Jeremiah Jenkins, the son of Dedra Jenkins, playing with a pet dog in the driveway of his home in the Parramore neighborhood of Downtown Orlando, Florida, in 1995. 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 by Dedra Jenkins, 1995: Private Collection of Dedra Jenkins.
Bwerani House, Holden-Parramore, Downtown Orlando, Florida
Benjamin Jenkins, the son of Dedra Jenkins, playing with his pet cat, Sir Boots, in the yard of his home in the Parramore neighborhood of Downtown Orlando, Florida, in 1992. 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 by Dedra Jenkins, 1992: Private Collection of Dedra Jenkins.
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.
Jenkins, Bill (William Sterling), 1909-1996
The Changing South, an oil painting created by William "Bill" Sterling Jenkins in 1940. The painting depicts two African-American boys in Alabama. Jenkins received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1934 from the University of Florida and was awarded a postgraduate scholarship to study art at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Florence, Italy. He spent several intensive years traveling through Europe by rail and bicycle, creating figure and landscape paintings. Upon his return, he established an art school in Columbus, Georgia. In 1942, he married Alice Moberg after meeting her in Mexico, where he studied silversmithing. Following a brief stint in the U.S. Army, Jenkins received an honorable discharge after contracting pneumonia and was sent to the Veterans Administration hospital in Orlando, Florida, to recuperate. He then worked for the VA and pioneered a program of rehabilitative art therapy classes for veterans. After earning his master’s degree in psychology from Florida State University in 1950, he settled in Winter Park and established Jenkins Construction Company, building many residential communities and shopping centers. In 1975, Jenkins established Crealdé School of Art, donating the organization and the property to the community in 1990. He also established the Jenkins Chair at the University of Central Florida, and donated the majority of his paintings to the UCF Art Gallery.
Original 32.5 x 38.75 inch oil painting: Jenkins, Bill. The Changing South, 1940: University of Central Florida Art Gallery, Orlando, Florida.
Sanford's Birth Place: Marie Jones Francis Delivered More than 40,000 Babies in Her Sixth Street Home
A newspaper article about Marie Jones Francis, the "midwife of Sanford." Francis left behind a successful hotel and restaurant she owned in Sarasota in 1942 to return to Sanford and become a midwife. World War II caused a shortage in doctors and nurses, so Florida's Children's Bureau sent Francis to Florida A & M to acquire her practical nursing license in 1945. She specialized in premature babies and returned to Sanford to aid her mother, Carrie Jones, at Fernald-Laughton Memorial Hospital before they opened the ward in their home. "When her health starting failing," she recollects in a newspaper article, "I took over." Francis converted her house at 621 East Sixth Street to also serve as a maternity ward, where she delivered over 40,000 babies over her 32 year career. She became a midwife in the same vein as her mother, Carrie Jones, and together they ran the Jones-Francis Maternity Hall in Georgetown. Francis served her community in several ways. She delivered babies for both white and black families from Seminole County, primarily patrons who either preferred natural births or could not afford deliveries at a hospital. In the 1950s, it cost $70 to stay nine days where soon-to-be mothers were taken care of. Francis was assisted by her sister, Annie Walker, who did the cooking. The house and ward also served as a school, where Marie Francis taught nurses the art of midwifery. Nurses would come from across the state to learn how to delivery infants naturally. A heavy burden on a single working mother, Marie Francis had three daughters, Cassandra Clayton, Daphne Humphrey, and Barbara Torre. Clayton and Humphrey became school teachers and Torre became a purchaser at Seminole Memorial Hospital.
Original newspaper article: Jerla, Michelle. "Sanford's Birth Place: Marie Jones Francis Delivered More than 40,000 Babies in Her Sixth Street Home." The Seminole Herald, February 16, 2003: Private Collection of Daphne F. Humphrey.
Jones-Francis Maternity Hall, Georgetown, Sanford, Florida
"No More Blues" by Jeff Rupert + Dirty Martini
An audio recording of "No More Blues," composed by Antônio Carlos Jobim (1927-1994), with lyrics by Vinícius de Moraes (1913-1980), and performed by Jeff Rupert + Dirty Martini live on-air on WUCF-FM on April 23, 2007. Jeff Rupert (b. 1964) is a freelance tenor saxophonist, Director of Jazz Studies and professor at the University of Central Florida (UCF), founder of Flying Horse Records, composer, and Yamaha performing artist. He has recorded with numerous artists, including Maynard Ferguson (1928-2006), Sam Rivers (1923-2011), Mel Tormé (1925-1999), and Benny Carter, whose 1992 album, Harlem Renaissance, Rupert appeared on, won a Grammy award. He has recorded and performed with his own bands as well, including Jeff Rupert + Dirty Martini and The Jazz Professors. "No More Blues," or "Chega de Saudade," is a jazz standard that is considered to be the first recorded bossa nova song. The song was first recorded in 1958 by Elizete Cardoso, but the second recorded version in 1959 by João Gilberto became an international hit.
Original 5-minute and 35-second audio recording of Jeff Rupert + Dirty Martini, WUCF-FM, Orlando, Florida, April 23, 2007: WUCF-FM, University of Central Florida.
WUCF-FM
WUCF-FM, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida
An unidentified man walks past the barracks at Naval Training Center (NTC) Orlando. NTC Orlando was in operation from 1968 to 1998 and was one of three recruit training centers used by the U.S. Navy. It resided in the area that is now the community of Baldwin Park. During the 30 years that NTC Orlando was operational, more than 650,000 men and women were transformed from civilians to sailors. During their time at boot camp, which lasted eight weeks, recruits lived together in barracks, known in the Navy as "berthing areas." NTC Orlando had five barracks dedicated to housing recruits. Each barrack housed about 1,000 recruits.
Original 3 x 3 inch black and white photograph by Johnson, March 1970: Image number C674898, shelf number SN037461, Department of Commerce Collection, Florida Photographic Collection, State Library and Archives of Florida, Tallahassee, Florida.
Naval Training Center Orlando, Orlando, Florida
Flag Corps at the Orlando Naval Training Center
A Flag Corps during a graduation ceremony at Naval Training Center (NTC) Orlando. NTC Orlando was in operation from 1968 to 1998 and was one of three recruit training centers used by the U.S. Navy. It resided in the area that is now the community of Baldwin Park. During the 30 years that NTC Orlando was operational, more than 650,000 men and women were transformed from civilians to sailors. Following an intense eight week training program, the various companies would march along the vast field know as the "Grinder" and pass before the base commanders for review. This ceremony would mark the completion of their transformation.
Original 3 x 3 inch black and white photograph by Johnson, March 1970: Image number c674899, shelf number SN037544, Department of Commerce Collection, Florida Photographic Collection, State Library and Archives of Florida, Tallahassee, Florida.
Saluting Sailor at the Orlando Naval Training Center
An unidentified sailor salutes at Naval Training Center (NTC) Orlando. NTC Orlando was in operation from 1968 to 1998 and was one of three recruit training centers used by the U.S. Navy. It resided in the area that is now the community of Baldwin Park. During the 30 years that NTC Orlando was operational, more than 650,000 men and women were transformed from civilians to sailors. Beginning in 1973, NTC Orlando became the Navy's only co-educational recruit training center.
Original 3 x 3 inch black and white photograph by Johnson, March 1970: Department of Commerce Collection, shelf number SN037545, image number c674896, Florida Photographic Collection, State Library and Archives of Florida, Tallahassee, Florida.
Fifteenth Census Population Schedule for Istachatta
The census population schedule for Istachatta, Florida, in 1930. Individuals are identified by name, titles and terms, gender, age, marital status, race, relationship to head of household, birthplace, birth year, the last place of residence, and occupation. A notable resident listed in this record is Willis H. Hawkins (ca. 1919-1944). Hawkins lived in Istachatta for much of his life and was educated up through grammar school. He worked as a semi-skilled driver or chauffeur until he enlisted in the U.S. Army on October 20, 1943. Private Hawkins served in the 3rd Infantry Division's 3rd Reconnaissance Troop. The 3rd Division participated in Operation Dragoon, in which the Allies invaded southern France, and then traveled North towards the Rhineland. Pvt. Hawkins was Killed in Action on November 2, 1944. He was awarded a Purple Heart for his service and was buried at Epinal American Cemetery and Memorial in Dinozé, France.
Digital reproduction of original handwritten census record by Earle L. C. Johnson, April 4, 1930: Image Number 00007, Digital Folder Number 004964404, GS Film Number 1820222, Affiliate Film Number 222, Affiliate Publication Number T625, National Archives &amp
Records Administration, Washington, D.C.
Bureau of the Census
A watercolor drawing of the Kolb family home in Oviedo, Florida, in 2000. This item was drawn Jacqui Johnson, a neighbor of the Kolbs, as a gift for Julie Kolb, the matriarch of the family.
Original 7 x 9 inch watercolor drawing by Jacqui Johnson: Private Collection of Dane Kolb.
A chart showing the growth (power rating vs. combined cycle efficiency) of the advanced Westinghouse 501F (W501F) gas turbine from its introductory rating of 150MW in 1988 to 181MW in 1998, at the time of that Siemens acquired Westinghouse's gas turbine operations. This engine was adopted by Siemens as its primary 60Hz offering and renamed the model SGT6-5000F. This chart was used in a Westinghouse Combustion Turbine product line presentation by Keith Johnson around 1998. Originally called the Westinghouse Electric Company, George Westinghouse (1846-1914) founded his manufacturing company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on January 8, 1886. In 1889, he renamed his business The Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company. Westinghouse's primary products include turbines, generators, motors and switchgear related to the generation, transmission, and use of electricity. The company changed its name to Westinghouse Electric Corporation in 1945. In 1981, the company began to relocate its division headquarters for the Steam-Turbine Generator Divisions from Pennsylvania (turbines from Lester and generators from Pittsburgh) to Orlando, Florida. The Power Generation Business Unit (PGBU) building was located in The Quadrangle, at 4400 Alafaya Trail. Originally, Westinghouse had purchased a large plot of land for future development that extended westward from Alafaya Trail to Rouse Road. The original headquarters was located on several acres of that land parcel close to Alafaya Trail. As the PGBU grew in size, other buildings were rented and then, after PGBU was sold to Siemens Corporation, additional buildings were added to the complex. In 1994, after a major corporate management shuffling and commitment to change from an industrial manufacturing company to primarily a broadcasting/communications company, Westinghouse bought the CBS Network and changed its name to the CBS Corporation. As the PGBU grew in size, other buildings were rented and then, after PGBU was sold to Siemens Corporation in 1998, additional buildings were added to the Quadrangle.
Original chart by Keith Johnson: Private Collection of Harry L. Jaeger.
Receipt of Payment from S. Johnson to Henry Shelton Sanford (July 18, 1871)
This is a receipt of payment created by S. Johnson for Henry Shelton Sanford (1823-1891). On July 18, 1871, Sanford rented a horse and buggy for one day from S. Johnson. The cost of the rental was $7. According to the receipt, the rental served to aid Sanford in his search for a horse to purchase. The horse, once found, would presumably be meant for Sanford's Florida properties, particularly his experimental grove, Belair Grove, which was located three miles southwest of the city named after Sanford. It was part of the Sanford Grant, a 12,547.15 square acre allotment of land purchased by Henry Sanford in 1870. In Belair, Sanford introduced over 140 varieties of citrus plants. All were tested to determine if Florida citrus growers could effectively grow and introduce new varieties into the burgeoning citrus market. Sanford also grew exotic plants acquired from Central and South America, many of which survived the 1886 freeze. Sanford mainly used Belair as his own experiment station, but ultimately the findings and reports would be used by other citrus growers throughout Florida. Eventually, following Sanford's death in 1891, his wife, Gertrude Sanford, handed over the operations of Belair to Sydney and Joshua Chase.
Original receipt: box 45, folder 1, subfolder 45.1.32, Henry Shelton Sanford Papers, General Henry S. Sanford Memorial Library, Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
Letter from William E. Johnson to Dennis Holcomb (July7, 1981)
A letter from William E. Johnson to Dennis Holcomb, dated July7, 1981. Enclosed with the letter is a report by Johnson, a biologist with the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission (GFC) regarding a fish kill in Lake Apopka that occurred in June of 1981. The report states that the fish kill was first reported on June 20, and described as "massive" by Holcomb, who was also a fisheries biologist with the GFC. Sample counts of areas of the fish kill estimate that the fish kill totaled 18 million fish, primarily gizzard and threadfin shad. The report also states that no largemouth bass were present in the kill, and it is assumed that none are present in the lake at the time of writing. 15-20 Sunshine bass were observed. Sunshine bass are a hybrid bass used to artificially stock lakes, and Lake Apopka was stocked with Sunshine bass fingerlings in May of 1981. The report concludes, based on water samples, that the fish kill was a result of oxygen depletion after a period of above-average temperatures and stormy weather conditions. Water quality data from the samples are also attached. Lake Apopka is one of Florida’s largest lakes and was once considered to be one of the world’s best lakes for bass fishing. The lake’s sport fish population began to decline in the 1960s, with major die-offs occurring almost yearly. The lake’s problems are generally considered to be the result of over-nutrification from various sources. Twenty thousand acres of wetlands bordering the lake’s north shore were drained in the 1940s and used for highly fertile “muck farms.” These farms were routinely flooded to protect the fragile soil, and the fertilizer and pesticide-laden water was then discharged back into the lake prior to each growing season. Other sources of pollution include discharge from citrus processing operations, as well as treated wastewater from sewage plants. The nutrient-rich discharge promoted algae growth in the lake, turning the water to a green color, and blocked sunlight from reaching aquatic vegetation, which provided food and habit to the lake’s fish population. The lake’s bottom soil became increasingly “mucky,” also disrupting aquatic vegetation from taking root. Restoration work on the lake began in the 1960s with attempts by various agencies to remove “trash fish,” such as gizzard shad, from the lake via seining, which would hopefully allow the lake’s sportfish to thrive. The Lake Apopka Restoration Council, an initiative formed under Governor Claude Kirk (1926-2011) in 1967, launched several studies to find methods to improve the lake, though no serious action was taken. Various methods were debated to restore the lake through the 1970s and 1980s, including “drawdown,” which entailed completely draining the lake to allow the mucky bottom to consolidate. Restoration attempts were stalled for lack of funding and research. The Lake Apopka Restoration Council was reformed in 1985 under Governor Bob Graham (b. 1936), and, in 1987, the Surface Water and Improvement Management Act was passed. Together, these actions allowed comprehensive restoration plans to take shape, such as the Marsh Flow-way, a project by the St John’s Water Management District that uses natural methods to remove nutrients from the lake. The Friends of Lake Apopka, a citizen environmental advocacy group, began to push for further restoration efforts in the 1990s. The lake’s north shore muck farms were eventually purchased by the State of Florida, helping to reduce the amount of nutrient entering the lake.
Original 8-page typewritten letter from William E. Johnson to Dennis Holcomb, July7, 1981: binder 1981, Friends of Lake Apopka Archives, Ginn Museum, Oakland Nature Preserve, Oakland, Florida.
Sanford High School Language Assignment, 1906
An English language assignment completed by Sanford High School sixth grader Flossie Jones in 1906. This particular assignment was created to test Miss Kate Tomkie's students' English language skills. Sanford High School was originally established 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 Sanford Avenue in 1911. The original building on Seventh Street served as Westside Grammar Elementary School, which was later renamed Sanford Grammar School. In 1984, the building was placed on the National Registry of Historic Places and converted into the Student Museum. The building reopened as the University of Central Florida's Public History Center in 2012. In 1927, a high school campus was designed by Elton J. Moughton in the Mediterranean revival style and constructed at 1700 French Avenue. The school reopened on January 10 and was renamed Seminole High School. In 1960, the high school moved to a new campus at 2701 Ridgewood Avenue and the former building on French Avenue was converted to Sanford Junior High School, which was later renamed Sanford Middle School. The old building was demolished in the summer of 1991 and replaced by a $5.77 million school complex. As of 2013, Seminole High School offers various Advanced Placement courses, the Academy for Health Careers, and the International Baccalaureate Programme for students.
Original school assignment completed by Flossie Jones, May 17, 1906: Sanford High School Collection, box 3A, folder Student Work 1905, item SCPS00501, UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida.
The draft registration card for Thomas Robert Savage (1892-1941). Approximately 24 million men registered for the draft between 1917-1918. The cards recorded name, age, date and place of birth, race, and occupation, and a corresponding registrar's card listed physical features. Thomas Robert Savage was born on March 27, 1892 in Eastern Shore, Virginia. Though little is known about his childhood and early life, we do know he could read and write. On June 5, 1917, Savage, like many, registered for the draft in Portsmouth, Virginia. It is likely he married his wife, Della, before being inducted and serving in Europe. He was inducted into the United States Army on August 3, 1918 and served as a corporal in Company C of the 540th Engineers. From October 27, 1918 to May 21, 1919, Savage and his unit worked overseas in a behind-the-lines role, repairing roads and building barracks to keep the rest of the army moving. After returning to the United States, he resumed life with his wife. They eventually moved to Maryland, where Savage worked as a driver. He died on April 7, 1941. He is buried in the St. Augustine National Cemetery, Florida at Section D Grave 3. 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.
War Department, Office of the Quartermaster General, Selective Service System
Digital reproduction of original draft registration card by William R. Jones, June 5, 1917: Selective Service System, World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918, M1509, 4,582 rolls.
The Cher-O-Key, the bimonthly school newspaper published by the Journalism Club of Cherokee Junior High School, which was located at 550 South Eola Drive in Orlando, Florida when it opened in 1927. The Volume I, Number 7 edition was published on March 8, 1929 and cost one cent. Articles in the newspaper include awards that the school one at the Central Florida Exhibition, a new picture file in the school library, a ninth grade debate, a perfomance by the Hi-Y Club, student editorials, a calendar of event, exchanges with other schools' newspapers, Thelma Jones' contest-winning limerick, club news, a short story about two West Virginian slaves during the American Civil War, personal news from teachers, sports news, and a humor section.
Journalism Club of Cherokee Junior High School
Original school newspaper by Robert Cox, ed.: The Cher-O-Key Vol. I No. 6. March 8, 1929. Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
Cherokee Junior High School, Orlando, Florida
The Cher-O-Key, the bimonthly school newspaper published by the Journalism Club of Cherokee Junior High School, which was located at 550 South Eola Drive in Orlando, Florida when it opened in 1927. The Volume I, Number 101 edition was published on May 16, 1929 and cost one cent. Article topics in the newspaper include the ninth grad banquet, Allen Hage's award as best citizen at Cherokee, the sixth grade visit to the school, Mothers Day, final examinations for the school year, club news, Cherokee's win at the Orange County track meet, the selection of members for the Honor Society, school sports and physical fitness, and humor.
Original school newspaper by Robert Cox, ed.: The Cher-O-Key Vol. I No. 1. May 17, 1929: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
Cher-O-Key, the bimonthly school newspaper published by the Journalism Club of Cherokee Junior High School, which was located at 550 South Eola Drive in Orlando, Florida when it opened in 1927. The Volume I, Number 1 edition was published on November 9, 1928 and cost one cent. Articles in the newspaper include Professor Grover of Rollins College's address to Cherokee Junior High, grade percentages, the activities of the Journalism Club, the Parent-Teacher Assocation, a calendar of events, merit cards issues to students, Roberta Barnett's essay for the Florida State Dental Assocatin, social activities at the scool, a ruling by the Board of Education, new rules for eligibility for sports, and the temperance movement.
Original school newspaper by Ruth Wetherington, ed: The Cher-O-Key Vol. I No. 1. November 9, 1928. Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
The Cher-O-Key, the bimonthly school newspaper published by the Journalism Club of Cherokee Junior High School, which was located at 550 South Eola Drive in Orlando, Florida when it opened in 1927. The Volume I, Number 5 edition was published on February 1, 1929 and cost one cent. Articles in the newspaper include Thrift Week, a speech by Dr. J. Dean Adcock of the First Baptist Church, Student Council's visit to the Orlando Municipal Auditorium, the theatrical production "The Family Album", student editorials, a calendar of events, Cherokee Junior High's Bookbinding Department, the Expression Club's theatrical productions, the activities of the Margaret F. S. Flace's art class, personal news from students, sports news, the school's new projection lantern, and students from local Orlando elementary schools who were promoted to junior high school.
Original school newspaper by Ruth Wetherington, ed.: The Cher-O-Key Vol. I No. 5. February 1, 1929: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
Hawtensie Joyner and Sumner Hutcheson, Jr.
Black and white photograph of Hawtensie Joyner and Sumner Hutcheson, Jr. after their marriage in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on April 1, 1935. Joyner was born on June 12, 1912, in Fitzgerald, Georgia, and Hutcheson was born on on November 25, 1905, in Key West, Florida.
1 original black and white photograph, 1935: Personal Collection of Sumner Hutcheson III.
RICHES
A page from Oshihiyi, the 1917 Stetson University yearbook. This page focuses on the students enrolled in the Business College, including Paul Hon (1898-1918). Students' nicknames, favorite sayings, ambitions, gifts and pastimes were recorded for posterity. Paul Hon was born in July 1898, in Orleans, Indiana, and moved with his family to DeLand, Florida, in 1900. The Hon family rose to prominence in DeLand, as Hon's father served on the Stetson University Board of Trustees and eventually had a dormitory building named in his honor. Paul Hon, the eldest son in his family, attended Stetson University as a student in the Business College. On May 10, 1917, he enlisted in the United States Army and served as part of Company B of the 1st Engineers until his death on July 20, 1918, during the Aisne-Marne Campaign. The 1st Engineers were often responsible for clearing roads and other such tasks, and occasionally served as support to other areas of the Army. Hon is considered MIA (Missing In Action), as his body has never been recovered. He is memorialized on the Tablets of the Missing at the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery in Belleau, France. 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 continues, engaging a team of scholars to make the life stories of veterans buried in national cemeteries 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 headstones at four national cemeteries, two in Florida (Florida National Cemetery and St. Augustine National Cemetery) and two in France (American Battle Monuments Commission cemeteries at Aisne-Marne and the Meuse-Argonne), where they can access the UCF student-authored biographies of veterans.
Junior Class of John B. Stetson University, Class of 1918
Digital reproduction of original yearbook page: Image courtesy of the Stetson University Library Archives.
Stetson University Business College, DeLand, Florida
A page from Oshihiyi, the 1919 Stetson University yearbook, memorializing Paul Hon (1898-1918). Though this dedication lists Hon's death as July 22, 1918, he actually died two days earlier, according to his military records. Paul Hon was born in July 1898, in Orleans, Indiana, and moved with his family to DeLand, Florida, in 1900. The Hon family rose to prominence in DeLand, as Hon's father served on the Stetson University Board of Trustees and eventually had a dormitory building named in his honor. Paul Hon, the eldest son in his family, attended Stetson University as a student in the Business College. On May 10, 1917, he enlisted in the United States Army and served as part of Company B of the 1st Engineers until his death on July 20, 1918, during the Aisne-Marne Campaign. The 1st Engineers were often responsible for clearing roads and other such tasks, and occasionally served as support to other areas of the Army. Hon is considered MIA (Missing In Action), as his body has never been recovered. He is memorialized on the Tablets of the Missing at the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery in Belleau, France. 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 continues, engaging a team of scholars to make the life stories of veterans buried in national cemeteries 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 headstones at four national cemeteries, two in Florida (Florida National Cemetery and St. Augustine National Cemetery) and two in France (American Battle Monuments Commission cemeteries at Aisne-Marne and the Meuse-Argonne), where they can access the UCF student-authored biographies of veterans.
Junior Class of John B. Stetson University, Class of 1920
University of Central Florida. Department of History
Oral history of Gene Kruckemyer, editor for UCF News at the University of Central Florida's News and Information Office. Kruckemyer moved from Orlando to Sanford in 2004, following a series of hurricanes. He worked as a publisher for The Sanford Herald for three years and as an editor for The Orlando Sentinel for 33 years. This interview was conducted by Megan Kaczmarek at Kruckemyer's office at the University of Central Florida on October 31, 2012. Within the oral history, Kruckemyer discusses his involvement with the UCF Public History Center, located at 301 West Seventh Street in Sanford, Florida.
Kruckemyer, Gene. Interviewed by Megan Kaczmarek. UCF Public History Center. October 31, 2012. Audio/video record available. UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida.
University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida
Westside Grammar Elementary School, Sanford, Florida
Student Museum and Center for Social Studies, Sanford, Florida
United States of America Petition for Citizenship and Naturalization Card
The United States of America Petition for Citizenship and Naturalization Card for Fred O. Kalinchuk (1896-1994). The form includes the name, residence, occupation, race, place of birth, marital status and children, last foreign residence, date of immigration, an affidavit witness and signature. Born in Russia on November 21, 1896, Kalinchuk immigrated to the United States on April 12, 1913. He enlisted in the United States Army on May 28, 1918. Soon after joining the Army, he became a naturalized United States citizen while stationed in Georgia. Kalinchuk fought in France during World War I, including in the Oise-Aisne offensive. He was wounded during that time and was awarded the Purple Heart. After his military service, Kalinchuk worked as a patternmaker and started a family in Cleveland. He later moved to Florida and passed away in Citrus, Florida, on December 7, 1966. He is buried at Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell, Florida, with his son, Walter Kallin, who served in World War II. 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.
United States Department of Labor
Digital reproduction of the original petition for naturalization.
Oral History of Charles Lewis Hite's military service during the Vietnam War (1961-1975) and the Persian Gulf War (1991). Hite was born on March 23, 1947 in Centralia, Illinois. In 1972, he enlisted in the United States Air Force and trained at Blyheville Air Force Base in Blyheville, Arkansas. He served in Thailand during the Vietnam War and then returned back to Blyheville to work as First 2nd LT Radar Navigator. After being promoted to Standardization/Evaluation Radar Navigator, Hite was stationed in various locations: Barksdale Air Force Base near Bossier City, Louisiana; Offutt Air Force Base near Bellevue, Nebraska; Ramstein Air Force Base near Ramstein-Miesenbach, Germany; and MacDill Air Force Base near Tampa, Florida. He also was assigned duties during Operation Desert Storm (1991). Throughout his service, Hite served in various units, including 97th Bomb Wine, 340th Bomb Squadron, 1st Combat Evaluation Group, HQ Strategic Air Command, 7th Air Division, and DET 1 8th Air Force (SAC) Central Command. He achieved the rank of Major and received both the Commendation Medal and the Meritorious Service Medal. Hite left the military on May 31, 1992 and began working at the University of Central Florida. This oral history interview was conducted by Edmund Kallina at the UCF Research Parkway in Orlando, Florida on October 12, 2012. The Vietnam War was a Cold War Era "military conflict". The war was originally waged between Cambodia, Vietnam, and Laos. The United States became involved as a preventive measure to combat communism. The official date of the military conflict is November 1, 1955 and ending in April 1975. The date of the war has been disputed, but a study in 1998 by the Department of Defense definitively put the start of the Vietnam War as November 1, 1955. The first combat military troops 9th Marine Expeditionary Brigade didn't arrive until 1965. With the arrival of the combat troops came the first traditional battles of combat fighting in the war. During the Vietnam War, not only did American military go into battle with and for South Vietnam, the military also trained members of South Vietnam to fight alongside during the war. Peace talks were attempted, with France moderating, beginning on May 10, 1968. These talks were unsuccessful and lasted over three years. The longest battle of the Vietnam War began on January 21, 1968 and didn't end until the U.S. reclaimed Route 9 on April 8, 1968, seventy-seven days later. While the military conflict ended in 1975, it was a long process towards reunification and redevelopment as a country. The conflict left Vietnam in both political and economical ruins. While the U.S. military was fighting overseas, Many American citizens protested the war at home. Demonstrations took place across the country with the most famous one being at Kent State University in Ohio. While this is the most well known demonstration it was not the first. Americans questioned the U.S. involvement in the war throughout.
Hite, Charles Lewis. Interviewed by Edmund Kallina. UCF Community Veterans History Project, D0010465. October 12, 2010. Audio/video record available. UCF Community Veterans History Project, Special Collections and University Archives, University of Central Florida Libraries, Orlando, Florida.
Special Collections and University Archives, University of Central Florida Libraries
RICHES of Central Florida
The Travelodge Orlando-Sky Lake was located at 7101 South Orange Blossom Trail (OBT), just north of the Bee Line Toll Road, in Orlando, Florida, around 1970. The hotel was constructed in 1970 by Hymen Lake and is currently in operation as the Royal Inn. Photographs from this era show the hotel offered a free continental breakfast, heated pool, and colored television. The Onan Corporation, based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, commissioned the photographs. Onan was photographing a standby electric plant that had been recently installed at the hotel.
Original 8 x 10 inch black and white photograph by Robert Travis Keagle: Pine Castle Historical Society, Pine Castle, Florida.
Onan Corporation
Travelodge Orlando-Sky Lake, Sky Lake, Florida
Original 8 x 10 inch black and white photographs: Pine Castle Historical Society, Pine Castle, Florida.
Onan Corporation Generator at Travelodge Orlando-Sky Lake
The Onan Corporation generator at the Travelodge Orlando-Sky Lake, located at 7101 South Orange Blossom Trail (OBT), just north of the Bee Line Toll Road, in Orlando, Florida, around 1970. The hotel was constructed in 1970 by Hymen Lake and is currently in operation as the Royal Inn. Photographs from this era show the hotel offered a free continental breakfast, heated pool, and colored television. The Onan Corporation, based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, commissioned the photographs. Onan was photographing a standby electric plant that had been recently installed at the hotel.
Original 8 x 10 inch black and white photograph: Pine Castle Historical Society, Pine Castle, Florida.
Sanford to Honor Dr. Starke for Half Century of Medical Service
This newspaper clipping, from the September 11, 1977 edition of the The Sentinel Star, offers a descriptive profile of Dr. George H. Starke's (1898-1978) history and accomplishments. Dr. Starke was a practicing medical doctor who opened his practice in Sanford, Florida, on September 15, 1927. Shortly thereafter, Dr. Starke became one of only four African-American physicians to be accepted by Harvard University for residency at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. He practiced for several years in Boston and then returned to Sanford in 1933 and continued to practice medicine until his death at age 80. For many years, Dr. Starke was the only African-American doctor in Sanford. Dr. Starke was also the first African-American doctor to acquire membership in the Florida Medical Association and the Seminole County Medical Association, as well as the second to join the American Medical Association. In 1971, the City of Sanford named George Starke Park, located at 1501 West Third Street, in his honor.
Original newspaper article by Keay Davidson: "Sanford to Honor Dr. Starke for Half Century of Medical Service," The Sentinel Star, September 11, 1977: Dr. George H. Starke Folder, General Henry S. Sanford Memorial Library, Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
Teachers, Students Undergo Major Schedule Changes
A newspaper article published by The Lion's Tale, Oviedo High School's student newspaper, in February of 1984. This article discusses the schedule changes affecting certain English teachers and their students in order to maintain funding from the Enhanced Writing Program. Oviedo High School is a Seminole County Public School located in Oviedo, Florida. Originally called the Oviedo School, the institution was first established in 1922 as a K-12 school. In 1948, the secondary grades separated from the elementary school. The upper grade levels formed Oviedo High School and moved to the campus at 601 King Street. Oviedo High School is notable for The Lion's Tale, the award-winning school newspaper recognized by various national and state scholastic press associations; its high ratings from the Governor's A+ Plan for Education; and its successful athletics programs.
Original newspaper article: Keene, Karen. "Teachers, Students Undergo Major Schedule Changes." The Lion's Tale, Vol. XIII, No. 5, February 1984: Private Collection of Dan Beistel.
The Lion's Tale
Oral history of Marilyn Maples, an actress in the Creative Sanford, Inc., and Celery Soup production of Remade - Not Bought. The interview was conducted by University of Central Florida Professor of History Dr. Scot French and graduate student Katie Kelley on October 19, 2013. Maples moved to Sanford, Florida, in 1993. As an actress, she played the roles of Marlene Baggs and Arthurene in Remade - Not Bought. Maples is also a member of the theatre committee, the volunteer coordinator, and a member of the marketing team for Creative Sanford and Celery Soup. The interview focuses mainly on Maples involvement with Creative Sanford and Celery Soup. Other topics include how Maples came to Sanford, how she became involved with Creative Sanford, the importance of preserving history through community theater, her acting roles in Remade - Not Bought, the Celery Soup production of Touch and Go, presenting difficult or dark history, segregation in Sanford, and Dr. George H. Starke.
Maples, Marilyn. Interviewed by Katie Kelley and Scot French. October 19, 2013. Audio/video record available. RICHES of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
Creative Sanford, lnc., Sanford, Florida
Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center, Sanford, Florida
A History of Central Florida, Episode 2: Ceramic Pots
Episode 2 of the second season of A History of Central Florida: Ceramic Pots. RICHES Podcast Documentaries are short form narrative documentaries that explore Central Florida history and are locally produced. These podcasts can involve the participation or cooperation of local area partners. Episode 2 features a discussion of the ceramic pots displayed at the New Smyrna Museum of History, located at 120 Sams Avenue in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. This podcast also includes interviews with Dr. Neill J. Wallis of the University of Florida and the Florida Museum of Natural History and Dr. Jerald T. Milanich of the University of Florida.
Original 11-minute and 30-second podcast by Katie Kelley, November 19, 2013: "A History of Central Florida, Episode 2: Ceramic Pots." RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Orlando, Florida.
Florida Museum of Natural History
Orange County Regional History Center
New Smyrna Museum of History, New Smyrna Beach, Florida
A History of Central Florida, Episode 22: Dickson's Folly
Episode 22 of A History of Central Florida podcasts: Dickson's Folly. A History of Central Florida Podcast series explores Central Florida's history through the artifacts found in local area museums and historical societies. These podcasts can involve the participation or cooperation of local area partners. Episode 22 features a discussion of a Dickson's Folly, an early attempt to regulate traffic in Orlando, Florida. This podcast also includes interviews with Dr. Julian C. Chambliss of Rollins College and Dr. Fon Gordon of the University of Central Florida.
Original 10-minute and 58-second podcast by Katie Kelley, 2014: "A History of Central Florida, Episode 22: Dickson's Folly." A History of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
Library of Congress
Rick Prelinger Archives
Orange County Regional History Center, Orlando, Florida
A History of Central Florida, Episode 19: Russian Samovar
Episode 19 of A History of Central Florida podcasts: Russian Samovar. A History of Central Florida Podcast series explores Central Florida's history through the artifacts found in local area museums and historical societies. These podcasts can involve the participation or cooperation of local area partners. Episode 19 features a discussion of the Russian Samovar housed at the Museum of Geneva History. This podcast also includes interviews with Dr. Mark Howard Long and Dr. Vladimir Solonari of the University of Central Florida, and Dr. Gary Ross Mormino of the University of South Florida.
Original 12-minute and 7-second podcast by Katie Kelley, 2014: "A History of Central Florida, Episode 19: Russian Samovar." A History of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
Museum of Geneva History
Florida Memory Project
Museum of Geneva History, Geneva, Florida
A History of Central Florida, Episode 20: Railroad Bells
Episode 20 of A History of Central Florida podcasts: Railroad Bells. A History of Central Florida Podcast series explores Central Florida's history through the artifacts found in local area museums and historical societies. These podcasts can involve the participation or cooperation of local area partners. Episode 20 features a discussion of the railroad bells housed at the Halifax Historical Museum and the Central Florida Railroad Museum. This podcast also includes an interview with Dr. Mark Howard Long of the University of Central Florida.
Original 12-minute and 55-second podcast by Katie Kelley and Christopher Brooke, 2014: "A History of Central Florida, Episode 20: Railroad Bells." A History of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
Halifax Historical Museum
Central Florida Railroad Museum
Archive.org
freesound.org
Halifax Historical Museum, Daytona Beach, Florida
Central Florida Railroad Museum, Winter Garden, Florida
A History of Central Florida, Episode 26: Fishing Boats
Episode 26 of A History of Central Florida podcasts: Fishing Boats. A History of Central Florida Podcast series explores Central Florida's history through the artifacts found in local area museums and historical societies. These podcasts can involve the participation or cooperation of local area partners. Episode 26 features a discussion of fishing boats and other artifacts located at the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation and the Museum of Geneva History. This podcast also includes interviews with Dr. Mark Howard Long of the University of Central Florida and Doug Kelly, author of Florida's Fishing Legends and Pioneers.
Original 10-minute and 50-second podcast by Katie Kelley, 2014: "A History of Central Florida, Episode 26: Fishing Boats." A History of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
Winter Garden Heritage Foundation
Winter Garden Heritage Museum, Winter Garden, Florida
A History of Central Florida, Episode 28: Rum Runner
Episode 28 of A History of Central Florida podcasts: Rum Runner. A History of Central Florida Podcast series explores Central Florida's history through the artifacts found in local area museums and historical societies. These podcasts can involve the participation or cooperation of local area partners. Episode 28 features a discussion of a barometer and pair of binoculars owned by Bill McCoy, the famous rum runner during Prohibition. This podcast also includes interviews with Dr. Leonard R. Lempel of Daytona State College, Dr. Mark Howard Long of the University of Central Florida, and John Beale of the Florida Maritime Museum.
Original 13-minute and 19-second podcast by Katie Kelley, 2014: "A History of Central Florida, Episode 28: Rum Runner." A History of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
A History of Central Florida, Episode 40: Icons of Hate
Episode 40 of A History of Central Florida Podcast: Icons of Hate. RICHES Podcast Documentaries are short form narrative documentaries that explore Central Florida history and are locally produced. These podcasts can involve the participation or cooperation of local area partners. Episode 40 features a discussion of the Ku Klux Klan in Florida and their involvement in the murder of the African-American civil rights activist Harry Tyson Moore and his wife, Harriette Vyda Simms Moore. This podcast also includes interviews with Michael Newton, author of The Invisible Empire: The Ku Klux Klan in Florida, and Ben Green, the author of Before His Time: The Untold Story of Harry T. Moore, America's First Civil Rights Martyr.
Original 13-minute and 36-second podcast by Katie Kelley, 2013: RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Orlando, Florida. http://youtu.be/v9NsFcxNZW8.
Harry & Harriette Moore Memorial Park
Harry & Harriette Moore Memorial Park, Mims, Florida
A History of Central Florida, Episode 47: John Young's Flight Suit
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (U.S.)
Episode 47 of A History of Central Florida podcasts: John Young's Flight Suit. RICHES Podcast Documentaries are short form narrative documentaries that explore Central Florida history and are locally produced. These podcasts can involve the participation or cooperation of local area partners. Episode 47 features a discussion of the spacesuit worn by astronaut John Watts Young, which is now housed at the Orange County Regional History Center in Downtown Orlando, Florida. This podcast also includes interviews with Dr. Amy Foster of the University of Central Florida and Cathleen Lewis Lewis of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.
Original 10-minute and 29-second podcast by Katie Kelley, 2015: RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Orlando, Florida. https://youtu.be/s3dqTz7MrbI.
Internet Archive
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
John F. Kennedy Space Center, Merritt Island, Florida
Oral History of Florence Patchell O'Connor
Oral history interview of Florence Patchell O'Connor, a docent for the Student Museum and Center for Social Studies, located at 301 West Seventh Street in Sanford, Florida. O'Connor was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on November 10, 1931. While living in Pennsylvania, she taught elementary school for nine years. After marrying, she moved to Marlton, New Jersey, and continued teaching and then substitute teaching until 1991. That same year, she moved to Florida. O'Connor worked as a substitute teacher, and began volunteering as a docent in 1996. This interview was conducted by Katie Kelley at the UCF Public History Center on October 11, 2012.
O'Connor, Florence Patchell. Interviewed by Mary "Katie" Kelley. UCF Public History Center. October 11, 2012. Audio/video record available. UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida.
Student Museum and Center for the Social Studies,Sanford, Florida
UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida
Letter from Oland J. Kershaw to Arthur W. Sinclair (May 23, 1966)
A letter from Oland J. Kershaw, chairman of the Indian River Shellfish Association, to Arthur W. Sinclair, Executive Secretary-Manager of the Winter Garden Chamber of Commerce. Kershaw writes in response to a letter by Sinclair published in The Sentinel calling for action on water pollution. Kershaw tells Sinclair of his organization and their goals, and that they hope to work with Sinclair and other anti-pollution groups to rally citizen support for environmental restoration.
Original typewritten letter from Oland J. Kershaw to Arthur W. Sinclair, May 23, 1966: binder 1966, Friends of Lake Apopka Archives, Ginn Museum, Oakland Nature Preserve, Oakland, Florida.
Letter from Charles P. Kimball to John M. May (June 7, 1957)
A letter from entomologist Charles P. Kimball to the owner of the May Museum of the Tropics, John M. May, dated June 7, 1957. In the letter, Kimball details an insect trap design that utilizes thin plastic instead of glass, to allow more sunlight into the trap, and to better prevent the insects escaping. As Kimball was an entomologist like May, the letter also expresses that May's father's collection was being taken care of. The May Natural History Museum of the Tropics is a non-profit organization that displays the world’s largest private insect collection. James May acquired the thousands of insects and arthropods that make up the collection from the late 1800s until his death in 1956. John May continued his father’s legacy, building a museum in Weeki Wachee, Florida, that lasted from 1954-1964, and a museum in Colorado that opened in the 1950s and is still open today. John May also took parts of the collection across the United States and Canada to display at fairs and exhibitions. Along with a group of investors, Newton Perry opened Weeki Wachee Springs to the public in October of 1947. At the time, roadside attractions were becoming popular stops along Florida roadways. The attraction consisted of an amalgamation of vendors, an orchid garden, a river boat tour, as well as the star attraction: a mermaid show that took place in an underwater theater. Eventually, the May Museum of the Tropics, an "abandoned Seminole village", a show called “Birds of Prey”, and a petting zoo were added. After peaking in the 1950s and 1960s, attendance began to decline as theme parks and highways changed the dynamics of Florida's tourism. The State of Florida took over the attraction as a state park in 2008. Since then, the park has focused on appealing to a modern audience while preserving its history.
Original 1-page typed letter from Charles P. Kimball to John M. May, June 7, 1957: May Natural History Museum, Colorado Springs, Colorado.
May Museum of the Tropics, Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, Weeki Wachee, Florida
Seekers, an oil painting created by Grady Kimsey in 2014. Kimsey enjoys critical and popular success as a sculptor, potter, painter and instructor, with eight decades of life experiences to draw upon for inspiration. Kimsey was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, in 1928. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts from the University of Tennessee in 1950, and then completed his master’s In Education from Rollins College in Winter Park in 1969. Kimsey remains modest about his many accomplishments, which began in his high school days and have continued throughout his career. He has received the Council of Arts and Sciences for Central Florida Award for "Outstanding Achievement in the Arts" in 1982, the Richard A. Florsheim Art Grant in 1992, and a State of Florida Individual Artist Fellowship in 1990 and again in 1996. Kimsey's influence was extensive on budding artists in the community, having served as a professor of art for 20 years at Seminole Community College (present-day Seminole State College of Florida). Among his many other contributions to that institution, Kimsey founded the Fine Arts Gallery in 1980. As an instructor, he was known to guide his students to explore all media and styles. When ready, his students had the confidence to stand behind their work, and many are still creating and exhibiting with the same devotion as their mentor.
Original 24 x 48 inch painting: Kimsey, Grady. Seekers, 2014: Crealdé School of Art, Winter Park, Florida.
Sixteenth Census Population for Monte Llano, Caye Province, Puerto Rico, 1940
The Sixteenth Unites States Census records for Monte Llano, Caye Province, Puerto Rico, for 1940. The census divides the population by name, age, sex, race, marital status, residence, home owned or rented, value of home or monthly rent, whether living on a farm, other residents of same address, relation to head of house, attended school or college after March 1940, highest grade completed, state or foreign country of birth, employment status, hours of work per week, duration of employment, and wages. Supplemental questions include the father and mother's birthplace, language spoken in home during childhood, veteran status, father's veteran status, social security, usual occupation and industry, class of worker, if women have been married more than once, age at first marriage if so, and number of children born. A notable resident listed in this record is Gil Ramos-Rivera (1925-1996) Born on September 5, 1925, in Puerto Rico, Ramos-Rivera grew up the son of a military officer, living most of his early life on Henry Barracks in Cayey, Puerto Rico. His twenty-year career in the United States Army began on October 11, 1950, and lasted until November 1, 1970. He served in both the Korean and Vietnam Wars, and received a Purple Heart. After his retirement from the Army, he moved to Florida, where he spent the rest of his life. On March 17, 1996, Ramos-Rivera passed away at the age of seventy. The Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell, Florida, placed a memorial headstone in honor of Ramos-Rivera and his service. 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.
United States Census Bureau
Digital reproduction of original census record by Lorina Kindaya, April 10, 1940.
Postcard showing the Mayfair Hotel in 1944. Originally named after the Sanford Mayor and president of Seminole County Bank, construction of the Forrest Lake Hotel began in 1916. Local architect Elton J. Moughton designed the hotel. In 1925, Hotel Forrest Lake opened and became a popular destination for tourists visiting Sanford. By 1929, the hotel closed after the stock market crash and the downfall of Florida's tourism and real estate boom. William E. Kirchhoff leased the building in 1934 and the hotel reopened in 1935 with the new name Mayfair Hotel. Under Kirchhoff's ownership, the Mayfair Hotel became known as one of the finest hotels in the South. Kirchhoff sold the hotel in 1948 to Horace Stoneham, owner of the New York Giants. Stoneham then sold the building to the Bernard McFadden Foundation 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 9 x 14 centinmeter color postcard by Arthur A. Kirchoff: Postcard Collection, call number PC3069, Florida Photographic Collection, State Library and Archives of Florida, Tallahassee, Florida.
State Library and Archives of Florida
RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Episode 13: The Jones High School Historical Society, Inc.
Episode 13 of RICHES Podcast Documentaries: The Jones High School Historical Society, Inc. RICHES Podcast Documentaries are short form narrative documentaries that explore Central Florida history and are locally produced. These podcasts can involve the participation or cooperation of local area partners. Episode 13 explores the history of Jones High School, the first public school for African-Americans in Parramore, Orlando, Florida, in the 1880s. For decades, black students were forbidden from attending white public schools. The original building for the high school was on the corner of Garland Avenue and Church Street, but the school was renamed the Johnson Academy and moved to a newer building on the corner of Parramore Avenue and Jefferson Street. In 1921, the school was renamed in honor Principal L. C. Jones and a brick, Colonial Revival building was constructed on the corner of Parramore Avenue and Washington Street. The school was finally moved to its current location at 801 South Rio Grande Avenue in 1952.
Original 11-minute and 8-second podcast by Bonita Kirkpatrick, September 1, 2011: "RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Episode 13: The Jones High School Historical Society, Inc." RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Orlando, Florida.
Jones Academy, Parramore, Orlando, Florida
Jones High School, Parramore, Orlando, Florida
RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Episode 30: Jones High School, Part 1
Episode 30, Part 1 of RICHES Podcast Documentaries: Jones High School. RICHES Podcast Documentaries are short form narrative documentaries that explore Central Florida history and are locally produced. These podcasts can involve the participation or cooperation of local area partners. Episode 30 examines the integration of Central Florida schools nearly 10 years after the U.S. Supreme Court declared segregation illegal. This podcast includes interviews with former students and teachers of Jones High School, the first public school for African Americans in Orlando, Florida. For decades, black students were forbidden from attending white public schools. The original building for the high school was on the corner of Garland Avenue and Church Street, but the school was renamed the Johnson Academy and moved to a newer building on the corner of Parramore Avenue and Jefferson Street. In 1921, the school was renamed in honor Principal L. C. Jones and a brick, Colonial Revival building was constructed on the corner of Parramore Avenue and Washington Street. The school was finally moved to its current location at 801 South Rio Grande Avenue in 1952.
Original 12-minute and 12-second podcast by Bonita Kirkpatrick, May 14, 2012: "RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Episode 30: Jones High School, Part 1." RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Orlando, Florida.
RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Episode 31: Jones High School, Part 2
Episode 31, Part 2 of RICHES Podcast Documentaries: Hamilton Holt. RICHES Podcast Documentaries are short form narrative documentaries that explore Central Florida history and are locally produced. These podcasts can involve the participation or cooperation of local area partners. Episode 31 examines the integration of Central Florida schools nearly 10 years after the U.S. Supreme Court declared segregation illegal. This podcast includes interviews with former students and teachers of Jones High School, the first public school for African Americans in Orlando, Florida. For decades, black students were forbidden from attending white public schools. The original building for the high school was on the corner of Garland Avenue and Church Street, but the school was renamed the Johnson Academy and moved to a newer building on the corner of Parramore Avenue and Jefferson Street. In 1921, the school was renamed in honor Principal L. C. Jones and a brick, Colonial Revival building was constructed on the corner of Parramore Avenue and Washington Street. The school was finally moved to its current location at 801 South Rio Grande Avenue in 1952.
Original 15-minute and 55-second podcast by Bonita Kirkpatrick, May 2012: "RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Episode 31: Jones High School, Part 2." RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Orlando, Florida.
The children of prominent citrus grower, celery cultivator, and politician Benjamin Franklin Wheeler, Sr. (1878-1954) and George Lee Wheeler in the mid-1920s.. Photographed from left to right are Benjamin Franklin Wheeler, Jr. (1920-2006); Clara Lee Wheeler Evans (1917-2010), and Miriam Louise Wheeler (b. 1922). Frank Wheeler, Jr. graduated from Oviedo High School in 1938 and went on to attend Stetson University in DeLand until he was commissioned as an officer in the Navy during World War II. After the war, he returned to Stetson and earned his business degree in 1945 and later his honorary law degree. Wheeler took over the family businesses, Wheeler Fertilizer Company and Nelson and Company, in 1954, when his father passed away. Nelson & Co. grew citrus and cultivated celery in Oviedo, Florida. Wheeler died on November 30, 2006.
Original 5 x 10 inch black and white photographic print by Kirwan: Private Collection of Vicki Clonts.
Orange County World War I Soldiers Memorial
On November 11, 1924, Armistice Day, the Orlando Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) dedicated a granite marker to the soldiers from Orange County, Florida, who died in World War I. The idea was conceived by the then-regent of DAR in 1920, but for unknown reasons, and much to the dismay of the DAR chapter, it took four years to construct. The marker consists of a bronze tablet attached to a large granite block and was originally erected at Memorial High School in Orlando, Florida. In the dedication address, Francis Gregory, chapter regent, proclaimed that the granite marker symbolized the solid character of the United States of America, and the bronze plaque commemorated those who made the marker possible: the DAR and the citizens of Orange County. After Memorial High School was demolished in 1961, the Orange County World War I Soldiers Memorial was moved to South Lake Eola where it still stands today.
Original digital color image by Carly Kittel, September 19, 2013.
Orange County World War I Soldiers Memorial, Lake Eola Park, Downtown Orlando, Florida
Russ Mattress and Manufacturing Company Fan
A fan advertising the Russ Mattress and Manufacturing Company that was located at 1122 West Church Street in Orlando, Florida. The front of the fan shows a winter scene with snow-covered houses and a U.S. Patent number # 1655229. The fan was produced by the U. O. Colson Company of Paris, Illinois. The patent for the fan was applied for by Frank H. Klie in 1927 and granted on January 3, 1928.
Original fan: U. O. Colson Company, Paris, Illinois: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
Born in New York City, Harri Klotz has worked in New York, Florida, and Provincetown, Massachusetts. Settling in Orlando in 1946, she and husband, Solomon Klotz, collected jewelry from around the world along with pre-Columbian artifacts, which was donated to the Orlando Museum of Art upon her death at age 84. Discovering a lack of interest and support for the arts in Central Florida, Klotz formed the Creative Workshop, an artist's cooperative, in 1962. Members were encouraged to exhibit their work and share critique and ideas. She eventually opened a commercial gallery, as well. Klotz was a colorist who employed layers upon layers of paint. One can look at one color area and see further and further within, but always return to the surface, as when a person looks into a pool of water that reflect the sky. Her jagged edgings enhance the dynamism of her surfaces. Free from any particular boundaries while retaining control of the elements, the emphasis is focused on the subject of the interior state with the intense feeling evoked by the abstract qualities of nature. The interplay of free shapes and the intensity of color expression float in an atmospheric continuum. Harri employs the full prism of colors in many ranges and categories.
Original color painting by Harri Klotz: City of Orlando Terrace Gallery, Orlando, Florida.
A map of Oviedo drawn by Dane Kolb as part of the Oviedo History Harvest in 2015. The map shows various locations in Oviedo, including Red Bug Lake Road, the Oviedo Mall, a cemetery, a school, and Kolb's home. Kolb was 25 at the time that the map was drawn.
Original hand-drawn map by Dane Kolb, April 18, 2015: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
"My Favorite Memory of Oviedo Is..." by Dane Kolb
A document created by Dane Kolb as part of the Oviedo History Harvest in 2015. In the document, the author is asked to describe his favorite memory of Oviedo, Florida. Kolb, who was 25 at the time, stated that skating and rollerblading around Lawton Elementary School was his favorite memory.
Original document by Dane Kolb, April 18, 2015: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
Lawton Elementary School, Oviedo, Florida
An audio recording of "Autumn Leaves," composed by Joseph Kosma (1905-1969) with lyrics by Jacques Prévert (1900-1977, and performed by Larry Coryell (b. 1943) live on-air on WUCF-FM on June 8, 1999. Coryell is an American jazz fusion guitarist, composer, and one of the pioneers of jazz-rock, a fusion genre that combines elements of blues, rock, country, and bop. Considered by many to be one of the greatest guitarists of all time, Coryell has shared the stage with Miles Davis (1926-1991) and Jimi Hendrix (1942-1970). He has remained active since the 1960s, recording over 100 albums. "Autumn Leaves" is a jazz and pop standard composed by Kosma in 1945. American songwriter Johnny Mercer (1909-1976) wrote English lyrics in 1947.
Original 7-minute and 34-second audio recording: Kosma, Joseph and Jacques Prévert. "Autumn Leaves," by Larry Coryell: WUCF-FM, Orlando, Florida, June 8, 1999.
Letter from L. L. Faulk & Son to the Oviedo Woman's Club
A letter from L. L. Faulk & Son to the Oviedo Woman's Club (OWC) regarding a construction contract to build a new clubhouse. The Oviedo Woman's Club, which was founded in 1906 as the Oviedo Magazine Club by seven charter members: H. B. McCall, Edith Meade, Georgia Lee Wheeler, Lillian Lee Lawton, Mattie Aulin Wheeler, Milcah Yonge, and Mary King. The first clubhouse was constructed in 1914 and also served as Oviedo's first library. In 1916, the club joined the Florida Federation of Women's Clubs (FFWC) and officially changed its name to the Oviedo Woman's Club. In 1923, the woman's club was federated under the umbrella of the General Federation of Woman's Clubs (GFWC). A new clubhouse was built in 1961 on property donated by R. L. Croom, a former member, which is located at 414 King Street. The Oviedo Woman's Club is involved in many civic projects, including the annual Great Day in the Country Arts and Crafts Festival, the Spring Fundraiser, Tasting Luncheons, and Celebrate Spring Teas.
Original letter from L. L. Faulk & Son to the Oviedo Woman's Club: Private Collection of Beatrice Gestrich.
Oviedo Woman's Club
United Spanish War Veterans Building Postcard
A postcard of the United Spanish War Veterans' brick building in St. Cloud, Florida. A man is sitting in a chair against the outside pillar of the building. The building was originally built in 1910 for the city's First National Bank, but failed in 1917 when it became the People's Bank. The United Spanish War Veterans took over the building in 1934. In 1970, the building became home to the Golden Age Club. Today the building is the home of the city's Chamber of Commerce and is a historical museum. Handwritten on the bottom of the postcard is "UNITED SPANISH WAR VETERANS ST. CLOUD FLA. M1400". This postcard is part of a private collection kept by Roger Hipel of St. Cloud, Florida.
Original 5 x 3 black and white postcard: Private Collection of Roger Hipel.
Letter from James B. Lackey to Harold L. Moody (July 28, 1966)
A letter from James B. Lackey, a water and waste biological consultant, to Harold L. Moody, the River Fishery Project Leader at the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission, discussing water samples from Lake Apopka in Florida. Lackey, a retired University of Florida professor, was hired by Lake and Orange counties to study water quality in Lake Apopka and the Harris Chain of Lakes. In the letter, Lackey describes the samples as representing highly over-fertilized water, and expects annual fish kills on Lake Apopka if the fertilizer loading from the Zellwood farms is not stopped.
Photocopy of original typewritten letter from James B. Lackey to Harold L. Moody, July 28, 1966: binder 1966, Friends of Lake Apopka Archives, Ginn Museum, Oakland Nature Preserve, Oakland, Florida.
An oral history interview of Richard Lamberty, a member of the Orlando Gay Chorus, same-sex ballroom dancer, and software developer. This interview was conducted by Geoffrey Cravero at the Center for Humanities and Digital Research at the University of Central Florida (UCF) in Orlando, Florida, on October 11th, 2016. Some of the topics covered include a biographical summary, his educational history, discovering dance, his family history, his relationship with his father, same-sex ballroom dancing, the Orlando Gay Chorus, Orlando Cloggers, becoming a dance instructor, losing communication and physical skills from rheumatoid arthritis, world travels as a dance instructor, homosexuality in Japan, the end of his dance career, North American Same-Sex Partner Dance Association (NASSPDA), the history of same-sex dancing, the kinesiology of dance, Dance Vision International Dancers Association (DVIDA) American Smooth Bronze Syllabus manual, reasons for joining the Orlando Gay Chorus, the mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub and its aftermath, the Gay and Lesbian Association of Choruses (GALA) Festival, being a public figure and representing Orlando, violence against homosexuals, meeting a transsexual Muslim, the John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC) vigil for victims of the Pulse massacre, homosexuality in the space and defense industry, turning tragedy into positive change, gun control reform, the community response to Pulse tragedy, the significance of the rainbow flag, the long-term consequences of the Pulse tragedy, and the rise of fundamentalism.
Lamberty, Richard. Interviewed by Geoffrey Cravero, October 11, 2016. Audio record available. RICHES of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, Orlando, Florida
GALA Choruses Festival, Denver Performing Arts Center, Denver, Colorado
Letter from A. Q. Lancaster to Randall Chase (August 9, 1919)
An original letter of correspondence between A. Q. Lancaster and Randall Chase. Topics discussed in the letter include a fight between a white laborer's son and a colored laborer at Isleworth Grove. The white laborer was taken to the hospital and the colored laborer was arrested. 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.
Copy of original letter from A. Q. Lancaster to Randall Chase, August 9, 1919: box 49, folder 20.83, Chase Collection (MS 14), Special and Area Studies Collections, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.
Chase & Company Office, Sanford, Florida
William "Bill" Sterling Jenkins traveled the world, built and prospered in many different careers, recorded his travels and experiences in his paintings, and made a permanent impact on the Central Florida community. Jenkins received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1934 from the University of Florida and was awarded a postgraduate scholarship to study art at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Florence, Italy. He spent several intensive years traveling through Europe by rail and bicycle, creating figure and landscape paintings. Upon his return, he established an art school in Columbus, Georgia. In 1942, he married Alice Moberg after meeting her in Mexico, where he studied silversmithing. Following a brief stint in the U.S. Army, Jenkins received an honorable discharge after contracting pneumonia and was sent to the Veterans Administration hospital in Orlando, Florida, to recuperate. He then worked for the VA and pioneered a program of rehabilitative art therapy classes for veterans. After earning his master's degree in psychology from Florida State University in 1950, he settled in Winter Park and established Jenkins Construction Company, building many residential communities and shopping centers. In 1975, Jenkins established Creald้ฉ School of Art, donating the organization and the property to the community in 1990. He also established the Jenkins Chair at the University of Central Florida, and donated the majority of his paintings to the UCF Art Gallery.
Original black and white photograph by Rick Lang: Crealdé School of Art, Winter Park, Florida.
University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida
Crealdé School of Art, Winter Park, Florida
UCF Art Gallery, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida
Letter from Richard H. Langley to Gary I. Sharp (February 24, 1975)
A letter from Florida State Representative Richard H. Langley to Gary I. Sharp, dated February 24, 1975). In this letter, Rep. Langley endorses the potential acquisition of the Gourd Neck Springs area by the State of Florida. Rep. Langley states his endorsement is given only on the condition that the state prohibits further discharge into Lake Apopka. Gourd Neck Springs is a small spring located in the southwest portion of Lake Apopka, in a small cove called “Gourd Neck” due to its distinctive shape. This area of the lake was considered in the 1960s as a potential nursery for fish. The Lake Apopka Technical Committee explored damming the Gourd Neck, separating it from the lake and preventing polluted lake water from entering, but these plans did not materialize. Efforts were also made in the 1960s to have the Gourd Neck area purchased by the State of Florida for use as a public park. The Gourd Neck Springs Park Association was formed in 1961 to study the site’s potential for a park and lobby for support from legislators. The land bordering the area was privately-owned by various individuals. One of these, Gary I. Sharp, continued seeking support for a park into the 1970s. While the project received support from Florida legislators and environmentalists, the land was never purchased by the state.
Photocopy of original 1-page typewritten letter from Richard H. Langley to Gary I. Sharp, February 24, 1975: binder 1975, Friends of Lake Apopka Archives, Ginn Museum, Oakland Nature Preserve, Oakland, Florida.
Gourd Neck Springs, Lake Apopka, Florida
Oral history of Paul H. Friedman's military service in Vietnam during the Vietnam War (1961-1975). Friedman was born on August 28, 1946 in Rockway Beach, New York. In 1966, he enlisted in the United States Navy and served in the U.S.S. Forrestal G Division, which engaged in combat operations in the Gulf of Tonkin. Friedman achieved the rank of Petty Officer, 3rd Class. He was injured in the 1967 fire that devastated the Forrestal and killed 134 of his shipmates. Friedman ended his service on November 19, 1967. During his service, he received the National Defense Medal and the Vietnam Service Medal. This oral history interview was conducted by Ettore M. Lanza in Coral Springs, Florida on March 21, 2011. The Vietnam War was a Cold War Era "military conflict". The war was originally waged between Cambodia, Vietnam, and Laos. The United States became involved as a preventive measure to combat communism. The official date of the military conflict is November 1, 1955 and ending in April 1975. The date of the war has been disputed, but a study in 1998 by the Department of Defense definitively put the start of the Vietnam War as November 1, 1955. The first combat military troops 9th Marine Expeditionary Brigade didn't arrive until 1965. With the arrival of the combat troops came the first traditional battles of combat fighting in the war. During the Vietnam War, not only did American military go into battle with and for South Vietnam, the military also trained members of South Vietnam to fight alongside during the war. Peace talks were attempted, with France moderating, beginning on May 10, 1968. These talks were unsuccessful and lasted over three years. The longest battle of the Vietnam War began on January 21, 1968 and didn't end until the U.S. reclaimed Route 9 on April 8, 1968, seventy-seven days later. While the military conflict ended in 1975, it was a long process towards reunification and redevelopment as a country. The conflict left Vietnam in both political and economical ruins. While the U.S. military was fighting overseas, Many American citizens protested the war at home. Demonstrations took place across the country with the most famous one being at Kent State University in Ohio. While this is the most well known demonstration it was not the first. Americans questioned the U.S. involvement in the war throughout.
Friedman, Paul H. Interviewed by Ettore M. Lanza. UCF Community Veterans History Project, DP0011885. March 21, 2011. Audio/video record available. UCF Community Veterans History Project, Special Collections and University Archives, University of Central Florida Libraries, Orlando, Florida.
History of the Oviedo Woman's Club by Lillian Della Lee Lawton
A history written by Lillian Della Lee Lawton (1882-1977) chronicling the history of the Oviedo Woman's Club (OWC), which 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 document by Lillian Della Lee Lawton, 1940: Private Collection of Beatrice Gestrich.
Letter from Lillian Della Lee Lawton to the Oviedo Women's Club
A letter from Lillian Della Lee Lawton (1882-1977) to the President and members of the Oviedo Women's Club. In the letter, Lawton reports the purchases and finances of the Park Committee. 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 letter from Lillian Della Lee Lawton to the Oviedo Women's Club: Private Collection of Beatrice Gestrich.
Joseph Lawton, October 18, 1753 - March 1815
A history of Joseph Lawton (1753-1815), who was the son of William Lawton of England and Mary Sams. Lawton was born on his father's Plantation, Steamboat Creek, on Edisto Island, South Carolina on October 18, 1753. By 1774, Lawton moved his family to Black Swamp, where he established a plantation called Mulberry Grove Plantation. Lawton married Sarah Robert (d. 1839) on March 18, 1773, and together they had seven children. In 1831, Sarah began the tradition of holding an Lawton family reunion. This booklet also includes a history of Black Swamp around the time of the American Revolutionary War, as well as a family tree.
Original 17-page booklet: Lawton, Thomas Oregon, Jr. Joseph Lawton, October 18, 1753 - March 1815. Lawton and Allied Families Association, 1975: Private Collection of Betty Jean Aulin Reagan.
Steamboat Creek, Edisto Island, South Carolina
Mulberry Grove Plantation, Walterboro, South Carolina
Black Swamp, Robertville, South Carolina
Letter from Thomas Willington Lawton to Susan B. Wight (July 15, 1924)
A letter from Thomas Willington Lawton (1882-1963), Secretary and Superintendent of the Seminole County Department of Public Instruction, to Susan B. Wight, President of the Sanford Woman's Club, dated July 15, 1924. On behalf to the Seminole County Board of Public Instruction, Lawton thanks Wight and the Woman's Club for their assistance in funding school lunches at Sanford Grammar School. Originally established as Sanford High School, the main building was constructed at 301 West Seventh Street in Sanford, Florida, in 1902. The building was designed by W. G. Talley in the Romanesque revival style. Due to an increasing student population, a new school building was constructed on the corner of East Ninth Street and South Palmetto Avenue in 1911. The original building on Seventh Street served as Westside Grammar Elementary School, which was later renamed Sanford Grammar School. After a desperate need for an addition to the school developed, the city granted the school $75,000. The school's lunchroom was opened on October 10, 1921, after months of fundraising efforts hosted by the Woman's Club. In November 23, 1984, the main school building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places and converted into the Student Museum. However, despite objections from the community, the lunchroom was demolished on September 25, 2008. The main school building reopened as the University of Central Florida's Public History Center in 2012.
Photocopy of original letter from Thomas Willington Lawton to Susan B. Wight, July 15, 1924: Sanford Grammar Collection, Archives Box 4B, UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida.
Sanford Grammar School, Sanford, Florida
"Pennsylvania Polka" Decca Record from Associated Radio Store
A "Pennsylvania Polka" record manufactured by Decca Records, Inc. in New York City, New York. "Pennsylvania Polka" was performed by Lester Lee and Zeke Manners (1911-2000) on The Lawrence Welk Show. This particular copy was purchased from the Associated Radio Store, located at 149 North Orange Avenue in Downtown Orlando, Florida.
Original record: Lee, Lester and Zeke Manners. Pennsylvania Polka. Decca Records, Inc.
Decca Records, Inc.
Associated Radio Store, Downtown Orlando, Florida
Oral History of Luticia Roberts Lee and Catherine Lee Dingle
An oral history of Luticia Lee, with her daughter, Cathy Lee Dingle. Lee was born in Sanford, Florida, where her mother bought a grocery store on First Street at half-interest in 1910. Lee's mother graduated from Sanford High School in 1913 and Lee graduated in 1942, after it was renamed Seminole High School. Her children in the attended the school in the 1960, and her grandson graduated later. Lee met her husband, James Lee, who had just returned from service in the U.S. Army in December of 1945. In September of 1946, the couple married. They had three children and five grandchildren. In this oral history, Lee discusses how they started the tradition of throwing pasture parties, life was like during integration in Sanford, how Jim Crow laws were applied, Lee's old house, and tornadoes and hurricanes that had passed through Sanford.
Lee, Luticia and Catherine Lee Dingle. Interviewed by Trish Thompson and Laura Donaldson. Celery Soup. July 2012. Audio record available. Creative Sanford, Inc., Sanford Florida.
East 3rd Street and South Palmetto Avenue, Sanford, Florida
West 15th Street and South Oak Avenue, Sanford, Florida
American Legion Campbell-Lossing Post 53, Sanford, Florida
This is an undated narrative, written by Luticia "Tish" Lee, that describes the origins of a rolling pin that has become an heirloom of the Lee Family of Sanford, Florida. Lee wrote about this keepsake for which she had placed in her Love Cedar Chest, also known as a Hope Chest. While attending high school in 1940, Lee's parents gave her a hope chest, along with a bedspread crocheted by her mother. Also included inside was a rolling pin that her father, a member of the American Legion, had made from one of the wooden spokes from the wheel of a World War I-era cannon. The cannon was placed in front of American Legion Campbell-Lossing Post 53, located at 300 Seminole Boulevard, on January 17, 1936, but was dismantled for scrap metal during World War II. Lee married her husband James after the war on September 11, 1946. After her wedding, she began using the rolling pin.
Original handwritten narrative by Luticia "Tish" Lee: Private Collection of Luticia "Tish" Lee.
Veteran's Compensation Application for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Application Form for Veterans Compensation, which authorized the state to compensate veterans native to Pennsylvania at the time of their enlistment. The application includes name, current address, branch and location of service, place of birth, dependents (wife, children, parents), stations assignments, promotions, wounds, service overseas, and honorable discharge date. A notable resident listed in this record is John T. Cowsert, who served as a soldier during the Mexican Border War and the First World War. He joined the United States Army as a member of the 12th Field Artillery for the 2nd Division. While deployed in France, he fought in the battles of Chateau-Thierry, Soissons, St. Mihiel, and the Meuse-Argonne. After armistice, John and the 2nd Division were part of the Army of Occupation that moved into Germany. For his service, John was awarded the Silver Star, two Croix de Guerres, and the Pershing Citation. After the war, John spent his life in St. Petersburg, Florida, with his wife, Irma. He worked for the Florida Power Corporation. Cowsert died on June 21, 1944, and was buried at Bay Pines National Cemetery Section 9, Row 2, Site 18. 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.
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Digital reproduction of the original veteran's compensation application.
Annual Report of the Board of Supervisors of the Seminole Soil and Water Conservation District, 1960
The annual report of the Board of Supervisors of the Seminole Soil and Water Conservation District for 1960. The organization began in 1948 with a goal to assist in agricultural interests. Over the years, the Seminole Soil and Water Conservation District began to also concentrate on the development and management of recreational enterprises. Their interests also entailed inventory and evaluations for land uses and solving issues concerning soil and water resources. In this year's report, the board gives an annual review of the accomplishments of the past and a summation of the objectives for the next year.
Original 10-page typewritten report by the Board of Supervisors of the Seminole Soil and Water Conservation District,1960: Folder SSWCD Annual Reports, 1949-1975, Seminole Soil and Water Conservation District, Sanford, Florida.
Seminole Soil and Water Conservation District
Letter from William H. Lee to Michael Gladden, Jr. (March 14, 1931)
Policy statement from the Afro-American Life Insurance Company for Michael Gladden, Jr. The letter was sent by the company's secretary, William H. Lee, on March 14, 1931, in regards to Gladden's unpaid life insurance policy account for the annual premium rate of $49.40. Michael Gladden, Jr. (1899-1982) was the executor of the estate of George W. Oden (1862-1939), a successful businessman and citrus grower in Apopka, Florida. Gladden was born in South Carolina in 1899. He married Elizabeth Gladden and together they had a son, William, who was born around 1904. According to census records, the Gladden family had moved to Jacksonville as early as 1910 and then moved to Apopka. After Oden's death in 1939, Gladden continued to manage the legal documents of Oden's estate.
Original letter from William H. Lee to Michael Gladen, Jr.: series I, box 1, folder 96, African American Legacy: The Carol Mundy Collection, Special Collections & University Archives, University of Central Florida Libraries, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
Afro-American Life Insurance Company, Jacksonville, Florida
Untitled (Tondo) by Doris "Doc" Marie Leeper
Untitled (Tondo), an oil on masonite painting created by Doris Marie Leeper around 1960. Known to many as "Doc," Leeper was a trailblazing abstract painter and sculptor based in Eldora, Florida near New Smyrna Beach. Originally from North Carolina, Leeper found an artistic oasis in Central Florida. The region provided her with the space to buy a house and work in relative isolation, but also augmented her interest in natural preservation. Today, the Doris Leeper Spruce Creek Preserve remains a testament to her environmental dedication. Leeper’s impact on Central Florida also became apparent through her support for institutions; for example, she was a founder of the Atlantic Center for the Arts in New Smyrna Beach. Leeper’s local legacy manifests itself most profoundly through her artistic production. Her bold lines, strong color palette, and propensity for clean lines aesthetically aligned her with minimalism. Leeper’s painting evolved from representational to non-objective over time. She embraced a language of abstraction more typical of the prevailing New York art world in the 1960 and 1970s, as opposed to the dominant aesthetic in Florida during the same time period. She showed her work locally and regionally with regularity. Her work was celebrated by significant solo exhibitions at the Hunter Museum of American Art in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and the Mint Museum of Art in Charlotte, North Carolina. The process of mining local histories yields the legacies of talented artists who have often been discarded from mainstream narratives. When one engages deeper with Leeper’s work, it is not difficult to conclude that her myriad two- and three-dimensional works are worthy of not only a local, but a national story.
Original oil painting: Leeper, Doris Marie. Untitled (Tondo): item 1995.13, Cornell Fine Arts Museum, Winter Park, Florida.
Memorandum from Leesburg Fisheries Experiment Station to John W. Woods (May 28, 1964)
A memorandum from the Leesburg Fisheries Experiment Station to John W. Woods, the Chief of Fisheries Division for the Florida Game and Freshwater Fish Commission. The memo discusses a recent report by Joe E. Burgess for the Florida State Board of Health. The author of the memo disagrees with several findings of the State Board of Health report and discusses inconsistencies in the wording of the report.
Photocopy of original 2-page typewritten memorandum from Leesburg Fisheries Experiment Station to John W. Woods, May 28, 1964: Binder 1964, drawer 1938-1987, Friends of Lake Apopka Archives, Ginn Museum, Oakland Nature Preserve, Oakland, Florida.
Leather industry and trade--United States
A newspaper articleon the tobacco and leather industries in Florida. The article was written by C. D. Leffler, President of the Young Men's Business League, and published by Manufacturers Record: A Weekly Southern Industrial Railroad and Financial Newspaper. According to the article, Florida had "become a great cigar and tobacco centre, especially for [C]lear Havana goods," a cigar brand. The cigar industry was first brought to Florida by Cuban immigrants in the 1830s and became one of the most important industries in the Southeast by the last quarter of the 19th century, with Tampa serving as the cigar manufacturing center in the state. In the late 1800s, cigar factories began to appear in various other Florida cities, such as Jacksonville and Tallahassee. Cigar manufacturing first appeared in Sanford sometime between 1909 and 1912. The Florida cigar industry came to its peak in the first quarter of the 20th century, but then declined during the Great Depression and World War II, due to the accumulation of labor union conflicts over the years, the mechanization of production, and changing consumer demands. The industry was revitalized during the 1950s as production soared, despite the decline of the number of workers. Following the Cuban Revolution of the late 1950s and the U.S. embargo on Cuban products in 1962, the Florida cigar industry again declined. The Cuban embargo included tobacco, thus forcing American cigar rollers to begin using Dominican tobacco. The article also discusses prospects for the leather industry in Florida, which had a virtually unlimited supply of palmetto, a root plant commonly used in the tanning process. Lastly, Leffler briefly cites the starch, tapioca, and artesian water industries.
Photocopy of original newspaper article by C. D. Leffler: "Tobacco and Leather." Manufacturers Record: A Weekly Southern Industrial Railroad and Financial Newspaper, July 19, 1895, page 384: Cigar Making Collection, Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
Manufacturers Record: A Weekly Southern Industrial Railroad and Financial Newspaper
Sanford High School Rhetoric Assignment, 1905
A rhetoric assignment completed by Sanford High School sophomore Peacha Leffler in 1905. Leffler was one of the first graduates of Sanford High in 1907. This particular assignment was created to test the student's rhetoric skills. Sanford High School was originally established 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 Sanford Avenue in 1911. The original building on Seventh Street served as Westside Grammar Elementary School, which was later renamed Sanford Grammar School. In 1984, the building was placed on the National Registry of Historic Places and converted into the Student Museum. The building reopened as the University of Central Florida's Public History Center in 2012. In 1927, a high school campus was designed by Elton J. Moughton in the Mediterranean revival style and constructed at 1700 French Avenue. The school reopened on January 10 and was renamed Seminole High School. In 1960, the high school moved to a new campus at 2701 Ridgewood Avenue and the former building on French Avenue was converted to Sanford Junior High School, which was later renamed Sanford Middle School. The old building was demolished in the summer of 1991 and replaced by a $5.77 million school complex. As of 2013, Seminole High School offers various Advanced Placement courses, the Academy for Health Careers, and the International Baccalaureate Programme for students.
Original school assignment completed by Peacha Leffler, May 17, 1905: Sanford High School Collection, box 3A, folder Student Work 1905, item SCPS00496, UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida.
Sanford High School Civil Government Assignment, 1905
Civil government assignment completed by Sanford High School sophomore Peacha Leffler in 1905. Leffler was one of the first graduates of Sanford High in 1907. This particular assignment was created to test the student's civil government knowledge. Sanford High School was originally established 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 Sanford Avenue in 1911. The original building on Seventh Street served as Westside Grammar Elementary School, which was later renamed Sanford Grammar School. In 1984, the building was placed on the National Registry of Historic Places and converted into the Student Museum. The building reopened as the University of Central Florida's Public History Center in 2012. In 1927, a high school campus was designed by Elton J. Moughton in the Mediterranean revival style and constructed at 1700 French Avenue. The school reopened on January 10 and was renamed Seminole High School. In 1960, the high school moved to a new campus at 2701 Ridgewood Avenue and the former building on French Avenue was converted to Sanford Junior High School, which was later renamed Sanford Middle School. The old building was demolished in the summer of 1991 and replaced by a $5.77 million school complex. As of 2013, Seminole High School offers various Advanced Placement courses, the Academy for Health Careers, and the International Baccalaureate Programme for students.
Original school assignment completed by Peacha Leffler, May 9, 1905: Sanford High School Collection, box 3A, folder Student Work 1905, item SCPS00497, UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida.
Sanford High School Latin Assignment, 1905
Latin assignment completed by Sanford High School sophomore Peacha Leffler in 1905. Leffler was one of the first graduates of Sanford High in 1907. This particular assignment was created to test the student's Latin skills. Sanford High School was originally established 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 Sanford Avenue in 1911. The original building on Seventh Street served as Westside Grammar Elementary School, which was later renamed Sanford Grammar School. In 1984, the building was placed on the National Registry of Historic Places and converted into the Student Museum. The building reopened as the University of Central Florida's Public History Center in 2012. In 1927, a high school campus was designed by Elton J. Moughton in the Mediterranean revival style and constructed at 1700 French Avenue. The school reopened on January 10 and was renamed Seminole High School. In 1960, the high school moved to a new campus at 2701 Ridgewood Avenue and the former building on French Avenue was converted to Sanford Junior High School, which was later renamed Sanford Middle School. The old building was demolished in the summer of 1991 and replaced by a $5.77 million school complex. As of 2013, Seminole High School offers various Advanced Placement courses, the Academy for Health Careers, and the International Baccalaureate Programme for students.
Original school assignment completed by Peacha Leffler, May 16, 1905: Sanford High School Collection, box 3A, folder Student Work 1905, item SCPS00498, UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida.
Gas lines in Maryland during the 1973 Oil Crisis, which began in October when member state of the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) initiated an oil embargo on the United States. The embargo began in response to American involvement in the Yom Kippur War between Israel and various other countries in the Middle East and North Africa. The crisis resulted in a gasoline shortage and a spike in prices. Filling stations across the country experienced long lines as people scrambled for gas. The embargo also had a substantial effect on the gas turbine market.
Digital reproduction of original black and white photograph by Warren K. Leffler, June 15, 1979: item 03433, Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Memorandum from P. E. Lego (May 20, 1988)
A memorandum from P. E. Lego, Chief Operating Officer of Westinghouse Electric Corporation's Energy and Utility Systems Group, regarding the restructuring of the Power Generation Business Unit (PGBU) in 1988. In 1983, the Westinghouse power generation business operation, starting with the Steam Turbine Generator Division, was taking shape in its new Orlando headquarters under the management team led by General Manager Dr. Stan Quick (under E. J. "Gene" Cattabiani, Vice President of the Power Generation Group). This series of letters, memoranda, and charts documents the changes in management leadership at the Orlando site from 1983 through 1998, when the Westinghouse Power Genration Business was acquired by Siemens. Following the announcement of the retirement of Dr. Quick in 1984, the management was led by the team of Bob Ractcliffe and Howard Pierce. In 1987, Tom Campbell was appointed General Manager of the Power Generation Technology Systems Division under Nat Woodsen and Jim Moore, Vice Presidents of the Power Systems Business Unit. In 1988, the Power Generation Business Unit (PGBU) was formed under Frank R. Bakos, Vice President and General Manager (under Executive Vice President Ted Stern), and, in 1995, Randy H. Zwirn took the helm as Vice President and General Manager of the PGBU. He remained at the executive level for 20 years, through the PGBU acquisition by Siemens in 1998 and beyond to 2016. Originally called the Westinghouse Electric Company, George Westinghouse (1846-1914) founded his manufacturing company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on January 8, 1886. In 1889, he renamed his business The Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company. Westinghouse's primary products include turbines, generators, motors and switchgear related to the generation, transmission, and use of electricity. The company changed its name to Westinghouse Electric Corporation in 1945. In 1981, the company began to relocate its division headquarters for the Steam-Turbine Generator Divisions from Pennsylvania (turbines from Lester and generators from Pittsburgh) to Orlando. The PGBU building was located in The Quadrangle, at 4400 Alafaya Trail.
Original 1-page typed memorandum from P. E. Lego, May 20, 1988: Private Collection of Harry L. Jaeger.
Westinghouse Electric Corporation, The Quadrangle, Orlando, Florida
"You Must Believe in Spring" by Ira Sullivan
An audio recording of "You Must Believe in Spring," composed by Michel Legrand (b. 1932), with lyrics by Alan Bergman (b. 1925), Marilyn Bergman (b. 1929), and Jacques Demy (1931-1990), and performed by Ira Sullivan (b. 1931) live on-air on WUCF-FM on December 8, 2006. A multi-instrumentalist, Sullivan was a crucial part of the Chicago jazz scene of the 1950s, performing with numerous artists, including a stint with Art Blakey (1919-1990) and the Jazz Messengers in 1956. He left the spotlight and moved to Florida to raise his family in the early 1960s, eventually starting a quintet with Red Rodney (1927-1994). Sullivan taught summers at the University of Miami's Young Musician's Camp, in which professional musicians and faculty from the UM School of Music instructed students between 7 and 18 years old in classical music, jazz, rock, songwriting, composition, and musical theater. "You Must Believe in Spring" is a 1967 jazz standard often associated with Bill Evans (1929-1980), who recorded the song for his 1981 album of the same name, and as a duet with Tony Bennett (b. 1926) on their 1977 album, Together Again.
Original 5-minute and 50-second audio recording: Legrand, Michel, Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman, and Jacque Demy. "You Must Believe in Spring," by Ira Sullivan: WUCF-FM, Orlando, Florida, December 8, 2006.
Young Musicians Camp, University of Miami, Miami, Florida
A postcard depicting Scottish troops marching in front of a castle. 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 6 x 5 inch color 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.
History of the Oviedo Woman's Club by Helen Leinhart
A history written by Helen Leinhart chronicling the history of the Oviedo Woman's Club (OWC), which 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 document by Helen Leinhart, 1972: Private Collection of Beatrice Gestrich.
Letter from Mahim A. Leitzel to James D. Beggs, Jr. (April 10, 1941)
In this letter, Mahim A. Leitzel informs James D. Beggs, Jr. that he plans to attend the dedication ceremony of the Downtown Orlando Post Office in Downtown Orlando, Florida, on April 15, 1941. The original post office was housed in the Federal Building, located 44 East Central Boulevard in Downtown Orlando, Florida, from 1917 to 1941. In 1935, when James D. 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, located at 51 East Jefferson Street, was designed by Louis A. Simon in the Northern Italian Palazzo Revival-style, and was constructed by J. P. Cullen & Son. 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 letter from Mahim A. Leitzel to James D. Beggs, Jr., April 10, 1941: Private Collection of Texann Ivy Buck.
Downtown Orlando Post Office, Downtown Orlando, Florida
The draft registration card for Buster Williams (1887-1945). The card contains the demographic information for the soldier including name, age, home address, date of birth, place of birth, race, citizenship, trade or occupation, number of dependents, whether tall, medium, or short, slender, medium, or stout, eye and hair color, whether bald, and disabilities. World War I draft registration cards were completed by approximately 24 million men living in the United States in 1917 and 1918. Buster Williams was born on December 16, 1887, in Barnwell, South Carolina. He worked as a farmer in Elkton, Florida, before being drafted into the United States Army in St. Augustine, Florida, on June 19, 1918. Williams served for about two months in the 135th Depot Brigade, a unit responsible for processing and training new recruits. From August 18, 1918, until the end of the war, he was part of Company B of the 536th Engineers Service Battalion. The 536th boarded their ship for France on August 26, 1918. The unit likely worked at the St. Aignan depot, where they would have been responsible for loading and unloading equipment and serving in primarily a support capacity. Once the war ended, Williams returned to Florida, where he married his wife, Ethel, and had three children. Williams worked as a laborer for a cemetery. He, his wife, and his son-in-law remained in the same house until Williams's death on December 28, 1945. He is buried in the St. Augustine National Cemetery. 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 continues, engaging a team of scholars to make the life stories of veterans buried in national cemeteries 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 headstones at four national cemeteries, two in Florida (Florida National Cemetery and St. Augustine National Cemetery) and two in France (American Battle Monuments Commission cemeteries at Aisne-Marne and the Meuse-Argonne), where they can access the UCF student-authored biographies of veterans.
War Department, Office of Provost Marshal General, Selective Service System
Digital reproduction of original draft registration card: Selective Service System, World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918, M1509, 4,582 rolls.
The draft registration card for Commodore Isaac Murray (1896?-1947). Approximately 24 million men registered for the draft between 1917 and 1918. The cards recorded name, age, date and place of birth, race, and occupation, and a corresponding registrar's card listed physical features. Commodore Isaac Murray was born in New Augustine, Florida in October sometime between 1895 and 1897 (his records give conflicting dates). He grew up in St. Augustine with six siblings. Like many, when the United States entered the World War, Murray registered for the draft on June 5, 1917, and he was inducted into the United States Army on August 4, 1918. He served as a private in Company D of the 546th Engineers from September 11, 1918 to August 26, 1919. The Engineers battalions were responsible for a wide range of behind-the-lines work, such as repairing roads and building barracks to keep the rest of the army moving. After returning to the United States, Murray was honorably discharged on September 12, 1919. He returned to his hometown where he lived with his wife and children until his death on October 18, 1947. He is buried in the St. Augustine National Cemetery at Section D Grave 87. 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 draft registration card, June 5, 1917: Selective Service System, World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918, M1509, 4,582 rolls.
Historic Oviedo Colored Schools Museum During Renovations
The exterior of the Historic Oviedo Colored Schools Museum, previously St. James AME Church, located at 2170 James Drive in Oviedo, Florida, on February 21, 2023. The six color photographs depict the building during renovations. A blue tarp covers part of the roof. In 2000, Gloria Godwin and Gracia Muller Miller began talking about a reunion for the Jackson Heights Elementary School, a colored school in Oviedo during segregation. Reunion Historian, Judith Smith, began to look for artifacts from that era and struggled to locate any pictures or other information. She put the word out amongst the former students, asking to borrow photographs or other materials related to the colored school. Immediately, items began to pour in, and the result was a book entitled: “A Written and Pictorial History of the Oviedo Area Colored Schools 1890-1967, Oviedo Elementary, Jackson Heights Elementary, Geneva, Wagner, Kolokee (Snowhill), Gabriella (Jamestown).” From there, the mission was born.
6 original color photographs: RICHES, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
Historic Oviedo Colored Schools Museum, Oviedo, Florida
Roofers at the Historic Oviedo Colored Schools Museum During Renovations
Roofers working on the Historic Oviedo Colored Schools Museum, previously St. James AME Church, located at 2170 James Drive in Oviedo, Florida, on February 21, 2023. The two color photographs depict the building during renovations. In 2000, Gloria Godwin and Gracia Muller Miller began talking about a reunion for the Jackson Heights Elementary School, a colored school in Oviedo during segregation. Reunion Historian, Judith Smith, began to look for artifacts from that era and struggled to locate any pictures or other information. She put the word out amongst the former students, asking to borrow photographs or other materials related to the colored school. Immediately, items began to pour in, and the result was a book entitled: “A Written and Pictorial History of the Oviedo Area Colored Schools 1890-1967, Oviedo Elementary, Jackson Heights Elementary, Geneva, Wagner, Kolokee (Snowhill), Gabriella (Jamestown).” From there, the mission was born.
2 original color photographs: RICHES, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
Tree Stumps at the Historic Oviedo Colored Schools Museum During Renovations
Tree stumps at the Historic Oviedo Colored Schools Museum, previously St. James AME Church, located at 2170 James Drive in Oviedo, Florida, on February 21, 2023. The two color photographs depict two tree stumps from renovations to the yard and building. In 2000, Gloria Godwin and Gracia Muller Miller began talking about a reunion for the Jackson Heights Elementary School, a colored school in Oviedo during segregation. Reunion Historian, Judith Smith, began to look for artifacts from that era and struggled to locate any pictures or other information. She put the word out amongst the former students, asking to borrow photographs or other materials related to the colored school. Immediately, items began to pour in, and the result was a book entitled: “A Written and Pictorial History of the Oviedo Area Colored Schools 1890-1967, Oviedo Elementary, Jackson Heights Elementary, Geneva, Wagner, Kolokee (Snowhill), Gabriella (Jamestown).” From there, the mission was born.
Sanford Avenue Streetscape Completion and Unveiling of Heritage Markers
The ceremony commemorating the completion of the Sanford Avenue Streetscape and the unveiling of several heritage markers. The unveiling of the heritage markers was held in Paulucci Park, located at the southwest corner of First Street and Palmetto Avenue in Sanford, Florida, on November 20, 2014. Patricia Ann Black (1956- ), who can be seen wearing red in the photograph, was given special thanks for Heritage Marker # 3, which featured her father, Pilgrim Black (1905-2002). Jeff Triplett, the Mayor of Sanford, can be seen standing to the right of the podium. The ceremony was followed by a presentation of the Georgetown Pathways to History Project at the Historic Sanford Welcome Center, locate at 230 East First Street. Pathways to History is a program created by Christine Dalton, Historic Preservation Office for the City of Sanford. The programs consists of eight themed tours showcasing the history and development of Sanford. The event also included a guided tour of Sanford Avenue, which had been the subject of a $3 million streetscaping project, and a reception at the Welcome Center, hosted by the Sanford Community Redevelopment Agency. The Georgetown Pathways to History Project was developed by the Georgetown Heritage Advisory Committee with assistance from the Sanford Museum and Sanford Historical Society. Georgetown was established by the city's founder, Henry Shelton Sanford, as a suburb for African-American residents in the 1870s. The neighborhood spans along Sanford Avenue, with its commercial district between First Street and Fifth Street and its historic district between Seventh Street and Tenth Street. Though originally much smaller, Georgetown spanned to its present boundaries from East Second Street to Celery Avenue and from Sanford Avenue to Mellonville Avenue. Georgetown thrived at its height from circa 1880 to 1940, particularly in agriculture and transportation.
Original color digital image by Connie L. Lester, November 20, 2014.
Sanford Mayor Jeff Triplett Sanford Avenue Streetscape Completion and Unveiling of Heritage Markers
Sanford Mayor Jeff Triplett addressing the audience at a ceremony commemorating the completion of the Sanford Avenue Streetscape and the unveiling of several heritage markers. The unveiling of the heritage markers was held in Paulucci Park, located at the southwest corner of First Street and Palmetto Avenue in Sanford, Florida, on November 20, 2014. The ceremony was followed by a presentation of the Georgetown Pathways to History Project at the Historic Sanford Welcome Center, locate at 230 East First Street. Pathways to History is a program created by Christine Dalton, Historic Preservation Office for the City of Sanford. The programs consists of eight themed tours showcasing the history and development of Sanford. The event also included a guided tour of Sanford Avenue, which had been the subject of a $3 million streetscaping project, and a reception at the Welcome Center, hosted by the Sanford Community Redevelopment Agency. The Georgetown Pathways to History Project was developed by the Georgetown Heritage Advisory Committee with assistance from the Sanford Museum and Sanford Historical Society. Georgetown was established by the city's founder, Henry Shelton Sanford, as a suburb for African-American residents in the 1870s. The neighborhood spans along Sanford Avenue, with its commercial district between First Street and Fifth Street and its historic district between Seventh Street and Tenth Street. Though originally much smaller, Georgetown spanned to its present boundaries from East Second Street to Celery Avenue and from Sanford Avenue to Mellonville Avenue. Georgetown thrived at its height from circa 1880 to 1940, particularly in agriculture and transportation.
Special Thanks to Patricia Ann Black at the Sanford Avenue Streetscape Completion and Unveiling of Heritage Marker Ceremony
Special thanks being given to Patricia Ann Black (1956- ), who can be seen wearing red in the photographs, at a ceremony commemorating the completion of the Sanford Avenue Streetscape and the unveiling of several heritage markers. The unveiling of the heritage markers was held in Paulucci Park, located at the southwest corner of First Street and Palmetto Avenue in Sanford, Florida, on November 20, 2014. Sanford Mayor Jeff Triplett is seen standing in the center of the photographs. Black's father, Pilgrim Black (1905-2002), was featured on the Heritage Marker #3. Pilgrim Black was born in 1905, although some records list 1907 as his birth year. Pilgrim and Lula Mae Haynes (1917-2007) Black were migrant crew leaders, and thus migrated to Wayne County in Upstate New York in the summers and back to their home in Sanford for the rest of the year. Pilgrim was the son of Harry Black (d. 1911) and Maggie Benjamin Black (ca. 1870-ca. 1934), who migrated to Sanford from South Carolina in the 1800s. Harry and Maggie had several children: Leckward Black, Mustar Black, Malachi Black, Leatha Black Walker (1889-1976), Pilgrim Black, Margaret Black Jones (1889-1976), and Harriett Black Lawson. In 1911, Harry owned a grocery store at 206 South Sanford Avenue. One day, he came home from work with pneumonia and passed away shortly thereafter. Pilgrim was nine years old when his father passed away. Maggie was the daughter of former slaves, Isaac and Roseanna Benjamin, and the sister of Nathan Benjamin, Pledge Benjamin, Sam Benjamin, Loui Benjamin, Chainey Benjamin, Lara Benjamin, Melvina Benjamin, and Katie Benjamin. Pilgrim had to quit school at age 11 in order to provide for his mother, originally working in a mill house until he was 18 years old. After declining a management position, he traveled to Wayne County to pick cherries, apples, pears, and other crops. He broke a bone after falling from an apple tree his first year and decided to try farm labor on a potato farm in Red Creek, New York, instead. Don Holdridge, the farmer who owned the land, noted Pilgrim's high rate of productivity and offered him a management position supervising up to thirty workers at once, which he accepted. While in Sanford, Pilgrim also worked as a foreman in Sanford for Chase & Company for over 30 years. He married Lula in 1937 and they had several children together, including Vivian Louise Black (1940-); Lula Yvonne Black (1942-); Charles Samuel Black (1945-); Pilgrim Black, Jr. (ca. 1947-), and Patricia Ann Black.
Original color digital images by Connie L. Lester, November 20, 2014.
Georgetown Heritage Advisory Committee at the Sanford Avenue Streetscape Completion and Unveiling of Heritage Marker Ceremony
The Georgetown Heritage Advisory Committee a the ceremony commemorating the completion of the Sanford Avenue Streetscape and the unveiling of several heritage markers. The unveiling of the heritage markers was held in Paulucci Park, located at the southwest corner of First Street and Palmetto Avenue in Sanford, Florida, on November 20, 2014. Pictured in the photographs, from left to right, are Dr. Stephen Caldwell Wright, Bette Robinson, Ollie Williams, Christine Dalton, Patricia Ann Black, and Christine Kinlaw-Best. Special thanks for Heritage Marker #3 was given to Patricia Black (1956- ). Her father, Pilgrim Black (1905-2002), was featured on the marker. Pilgrim was born in 1905, although some records list 1907 as his birth year. Pilgrim and Lula Mae Haynes (1917-2007) Black were migrant crew leaders, and thus migrated to Wayne County in Upstate New York in the summers and back to their home in Sanford for the rest of the year. Pilgrim was the son of Harry Black (d. 1911) and Maggie Benjamin Black (ca. 1870-ca. 1934), who migrated to Sanford from South Carolina in the 1800s. Harry and Maggie had several children: Leckward Black, Mustar Black, Malachi Black, Leatha Black Walker (1889-1976), Pilgrim Black, Margaret Black Jones (1889-1976), and Harriett Black Lawson. In 1911, Harry owned a grocery store at 206 South Sanford Avenue. One day, he came home from work with pneumonia and passed away shortly thereafter. Pilgrim was nine years old when his father passed away. Maggie was the daughter of former slaves, Isaac and Roseanna Benjamin, and the sister of Nathan Benjamin, Pledge Benjamin, Sam Benjamin, Loui Benjamin, Chainey Benjamin, Lara Benjamin, Melvina Benjamin, and Katie Benjamin. Pilgrim had to quit school at age 11 in order to provide for his mother, originally working in a mill house until he was 18 years old. After declining a management position, he traveled to Wayne County to pick cherries, apples, pears, and other crops. He broke a bone after falling from an apple tree his first year and decided to try farm labor on a potato farm in Red Creek, New York, instead. Don Holdridge, the farmer who owned the land, noted Pilgrim's high rate of productivity and offered him a management position supervising up to thirty workers at once, which he accepted. While in Sanford, Pilgrim also worked as a foreman in Sanford for Chase & Company for over 30 years. He married Lula in 1937 and they had several children together, including Vivian Louise Black (1940-); Lula Yvonne Black (1942-); Charles Samuel Black (1945-); Pilgrim Black, Jr. (ca. 1947-), and Patricia Ann Black (1956-).
To Attract, Retain and Grow: The History of the Florida High Tech Corridor Council
High technology industries--United States
"To Attract, Retain and Grow: The History of the Florida High Tech Corridor Council" is a paper by Dr. Connie L. Lester and Dr. James C. Clark of the University of Central Florida (UCF). Dr. Lester is an Associate Professor of History concentrating in the Modern South, as well as agricultural, environmental, and economic history. She is also the Program Director of RICHES of Central Florida and Editor of Florida Historical Quarterly. A Lecturer of History, Dr. Clark's concentration is on Florida history, the American South, and presidential history. "To Attract, Retain and Grow" focuses on the history of the Florida High Tech Corridor Council (FHTCC), which an economic development initiative whose mission is to foster the high technology industry in Florida's High Tech Corridor, spanning 23 counties with rich industries in aerospace engineering, modeling and simulation, optics and photonics, digital media, and medical technologies. The council consists of the UCF in Orlando, the University of South Florida (USF) in Tampa, and the University of Florida (UF) in Gainesville. In 1966, the Florida Legislature passed an act founding the FHTCC to support the 21-county service areas of UCF and USF. Its original mission was to expand research and educational partnerships in order to retain the Cirent Semiconductor water fabrication facility located in Orlando, Florida. In 1997, the development of all technology industries across Central Florida was added to the FHTCC's mission. UF joined the partnership in 2005.
Original 44-page paper: Lester, Connie L. and James C. Clark. "To Attract, Retain and Grow: The History of the Florida High Tech Corridor Council."
Florida High Tech Corridor Council
University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida
Oral History of the Florida High-Tech Corridor Council
An oral history interview of John C. Hitt, Randolph E. Berridge, Dr. Peter T. Panousis, Dan Holsenbeck, Carrie Martine, and Roger Pynn regarding the Florida High Tech Corridor Council. This interview conducted by Dr. Connie L. Lester and James C. Clark at the Board Room in the Office of University of Central Florida President John C. Hitt on December 3rd, 2012. The Florida High Tech Corridor Council (FHTCC) is an economic development initiative whose mission is to foster the high technology industry in Florida's High Tech Corridor, which spans 23 counties with rich industries in aerospace engineering, modeling and simulation, optics and photonics, digital media, and medical technologies. The council consists of the University of Central Florida (UCF) in Orlando, the University of South Florida (USF) in Tampa, and the University of Florida (UF) in Gainesville. In 1996, the Florida Legislature passed an act founding the FHTCC to support the 21-county service areas of UCF and USF. Its original mission was to expand research and educational partnerships in order to retain the Cirent Semiconductor water fabrication facility located in Orlando, Florida. In 1997, the development of all technology industries across Central Florida was added to the FHTCC's mission. UF joined the partnership in 2005. Interview topics include: how the High Tech Corridor Council began, the Dallas-Fort Worth Corridor in Texas, Charlie Reed, reinvesting the original funding, expanding partnerships, Silicon Valley, Lynda Weatherman and economic development in Brevard County, the “Core Team” and the “Pajama Hotline,” the Florida Virtual Entrepreneur Center, serving as a model for other regions, the role of venture capitalism, workforce development, the expansion of the corridor, the impact of the business community on approval of university projects, and future challenges.
Original 1-hour, 59-minute, and 19-second oral history: Hitt, John C., Randolph E. Berridge, Dr. Peter T. Panousis, Dan Holsenbeck, Carrie Martine, and Roger Pynn. Interviewed by Dr. Connie L. Lester and James C. Clark. December 3, 2012. Audio/video record available. RICHES of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
AT&T Semiconductor Plant, Orlando, Florida
Gray-Robinson Law Firm, Orlando, Florida
Advanced Materials Processing and Analysis Center, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida
Lake Nona Medical City, Orlando, Florida
Florida Polytechnic University, Lakeland, Florida
Economic Development Commission of Florida's Space Coast, Rockledge, Florida
National Academy of Inventors, Tampa, Florida
Department of Economic Opportunity, Tallahassee, Florida
Florida High Tech Corridor Council, Heathrow, Florida
Harrah's Cherokee Casino, Cherokee, North Carolina
GrowFl: Florida Economic Gardening Institute, Orlando, Florida
Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission, Orlando, Florida
Florida Power & Light Company, Winter Park, Florida
Central Florida Research Park, Orlando, Florida
Florida Historical Quarterly, Episode 1: Vol. 87, No. 4, Spring 2009
This podcast features an interview with Professor Jack E. Davis. He is the author of An Everglades Providence: Marjory Stoneman Douglas and the American Environmental Century, published by the University of Georgia Press. In this podcast, he discusses This article "Sharp Prose for Green: John D. MacDonald and the First Ecological Novel," which appeared in this issue of The Florida Historical Quarterly.
Original 15-minute and 27-second audio podcast by Connie Lester and Robert Cassanello, 2009: The Florida Historical Quarterly, Florida Historical Society, Cocoa, Florida.
The Florida Historical Quarterly
Florida Historical Society
University of Central Florida, Department of History
Florida Historical Quarterly, Episode 2: Vol. 88, No. 1, Summer 2009
This podcast features an interview with Dr. Michael Bowen, Assistant Director at the Bob Graham Center for Public Service, about This article "The Strange Tale of Wesley and Florence Garrison: Racial Crosscurrents of the Postwar Florida Republican Party," and the research involved in writing that article. The article appeared in this issue of The Florida Historical Quarterly.
Original 17-minute and 36-second audio podcast by Connie Lester and Robert Cassanello, 2009: The Florida Historical Quarterly, Florida Historical Society, Cocoa, Florida.