at Crooms High School. During the late 1960s, Cassanova performed with The Society Band, which disbanded in the late 1970s. the later performed with bands Cassanova and Cassanova’s Ol’ Skool Xperience. His first solo album, Jus’ Another Love Affair was released in 1992. A Few Good Men, released in 1996, was his first sold-out album and Two Faces, released in 1997, was his first gospel album. Cassanova earned his associate's degree from Seminole Community College, his bachelor's degree from the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, and his master's degree from Rollins College in Winter Park. the began his teaching career at Lake Brantley High School in Altamonte Springs in 1977 and also taught at Lake Mary High School in Lake Mary. Cassanova became a dean at LMHS in 1984 and later the assistant principal in 1988. the transferred to OHS five years later to serve as assistant principal. Cassanova married Janice Witherspoon in 1997. the passed away on January 2, 2008.
Original invitation, 2008: Private Collection of Sarah Thorncroft.
Gerald Cassanova Performing Arts Center, Oviedo High School, Oviedo, Florida
Dedication of the First State Farmers' Wholesale Market
The dedication of the Sanford State Farmers' Market on December 18, 1934. H. M. Papworth and Commissioner of Agriculture Nathan Mayo are standing at the podum and L. M. Rhodes is seated third from the right side of the flag. The Sanford State Farmers' Market was founded in 1934 in order to provide a central location in which farmers would sell their produce directly to consumers. The idea for the Sanford State Farmers' Market was devised by Fred Dorner and Gus Schmach, both members of the Seminole Agricultural Club. Sanford Chamber of Commerce president Harry Papworth also contributed to the development of the market. The Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) authorized construction plans on June 11, 1934. On June 20, 1934, the City of Sanford donated a portion of the Alex V. French properties to the State Marketing Board, which selected the northwest corner of French Avenue and Thirteenth Street. The board approved the installation of telegraph and telephone equipment, as well as a three-pump filling station. The Sanford State Farmer's Market opened on December 18, 1934. By 1939, the Farmers' Market was bringing a total volume of business of $627,065.81. In 1941, business volume reached over $700,000. On April 4, 1957, a fire destroyed the building and caused damages estimated at $2.5 million. Reconstruction began almost immediately and the Farmers' Market was expected to re-open by the fall of 1957. In 1991, plans were created to restore, preserve, and convert the citrus packing house into a museum.
Original 4 x 5 inch black and white photonegative, December 18, 1934: General Collection, call number N027333, Florida Photographic Collection, State Library and Archives of Florida, Tallahassee, Florida.
State Library and Archives of Florida
Dedra Jenkins at age 2 on Easter Sunday morning in building 3 of the Carver Court apartments, a former public housing complex in the Parramore neighborhood of Orlando, Florida. Construction on Carver Court began in 1944 on the site of a former landfill. The apartments opened in 1945 housed 212 residential units. Due to structural problems caused by settling ground, the city demolished the complex in 2002 after relocating the 148 families who still lived in the buildings. Previous residents voted to change the name to Carver Park, and a newly-built development on the site opened in 2009 featuring a 3-acre lake and 203 rental units. The Orlando Housing authority delayed plans to allow residents to purchase homes due to the economic downturn.
Original 3 x 3 inch color photograph by Christine McClendon, April 18, 1965: Private Collection of Dedra Jenkins.
Carver Court, Holden-Parramore, Downtown Orlando, Florida
Dedra Jenkins' family and friends in the yard of her home in the Parramore neighborhood of Downtown Orlando, Florida, in 1988. The two boys on the left are Gaius Jenkins and Enoch Jenkins. Dedra Jenkins is standing in the center with her mother, Christine McClendon, below her. The three small girls in front are Heavenly Webb, on the right, and her two unidentified sisters. On the upper right is Jenkins' sons, Jeremiah Jenkins and Ben Jenkins. Bordered on the east by Division Street and on the west by Orange Blossom Trail (OBT), the Parramore began as an agricultural community. Parramore was historically a segregated African-American community and now comprises three separate downtown neighborhoods: Lake Dot, Callahan, and Holden-Parramore. Once an economically thriving area and the home of many prominent black businesses and institutions, including the Wells’ Built Hotel, South Street Casino, and Wallace’s Beauty Mill, Parramore suffered under Jim Crow segregation, and has lost 65 percent of its population in the last 50 years. It is now one of Orlando’s poorest neighborhoods, with an unemployment rate of 23.8 percent in 2015. However, neighborhood institutions like the Well's Built Museum of African American History and Culture, housed in the historic Wells’ Built Hotel, have worked to preserve memorabilia from Orlando’s African-American community and the local civil rights movement. Current plans to revitalize the Parramore area focus on maintaining its black heritage and culture while building new businesses, schools, and improved housing.
Original 3 x 4 inch color photograph, 1988: Private Collection of Dedra Jenkins.
Bwerani House, Holden-Parramore, Downtown Orlando, Florida
The home of Dedra Jenkins in the Parramore neighborhood of Downtown Orlando, Florida, in 1995. Jenkins ran a village home called Bwerani House from 2000 to 2009. Bordered on the east by Division Street and on the west by Orange Blossom Trail (OBT), the Parramore began as an agricultural community. Parramore was historically a segregated African-American community and now comprises three separate downtown neighborhoods: Lake Dot, Callahan, and Holden-Parramore. Once an economically thriving area and the home of many prominent black businesses and institutions, including the Wells’ Built Hotel, South Street Casino, and Wallace’s Beauty Mill, Parramore suffered under Jim Crow segregation, and has lost 65 percent of its population in the last 50 years. It is now one of Orlando’s poorest neighborhoods, with an unemployment rate of 23.8 percent in 2015. However, neighborhood institutions like the Well's Built Museum of African American History and Culture, housed in the historic Wells’ Built Hotel, have worked to preserve memorabilia from Orlando’s African-American community and the local civil rights movement. Current plans to revitalize the Parramore area focus on maintaining its black heritage and culture while building new businesses, schools, and improved housing.
Original 3 x 5 inch color photograph by Dedra Jenkins, 1995: Private Collection of Dedra Jenkins.
The DeForest Block, located at 101 East First Street in Sanford, Florida. The building was constructed in 1887 by Henry L. DeForest as a general store. During that same year, Downtown Sanford along First Street was devastated by a fire that started at a bakery. The DeForest Block is one of only a few sets of buildings that survived the fire. In 1917, the Seminole County Bank renovated the block. The building was
Original color digital images by Austin Smith, December 19, 2010.
The DeForest Grove, sometime between 1895 and 1905, in Sanford, Florida. Henry L. DeForest (1857-1902) was born in Derby, Connecticut, and knew Henry Shelton Sanford (1823-1891) since childhood. In 1870, DeForest came to Florida seeking better health in the warmer climate. He became Sanford's agent and helped carry out the work of establishing Sanford. He managed the contracted workers for Sanford's groves, especially the contracted Swedes that Sanford brought over in 1871. By the 1880s, he had married Anna M. Sperry, also from Derby, and had become an established businessman and grove owner in Sanford. He built his general store in 1887, which was the second oldest brick building in Downtown Sanford. His general store was the building where the historic September 1887 fire stopped. DeForest built other commercial buildings in downtown. His home, known as "The Palms," was located at 105 Aldean Drive and still stands today.
Original 7.25 x 4.25 inch black and white photograph: Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
The DeForest Grove after the freeze of 1895. Henry L. DeForest (1857-1902) was born in Derby, Connecticut, and knew Henry Shelton Sanford (1823-1891) since childhood. In 1870, DeForest came to Florida seeking better health in the warmer climate. He became Sanford's agent and helped carry out the work of establishing Sanford. He managed the contracted workers for Sanford's groves, especially the contracted Swedes that Sanford brought over in 1871. By the 1880s, he had married Anna M. Sperry, also from Derby, and had become an established businessman and grove owner in Sanford. He built his general store in 1887, which was the second oldest brick building in Downtown Sanford. His general store was the building where the historic September 1887 fire stopped. DeForest built other commercial buildings in downtown. His home, known as "The Palms," was located at 105 Aldean Drive and still stands today.
Original 7.25 x 4.25 inch black and white photograph: box 1, folder 3, DeForest Collection, Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
The DeForest Grove in 1905, in Sanford, Florida. Henry L. DeForest (1857-1902) was born in Derby, Connecticut, and knew Henry Shelton Sanford (1823-1891) since childhood. In 1870, DeForest came to Florida seeking better health in the warmer climate. He became Sanford's agent and helped carry out the work of establishing Sanford. He managed the contracted workers for Sanford's groves, especially the contracted Swedes that Sanford brought over in 1871. By the 1880s, he had married Anna M. Sperry, also from Derby, and had become an established businessman and grove owner in Sanford. He built his general store in 1887, which was the second oldest brick building in Downtown Sanford. His general store was the building where the historic September 1887 fire stopped. DeForest built other commercial buildings in downtown. His home, known as "The Palms," was located at 105 Aldean Drive and still stands today.
Original 7.25 x 4.25 inch black and white photograph: box 1, folder 7, DeForest Collection, Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
Two women and two children, likely relatives of Henry L. DeForest (1857-1902), along with four African-Americans at the DeForest home in 1905. Called "The Palms," the DeForest home was located at 105 Aldean Drive in Sanford, Florida. DeForest was born in Derby, Connecticut, and knew Henry Shelton Sanford (1823-1891) since childhood. In 1870, DeForest came to Florida seeking better health in the warmer climate. He became Sanford's agent and helped carry out the work of establishing Sanford. He managed the contracted workers for Sanford's groves, especially the contracted Swedes that Sanford brought over in 1871. By the 1880s, he had married Anna M. Sperry, also from Derby, and had become an established businessman and grove owner in Sanford. He built his general store in 1887, which was the second oldest brick building in Downtown Sanford. His general store was the building where the historic September 1887 fire stopped. DeForest built other commercial buildings in downtown.
A postcard depicting the exterior of the Del Monte Lodge in Monterey, California. Located on the scenic 17-Mile Drive at Pebble Beach, Del Monte Lodge is now know simply as The Lodge. The luxury hotel has been open since 1919. 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.
A postcard depicting the Delaware Memorial Bridge, which connects the Delaware Turnpike in New Castle, Delaware, to the New Jersey Turnpike in Pennsville Township, New Jersey. The bridge opened its eastbound lanes in 1951 and its westbound lanes in 1968. 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.
Delaware Memorial Bridge, New Castle, Delaware
Delaware Memorial Bridge, Pennsville Township, New Jersey
Delaware River Bridge Connecting Philadelphia, PA. and Camden, N.J. Postcard
A postcard depicting an aerial view of the Delaware River Bridge that connects Camden, New Jersey, to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The bridge opened in 1926 and is now known as the Benjamin Franklin Bridge. The bridge is one of the largest suspension bridges in the world. A plant for the RCA Victor Company, which produced electronics, can be seen in the bottom right corner. 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 by Boyder: ACC# SM-00-243, file folder 1 (U.S. blanks), box 10A, Lucile (Mary Lucile) Campbell Collection, UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida.
Benjamin Franklin Bridge, Delaware River
A black and white photograph of a teenage Delta Burke in the Central Florida Civic Theater's presentation of "The Cradle Song" by Gregorio Martinez Sierra and directed by Edmund Mills. Burke is dressed in a wedding gown sitting on the ground as four Catholic nuns stand behind her. Handwritten on the back of the photograph is, "Cradle Song 1972-73 Delta Burke." This was the last production to take place at the location on Montana Avenue. Orlando Family Stage is a professional Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA) organization in Orlando, Florida that focuses on producing engaging theatrical experiences for children and families. Since its founding as the Orlando Little Players in December 1925, the company has become one of the oldest continuously operating theatres in the southeastern United States and is the only professional theatre in Florida devoted entirely to young audiences. The theatre operated under several names before rebranding as Orlando Family Stage in 2023 to better reflect its commitment to creating meaningful experiences for audiences of all generations.
Orlando Family Stage
2 sides of a black and white photograph, ca. May 1973.
Central Florida Civic Theater, Orlando, Florida
Seminole High School's second building being demolished by Chapman & Son Demolition in 1991. At the time of the demolition, the building was being used as Sanford Middle School. The old building was replaced by a $5.77 million school complex. The original Sanford High School was established at 301 West Seventh Street 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 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 new 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. 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 x 7 inch color photograph, 1991: Private Collection of Walter Smith.
Demolition of the Sanford Grammar School Lunchroom
Demolition of the Sanford Grammar School Lunchroom on September 25, 2008. 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 dollars. 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 color photograph, September 25, 2008: Sanford Grammar Collection, Archives Box 4B, UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida.
Sanford Grammar School, Sanford, Florida
Demolition of Woolworth-McCrory Building, 2003
Woolworth-McCrory Building, located at 101 South Orange Avenue in Downtown Orlando, Florida, during demolition in 2003. Woolworth's was a retail company established by Frank Winfield Woolworth in 1879. McCrory's was a chain of five-and-dime stores established by John Graham McCrorey in 1882. The Art Moderne-style structure in Downtown Orlando, with parts from an 1888 building, was constructed in 1942 by the J. G. Stores Corporation. McCrory operated its store and headquarters at this location until 1989. In 2003, the building was demolished.
Woolworth-McCrory Building, Downtown Orlando, Florida
Denmark's Sporting Goods, located at 149 North Magnolia Avenue (formerly Main Street) in Downtown Orlando, Florida. Denmark's was founded in 1941 by Tom Denmark and quickly became one of Central Florida's largest sporting goods suppliers. The store sponsored the television show Hunting and Fishing with Don, hosted by Don McAllister, which aired from 1954 to 1972. In 1985, Denmark sold his company to lawyer Donald Wright, who later changed the name of the store to Florida Sports. By 1988, the company had closed for business.
Original black and white photograph: Orlando Remembered Exhibit, Regions Bank, Orlando, Florida.
Denmark's Sporting Goods, Downtown Orlando, Florida
Descriptions Locating Canals & Ditches, Salt Creek System
A four-page packet of descriptions locating canals and ditches for the Salt Creek System in Lake Jesup, Florida, from 1913. Lake Jessup is one of the largest lakes in Central Florida, one of many that make up the St. Johns River.
Original 4-page packet: Private collection of Nelson and Company.
Salt Creek, Lake Jessup, Oviedo, Florida