Rita King, mermaid at Weeki Wachee Springs, holding two juvenile alligators. Along with a group of investors, Newton Perry opened Weeki Wachee Springs to the public in October of 1947. At the time, roadside attractions were becoming popular stops along Florida roadways. The attraction consisted of an amalgamation of vendors, an orchid garden, a river boat tour, as well as the star attraction: a mermaid show that took place in an underwater theater. Eventually, the May Museum of the Tropics, an "abandoned Seminole village", a show called “Birds of Prey”, and a petting zoo were added. After peaking in the 1950s and 1960s, attendance began to decline as theme parks and highways changed the dynamics of Florida's tourism. The State of Florida took over the attraction as a state park in 2008. Since then, the park has focused on appealing to a modern audience while preserving its history.
Original black and white photograph by Elmer "Sparky" Schumacher: Weeki Wachee Springs State Park Weeki Wachee, Florida.
RICHES
Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, Weeki Wachee, Florida
Weeki Wachee Mermaids with Boar on Leash
Two mermaids at Weeki Wachee Springs walking a young boar on a leash. 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.
John Hamlet, naturalist, placing his hand into a trained boar's mouth as part of an attraction at Weeki Wachee Springs. 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.
Baboon and Raccoon from Weeki Wachee's Jungle Cruise
A raccoon and caged baboon on the river bank of the Weeki Wachee River. This river was used for Weeki Wachee Spring's Jungle Cruise attraction. This attraction would take guests down the river in a glass bottom boat, where they would observe caged animals along the river's edge. 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.
The Mermaid Villa building at Weeki Wachee Springs. Mermaids used the building to change into their costumes for their underwater performances, shower after their performances, and lounge while on break. 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.
A postcard showcasing the lobby of the Mermaid Motel, which was located directly across the street from Weeki Wachee Springs. Two cars are parked under a pavilion next to the building. The back of the postcard features an add that describes the amenities of the motel, including comfortable rooms and a restaurant. 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 color postcard by Elmer "Sparky" Schumacher, Florida Natural Color and Mermaid Motel: Weeki Wachee Springs State Park Weeki Wachee, Florida.
Bonnie Georgiadis assisting an archeological dig of a Native American burial mound at Weeki Wachee Springs in July of 1970. She is using archeological tools to uncover a vase. The dig was conducted by the University of Florida. 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 color photograph by Elmer "Sparky" Schumacher: Weeki Wachee Springs State Park Weeki Wachee, Florida.
The original interior of the May Museum of the Tropics. The May Natural History Museum of the Tropics is a non-profit organization that displays the world’s largest private insect collection. James May acquired the thousands of insects and arthropods that make up the collection from the late 1800s until his death in 1956. John May continued his father’s legacy, building a museum in Weeki Wachee, Florida, that lasted from 1954-1964, and a museum in Colorado that opened in the 1950s and is still open today. John May also took parts of the collection across the United States and Canada to display at fairs and exhibitions. Along with a group of investors, Newton Perry opened Weeki Wachee Springs to the public in October of 1947. At the time, roadside attractions were becoming popular stops along Florida roadways. The attraction consisted of an amalgamation of vendors, an orchid garden, a river boat tour, as well as the star attraction: a mermaid show that took place in an underwater theater. Eventually, the May Museum of the Tropics, an "abandoned Seminole village", a show called “Birds of Prey”, and a petting zoo were added. After peaking in the 1950s and 1960s, attendance began to decline as theme parks and highways changed the dynamics of Florida's tourism. The State of Florida took over the attraction as a state park in 2008. Since then, the park has focused on appealing to a modern audience while preserving its history.
Original black and white photograph by Elmer "Sparky" Schumacher: May Natural History Museum Colorado Springs, Colorado.
May Museum, Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, Weeki Wachee, Florida
Bonnie Georgiadis at an Archeological dig at Weeki Wachee Springs, July, 1970.
Mermaids--Florida--Weeki Wachee--History
Original color photograph by Sparky Schumacher, July,1970: Private Collection of Weeki Wachee Springs State Park.
Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, Spring Hill, Florida
Battle of the Bulge Memorial at Lake Eola
The Battle of the Bulge Memorial in Lake Eola Park in Downtown Orlando, Florida. This six-foot, bronze statue of an American G.I. sits on a bronze-outlined, white star set into a 34-foot diameter concrete base. The statue was sculpted by Chris Scala, a local artist from Orlando, and dedicated on December 16, 1999, the 55th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge. American, Belgian, and Luxembourger flags fly in a semi-circle behind the statue. Scala also duplicated the monument for a memorial in Clervaux, Luxembourg. The Battle of the Bulge was a major offensive campaign launched by German forces between December 16, 1944, and January 25, 1945. The battle was waged in the Ardennes region of France, Luxembourg, and Belgium's Wallonia region and involved armies from the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Belgium, France, and the Luxembourgish resistance. The German attack was unexpected, causing the Allies, especially the United States, to lose a significant number of casualties. The goal of the offensive was to separate the British and American Allied forces in half, capture the Belgian city of Antwerp, and then surround the four Allied armies. While the Germans had the benefit of surprise and initially poor weather conditions that grounded the Allies' air forces, the Allied Forces were ultimately able to win the battle thanks to defensible terrain and improved weather conditions that allowed the use of air attacks. The battle is also known as Unternehmen Wacht am Rhein ("Operation Watch on the Rhine") to the Germans, Bataille des Ardennes ("Battle of the Ardennes") to the French, and the Ardennes Counteroffensive to the Allies as a whole. The Battle of the Bulge was the largest and bloodiest battle fought by the United States in World War II.
Original digital color image by Cody Schuppe, August 24, 2013.
Battle of the Bulge Memorial, Lake Eola Park, Downtown Orlando, Florida
City Supports Application: Hospital Headway?
A newspaper article published in The Oviedo Voice on September 16, 2004. According to the article, the Oviedo City Council sent a letter the State of Florida supporting the application of certification for the Central Florida Regional Hospital, located at 1401 West Seminole Boulevard in Sanford, Florida. The hospital was seeking certification in order to open a 60-bed satellite facility in Oviedo that would include emergency, outpatient, obstetric, and diagnostic services. The hospital later received its certificate and established the Oviedo ER, located at 8300 Red Bug Lake Road. The article continues onto page 6 of the newspaper, which is currently unavailable.
Original newspaper article: "City Supports Application: Hospital Headway?." The Oviedo Voice, Vol. XIV, No. 38, September 16, 2004, page 1: Private Collection of Edwin White and Carolyn White.
Central Florida Regional Hospital, Sanford, Florida
City Appoints New Fire Chief, Finance Director
A newspaper article published in The Oviedo Voice on September 16, 2004. The article discusses the appointment of Lars White as acting fire chief of the Oviedo Fire and Emergency Services Department until the city finds a permanent replacement for its retiring chief, Wayne Martin. According to the article, White was considering applying for the permanent position of fire chief. White was hired as one of the department's first paid employees in 1983, after serving for several years as a volunteer. His experience included service as a firefighter, a captain, a lieutenant, a battalion chief, the public information officer, a training coordinator, the public education director. The article also discusses the appointment of Cindy Lindsay as Finance Director. A certified public account, Lindsay's experience also included service as the assistant for the Oviedo Finance Department, service for the City of Casselberry, and experience running her own business.
Original newspaper article: "City Appoints New Fire Chief, Finance Director." The Oviedo Voice, Vol. XIV, No. 38, September 16, 2004, page 1: Private Collection of Edwin White and Carolyn White.
A newspaper article published in The Oviedo Voice on September 16, 2004. The article discusses an Oviedo City Council meeting and a number of resolutions to be considered at the meeting. The resolutions dealt with a surplus of 1989 Duplex American Eagle fire Engines, Commercial Solid Waste Franchise Agreements with three contractors, and the Twin Rivers-Alafaya Woods Neighborhood Improvement District. The article continues onto page 6 of the newspaper, which is currently unavailable.
Original newspaper article: "Meeting Squeezed In Between Storms." The Oviedo Voice, Vol. XIV, No. 38, September 16, 2004, page 1: Private Collection of Edwin White and Carolyn White.
Seaboard Air Line Railroad Time Tables: Route of the Steamliners
Seaboard Air Line Railroad Company--Maps
Brochure listing the Seaboard Airline Railroad time tables for 1948. The brochure illustrates the benefits of traveling to Florida by rail. The railroad dates back to 1832 when the Portsmouth & Roanoke Rail road was chartered in Virginia. The company was reorganized as the Seaboard & Gaston Railroad and the Raleigh & August Air-Line Railroad to form the Seaboard Air Line System, which expanded through the south. The Orlando rail station was razed in 1955. By the 1960s, the railroad was a major competitor of the Atlantic Coast Line and eventually merged with ACL in 1967. Amtrak took over operations in 1971.
Original 34-page brochure by the Seaboard Air Line Railroad, 1948: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park, Homosassa, Florida
Highlands Hammock State Park, Sebring, Florida
Oral History of Serena Rankin Parks Fisher
Oral history of Serena Rankin Parks Fisher, a resident of Seminole County, Florida. Parks was born in Concord, North Carolina, on March 3, 1941. She has worked as a social studies teacher, a media center specialist, and a social studies resource teacher for Seminole County Public Schools, as wells as a Museum Specialist/Teacher Curator from 1992-2000. She then as a Volunteer/Docent at the Student Museum and Center for Social Studies, located at 301 West Seventh Street in Sanford, Florida. This interview was conducted by MacKenzie See at UCF Public History Center on October 8, 2012.
Parks, Serena Fisher Rankin. Interviewed by MacKenzie See. UCF Public History Center, IMG_0036. October 8, 2012. Audio/video record available. UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida.
University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida
Student Museum and Center for Social Studies, Sanford, Florida
Letter from Joe D. Seltzer to John M. May (June 17, 1959)
A letter from the manager of Weeki Wachee Springs, Joe D. Seltzer, to the owner of the May Museum of the Tropics, John M. May, dated June 17, 1959. In the letter, Seltzer expresses his and his company's wish to build a new walkway and parking lot that would help attract more business to both the Springs and the museum. To accomplish the expansion, May's large-scale replica of a Hercules beetle, named Hercimer, needed to be moved. As John May lived in Colorado and the May Museum of the Tropics was located in Florida, communication between employer, employees, and other staff at Weeki Wachee Springs was limited predominantly to letters of correspondence. 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 Joe D. Seltzer to John M. May, June 17, 1959: May Natural History Museum, Colorado Springs, Colorado.
May Museum of the Tropics, Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, Weeki Wachee, Florida
A newspaper article about Eric Orner, the openly gay cartoonist who created The Mostly Unfabulous Social Life of Ethan Green comic. The comic strip centered around Ethan Green, a gay man trying to balance work with love. The comic was first published in 1989 and ran for 15 years before it was retired. The Mostly Unfabulous Social Life of Ethan Green was also adapted into film in 2005. This article, as well as the cartoon, was published in The Watermark, Central Florida's local LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer/Questioning, and others) publication. Since 1994, The Watermark has been the cornerstone source of LGBTQ+ centered news for the Central Florida region. Founded by Tom Dyer in Orlando, the publication began generating bi-weekly issues beginning August 31, 1994. Since then, The Watermark has consistently published newspaper-style issues every other Thursday. Gaining traction, the publication expanded in 1995 to include Tampa and, in 1997, The Watermark became a permanent piece of LGBTQ+ culture when the publication initiated the first large-scale Gay Days Weekend event, the Beach Ball at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon. Before 1999, the publication printed 20,000 copies every week, distributing them to over 500 locations between its two major cities. Following 1999, the publication launched watermarkonline.com shifting to an online publication style. In 2016, Rick Claggett purchased The Watermark.
Original newspaper article: Seomin, Scott. "The Mostly Fabulous Eric Orner." The Watermark Waterfront, Vol. 5, No. 4, February 19-March 4, 1998, page 1: Publications Collection, GLBT History Museum of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
Watermark Media
The Report of Changes listing the Navy personnel on the USS Logan on November 26, 1944. The current location saw the personnel at the United States Receiving Station, United States Naval Training and Distribution Center (TADCEN) at Camp Elliott in San Diego, California. The form includes the names and ranks of the personnel. A notable person listed on the muster roll is Lee Kenneth Brady (1926-1996). Lee was born on September 1, 1926, in Troy, North Carolina. His parents were Berrie and Melvin, a textile mill worker. He enlisted in the United States Navy on Jul 20, 1943, where he served on the USS Logan as an aviation radioman and participated in the Battle of Iwo Jima. After his service, he returned to North Carolina, and eventually moved to Florida, where he died on January 28, 1996. He is buried in the Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell. In 2017, the University of Central Florida was one of three universities selected to launch the National Cemetery Administration’s Veterans Legacy Program. 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 report of changes.
Oral history of Linda Moscato, interviewed by John Settle on March 2, 2013, for the UCF Public History Center's History Harvest. In the oral history, Moscato discusses the items she contributed to the History Harvest, which including photographs, birth certificates, and other documents. Moscato was born Linda Leigh Morgan on November 11, 1940, in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, where he great grandfather was a steel worker. The father of Moscato's daughter, Joseph Moscato, entered into military service during World War II when he was 17 and later became a teacher for truck driver training in Miami, Florida. She had three children, all of which were born in Miami: Scott Sheridan, Anna Sophia Moscato, and Dean Moscato. She also graduated from the University of Central Florida on May 1, 2004, with a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice.
Moscato, Linda. Interviewed by John Settle. UCF Public History Center, HAR1063471P. March 2, 2013. Video record available. UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida.
Oral history of Walter Smith, interviewed by John Settle on March 2, 2013 for the UCF Public History Center's History Harvest. In the oral history, Smith discusses how he found information about the History Harvest, what it was like going to school at Westside Grammar Elementary School in the 1930s, his attendance at Seminole High School, and the football season. Sanford High School was originally established at 301 West Seventh Street 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.
Smith, Walter. Interviewed by John Settle. UCF Public History Center, HAR1063392P. March 2, 2013. Video record available. UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida.
Westside Grammar Elementary School, Sanford, Florida
Transmittal of Schedule of Assistance of the Board of Supervisors of the Seminole Soil and Water Conservation District, 1951
Transmittal of Schedule of Assistance of the Seminole Soil and Water Conservation District for 1951. 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 the Transmittal of Schedule of Assistance from 1951, Walter W. Shaffer writes to Homer L. Osborne and states the kinds of assistance that would be made available by the Soil Conservation Service to the Seminole Soil Conservation District such as a Soil Conservationist, a Drainage Engineer, a Soil Scientist, an Engineer Aid, and a Conservation Aid. The two page document contains a planting materials list including Pensacola Bahia, early Hairy Indigo, ordinary Hairy Indigo, Blanket Indigo, Crotalaria Intermedia, aeschynomene, multiflora rose, Crotalaria Lanceolata, Coastal Bermuda Grass Stolons, and Pangola Grass Stolons. The document is signed by Walter W. Shaffer and Colin D. Gunn.
Original 2-page typewritten report by the Board of Supervisors of the Seminole Soil and Water Conservation District,1951: Folder SSWCD Statistical and Historical Information, 1948-1977, Seminole Soil and Water Conservation District, Sanford, Florida.
Seminole Soil and Water Conservation District
Westside Grammar Elementary School Report Card for Christine Kinlaw, 1960-1961
Westside Grammar Elementary School Report Card for Christine Kinlaw during the 1961-1962 school year. Kinlaw was evaluated by first-grade teacher Elizabeth Sharon in various subjects, including reading, handwriting, spelling, language, arithmetic, social studies, science, health education, physical education, music, and arts and crafts. Kinlaw's family had attended Westside Grammar Elementary School since it was established as Sanford High School in 1902. The building was designed by W. G. Talley in the Romanesque revival style. Due to an increasing student population, a new school building was constructed on Sanford Avenue in 1911. The original building on Seventh Street served as Westside Grammar Elementary School, which was later renamed Sanford Grammar School. In 1984, the building was placed on the National Registry of Historic Places and converted into the Student Museum. The building reopened as the University of Central Florida's Public History Center in 2012. In 1927, a high school campus was designed by Elton J. Moughton in the Mediterranean revival style and constructed at 1700 French Avenue. The school reopened on January 10 and was renamed Seminole High School. In 1960, the high school moved to a new campus at 2701 Ridgewood Avenue and the former building on French Avenue was converted to Sanford Junior High School, which was later renamed Sanford Middle School. The old building was demolished in the summer of 1991 and replaced by a $5.77 million school complex. As of 2013, Seminole High School offers various Advanced Placement courses, the Academy for Health Careers, and the International Baccalaureate Programme for students.
Original report card by Elizabeth Sharon: Celery City Printing Company, Sanford, Florida: Private Collection of Christine Kinlaw-Best.
This report by Gary I. Sharp lists information related to the Gourd Neck Springs area of Lake Apopka and a potential purchase of the area by the State of Florida through the Environmentally Endangered Lands (EEL) Program. The report aims to show why the area is suitable for a public park, describing physical and environmental characteristics of the area, as well as summarizing the economic issues related to a public purchase of the area, including zoning information from the Lake County Zoning Department and appraisal values from Danny L. Dulgar. The report also discusses an inspection of the area by the Environmentally Endangered Lands Committee, which rejected the site due to the polluted quality of the lake surrounding the area, as well as its small size. Finally, the report includes hydrological data related to the springs. 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. The Environmentally Endangered Lands Program (EEL) was formed in 1972 as part of the larger Land Conservation Act of 1972. The EEL program was initially funded through the sale of state bonds. The program was designed to help the state acquire lands considered environmentally sensitive and was not designed for creating areas for recreational use. Potential sites for acquisition could be suggested by citizens, county and state governments, and nonprofit organizations. After evaluation for environmental value, potential sites would be approved by the Executive Director of the Florida Department of Natural Resources and finalized by the Governor. In 1979, the former Executive Director, Harmon Shields, was indicted on corruption charges involving the lands-acquisition process. Following this scandal, the EEL program was replaced by Conservation and Recreation Lands Program. This change replaced the program's funding with tax revenues instead of bond sales, and formed the Land Acquisition Selection Committee, made up by six executive directors of Florida environmental agencies, to select sites for approval by the governor. The Division of State Lands was also created as a division of the Department of Natural Resources to oversee mapping and evaluation of potential sites for acquisition.
Original 10-page typewritten report: Sharp, Gary I. Gourd Neck Springs. Winter Park, FL: 1975: binder 1975, Friends of Lake Apopka Archives, Ginn Museum, Oakland Nature Preserve, Oakland, Florida.
Letter from Gary I. Sharp to the West Orange Chamber of Commerce (May 19, 1977)
A letter from Gary I. Sharp to the West Orange Chamber of Commerce, dated May 19, 1977. In the letter, Sharp states that he is no longer able to continue his efforts to have the Gourd Neck Springs area purchased by the State of Florida for use as a recreational park. Sharp writes that the State of Florida continues to show no interest in the area, and that he is forced to put the parcels of land he owns in the area up for sale. Sharp also mentions nearby parcels owned by Herbert S. Sharp that have been recently sold, but states that the majority of the area is still intact. 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 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.
Original 1-page typewritten letter from Gary I. Sharp to the West Orange Chamber of Commerce, May 19, 1977: binder 1977, Friends of Lake Apopka Archives, Ginn Museum, Oakland Nature Preserve, Oakland, Florida.
An oral history interview of Patty Sheehan, Orlando’s first openly gay city commissioner. The interview was conducted by Kalynn Smith at Sheehan’s offices at Orlando City Hall in Orlando, Florida, on April 11th, 2017. Some of the topics covered include an introduction, how the challenges of growing up gay shaped her activism, how coming out affected her familial relationships and career, identifying items in her collection, Michael’s March and bringing together the gay and lesbian communities over HIV/AIDS, the stigma of HIV/AIDS and how shame kills, facing discrimination while running for office, civil rights activism as city commissioner, becoming an advocate for marriage equality, and her favorite accomplishments as City Commissioner.
Sheehan, Patty. Interviewed by Kalynn Smith, April 11, 2017. Audio record available. RICHES of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
RICHES of Central Florida
Audubon Park Covenant Church, Orlando, Florida
Letter from C. W. Sheffield to Arthur W. Sinclair (March 7, 1968)
A letter from C. W. Sheffield, chairman of the Lake Apopka Technical Committee, to Arthur W. Sinclair, executive secretary of the Winter Garden Chamber of Commerce. The Technical Committee was formed by Florida Governor Claude R. Kirk, Jr. (1926-2011) in 1967, with C. W. Sheffield to serve as chairman. The committee was tasked with investigating potential methods for the restoration of Lake Apopka. In this letter, Sheffield says he has no objection to Sinclair's use of the committee's weekly reports for a possible news release. The letter also mentions a planned three- or five-year study to investigate the feasibility of funding the removal of rough fish from Lake Apopka through the fish meal industry. Finally, the letter mentions the postponing of the Governor's review of the committee's progress due to an ongoing "school crisis." This is in reference to the statewide Florida Teachers' Strike of 1968, in which 40 percent of Florida teachers resigned their positions in February of that year, in protest of underfunding of the state education system.
Original 1-page typewritten letter from C. W. Sheffield to Arthur W. Sinclair, March 7, 1968: binder 1968, Friends of Lake Apopka Archives, Ginn Museum, Oakland Nature Preserve, Oakland, Florida.
Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission, Tallahassee, Florida
Memorandum from C. W. Sheffield to Lake Apopka Committee Members (June 17, 1968)
A memorandum from C. W. Sheffield, chairman of the Lake Apopka Technical Committee, to the members of the committee The memo summarizes briefly a hearing held on June 13, 1968, regarding the committee's progress. Attending the hearing were members of the Federal Water and Air Pollution Control Administration (FWPCA), which was funding some of the committee's restoration projects. Presented at the hearing were the committee's conclusions regarding the Lake Apopka restoration. Item Number II of these recommendations recommended that legal actions against known polluters of the lake be halted "due to excellent cooperation" with the restoration project.
Original 2-page typewritten memorandum from C. W. Sheffield to Lake Apopka Committee Members, June 17, 1968: binder 1968, Friends of Lake Apopka Archives, Ginn Museum, Oakland Nature Preserve, Oakland, Florida.
Lake Apopka Restoration Project Weekly Report (January 1 to 5, 1968)
A weekly report of the Lake Apopka Technical Committee, chaired by C. W. Sheffield. The committee was an initiative by Governor Florida Governor Claude R. Kirk, Jr. (1926-2011) to investigate pollution and possible restoration of Lake Apopka, launched in 1967. This report discusses the completion of an experimental algae pond at the Pine Hills Sewage Treatment Plant in Pine Hills, an African-American community in Orlando. This pond would study nutrient removal of wastewater. The report also discusses continuations of the echo sounding project, which sought to accurately map Lake Apopka's bottom, as well as basic maintenance of the fish cribs. Finally, the report notes an upcoming public hearing.
Original 1-page typewritten report by C. W. Sheffield by C. W. Sheffield, January 5, 1968: binder 1968, Friends of Lake Apopka Archives, Ginn Museum, Oakland Nature Preserve, Oakland, Florida.
Lake Apopka Restoration Project Weekly Report (January 29 to February 16, 1968)
A weekly report of the Lake Apopka Technical Committee, chaired by C. W. Sheffield. The committee was an initiative by Governor Florida Governor Claude R. Kirk, Jr. (1926-2011) to investigate pollution and possible restoration of Lake Apopka, launched in 1967. This reports mentions a review of the Gourd Neck Springs Area, a potential algae removal study with the Biospheric Research Company, grant applications through the Federal Water Pollution Control Administration (FWPCA); meetings between the chairman Nathaniel Reed, in preparation for a future visit by the governor to the lake; and a meeting with the Governor's Aquatic Research & Development Committee for a review of a statewide program to remove aquatic weeds.
Original 2-page typewritten report by C. W. Sheffield, February 16, 1968: binder 1968, Friends of Lake Apopka Archives, Ginn Museum, Oakland Nature Preserve, Oakland, Florida.
Lake Apopka Restoration Project Weekly Report (March 11 to 15, 1968)
A weekly report of the Lake Apopka Technical Committee, chaired by C. W. Sheffield. The committee was an initiative by Governor Florida Governor Claude R. Kirk, Jr. (1926-2011) to investigate pollution and possible restoration of Lake Apopka, launched in 1967. This report discusses a review of the committee's research projects by the chairman and John R. Thoman of the Federal Water Pollution Control Administration (FWPCA). The report also discusses a meeting held between the committee members and the north shore farming interests. At this meeting, the committee requested the farms hire an engineering firm to serve as their representative, as well as discussing calculations for the size of a potential dike isolating the farms from the lake. Finally, the report notes the chairman's invitation to examine an aquatic weed pressing machine developed by a Mr. Hiller, of Oakland, California.
Original 2-page typewritten report by C. W. Sheffield, March 15, 1968: binder 1968, Friends of Lake Apopka Archives, Ginn Museum, Oakland Nature Preserve, Oakland, Florida.
Lake Apopka Restoration Project Weekly Report (March 18 to 22, 1968)
A weekly report of the Lake Apopka Technical Committee, chaired by C. W. Sheffield. The committee was an initiative by Governor Florida Governor Claude R. Kirk, Jr. (1926-2011) to investigate pollution and possible restoration of Lake Apopka, launched in 1967. This report discusses meetings between Chairman Sheffield and Professor Thomas Furman, discussing experimental nutrient removal facilities and future research projects; a meeting with Dr. Robert O'Brien of Rollins College, discussing aquatic weed growth, in hopes of finding a potential candidate for lake-bottom plantings; requests sent to various state and federal organizations seeking suggestions for projects to be carried out that summer; a meeting with K. K. Huffstutler to discuss potential levee sizes for an isolation dike to separate the muck farms from the lake; a demonstration of a hyacinth processing machine made by the Hiller Company, at which Governor Kirk and various committee members were present; and plans for a future flyover of the lake by the Governor.
Photocopied 3-page typewritten report by C. W. Sheffield, March 22, 1968: binder 1968, Friends of Lake Apopka Archives, Ginn Museum, Oakland Nature Preserve, Oakland, Florida.
Lake Apopka Restoration Project Weekly Report (March 25 to 30, 1968)
A weekly report of the Lake Apopka Technical Committee, chaired by C. W. Sheffield. The committee was an initiative by Governor Florida Governor Claude R. Kirk, Jr. (1926-2011) to investigate pollution and possible restoration of Lake Apopka, launched in 1967. This report states that the flyover of Lake Apopka, mentioned in the previous week's report, was cancelled. The chairman attended a meeting on aquatic weeds in Winter Park. The report also discusses a fish kill observed in the Apopka-Beauclair Canal on March 30, 1968.
Photocopied 2-page typewritten report by C. W. Sheffield, March 30, 1968: binder 1968, Friends of Lake Apopka Archives, Ginn Museum, Oakland Nature Preserve, Oakland, Florida.
Lake Apopka Restoration Project Weekly Report (April 22 to 26, 1968)
A weekly report of the Lake Apopka Technical Committee, chaired by C. W. Sheffield. The committee was an initiative by Governor Florida Governor Claude R. Kirk, Jr. (1926-2011) to investigate pollution and possible restoration of Lake Apopka, launched in 1967. This report discusses a meeting between the chairman and the Kissimmee Rotary Club to discuss the Lake Apopka project; a review of the project by Hugh Putnam, an engineering consultant hired by the Zellwood Drainage District to represent the farming interests; plans to construct nutrient removal plants at various of the Zellwood District's pumping stations; plans to meet with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (CoE) to discuss the proposed isolation levee; fixing of the High Volume Air Sampler; a review of the project by Earl Kelly, an agricultural agent from Lake County; and plans to hold a committee meeting on May 1, 1968.
Original 2-page typewritten report by C. W. Sheffield, April 26, 1968: binder 1968, Friends of Lake Apopka Archives, Ginn Museum, Oakland Nature Preserve, Oakland, Florida.
Lake Apopka Restoration Project Weekly Report (April 29 to May 3, 1968)
A weekly report of the Lake Apopka Technical Committee, chaired by C. W. Sheffield. The committee was an initiative by Governor Florida Governor Claude R. Kirk, Jr. (1926-2011) to investigate pollution and possible restoration of Lake Apopka, launched in 1967. This report discusses a subcommittee meeting to examine levee sizes for a potential isolation pond; a review of the project by Orange County Commissioner Paul E. Pickett, after which it was decided the project would be officially sanctioned by the Florida Air and Water Pollution Control Commission, giving the Lake Apopka Restoration Project a permanent status; general review of the committee's research projects; and plans for a meeting with the Federal Air and Water Pollution Control Commission on May 3, 1968.
Original 2-page typewritten report by C. W. Sheffield, May 3, 1968: binder 1968, Friends of Lake Apopka Archives, Ginn Museum, Oakland Nature Preserve, Oakland, Florida.
Lake Apopka Restoration Project Weekly Report (May 6 to 10, 1968)
A weekly report of the Lake Apopka Technical Committee, chaired by C. W. Sheffield. The committee was an initiative by Governor Florida Governor Claude R. Kirk, Jr. (1926-2011) to investigate pollution and possible restoration of Lake Apopka, launched in 1967. This report discusses plans to speak to the Leesburg Chamber of Commerce; discussion of the Florida Air and Water Pollution Control Commission meeting on May 7, 1968; plans to hold a complete review of the project with the Federal Air and Water Pollution Control Commission on June 13; routine sampling of fish populations for pesticide analysis; notes on the Purdue Industrial Waste Conference; discussion of nutrient removal using aluminum compounds, and a committee project investigating this at Turkey Lake; and discussion of a pesticide sampling program with Dr. John Eye, and plans to retain his services for assistance with the project.
Original 2-page typewritten report by C. W. Sheffield, May 10, 1968: binder 1968, Friends of Lake Apopka Archives, Ginn Museum, Oakland Nature Preserve, Oakland, Florida.
Lake Apopka Restoration Project Weekly Report (May 13 to 17, 1968)
A weekly report of the Lake Apopka Technical Committee, chaired by C. W. Sheffield. The committee was an initiative by Governor Florida Governor Claude R. Kirk, Jr. (1926-2011) to investigate pollution and possible restoration of Lake Apopka, launched in 1967. This report discusses a report by Gordon Folke of the Florida State Board of Health (FSBH) about the location of sewage treatment outfalls in the Ocklawaha Chain of Lakes, an agreement by the Florida Engineering Society to co-sponsor a conference on nutrient removal in Florida lakes, and report of a fish kill in the perimeter canal on the north shore of the lake.
Original 1-page typewritten report by C. W. Sheffield, May 17, 1968: binder 1968, Friends of Lake Apopka Archives, Ginn Museum, Oakland Nature Preserve, Oakland, Florida.
Lake Apopka Restoration Project Weekly Report (June 17 to 21, 1968)
A weekly report of the Lake Apopka Technical Committee, chaired by C. W. Sheffield. The committee was an initiative by Governor Florida Governor Claude R. Kirk, Jr. (1926-2011) to investigate pollution and possible restoration of Lake Apopka, launched in 1967. This report lists the various research projects being undertaken by the committee during the summer of 1968. This research includes nutrient leaching from citrus groves, nutrients in rainwater, updated biological sampling, silt-drying techniques, construction of a nutrient removal pilot plant on the North Shore farmlands, flocculation and aeration of silt, aquatic plants, dredging, and expanded sampling of farm discharge. These projects are being constructed with the help of students from various colleges. Additionally, the report discusses the attendance by the chairman of the Hyacinth Control Society's annual meeting.
Original 2-page typewritten report by C. W. Sheffield, June 21, 1968: binder 1968, Friends of Lake Apopka Archives, Ginn Museum, Oakland Nature Preserve, Oakland, Florida.
Lake Apopka Restoration Project Weekly Report (June 24 to 28, 1968)
A weekly report of the Lake Apopka Technical Committee, chaired by C. W. Sheffield. The committee was an initiative by Governor Florida Governor Claude R. Kirk, Jr. (1926-2011) to investigate pollution and possible restoration of Lake Apopka, launched in 1967. This report discusses the selection of a site for the pilot nutrient removal project on the Zellwood farmlands. The site chosen was on the Clounts farm, near Hooper Farms Road. The report further discusses the construction of this site. Additionally, the report discusses the rejection of a proposed budget by the Florida Air and Water Pollution Control Commission, which felt it was unable to provide the financial assistance requested. The report also discusses a review of aquatic weed research being conducted in Lake Virginia, to study hydrilla. Finally, the report discusses a meeting held to discuss a proposed comprehensive basin grant from the Federal Water Pollution Control Administration (FWPCA). The East Central Florida Regional Planning Council agreed to apply for this grant.
Photocopy of original 2-page typewritten report by C. W. Sheffield, June 28, 1968: binder 1968, Friends of Lake Apopka Archives, Ginn Museum, Oakland Nature Preserve, Oakland, Florida.
Lake Apopka Restoration Project Weekly Report (July 15 to 19, 1968)
A weekly report of the Lake Apopka Technical Committee, chaired by C. W. Sheffield. The committee was an initiative by Governor Florida Governor Claude R. Kirk, Jr. (1926-2011) to investigate pollution and possible restoration of Lake Apopka, launched in 1967. This report discusses a review of the committee's aquatic weed research program with Dr. Robert O'Brien; a review of the University of Florida's Hyacinth Nutrient Removal Program, as well as discussion of a proposed Lakes and Streams Pollution Conference to be held at UF; and discussion of the various research projects being undertaken by the committee, including the silt drying experiments.
Photocopy of original 1-page typewritten report by C. W. Sheffield, July 19, 1968: binder 1968, Friends of Lake Apopka Archives, Ginn Museum, Oakland Nature Preserve, Oakland, Florida.
University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
Lake Apopka Restoration Project Weekly Report (August 26 to 30, 1968)
A weekly report of the Lake Apopka Technical Committee, chaired by C. W. Sheffield. The committee was an initiative by Governor Florida Governor Claude R. Kirk, Jr. (1926-2011) to investigate pollution and possible restoration of Lake Apopka, launched in 1967. This report discusses arrangements for a committee meeting planned for September 4, 1968. Additionally, the report notes the completion of the muck farm nutrient removal pilot project. Samples were obtained from the project, which consisted of alternating hyacinth and algae ponds, each with a 2 and a half day retention time. The data from this project will be used for a grant application from the Federal Water Pollution Control Administration (FWPCA). Finally, the various other research projects continued as scheduled.
Photocopy of original 1-page typewritten report by C. W. Sheffield, August 30, 1968: binder 1968, Friends of Lake Apopka Archives, Ginn Museum, Oakland Nature Preserve, Oakland, Florida.
"My Favorite Memory of Oviedo Is..." by Shelby
A document created by Shelby as part of the Oviedo History Harvest in 2015. In the document, the author is asked to describe her favorite memory of Oviedo, Florida. Shelby, who was 21 at the time, stated that the charm and community feel was her favorite memory.
Original document by Shelby, April 18, 2015: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
Letter from Alan Shepard to Dr. Calvin D. Fowler (August 2, 1963)
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (U.S.)
After Gordon Cooper (1927-2004)'s Mercury-Atlas 9 mission (MA-9), Alan Shepard's (1923-1998) scheduled Project Mercury's Mercury-Atlas 10 mission (MA-10) was canceled. Shepard wrote to Dr. Calvin D. Fowler, the manager and the Launch Conductor for Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 14 (LC-14), to express his appreciation for some photographs that he had sent, and also to express his regrets about the cancellation of MA-10.
Original 1-page typewritten letter from Alan Shepard to Dr. Calvin D. Fowler, August 2, 1963: Private Collection of Dr. Calvin D. Fowler.
Chronopoints
Manned Spacecraft Center, Houston, Texas
Convair/Astronautics, Mission Training Center, Port Canaveral, Florida
Letter from Robert "Bob" W. Sherman to Henry F. Swanson (June 19, 1963)
A letter of correspondence from Robert "Bob" W. Sherman, the Killarney Fish Camp Operator, to Henry F. Swanson, the Orange County Agriculture Extension Agent. The letter is written in response to a farming brochure, "A to Zellwood", describing the Zellwood Drainage and Water Control District. Sherman disputes some of the claims made in this brochure, and reminds Swanson that experts convened by the State in June 1963 to examine the fish kills in Lake Apopka did not rule out pesticides as the cause of death.
Photocopy of original 2-page typewritten letter from Robert "Bob" W. Sherman to Henry F. Swanson, June 19, 1963: binder 1963, drawer 1938-1987, Friends of Lake Apopka Archives, Ginn Museum, Oakland Nature Preserve, Oakland, Florida.
An audio recording of "One by One," composed by Wayne Shorter (b. 1933) and performed by The Jazz Professors live on-air on WUCF-FM on December 10, 2007. The Jazz Professors is a sextet of professors from the University of Central Florida (UCF) in Orlando, Florida, who play professionally and have released two albums with Flying Horse Records, a professional jazz record label operated by the university. They have recorded and toured with a number of prominent guest musicians. The medium swinger, "One by One," was composed by Shorter and first recorded by Art Blakey (1919-1990) and the Jazz Messengers, with whom Shorter played tenor saxophone and was musical director, for their 1963 album, Ugetsu: Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers at Birdland.
Original 4-minute and 9-second audio recording: Shoter, Wayne."One on One," by the Jazz Professors: WUCF-FM, Orlando, Florida, December 10, 2007.
WUCF-FM
WUCF-FM, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida
"This is for Albert" by The Jazz Professors
An audio recording of "This is for Albert," composed by Wayne Shorter (b. 1933) and performed by The Jazz Professors live on-air on WUCF-FM on December 10, 2007. The Jazz Professors are a sextet of professors from the University of Central Florida (UCF) in Orlando, Florida, who play professionally and have released two albums with Flying Horse Records, a professional jazz record label operated by the university. They have recorded and toured with a number of prominent guest musicians. "This is for Albert" was composed by Shorter for the 1963 album, Caravan, by Art Blakey (1919-1990) and the Jazz Messengers, with whom Shorter played tenor saxophone and was musical director.
Original 4-minute and 46-second audio recording: Shorter, Wayne, "This is for Albert," by the Jazz Professors: WUCF-FM, Orlando, Florida, December 10, 2007.
An audio recording of "Yes or No," composed by Wayne Shorter (b. 1933) and performed by The Jazz Professors live on-air on WUCF-FM on December 10, 2007. The Jazz Professors are a sextet of professors from the University of Central Florida (UCF) in Orlando, Florida, who play professionally and have released two albums with Flying Horse Records, a professional jazz record label operated by the university. They have recorded and toured with a number of prominent guest musicians "Yes or No" was written and recorded by Shorter for his 1964 album, JuJu. The album demonstrates the influence of John Coltrane (1926-1967), who Shorter studied under.
Original 4-minute and 29-second audio recording: Shorter, Wayne. "Yes or No," by the Jazz Professors: WUCF-FM, Orlando, Florida, December 10, 2007.
The passenger list from the April 1913 voyage of the SS San Guglielmo, which came from the Port of Messina in Sicily, Italy. The luxury passenger ship would be used as a troop transport at the outbreak of World War I, and was torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-63 on January 8, 1918. A notable person listed is Giosue Nasso (1894-1961). Nasso was born on October 13, 1894, although his tombstone claims that he was born on December 12, 1894. He came to New York as an Italian immigrant at the age of nineteen. Before he got married to Santina, he registered for the draft on May 29, 1918, and served during World War I. By 1940, Santina and Giosue had four children: Vincent, Peter, Theresa, and Carmen. For the remainder of his life, Giosue lived in Brooklyn. He died on June 3, 1961 at the age of sixty-seven, and was buried in the Long Island National Cemetery in New York. However, he was relocated to the Florida National Cemetery, where he was buried along with his wife. "Together Forever" is written on Santina's side of tombstone. In 2017, the University of Central Florida was one of three universities selected to launch the National Cemetery Administration’s Veterans Legacy Program. The program engaged a team of scholars to make the life stories of veterans buried in the Florida National Cemetery available to the public. The project engages UCF students in research and writing and fosters collaboration between students, faculty and local Central Florida schools to produce interactive curriculum for k-12 students. The corresponding website exhibit uses RICHES Mosaic Interface to create a digital archive of related data. The public can use the project-developed augmented-reality app at more than 100 gravesites at the Florida National Cemetery, where they can access the UCF student-authored biographies of veterans.
Sicula Americana, Societa Di Navigazione A Vapore
Digital reproduction of original passenger list.
An oral history interview of Debbie Simmons, the co-owner of Shelbie Press and a founding member of the Metropolitan Business Association (MBA), an organization supporting LGBTQ businesses in Orlando, FL. As MBA president, she also helped found Come Out with Pride and the LGBTQ History Museum of Central Florida. This interview was conducted by Sara Raffel at Shelbie Press in Orlando, Florida, on June 16th, 2018. Some of the topics covered include attending the first gay pride parade in Orlando, founding the Metropolitan Business Association, facilitating a network of allies and inspiring activism, working with the Human Relations Board of the City of Orlando, building an LGBTQ+ community and collaborating with other groups, forming Come Out With Pride, the history of the gay rights movement, preserving the history of the LGBTQ+ community, her favorite memory from work at GLBT History Museum of Central Florida, organizing the first exposition of the Metropolitan Business Association, how the small business community impacted the LGBTQ+ community, omitting references to homosexuality in the organization’s name, and goals and challenges for the GLBT Museum of Central Florida and the Metropolitan Business Association.
Simmons, Debbie. Interviewed by Sara Raffel, June 16, 2018. Audio record available. RICHES of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
GLBT History Museum of Central Florida
Shelbie Press Print & Copy, Orlando, Florida
Metropolitan Business Association, Orlando, Florida
Joy Metropolitan Community Church, Orlando, Florida
Orange County Regional History Center, Orlando, Florida
The Seaboard Air Line (SAL) Depot, located at 3 North Museum Avenue in Avon Park, Florida, was built in 1924 after the company acquired the right of way in Avon Park. The station primarily carried freight, including consumer goods shipped to Avon Park and citrus that was exported from the town. It also carried passengers, including tourists from the North on the famous Orange Blossom Express that went from New York to Miami. The line also carried soldiers and their families during World War II. In 1967, SAL merged with Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL) to form the the depot became the Seaboard Coast Line (SCL). After this SCL Depot was closed in 1978, it was purchased by the City of Avon Park. It was then leased by the Historical Society of Avon Park and has operated as a museum since 1981. It is located in the Avon Park Historic District which was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1990.
Original color digital image by Nicholas Simons, March 13, 2014.
Avon Park Depot Museum, Avon Park, Florida
Letter from Walter Sims to Gary I. Sharp (March 18, 1975)
A letter from Senator Walter Sims to Gary I. Sharp, dated March 18, 1975. In this letter, Sen. Sims writes to express personal support for Sharp's proposal that the Gourd Neck Springs area of Lake Apopka be used as a public park. Sen. Sims states that the plan would aid in restoration efforts for the lake. He also states that he feels the park would be acquired through private means, rather than public funds, and then potentially donated to the state. 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 Walter Sims to Gary I. Sharp, March 18, 1975: binder 1975, Friends of Lake Apopka Archives, Ginn Museum, Oakland Nature Preserve, Oakland, Florida.
A postcard featuring the dinosaur-shaped Sinclair Gas Station in Weeki Wachee Springs. A handwritten note by Bonita Colson accompanies the postcard, describing a mobile home rental park across the street from the gas station that Weeki Wachee mermaids would frequently rent. She also notes that the dinosaur-shaped gas station was the only one of its kind in the world. 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. The Sinclair Oil Corporation was founded on May 1, 1916. The corporation created dinosaur exhibits in several world's fairs that featured a brontosaurus, which was the company's mascot. Other promotional materials featuring the dinosaur included bobble head toys and inflatables.
Original color postcard Sinclair Oil Corporation and original handwritten note by Bonita Colson: Weeki Wachee Springs State Park Weeki Wachee, Florida.
Sinclair Gas Station, Brooksville Florida
Subjects to be Presented at Public Hearing on Local Water Pollution
A document by Arthur "Jimmie" W. Sinclair, executive secretary of the Winter Garden Chamber of Commerce, discussing his planned comments at a public hearing on water pollution held in Orlando Chamber of Commerce building on November 14, 1966. The document gives a timeline of pollution discharges into the lake, and recommends as solution the development of catch basins lining the north shore, and planting of vegetation to act as a buffer zone.
Original document by Arthur W. Sinclair: binder 1966, Friends of Lake Apopka Archives, Ginn Museum, Oakland Nature Preserve, Oakland, Florida.
Orlando Chamber of Commerce, Orlando, Florida
Letter from Arthur W. Sinclair to Claude Roy Kirk, Jr. (July 13, 1966)
A letter from Arthur W. Sinclair, Executive Secretary-Manager of the Winter Garden Chamber of Commerce, to Claude Roy Kirk, Jr., the 1966 Republican candidate for Governor of Florida. The letter describes Lake Apopka's current polluted state and its past as a prominent sportsfishing destination, and urges Kirk to take action on restoring the lake if he is elected governor. Kirk was elected as governor that same year, and formed the Florida Department of Environmental Protection during his time as governor.
Original 2-page typewritten letter from Arthur W. Sinclair to Claude Roy Kirk, Jr., July 13, 1966: binder 1966, Friends of Lake Apopka Archives, Ginn Museum, Oakland Nature Preserve, Oakland, Florida.
San Juan de Ulloa Hotel, Orlando, Florida
Letter from Arthur W. Sinclair to the Hyacinth Control Society, Inc. (November 16, 1967)
A letter from Arthur W. Sinclair, executive manager of the Winter Garden Chamber of Commerce, to the Hyacinth Control Society, Inc., requesting information on herbicides to be used on hyacinth and other aquatic plants along the shores of Lake Apopka in Winter Garden, Florida. The water hyacinth is an invasive species, introduced to America in 1884, that quickly overwhelms native life in freshwater lakes.
Photocopy of original typewritten letter from Arthur W. Sinclair to the Hyacinth Control Society, Inc., November 16, 1967: binder 1967, Friends of Lake Apopka Archives, Ginn Museum, Oakland Nature Preserve, Oakland, Florida.
Letter from Arthur W. Sinclair to C. W. Sheffield (December 22, 1967)
A letter from Arthur W. Sinclair, executive manager of the Winter Garden Chamber of Commerce, to C. W. Sheffield, chairman of the Technical Committee. The committee was formed by Florida Governor Claude R. Kirk, Jr. (1926-2011) to develop plans for the restoration of Lake Apopka. In this letter, Sinclair discusses plans for the possible creation of a recreational park in the Gourd Neck Springs area, at the southwest corner of Lake Apopka. Gourd Neck Springs contains the only natural spring in the lake. Sinclair tells Sheffield of earlier efforts by the Gourd Neck Springs Park Association to rally support for the creation of a state park. Sinclair closes the letter by urging Sheffield to pass along these plans to Governor Kirk.
Original 2-page typewritten letter from Arthur W. Sinclair to C. W. Sheffield, December 22, 1967: binder 1967, Friends of Lake Apopka Archives, Ginn Museum, Oakland Nature Preserve, Oakland, Florida.
An oral history of James Singleton, conducted by Ashley Wilt on July 21, 2010. Singleton has served as the Deputy Director of Facilities Fleet and Urban Maintenance for the City of Altamonte Springs, Florida, since January 1976. In this oral history interview, he discusses the history of the Altamonte Springs City Library, the establishment of an Information System (IS) for the city, the library's Mobile Information Center (MIC), the youth area for the library, library patrons, his career with the City of Altamonte Springs, and Project APRICOT (A Prototype Realistic. Innovative Community of Today).
Singleton, James. Interviewed by Ashley Wilt. July 21, 2010. Audio record available. Museum of Seminole County History, Sanford, Florida.
Altamonte Springs City Library, Altamonte Springs, Florida
Altamonte Springs City Hall, Altamonte Springs, Florida
An oral history of Bette Skates, conducted by Austin Smith on July 14, 2010. As the historian of the Holy Cross Episcopal Church in Sanford, Florida, Skates discusses the history of the church and other churches in Sanford, missionaries at Mellonville and Camp Monroe, the founding of the City of Sanford by Henry Shelton Sanford (1823-1891), and how the church and the city has changed over time. The interview also includes commentary from Alicia Clarke, curator of the Sanford Museum, and Grace Marie Stinecipher (b. 1936), historian of the First Baptist Church of Sanford.
Skates, Bette. Interviewed by Austin Smith. July 14, 2010. Museum of Seminole County History, Sanford, Florida.
Holy Cross Episcopal Church, Sanford, Florida
First United Methodist Church, Sanford, Florida
All Souls Catholic Church Historic Chapel, Sanford, Florida
All Souls Catholic Church, Sanford, Florida's
An oal history of Bette Skates, conducted by Diana Dombrowski on July 9, 2010. As the historian of the Holy Cross Episcopal Church in Sanford, Florida, Skates discusses growing up in Sanford, how Sanford has changed over time, her educational and family history, her career as a teacher, school integration, the history and activities of the Holy Cross Episcopal Church, her role as church historian, how education has changed over time, ad Florida's Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT).
Skates, Bette. Interviewed by Diana Dombrowski. July 9, 2010. Museum of Seminole County History, Sanford, Florida.
Geneva Elementary School, Geneva, Florida
Holy Cross Episcopal Church, Sanford, Florida's. Gertrude's Grove, Sanford Florida
Postcard with a photo of the home of Dr. George R. Maner. On the back of the postcard is a handwritten message which reads, "This is a pretty place just across the street from me. There are many cute little homes here. Registered yesterday at the chamber of commerce. Attended Baptist church today. Played five hundred at Mrs. Knights Friday night. Some ladies are coming here next Friday night. It's quite a little cooler today. Went to see a cute little apartment yesterday thinking of a friend that might come down here. Love from Carrie and Harriet". 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.
Western Winter Springs May Get More Townhomes
A newspaper article written by Megan Sladek and published by The Oviedo Voice in February of 2006. The article is about the Winter Springs City Commission's plans to build additional townhouses in Western Winter Springs along Sheppard Road. The articles features the opinions of both proponents and opponents to the new plan. Ultimately, the city commission voted 4-1 in favor of amending the city's comprehensive plan.
Original newspaper article: Sladek, Megan. "Western Winter Springs May Get More Townhomes." The Oviedo Voice, Vol. XVI, No. 7, February 16-22, 2006: Private Collection of Beatrice Gestrich.
Oviedo Woman's Club
A newspaper article written by Megan Sladek and published by The Oviedo Voice in February of 2006. The article discusses a lawsuit filed against the City of Oviedo on behalf of the Masci Corporation on February 7. According to Masci, the city owed the contractor over $630,000 for work done on the city's reclaimed water system along Lockwood Road.
Original newspaper article: Sladek, Megan. "Contractor Sues Oviedo." The Oviedo Voice, Vol. XVI, No. 7, February 16-22, 2006: Private Collection of Beatrice Gestrich.
An oral history interview of Richard Tobias Sloane (b. 1934), who served in the U.S. Navy from 1964 to 1969, during the Vietnam War. Sloane was born in Queens, New York City, New York, on March 4, 1934. In August of 1964, he was commissioned into the Navy. Sloane served in Vietnam from September of 1967 to September of 1968. He also served on the USS Rockbridge, USS Santa Barbara in River Section 35, the USS Garcia, the USS Wisconsin, and the USS Blue Jacket. Sloane achieved the rank of Captain and earned a Purple Heart, Bronze Star with V Device, Legion of Merit, Combat Action Award, and Navy E Ribbon. This oral history interview was conducted by Carli Van Zandt on March 5, 2014. Interview topics include Sloane's background, joining the Navy, the USS Rockbridge, Officer Candidate School (OCS), the Vietnam War, Naval Training Center (NTC) Orlando, the Grinder, the USS Blue Jacket, airbases in Central Florida, the simulation industry, and the Lone Sailor Memorial Project.
Sloane, Richard T.. Interviewed by Carli Van Zandt, March 5, 2014. Audio/video record available. Item DP0014912, UCF Community Veterans History Project, Special Collections and University Archives, University of Central Florida Libraries, Orlando, Florida.
Officer Candidate School, Newport, Rhode Island
Naval Training Center Orlando, Orlando, Florida
The Oviedo Depot, originally located at 520 South Lake Jessup Avenue in Oviedo, Florida, in 2014. The depot was built in 1886 as part of Henry B. Plant's (1819-1899) railroad system. The Plant System ran from Jacksonville to Key West. The design of the depot was based on the design standards set by the Plant System. This standardized system for the Florida lines had three depot styles based on the population of the town or city it serviced. The Oviedo design was the small town wooden depot design, as opposed to the larger cities that had brick depots. The depot was later moved to its present location at 636 South Lake Jessup Road. During World War II, the roof of the depot was used as guide for patrolling planes that flew out of Sanford Airport. Along with the depot, there was originally a red warehouse for the produce and a water tank used for the train engines. In the 1970s, the depot was sold to the Connolly family, which chose to preserve it from demolition. The depot now sits on the Connolly's property as a guesthouse and its exterior is fully restored.
Original 5 x 4 inch color photographs by Eric Smalls, March 2014.
St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church
View of St. James AME Church from the intersection of Cypress Avenue and East 9th Street. The church itself was founded in 1867 at another location off of Mellonville Avenue. In 1880, the church purchased land at the current location from the Florida Land and Colonization Company, which was operated by General Henry Shelton Sanford. After constructing several temporary structures, the church assigned African American architect Prince Spears to design the current red brick building. Spears created a building with a late gothic revival architectural style. Construction started in 1910 and ended in 1913. Reverend William H. Brown oversaw the project, but died prior to the building's completion. St. James AME Church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.
Original color digital image by Austin Smith, December 19, 2010.
PICO Hotel, located at 209 North Oak Avenue in Sanford, Florida, was built in 1887 for Henry Bradley Plant, President of the Plant Investment Company (PICO). The onion-shaped dome located on the southwest corner of the roof resembled a Turkish minaret. The dome was destroyed by a severe thunderstorm in the 1950s and was never replaced. The PICO Hotel served as the terminal hotel for a railroad and two steamship lines owned by Henry Plant. President Calvin Coolidge spent the night at the PICO Hotel during his visit to Sanford.
Original color digital images by Austin Smith, December 19, 2010.
View of the Sanford Masonic Lodge #62, located at 212 North Park Avenue in Sanford, Florida. Sanford established its own Masonic Lodge in 1872 and is one of the oldest in Florida. The building was designed by renowned local architect Elton J. Moughton. The total cost of construction was $45,000. The Lodge opened in 1924. At the time that this photograph was taken, the building was serving as the office for two attorneys of law: A. A. McCalahan, Jr. and Charles Hart II.
View of the First National Bank No. 1, located at 101 West First Street in Sanford, Florida. The building was originally constructed in 1883 by Lyman Bank and had a brick facade. In 1887, the bank switched hands and became the First National Bank. Building renovations took place the same year, which included adding a marble facade, moving the front entrance to the corner of the building, and placing a clock at the front of the building which would become the town clock located in Magnolia Square. First National Bank No. 1 is the oldest brick building in Sanford's downtown commercial district. The organizational meetings to create Rollins College were held in this building in 1885. At the time that this photograph was taken in 2010, the building was being occupied by the Corner Cafe.
The DeForest Block, located at 101 East First Street in Sanford, Florida. The building was constructed in 1887 by Henry L. DeForest as a general store. During that same year, Downtown Sanford along First Street was devastated by a fire that started at a bakery. The DeForest Block is one of only a few sets of buildings that survived the fire. In 1917, the Seminole County Bank renovated the block. The building was
The Hotchkiss Block, located at 213 East First Street in Sanford, Florida, in 2010. The block was named after Frederick Hotchkiss and constructed in the Romanesque Revival style in 1887. The previous brick building erected at this location was destroyed by the Great Fire of 1887.
Former First National Bank No. 2 , located at 101 East First Street in Sanford, Florida. Also known as Sanford's first skyscraper, the building was designed by Mowbray & Uffinger of New York. Construction began in 1922 using steel, limestone, brick, and tile. A major reason why masonry and steel was used in the construction of the building was in response to a fire that occurred in Sanford in 1887. Originating from a bakery in downtown, many of the surrounding buildings were destroyed because they were constructed out of wood. After the fire, commercial buildings were constructed either with bricks or masonry. The First National Bank remained in the building until 1929. The building has served as a home for several banks since 1938.
The Henry B. Lord building, located at 112 South Park Avenue in Sanford, Florida. From its completion in 1895 until 1992, the building was occupied by multiple jewelers. Henry B. Lord established Sanford's oldest jewelry store when he opened H. B. Lord Jewelry and Optical in 1879. In the 1930s, Henry McLaulin purchased the business. By 1943, McLaulin sold the jewelry store to W. E. Kader, who remained there until 1992. At the time that this photograph was taken in 2010, the building was housing The Wet Spot, a local drinking establishment.
View of the former PICO Block from the intersection of North Oak Avenue and West Commercial Street in Sanford, Florida. The building was constructed and opened by the Plant Investment Company (PICO) in 1887 to house the company's local offices. PICO owner Henry Plant owned and operated an extensive railway system throughout Florida. Also known as the Plant System, Plant competed with fellow railroad tycoon Henry Flagler and later extended his lines from Jacksonville through Sanford to Tampa. In the 1920s, the brick exterior of the building was covered with stucco and renamed the Welaka Apartments.
View of the former Brumley-Puleston Building, located at 100 East First Street in Sanford, Florida. Doctors L. A. Brumley and Samuel Puleston commissioned famed builder George A. Fuller to construct the building. Construction began in 1922 and completed a year later. On May 5, 1923, Roumillat and Anderson Drug Store opened in the building.
Smith, J. André (Jules André), 1880-1959
Roofs and Palms by Jules André Smith. Born in 1880 to American parents in Hong Kong, raised in New York and Connecticut, and educated at Cornell University, J. André Smith worked for several years as an architect, never giving up on his first love of art. His early passion was printmaking, specifically etching. In 1915, he was awarded a gold medal at the Panama-Pacific Exposition in San Francisco, California. During World War I, Smith continued to work in both drawing and printmaking, selected as one of eight artists by the U.S. government to go to France in 1918 to record military activities. He would later publish those works in a book titled In France with the American Expeditionary Forces. While travelling to Miami in the 1930s, Smith made an unplanned stop in Maitland, Florida. Having experienced a stunning sunset on nearby Lake Sybelia, he decided to travel no further and would go on to build his winter home and studio here, which is now the Maitland Art Center. Frustrated and disappointed with the area’s lack of support for contemporary art, Smith began plans for a residential "Lab-Gallery" that would encourage artistic exploration and experimentation in a sheltered studio environment. The studio compound, later known as The Research Studio, was the winter residence of prominent American artists such as Ralston Crawford, David Burlick, Ernest Roth, Milton Avery, Arnold Blanch, Doris Lee, and Hal McIntosh. André Smith’s vision continued to thrive for over two decades under the generous financial support from his patron, philanthropist Mary Curtis Bok. Smith’s legacy is alive and well today at the Art & History Museum’s Maitland Art Center through its residency programs and exhibitions.
Original painting: Smith, Jules André. Roofs and Palms: Maitland Historical Museum, Art & History Museums - Maitland, Maitland, Florida.
European Village, an etching created by Jules André Smith. Born in 1880 to American parents in Hong Kong, raised in New York and Connecticut, and educated at Cornell University, J. André Smith worked for several years as an architect, never giving up on his first love of art. His early passion was printmaking, specifically etching. In 1915, he was awarded a gold medal at the Panama-Pacific Exposition in San Francisco, California. During World War I, Smith continued to work in both drawing and printmaking, selected as one of eight artists by the U.S. government to go to France in 1918 to record military activities. He would later publish those works in a book titled In France with the American Expeditionary Forces. While travelling to Miami in the 1930s, Smith made an unplanned stop in Maitland, Florida. Having experienced a stunning sunset on nearby Lake Sybelia, he decided to travel no further and would go on to build his winter home and studio here, which is now the Maitland Art Center. Frustrated and disappointed with the area’s lack of support for contemporary art, Smith began plans for a residential "Lab-Gallery" that would encourage artistic exploration and experimentation in a sheltered studio environment. The studio compound, later known as The Research Studio, was the winter residence of prominent American artists such as Ralston Crawford, David Burlick, Ernest Roth, Milton Avery, Arnold Blanch, Doris Lee, and Hal McIntosh. André Smith’s vision continued to thrive for over two decades under the generous financial support from his patron, philanthropist Mary Curtis Bok. Smith’s legacy is alive and well today at the Art & History Museum’s Maitland Art Center through its residency programs and exhibitions.
Original etching: Smith, Jules André. European Village: Maitland Historical Museum, Art & History Museums - Maitland, Maitland, Florida.
Plaque for Major Jack Cameron Heist at Greenwood Cemetery
The plaque for Major Jack Cameron Heist (1919-1944) at Greenwood Cemetery in Orlando, Florida. Maj. Heist was born to Henry S. Heist and Christina Heist on November 6, 1919, in Eustis, Florida. He received his commission on May 29, 1941, to serve in World War II. Maj. Heist was an Ammunition Officer for the XIX Corps. He died during his service in an ambush on September 2, 1944, near Thiant, France. He is currently buried at the Epinal American Cemetery and Memorial in Dinozé, France. Maj. Heist is one of 85 Florida residents interned at Epinal.
Original color digital image by Tom Smith and Gloria Smith, April 8, 2013: Private Collection of Tom Smith and Gloria Smith.
Plat of survey for Pilgrim Black (1905-2002). This document certifies that V. K. Smith, a land surveyor for A. C. Doudney Surveyors, Inc., completed the location survey of Pilgrim Black's property on the corner of East Tenth Street and South Bay Avenue. The map surveys one of the homes built and owned by Maggie Benjamin Black (ca.1870-ca.1934) in the 1800s, who was the daughter of former slaves, Isaac Benjamin and Roseanna Benjamin, and the sister of Nathan Benjamin, Pledge Benjamin, Sam Benjamin, Louis Benjamin, Chainey Benjamin, Lara Benjamin, Melvina Benjamin, and Katie Benjamin. Maggie and her husband Harry Black (d. 1911) were the parents of parents of Leckward Black, Mustar Black, Malachi Black, Leatha Black Walker (1889-1976), Pilgrim Black (1905-2002), Margaret Black Jones (1889-1976), and Harriett Black Lawson. They were also the grandparents of David Harry Black (1929-2012), Vivian Louise Black (1940- ), Lula Yvonne Black (1942- ), Charles Samuel Black (1945- ), Pilgrim Black Jr. (ca.1947- ), and Patricia Ann Black (1956- ). The Black family migrated from South Carolina during the 19th century. 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. Harry and Maggie had their wood house built in the 1880s or 1890s at the corner of East 25th Street and South Sanford Avenue. Their house served as a meeting place for many of the elite members of the African-American community in Sanford. At one point, a business had asked to purchase the six acres of land that the Black family owned. Maggie agreed to sell the land, under the condition that the lumber could be reused to build houses on East Tenth Street. Maggie built a large home for herself and her children and several three-room houses for rental. She later gave the houses to Pilgrim and two of her grandsons, who made several additions to convert them into homes for their families. Pilgrim was born in 1905, although some records list 1907 as his birth year. Pilgrim and his wife, Lula Haynes Black (1917-2007), were migrant crew leaders, and thus migrated to Upstate New York in the summers and back to their home in Sanford for the rest of the year. Pilgrim had to quit school at age11 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 in Upstate New York 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 noticed Pilgrim's high rate of productivity and offered him a management position supervising up to 30 workers at once, which he accepted. Pilgrim also worked as a foreman in Sanford for Chase & Company for over 30 years.
Original plat of survey by V. K. Smith, January 7, 1966: A. C. Doudney Surveyors, Inc., Sanford, Florida, 1966: Private Collection of Patricia Ann Black.
Post 53's Original Post Home Located on Lake Monroe
The American Legion Hall Cannon, located at the 300 Seminole Boulevard in Sanford, Florida around 1939. The log cabin was originally used as the American Legion Campbell-Lossing Post 53, which received the property from the City of Sanford during the Armistice Day celebrations on November 11, 1924. Mayor Forrest Lake dedicated the structure to the "future generations who would be better off because of the work of the American Legion." The cabin was constructed through private donations from local citizens and businesses, such as the Hill Lumber Company. A cannon from World War I was placed in front of the building on January 17, 1936, but the cannon was dismantled for scrap metal during World War II. The Sanford Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States acquired the building in 1973 and the American Legion moved to 3506 South Orlando Drive and later to 2874 South Sanford Avenue. Due to deterioration and poor conditions, inspector Gary Winn recommended demolition, which City Manager Bill Simmons approved. The American Legion is a social veterans' organization for former and current members of the United States Armed Forces. The organization was chartered by the United States Congress on September 16, 1919, following World War I. The American Legion has been active in influencing political and social change, such as the founding of the U.S. Veterans Bureau, which was the forerunner of the Veterans Administration and later the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA); efforts to pass a constitutional amendment prohibiting the physical desecration of the American flag; the creation of the American Legion Baseball program; the passing of the Servicemen's Readjustment Act, commonly known as the GI Bill of Rights; contributing to the launch of the National Association for Mental Health; sponsorship of an independent study on the effects of the exposure of Agent Orange, a herbicidal weapon, on veterans of the Vietnam War; as well as many other activities and achievements.
Photocopy of original 6.5 x 3.75 inch black and white photograph by R. E. Sodeblom: Private Collection of Luticia "Tish" Lee.
American Legion Campbell-Lossing Post 53, Sanford, Florida
The City of Sanford steamboat near Sanford, Florida. The steamboat was constructed by the Thompson & Clyde Shipyard in Jacksonville. On November 24, 1880, The City of Sanford was launched. The steamboat travedl between Sanford and Jacksonville 137 times and was able to carry 145 tons of goods. On April 24, 1882, The City of Sanford burned at Point La Vista, near Downtown Jacksonville. By the mid-1880s, Sanford had become a major distribution center due to the city's strategic location along Lake Monroe and the St. Johns River. Even before Florida obtained statehood, steamboats frequented the St. Johns River carrying U.S. Army soldiers to Fort Mellon, located on the shores of Lake Monroe, to defend the area against Native Americans during the Seminole Wars. Steamboats were used at the fort and during the Battle of Camp Monroe to relocate Seminoles, explore the St. Johns River, and to distribute military forces. During the second half of the 1830s, steamboats were used to tow barges from the river to Lake Monroe in order to stimulate trade. The first commercial steamboat was developed as the Brock Line in the early 1850s. As trade grew, various wharves and docks were built in locations such as Mellonville Avenue, Palmetto Avenue, Oak Street, and Sanford Avenue. The Debary-Baya Merchant Line began transporting passengers in 1883, which further developed the steamboat industry. The line was purchased by the Clyde Line in 1886 and remained open until 1933. The growth of railroads was the primary cause of the decline of the steamboat industry.
Original drawing by John Wilson Somerville: Steamboats Collection, Museum of Seminole County History, Sanford, Florida.
Museum of Seminole County History
Jesse Cutler with the Original Cast of "Godspell" Appearing on Channel 4 NBC's "Good Morning America"
Music--New York (State)--New York--20th century
A black and white photograph of the original cast of the musical "Godspell" appearing on NBC's "Good Morning America" in 1972. The cast surrounds a picnic table that contains a cake and a large jug of wine. Jesse Cutler appears standing fourth from the right in the back row. A Post-it note on the back of the photograph reads, "JESSE CUTLER WITH THE ORIGINAL CAST OF 'GODSPELL' APPEARING ON CHANNEL 4 NBC's 'GOOD MORNING AMERICA'. 1972 70's." There is also a handwritten note on the back of the photograph that reads, "FROM GODSPELL. From Gloria Sondheim P.R. Bell Records." Jesse Cutler has spent an illustrious career, beginning at age 12, as a musician, composer, actor, producer, and entrepreneur. Starting in New York City in the 1960s and then in Los Angeles from the early ‘70s through the late ‘90s, Jesse performed with his bands and in the original cast of Godspell on Broadway, made records that saw Billboard’s Top 100, formed his own companies and appeared on TV and radio and in national print.
1 original black and white photograph, 1972: Personal Collection of Jesse Cutler.
Three color promotional advertisements for Bluebird Citrus Products line of orange and grape fruit juice. The advertisements display a variety of juices of various sizes in glass bottles and cans. Bluebird brand citrus juices were manufactured and distributed by Southern Fruit Distributors, Inc., a company founded by Philip Caruso. The Bluebird juice company is currently part of Florida's Natural Food Service.
3 original color promotional advertisements: Private Collection of Judith LaRue
Southern Fruit Distributors, Inc., Orlando, Florida
A set of labels for Bluebird Citrus Products in Arabic. The labels include an illustration featuring the fruit juice in the container, including apple, grapefruit, orange, and pineapple. Bluebird brand citrus juices were manufactured and distributed by Southern Fruit Distributors, Inc., a company founded by Philip Caruso. The Bluebird juice company is currently part of Florida's Natural Food Service.
6 original color labels: Private Collection of Judith LaRue
Bluebird Florida Citrus Juices Matchbook
A matchbook from Southern Fruit Distributors, Inc. in Orlando, Florida. The logo of Bluebird Florida Citrus Juices appears on both the front and back of the book. It is noted that the juice is packed under continuous inspection of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Bluebird brand citrus juices were manufactured and distributed by Southern Fruit Distributors, Inc., a company founded by Philip Caruso. The Bluebird juice company is currently part of Florida's Natural Food Service.
Original color matchbook: Private Collection of Judith LaRue
A black oval patch with "Bluebird Citrus" embroidered in yellow. Bluebird brand citrus juices were manufactured and distributed by Southern Fruit Distributors, Inc., a company founded by Philip Caruso. The Bluebird juice company is currently part of Florida's Natural Food Service.
A label for Bluebird Grapefruit Sections. The labels include an illustration featuring the fruit sections in the container. Bluebird brand citrus juices were manufactured and distributed by Southern Fruit Distributors, Inc., a company founded by Philip Caruso. The Bluebird juice company is currently part of Florida's Natural Food Service.
Original color label: Private Collection of Judith LaRue
Bluebird Halves Yellow Freestone Peaches in Heavy Syrup
A label for Bluebird Halves Yellow Freestone Peaches in Heavy Syrup. The labels include an illustration featuring the fruit sections in the container. Bluebird brand citrus juices were manufactured and distributed by Southern Fruit Distributors, Inc., a company founded by Philip Caruso. The Bluebird juice company is currently part of Florida's Natural Food Service.
Bluebird News, Vol. 1, No. 1, February-March, 1982
An issue of Bluebird News, which was an employee-produced newsletter for Southern Fruit Distributors, Inc. The inaugural issue covered February and March of 1982, featuring stories on the crop freeze of the 1981-82 season, telephone operator Kriss Woollens, the "Shirley Says..." column, and profiles of long-term employees. It also includes a recipe for orange bread. Bluebird brand citrus juices were manufactured and distributed by Southern Fruit Distributors, Inc., a company founded by Philip Caruso. The Bluebird juice company is currently part of Florida's Natural Food Service.
Original 4-page black and white newsletter: Private Collection of Judith LaRue
An issue of Bluebird News, which was an employee-produced newsletter for Southern Fruit Distributors, Inc. The issue covered May of 1982, featuring stories on Bluebird employees and a new 3-year contract with the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (R. W. D. S. U.). Other staples of the newsletter are present, like the "Shirley Says..." column and recipes using the company's juices. Bluebird brand citrus juices were manufactured and distributed by Southern Fruit Distributors, Inc., a company founded by Philip Caruso. The Bluebird juice company is currently part of Florida's Natural Food Service.
Bluebird News, Vol. 2, No. 2, April 1983
An issue of Bluebird News, which was an employee-produced newsletter for Southern Fruit Distributors, Inc. The issue covered April of 1983, featuring stories on Bluebird employees, an article on the "Broker of the Year" Award, and freeze tunnels for juice concentrate. Bluebird brand citrus juices were manufactured and distributed by Southern Fruit Distributors, Inc., a company founded by Philip Caruso. The Bluebird juice company is currently part of Florida's Natural Food Service.
From Florida's Finest Groves Comes Bluebird Citrus Products
A promotional pamphlet for Bluebird Citrus Products containing information on the company's history, products and quality. The pamphlet features images of Bluebird canned juices and frozen concentrate. Bluebird brand citrus juices were manufactured and distributed by Southern Fruit Distributors, Inc., a company founded by Philip Caruso. The Bluebird juice company is currently part of Florida's Natural Food Service.
Original color promotional pamphlet: Private Collection of Judith LaRue
Two Weeki Wachee Mermaids in Costume Performing a Scene from "Peter Pan"
Kodak Safety Film Strip consisting of two images. These images show two Weeki Wachee mermaids performing a scene from "Peter Pan." One mermaid is in a Captain Hook costume and the other is in an alligator costume. A prop pirate ship is pictured behind the mermaids. Image was taken sometime in 1971, when the show was performed. Along with a group of investors, Newton Perry opened Weeki Wachee Springs to the public in October of 1947. At the time, roadside attractions were becoming popular stops along Florida roadways. The attraction consisted of an amalgamation of vendors, an orchid garden, a river boat tour, as well as the star attraction: a mermaid show that took place in an underwater theater. Eventually, the May Museum of the Tropics, an "abandoned Seminole village", a show called “Birds of Prey”, and a petting zoo were added. After peaking in the 1950s and 1960s, attendance began to decline as theme parks and highways changed the dynamics of Florida's tourism. The State of Florida took over the attraction as a state park in 2008. Since then, the park has focused on appealing to a modern audience while preserving its history.
Original black and white photograph of Weeki Wachee Springs Mermaids Performing in "Peter Pan," c. 1971: Private Collection of karen Geiken.
Disney’s Black Heritage Celebration, February 1998
Disney's Black Heritage Celebration, February 1998, by Everett Spruill. The color painting includes the event's logo, signed by the artist and numbered 870/1000. Two color photographs appear below the painting featuring teachers and students from Hillcrest Elementary School visiting with Rosa Louise McCauley Parks (1913-2005), and costumed characters, Mickey and Minnie Mouse. The Walt Disney Company recognized Black History Month by hosting celebrities, shows and artists across its three Orlando theme parks and at Downtown Disney, its entertainment and shopping complex. Hillcrest Elementary School is one of Orlando’s oldest schools, opening in 1923. Since the 1980s, it has had a vibrant foreign language component and today it continues that tradition through the Orange County Public Schools Foreign Language Academy.
Original color painting and color photographs: Private Collection of Aliette Corzo.
Letter from John R. Squire to Mrs. Jerry Boyd (October 12, 1976)
A letter from John R. Squire, the Recreation Planner Supervisor for the Bureau of Plans, Programs, and Services of the Florida Division of Recreation and Parks to Mrs. Jerry Boyd, dated October 12, 1976. In the letter, Squires clarifies the Environmentally Endangered Lands (EEL) Program's definitions of land types. Squires quotes the program's definition of "tropical" and "semi-tropical" hammocks, and explains that the Gourd Neck Springs area of Lake Apopka does not meet the qualifications for a tropical hammock. The Environmentally Endangered Lands Program was formed in 1972 as part of the larger Land Conservation Act of 1972. The EEL program was initially funded through the sale of state bonds. The program was designed to help the state acquire lands considered environmentally sensitive and was not designed for creating areas for recreational use. Potential sites for acquisition could be suggested by citizens, county and state governments, and nonprofit organizations. After evaluation for environmental value, potential sites would be approved by the Executive Director of the Florida Department of Natural Resources and finalized by the Governor. In 1979, the former Executive Director, Harmon Shields, was indicted on corruption charges involving the lands-acquisition process. Following this scandal, the EEL program was replaced by Conservation and Recreation Lands Program. This change replaced the program's funding with tax revenues instead of bond sales, and formed the Land Acquisition Selection Committee, made up by six executive directors of Florida environmental agencies, to select sites for approval by the governor. The Division of State Lands was also created as a division of the Department of Natural Resources to over-see mapping and evaluation of potential sites for acquisition. 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 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 2-page typewritten letter from John R. Squires to Mrs. Jerry Boyd, October 12, 1976: binder 1976, Friends of Lake Apopka Archives, Ginn Museum, Oakland Nature Preserve, Oakland, Florida.
A page from the St. Charles High School yearbook from 1951. The page features the St. Charles High School Freshman and Sophomore football team. A notable student pictured is Jerry Bumgarner (1935-1983). Born on November 8, 1935, in St. Charles, Illinois, Bumgarner was an active member of the high school C Club, track, and football teams. On June 25, 1954, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps at nineteen years old. He served in the 7th Engineer Battalion and retired on June 24, 1956, reaching the rank of E2, Private First Class. He married Janice M. Colegrove and the couple lived in St. Charles until they moved to Clearwater, Florida. Bumgarner passed away on March 1, 1983. In 2017, the University of Central Florida was one of three universities selected to launch the National Cemetery Administration’s Veterans Legacy Program Project. The program engaged a team of scholars to make the life stories of veterans buried in the Florida National Cemetery available to the public. The project engages UCF students in research and writing and fosters collaboration between students, faculty and local Central Florida schools to produce interactive curriculum for k-12 students. The corresponding website exhibit uses RICHES Mosaic Interface to create a digital archive of related data. The public can use the project-developed augmented-reality app at more than 100 gravesites at the Florida National Cemetery, where they can access the UCF student-authored biographies of veterans.
Digital reproduction of original black and white photograph.
Seventh and Eighth Graders at St. Joseph's Academy, 1928
Seventh and eighth graders at St. Joseph's Academy, located at 53 East Jefferson Street in Downtown Orlando, Florida, in 1928. St. Joseph's Academy opened on October 17, 1889, with just 40 students. The school, built by Father J. J. Creed of St. James Cathedral, was to serve the children of St. James Church until 1929, when a new Italian Renaissance-style school was opened at 505 East Ridgewood Street between Cathcart Avenue and Hillman Avenue. The school stood at the northeast corner of the church property at Main Street and Robinson Street, where the U.S. Post Office now stands in Downtown Orlando on 51 East Jefferson Street. Students photographed include, from left to right, in the top row: Frank Yochum, Al Shepp, Mark Lambert, Ed Cavanaugh, Leonard Bumby, Gilmore Mac Carvel, Art Jane, Hilary Lyons, Mary Mickler, Arnold Mickler, and Frank Consonni. The second row shows an unidentified student, Alice Shore, Mildred McFarland, two unidentified students, Margaret Horan, and another unidentified student. Photographed in the bottom row are Henry Manhart, Charles Spellman, Lyons, Agnes Marsh, Becky Bumby, Catherine Cunningham, an unidentified student, Rose Rizk, Rita Girouard, Victoria Rizk, Codner, an unidentified student, Harold Young, and an unidentified student.
Original 8 x 5 inch black and white photograph, 1928: Orlando Remembered Exhibit, Downtown Orlando Post Office, Downtown Orlando, Florida.
St. Joseph's Academy, Downtown Orlando, Florida
A page from the St. Petersburg High School Yearbook in St. Petersburg, Florida, in 1943. The page contains the students' photographs, quotes, extracurricular activities, and any organizations they participated in. A notable student listed is Joseph Johnson (1924-1944). Joseph Johnson was born and raised in McKenzie, Tennessee, to Joseph Johnson Sr. and Maye Johnson. In 1937, the Johnson family moved to St. Petersburg, where Joseph lived and graduated from high school. Johnson trained at Camp Blanding, FL. Joseph joined the 101st Infantry Regiment, part of the 26th Infantry Division. He took part in the Lorraine Campaign in Eastern France, participating in the liberation of the French cities of Metz and Nancy. While fighting in the vicinity of Sarre-Union, an artillery attack wounded Joseph. He died of his wounds on December 4, 1944, and is currently interred at the Lorraine American Cemetery in St. Avold, France. The Florida-France Soldiers Stories Project seeks to tell the stories of the Florida soldiers buried in the American Battle Monuments Commission cemeteries in France. Our goal is to honor and commemorate the brave individuals who gave their lives supporting the Allied forces, liberating France, and defeating Germany in the Second World War. Simultaneously, our goal is to teach the students who participate in this research project about the history of France and Florida during World War II, about the history of individual servicemen, and about how to implement historical research methods in their work.
Digital reproduction of original yearbook page.
The New Tribes Mission, located at 1000 East First Street, in 1982 after renovations. 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. After the Naval Air Station Sanford acquired $1.3 million to fund the construction of a naval academy in 1963, the Foundation made significant alterations to the building to house students from the Sanford Naval Academy. The Foundation later sold the building to the New Tribes Mission in 1977. The New Tribes Mission's goal is to reach tribes who have no access to the Gospel through translated publications and missionary work.
Original black and white photograph by Clyde Stancil, 1982.
A History of Central Florida, Episode 7: Spanish Mission Bell
Episode 7 of A History of Central Florida Podcast: Spanish Mission Bell. 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 7 features a discussion of the Spanish mission bell recovered in the Ocklawaha River between Palatka and Ocala, Florida. This podcast also includes interviews with Dr. John Worth of the University of West Florida and Dr. Daniel S. Murphree of the University of Central Florida.
Original 11-minute and 40-second podcast by Kevin Stapleton, 2013: "A History of Central Florida, Episode 7: Spanish Mission Bell." A History of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
Silver River Museum and Environmental Education Center
Florida Department of State, Division of Historical Resources
Silver River Museum and Environmental Education Center, Ocala, Florida
A History of Central Florida, Episode 36: The Art Colony Bell
Episode 36 of A History of Central Florida Podcast: The Art Colony Bell. 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 36 features a discussion of the Art Colony Bell located at the Maitland Art Center, which was formerly the Maitland Research Studio. This podcast also includes interviews with Bethany Gray of the Maitland Art Center and Richard Colvin of the Lake Eustis Museum of Art.
Original 11-minute and 28-second podcast by Kevin Stapleton, 2013: RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Orlando, Florida. http://youtu.be/E5H3HK8vyy8.
Maitland Art Center
Florida Memory Project
Department of College Archives and Special Collections, Olin Library, Rollins College
Maitland Research Studio, Maitland, Florida
A History of Central Florida, Episode 42: Jim Crow Signs
Episode 42 of A History of Central Florida podcasts: Jim Crow Signs. 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 42 features a discussion of racial segregation signs used in the Jim Crow South, which are housed at the Orange County Regional History Center in Orlando, Florida. This podcast also includes interviews with Dr. Stephen Caldwell Wright of Seminole State College and Dr. Julian C. Chambliss of Rollins College.
Original 15-minute and 48-second podcast by Kevin Stapleton, 2015: RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Orlando, Florida. http://youtu.be/wvzC9ergWHg.
Orange County Regional History Center
Library of Congress
Derns Elementary School, Orange County, Florida
Durrance Elementary School, Orlando, Florida