RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Episode 28: Hamilton Holt, Part 1
Episode 28, Part 1 of RICHES Podcast Documentaries: Hamilton Holt. RICHES Podcast Documentaries are short form narrative documentaries that explore Central Florida history and are locally produced. These podcasts can involve the participation or cooperation of local area partners. Episode 28 focuses on the life of Hamilton Holt, one of the most well-known presidents of Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida. Hamilton Holt became the president of Rollins College in 1925 and served until 1949. Holt revitalized education at Rollins by stressing a new, cooperative system called the "Conference Plan," which involved one-on-one interaction between professor and student. This podcast also includes interviews with former Rollins president Thaddeus Seymour, and Rollins professor Jack Lane.
Original 16-minute and 39-second podcast, April 12, 2012: "RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Episode 28: Hamilton Holt, Part 1." RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Orlando, Florida.
RICHES of Central Florida
RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Episode 29: Hamilton Holt, Part 2
Episode 29, Part 2 of RICHES Podcast Documentaries: Hamilton Holt. RICHES Podcast Documentaries are short form narrative documentaries that explore Central Florida history and are locally produced. These podcasts can involve the participation or cooperation of local area partners. Episode 29 focuses on the life of Hamilton Holt, one of the most well-known presidents of Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida. Hamilton Holt became the president of Rollins College in 1925 and served until 1949. Holt revitalized education at Rollins by stresses a new, cooperative system called the "Conference Plan," which involved one-on-one interaction between professor and student. This podcast also includes interviews with former Rollins president Thaddeus Seymour, and Rollins professor Jack Lane.
Original 15-minute and 34-second podcast, April 27, 2012: "RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Episode 29: Hamilton Holt, Part 2." RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Orlando, Florida.
RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Episode 33: The Florida Sinkhole Institute
Episode 33 of RICHES Podcast Documentaries: Launch Consoles: A Forgotten History. 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 33 explores how the Central Florida landscape is littered with the results of sinkhole activity, how sinkholes are caused, and the inception and eventual cancellation of the Florida Sinkhole Institute. This podcast features an interview with Dr. Frank Kujawa.
Original 12-minute and 58-second podcast, July 2, 2012: "RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Episode 33: The Florida Sinkhole Institute." RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Orlando, Florida.
RICHES
University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida
RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Episode 35: Harry T. Moore, Part 1
Episode 35, Part 1 of RICHES Podcast Documentaries: Harry T. Moore. 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 35 focuses on the background of Harry Tyson Moore and his wife Harriette Vyda Simms Moore, how Moore became a major civil rights leader, the movement for equality that he led in Central Florida, and the historical framework for the racism and social tensions that plagued Florida during the 1940s and 1950s. Harry Tyson Moore was a pioneer of the Civil Rights Movement in Florida and founder of the first Brevard County branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). He and his wife were assassinated by a Ku Klux Klan bomb on December 25, 1951. The Moores are the first NAACP members to be murdered for their activism and Harry T. Moore is sometimes called the first martyr of the 1950s-era civil rights movement.
Original 15-minute and 30-second podcast, July 30, 2012: "RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Episode 35: Harry T. Moore, Part 1." RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Orlando, Florida.
Harry T. & Harriette V. Moore House, Mims, Florida
RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Episode 36: Harry T. Moore, Part 2
Episode 36, Part 2 of RICHES Podcast Documentaries: Harry T. Moore. 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 focuses on the preservation efforts of the late 1990s and early 2000s, as well as the establishment of the Harry T. and Harriette V. Moore Cultural Complex. Harry Tyson Moore was a pioneer of the Civil Rights Movement in Florida and founder of the first Brevard County branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). He and his wife, Harriette Vyda Simms Moore, were assassinated by a Ku Klux Klan bomb on December 25, 1951. The Moores are the first NAACP members to be murdered for their activism and Harry T. Moore is sometimes called the first martyr of the 1950s-era civil rights movement.
Original 17-minute and 39-second podcast, July 30, 2012: "RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Episode 36: Harry T. Moore, Part 2." RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Orlando, Florida.
Harry T. & Harriette V. Moore Cultural Complex, Mims, Florida
RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Episode 40: Bethune Cookman University Founding
Bethune-Cookman College (Daytona Beach, Fla.)
Episode 40 of RICHES Podcast Documentaries: Bethune Cookman University Founding. RICHES Podcast Documentaries are short form narrative documentaries that explore Central Florida history and are locally produced. These podcasts can involve the participation or cooperation of local area partners. Episode 40 features an interview with Dr. Sheila Flemming Hunter about the history of Bethune-Cookman University, formerly Bethune-Cookman College, located at 640 Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Boulevard in Daytona Beach, Florida. The Daytona Educational and Industrial Training School was established by African-American educator and civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune in October of 1904. In 1923, the school merged with the Cookman Institute of Jacksonville and then became affiliated with the Methodist Church the following year. The school served as a co-educational high school until 1931, when it became a junior college. In 1941, the school was accredited as a four-year college and was renamed Bethune-Cookman College.
Original 16-minute and 48-second podcast, October 12, 2012: "RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Episode 40: Bethune Cookman University Founding." RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Orlando, Florida.
Daytona Educational and Industrial Training School, Daytona Beach, Florida
Bethune-Cookman College, Daytona Beach, Florida
Bethune-Cookman University, Daytona Beach, Florida
RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Episode 45: An Interview with Joy Wallace Dickinson, Part 1
Episode 45, Part 1 of RICHES Podcast Documentaries: An Interview with Joy Wallace Dickinson. 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 45 features an interview with former The Orlando Sentinel journalist Joy Wallace Dickinson about the history of Orlando based on her unique personal experience and professional research and work.
Original 16-minute and 31-second podcast, December 19, 2012: "RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Episode 45: An Interview with Joy Wallace Dickinson, Part 1." RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Orlando, Florida.
RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Episode 46: An Interview with Joy Wallace Dickinson, Part 2
Episode 46, Part 2 of RICHES Podcast Documentaries: An Interview with Joy Wallace Dickinson. 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 46 features an interview with former The Orlando Sentinel journalist Joy Wallace Dickinson about the history of Orlando based on her unique personal experience and professional research and work.
Original 17-minute and 58-second podcast, January 11, 2013: "RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Episode 46: An Interview with Joy Wallace Dickinson, Part 2." RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Orlando, Florida.
RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Episode 47: Integration and Sports at Bethune Cookman University
Episode 47 of RICHES Podcast Documentaries: Integration and Sports at Bethune Cookman University. RICHES Podcast Documentaries are short form narrative documentaries that explore Central Florida history and are locally produced. These podcasts can involve the participation or cooperation of local area partners. Episode 47 features some of Bethune-Cookman University's greatest coaches and athletes, as well as integration and how it affected sports and recruitment. This contains some very raw statements which demonstrate how passionately people feel about this piece of history. The Daytona Educational and Industrial Training School was established by African-American educator and civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune in October 1904. In 1923, the school merged with the Cookman Institute of Jacksonville and then became affiliated with the Methodist Church the following year. The school served as a co-educational high school until 1931 when it became a junior college. In 1941, the school was accredited as a four-year college and was renamed Bethune-Cookman College.
Original 17-minute and 39-second podcast, February 1, 2013: "RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Episode 47: Integration and Sports at Bethune Cookman University." RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Orlando, Florida.
New York Giants Farm Clubs: Location of Ball Diamonds, Sanford, Florida
Plans for the New York Giants Farm Clubs' baseball diamonds drawn on October 7, 1947. The Giants' Spring Training Facility offered a summer athletic experience for boys in order to gain extra revenue. In 1947, the City of Sanford collaborated with the New York Giants, now the San Francisco Giants, to layout and create a 10-diamond practice field. The Giants also owned the Mayfair Hotel and Mayfair Country Club and golf course until the early 1960s, and players would use these facilities when staying in town for training. The Giants franchise moved to San Francisco in 1957.
Original drawing, October 7, 1947: "New York Giants Farm Clubs, Location of Ball Diamonds." Sanford, Florida: Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
New York Giants Farm Clubs' Baseball Diamonds, Sanford, Florida
Naval Air Station Sanford Plat of Three Aviation Fields with Map of Seminole County
Plat of three aviation fields of the Naval Air Station (NAS) Sanford in Sanford, Florida, in 1941. A map of Seminole County, originally drawn in 1936, is also drawn on the back side. The air station was commissioned on November 3, 1942, as a naval aviation training facility during World War II. The Navy continued to train pilots at NAS Sanford throughout the Korean War and Vietnam War. NAS Sanford was temporarily decommissioned after World War II in 1946, and decommissioned again in 1950 when it was the Naval Auxiliary Air Station (NAAS) Sanford, due to the outbreak of the Korean War and the ongoing Cold War. Soon afterward, the station was renamed NAS Sanford and redesigned as a full naval air station. On February 6, 1959, NAS Sanford was dedicated as Ramey Field in honor of Lieutenant Commander Robert W. Ramey. In 1968, due to lack of funding caused by the Vietnam War, Congress directed the closure of NAS Sanford. The City of Sanford assumed authority over the former NAS Sanford facility the year after it closed and renamed it the Sanford Airport, which was managed by Commander J. S. "Red" Cleveland. The airport underwent various name changes over the next several decades: Sanford Regional Airport, Central Florida Regional Airport, Orlando Sanford Regional Airport, and its current name, Orlando-Sanford International Airport. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, several Naval buildings were demolished and new buildings were constructed.
Original 12.75 x 29.75 inch drawing and map, May 25, 1941: Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
Naval Air Station Sanford, Sanford, Florida
Sanford Municipal Airport, Sanford, Florida: Showing Proposed Drainage
Proposed drainage plans proposed by Sanford's City Engineer, Fred T. Williams, for the Sanford Municipal Airport. This map was drawn on December 4, 1933. The municipal fields were selected for the site for a naval aviation training facility during World War II. The Naval Air Station (NAS) Sanford was commissioned on November 3, 1942, as a naval aviation training facility during World War II. The Navy continued to train pilots at NAS Sanford throughout the Korean War and Vietnam War. NAS Sanford was temporarily decommissioned after World War II in 1946, and decommissioned again in 1950 when it was the Naval Auxiliary Air Station (NAAS) Sanford, due to the outbreak of the Korean War and the ongoing Cold War. Soon afterward, the station was renamed NAS Sanford and redesigned as a full naval air station. On February 6, 1959, NAS Sanford was dedicated as Ramey Field in honor of Lieutenant Commander Robert W. Ramey. In 1968, due to lack of funding caused by the Vietnam War, Congress directed the closure of NAS Sanford. The City of Sanford assumed authority over the former NAS Sanford facility the year after it closed and renamed it the Sanford Airport, which was managed by Commander J. S. "Red" Cleveland. The airport underwent various name changes over the next several decades: Sanford Regional Airport, Central Florida Regional Airport, Orlando Sanford Regional Airport, and its current name, Orlando-Sanford International Airport. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, several Naval buildings were demolished and new buildings were constructed.
Original 17.25 x 13.25 inch drawing, December 4, 1933: "Sanford Municipal Airport, Sanford, Florida: Showing Proposed Drainage." Sanford, Florida: Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
Sanford Municipal Airport, Sanford, Florida
Index Map: Station N.A.S. Sanford, Florida
Index map of the Naval Air Station in Sanford, Florida. The air station was commissioned on November 3, 1942, as a naval aviation training facility during World War II. The Navy continued to train pilots at NAS Sanford throughout the Korean War and Vietnam War. NAS Sanford was temporarily decommissioned after World War II in 1946, and decommissioned again in 1950 when it was the Naval Auxiliary Air Station (NAAS) Sanford, due to the outbreak of the Korean War and the ongoing Cold War. Soon afterward, the station was renamed NAS Sanford and redesigned as a full naval air station. On February 6, 1959, NAS Sanford was dedicated as Ramey Field in honor of Lieutenant Commander Robert W. Ramey. In 1968, due to lack of funding caused by the Vietnam War, Congress directed the closure of NAS Sanford. The City of Sanford assumed authority over the former NAS Sanford facility the year after it closed and renamed it the Sanford Airport, which was managed by Commander J. S. "Red" Cleveland. The airport underwent various name changes over the next several decades: Sanford Regional Airport, Central Florida Regional Airport, Orlando Sanford Regional Airport, and its current name, Orlando-Sanford International Airport. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, several Naval buildings were demolished and new buildings were constructed.
Original 20 x 24 inch map prepared by the City of Sanford Department of Public Works: Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
City of Sanford Department of Public Works
Zoning of U.S. Naval Air Station, Sanford, Florida
Drawing of the Naval Air Station in Sanford, Florida. This drawing shows a map of the zoning of the NAS Sanford. The air station was commissioned on November 3, 1942, as a naval aviation training facility during World War II. The Navy continued to train pilots at NAS Sanford throughout the Korean War and Vietnam War. NAS Sanford was temporarily decommissioned after World War II in 1946, and decommissioned again in 1950 when it was the Naval Auxiliary Air Station (NAAS) Sanford, due to the outbreak of the Korean War and the ongoing Cold War. Soon afterward, the station was renamed NAS Sanford and redesigned as a full naval air station. On February 6, 1959, NAS Sanford was dedicated as Ramey Field in honor of Lieutenant Commander Robert W. Ramey. In 1968, due to lack of funding caused by the Vietnam War, Congress directed the closure of NAS Sanford. The City of Sanford assumed authority over the former NAS Sanford facility the year after it closed and renamed it the Sanford Airport, which was managed by Commander J. S. "Red" Cleveland. The airport underwent various name changes over the next several decades: Sanford Regional Airport, Central Florida Regional Airport, Orlando Sanford Regional Airport, and its current name, Orlando-Sanford International Airport. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, several Naval buildings were demolished and new buildings were constructed.
Original 11 x 16 inch drawing: "Zoning of U.S. Naval Air Station Sanford, Florida." Sanford, Florida: Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
Letter from Manager of the Evangelist to Sydney Ocatvius Chase (September 21, 1889)
An original letter of correspondence between the manager of The Chinese Evangelist, a Chinese-language Christian periodical founded in New York in the 1880s, and Sydney Octavius Chase. Topics discussed in the letter include a young man who was interested in working for Chase & Company. Chase & Company was established in 1884 by brothers Sydney Octavius Chase and Joshua Coffin Chase. The company sold insurance and later invested in storage facilities and fertilizer sales. Chase & Company was known mainly for its agricultural interests and maintained a series of citrus groves throughout Central Florida. The company was based out of Sanford and became one of the city's largest employers into the early twentieth century. Randall Chase joined in the family business soon after his brother, Sydney Chase, Jr., did in 1922. Randall became the president of Chase & Company from 1948-1965.
Original letter to Sydney Ocatvius Chase, September 21, 1889: box 173, folder 2.40, Chase Collection (MS 14), Special and Area Studies Collections, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.
The Christian Evangelist, New York City, New York
Patricia Ann Black (1956- ) in Rochester, New York, a couple of months after she gave birth to her son William Bigham III (1982- ) in 1982 with her third husband William Bigham Jr. (1952- ). Patricia Ann Black was the daughter of Pilgrim Black (1905-2002) and Lula Mae Haynes Black (1917-2007), who got married in 1937. Patricia was born August 31, 1956, and grew up at the end of East Tenth Street in Sanford, Florida. She attended Hopper Elementary through sixth grade, Lakeview Middle School for seventh grade, Sanford Junior High School for eighth grade, Crooms High School for ninth grade, and Seminole High School through twelfth grade. She also attended school in the North Rose-Wolcott district each year while in Upsstate New York. During fourth grade, integration began and parents were given the choice to have their children to attend other schools, but Patricia chose to continue attending an all-black school until she entered seventh grade in 1968 and began attending integrated schools. In June 1973, Patricia married her first husband, Clint Holt (1955-); however, the couple quickly separated due to domestic violence and divorced around 1977. Patricia gave birth to her first child, Charmion Le'Antwinetta Holt (1974- ). She also had three other children with William Bigham Jr. (1952- ), who she was married to for 33 years: William Arthur Bigham III (1982- ), Brandon Oliver Black (1990- ), and Tempestt Teonte' Black (1992- ). Patricia currently lives in the family home built by her grandmother, Maggie Benjamin Black (ca.1870-ca.1934) on East Tenth Street in Sanford. Patricia endured weekly molestation for 11 years from age six to age seventeen and was raped at age seventeen while pregnant with Charmion. At age 29, Patricia became severely addicted to smoking cocaine. After seven years, Patricia was able to overcome her addiction and has maintained her sobriety for 21 years. She has suffered severe mental and physical damage and is still recovering today. Despite her traumatic experiences and sibling rejections, Patricia has developed a devout relationship with God. While in recovery, Patricia refocused her attention on spreading her ministry of love by becoming a foster parent, serving as the Parent Representative of the Committee for Special Education (CSE), and serving on her local school board in the North Rose-Wolcott school district. Patricia also has owned her own business making incense and importing shea butter from Africa. She also became a licensed nail technician specializing in stress-relieving pedicures. As of 2009, Patricia is retired but still maintains some involvement in her business/ministry named GIFTED.
Original 5 x 7 inch color photograph: Private Collection of Patricia Ann Black.
Harry Black (d. 1911) and his wife, Maggie Benjamin Black (ca. 1870-ca. 1934) in the 1800s. Harry and Maggie were the 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 to Sanford, Florida, during the 19th century. Maggie Benjamin Black was the daughter of former slaves, Isaac and Roseanna Benjamin. Harry and Maggie had their wood house built in the 1880s or 1890s at the corner of East 25h 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. This photograph is one of only three artifacts that Pilgrim Black owned of his parents.
Original black and white photograph: Private Collection of Patricia Ann Black.
Vivian Louise Black (1940-), the daughter of Pilgrim Black (1905-2002) and Lula Mae Haynes Black (1917-2007), who got married in 1937. Vivian is also the oldest sister of Lula Yvonne Black (1942-); Charles Samuel Black (1945-); Pilgrim Black, Jr. (ca. 1947-); and Patricia Ann Black (1956- ); as well as the half-sister of David Harry Black (1929-2012). Vivian graduated from Crooms High School around 1958. She married Benjamin Moore Hawkins in the 1960s and moved to Rochester, New York. The couple had two children together: Benjamin Moore, Jr. (1960-) and Fejetta Michelle Hawkins (1972-). Vivian worked for several years in a factory until she suffered a stroke at age 35, when the left side of her body became completely paralyzed. She moved back to Sanford, Florida, after her stroke.
Fourteen year-old Lula Yvonne Black (1942-), the daughter of Pilgrim Black (1905-2002) and Lula Mae Haynes Black (1917-2007), who got married in 1937. Yvonne is also the sister of Vivian Louise Black (1940-); Charles Samuel Black (1945-), Pilgrim Black, Jr. (ca.1947-); and Patricia Ann Black (1956-); as well as the half-sister of David Harry Black (1929-2012). Yvonne graduated from Crooms High School around 1960. After high school, she attended college briefly, married Willie Lee Hooks, and moved to Rochester, New York. Lula and her husband had four children together: twins Willie Lee Hooks, Jr. and Wilbur Lee Hooks; Ronald Lee Hooks; and Lavonia Kaye Hooks. Like her sister, Vivian, Yvonne also worked in a factory for many years.
One of the daughters of Pilgrim Black (1905-2002) and Lula Mae Haynes Black (1917-2007), who got married in 1937. The daughter pictured is most likely Vivian Louise Black (1940- ). Vivian is also the oldest sister of Lula Yvonne Black (1942-); Charles Samuel Black (1945-); Pilgrim Black, Jr. (ca. 1947-); and Patricia Ann Black (1956- ); as well as the half-sister of David Harry Black (1929-2012). Vivian graduated from Crooms High School around 1958. She married Benjamin Moore Hawkins in the 1960s and moved to Rochester, New York. The couple had two children together: Benjamin Moore, Jr. (1960-) and Fejetta Michelle Hawkins (1972-). Vivian worked for several years in a factory until she suffered a stroke at age 35, when the left side of her body became completely paralyzed. She moved back to Sanford, Florida, after her stroke.
Six-month old David Harry Black (1929-2012), who was the son of Pilgrim Black (1905-2002) and his first wife Mae Henry Gilmore. Gilmore also had a second child named Bessie Mae Black that passed away around six months old. David Harry Black played baseball throughout high school and was drafted into the military during the Korean War on January 9, 1951, when he was 22 years old. After two years of military service, he received a discharge on February 2, 1953. Black went on to play baseball in the Negro Baseball League at age 24. He played for the Orlando Sentinels, a white baseball team, in 1954. While playing baseball, David was known by several nicknames that he acquired as a youth, including "Allstar" and "Kid Blister." At age 29, David became a long-distance truck driver, a profession he continued for 58 years. He retired several times, but returned to the job due to his love of the work. Black finally retired permanently at age 77, when his employer would no longer insure him. He was later diagnosed with cancer and was cared for by his half-sister, Patricia Ann Black (1956-). David passed away in December of 2012.
Pilgrim Black (1905-2002), the father of Patricia Ann Black (1956- ), standing in front of his house at the corner of East Twenty-Fifth Street and South Sanford Avenue in Sanford, and wearing his first pair of long pants sometime between age 12 and age 16. Pilgrim Black was born in 1905, although some records list 1907 as his birth year. Pilgrim and Lula Mae Haynes Black were migrant crew leaders, and thus migrated to Wayne County in Upstate New York in the summers and back to their home in Sanford for the rest of the year. Pilgrim was the son of Harry Black (d. 1911) and Maggie Benjamin Black (ca.1870-ca.1934), who migrated to Sanford from South Carolina in the 1800s. Harry and Maggie had several children: Leckward Black, Mustar Black, Malachi Black, Leatha Black Walker (1889-1976), Pilgrim Black, Margaret Black Jones (1889-1976), and Harriett Black Lawson. In 1911, Harry owned a grocery store at 206 South Sanford Avenue. One day, he came home from work with pneumonia and passed away shortly thereafter. Pilgrim was nine years old when his father passed away. Maggie was the daughter of former slaves, Isaac and Roseanna Benjamin, and the sister of Nathan Benjamin, Pledge Benjamin, Sam Benjamin, Loui Benjamin, Chainey Benjamin, Lara Benjamin, Melvina Benjamin, and Katie Benjamin. Pilgrim had to quit school at age eleven in order to provide for his mother, originally working in a mill house until he was 18n years old. After declining a management position, he traveled to Wayne County to pick cherries, apples, pears, and other crops. He broke a bone after falling from an apple tree his first year and decided to try farm labor on a potato farm in Red Creek, New York, instead. Don Holdridge, the farmer who owned the land, noted Pilgrim's high rate of productivity and offered him a management position supervising up to thirty workers at once, which he accepted. While in Sanford, Pilgrim also worked as a foreman in Sanford for Chase & Company for over 30 years. He married Lula in 1937 and they had several children together, including Vivian Louise Black (1940- ); Lula Yvonne Black (1942- ); Charles Samuel Black (1945- ); Pilgrim Black, Jr. (ca.1947- ), and Patricia Ann Black (1956- ).
Eight year-old Patricia Ann Black (1956- ) while attending Hopper Elementary School, located on South Bay Avenue in Georgetown in Sanford, Florida. Patricia Ann Black was the daughter of Pilgrim Black (1905-2002) and Lula Mae Haynes Black (1917-2007), who got married in 1937. Patricia was born August 31, 1956, and grew up at the end of East Tenth Street in Sanford, Florida. She attended Hopper Elementary through sixth grade, Lakeview Middle School for seventh grade, Sanford Junior High School for eighth grade, Crooms High School for ninth grade, and Seminole High School through twelfth grade. She also attended school in the North Rose-Wolcott district each year while in Upsstate New York. During fourth grade, integration began and parents were given the choice to have their children to attend other schools, but Patricia chose to continue attending an all-black school until she entered seventh grade in 1968 and began attending integrated schools. In June 1973, Patricia married her first husband, Clint Holt (1955-); however, the couple quickly separated due to domestic violence and divorced around 1977. Patricia gave birth to her first child, Charmion Le'Antwinetta Holt (1974- ). She also had three other children with William Bigham Jr. (1952- ), who she was married to for 33 years: William Arthur Bigham III (1982- ), Brandon Oliver Black (1990- ), and Tempestt Teonte' Black (1992- ). Patricia currently lives in the family home built by her grandmother, Maggie Benjamin Black (ca.1870-ca.1934) on East Tenth Street in Sanford. Patricia endured weekly molestation for 11 years from age six to age seventeen and was raped at age seventeen while pregnant with Charmion. At age 29, Patricia became severely addicted to smoking cocaine. After seven years, Patricia was able to overcome her addiction and has maintained her sobriety for 21 years. She has suffered severe mental and physical damage and is still recovering today. Despite her traumatic experiences and sibling rejections, Patricia has developed a devout relationship with God. While in recovery, Patricia refocused her attention on spreading her ministry of love by becoming a foster parent, serving as the Parent Representative of the Committee for Special Education (CSE), and serving on her local school board in the North Rose-Wolcott school district. Patricia also has owned her own business making incense and importing shea butter from Africa. She also became a licensed nail technician specializing in stress-relieving pedicures. As of 2009, Patricia is retired but still maintains some involvement in her business/ministry named GIFTED.
Hopper Elementary School, Georgetown, Sanford, Florida
Fourteen year-old Patricia Ann Black (1956- ) while attending North Rose-Wolcott High School, located at 11631 Salter-Colvin Road in Wolcott, New York. Black was the daughter of Pilgrim Black (1905-2002) and Lula Mae Haynes Black (1917-2007), who got married in 1937. Patricia was born August 31, 1956, and grew up at the end of East Tenth Street in Sanford, Florida. She attended Hopper Elementary through sixth grade, Lakeview Middle School for seventh grade, Sanford Junior High School for eighth grade, Crooms High School for ninth grade, and Seminole High School through twelfth grade. She also attended school in the North Rose-Wolcott district each year while in Upsstate New York. During fourth grade, integration began and parents were given the choice to have their children to attend other schools, but Patricia chose to continue attending an all-black school until she entered seventh grade in 1968 and began attending integrated schools. In June 1973, Patricia married her first husband, Clint Holt (1955-); however, the couple quickly separated due to domestic violence and divorced around 1977. Patricia gave birth to her first child, Charmion Le'Antwinetta Holt (1974- ). She also had three other children with William Bigham Jr. (1952- ), who she was married to for 33 years: William Arthur Bigham III (1982- ), Brandon Oliver Black (1990- ), and Tempestt Teonte' Black (1992- ). Patricia currently lives in the family home built by her grandmother, Maggie Benjamin Black (ca.1870-ca.1934) on East Tenth Street in Sanford. Patricia endured weekly molestation for 11 years from age six to age seventeen and was raped at age seventeen while pregnant with Charmion. At age 29, Patricia became severely addicted to smoking cocaine. After seven years, Patricia was able to overcome her addiction and has maintained her sobriety for 21 years. She has suffered severe mental and physical damage and is still recovering today. Despite her traumatic experiences and sibling rejections, Patricia has developed a devout relationship with God. While in recovery, Patricia refocused her attention on spreading her ministry of love by becoming a foster parent, serving as the Parent Representative of the Committee for Special Education (CSE), and serving on her local school board in the North Rose-Wolcott school district. Patricia also has owned her own business making incense and importing shea butter from Africa. She also became a licensed nail technician specializing in stress-relieving pedicures. As of 2009, Patricia is retired but still maintains some involvement in her business/ministry named GIFTED.
Original color photograph: Private Collection of Patricia Ann Black.
North Rose-Wolcott High School, Wolcott, New York
The one-story home built by Maggie Benjamin Black (ca. 1870-ca. 1934) that became the home of her son, Pilgrim Black (1905-2002). An old-fashioned washing machine is pictured next to the back porch, which required the use of a metal tub and a washboard. Later additions have been added to the porch. Also pictured on the left side of the photograph is a Ford Falcon station wagon owned by Pilgrim, a fan of Ford cars. As of 2015, this house is owned by Pilgrim's five children. His daughter, Patricia Ann Black (1956-) is residing in and restoring the home. Maggie and her husband Harry Black (d. 1911) were the parents of Leckward Black, Mustar Black, Malachi Black, Leatha Black Walker (1889-1976), Pilgrim Black, 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. Maggie Benjamin was the daughter of former slaves, Isaac and Roseanna Benjamin. 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 be reused to build houses on East Tenth Street. Maggie built a two-story home for herself and her children and several three-room houses to rent out. She later gave the houses to Pilgrim and two of her grandsons, Israel Black and Charles Black, who made several additions to convert them into seven- and eight-room houses.
Eight year-old Lula Mae Haynes (1917-2007) in her hometown of Madison, Florida. Haynes married Pilgrim Black (1905-2002) in 1937, when she was 15 years old, and had several children, including Vivian Louise Black (1940-); Lula Yvonne Black (1942-); Charles Samuel Black (1945-); Pilgrim Black, Jr. (ca. 1947); and Patricia Ann Black (1956-). Haynes and her husband 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.
Mattie Hayes Haynes, the mother of Lula Mae Haynes Black (1917-2007) and the grandmother of Vivian Louise Black (1940-); Lula Yvonne Black (1942-); Charles Samuel Black (1945-); Pilgrim Black, Jr. (ca. 1947-); and Patricia Ann Black (1956-). Haynes was part Native American and is pictured reading a Bible.
The house of Margaret Black Jones (1889-1976), the sister of Pilgrim Black (1905-2002) and the aunt of Patricia Ann Black (1956-). The house was located at the corner of East Ninth Street and South Bay Avenue in Sanford, Florida, until it burned down in 2010. The house was being rented to a couple and burned down as a result of arson.
Pilgrim Black with Grandson William Bigham III
Pilgrim Black (1905-2002) with his grandson, William Bigham III (1982- ), who is also the son of Patricia Ann Black (1956- ) and her third husband William Bigham, Jr. (1952- ). This photograph was taken around 1983 or 1984 and shows Pilgrim tickling William on the porch of one of the homes built and owned by Black's mother, Maggie Benjamin Black (ca. 1870-ca. 1934), in the 1800s. The Black family migrated from South Carolina during the 19th century. Maggie and her husband, Harry Black (d. 1911), 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. This particular house, located at the corner of East Tenth Street and South Bay Avenue, was occupied by Pilgrim and his family. Pilgrim Black was born in 1905, although some records list 1907 as his birth year. Pilgrim and his wife, Lula Mae Haynes Black (1917-2007), were migrant crew leaders, and thus migrated to Wayne County in Upstate New York in the summers and back to their home in Sanford for the rest of the year. Pilgrim's parents, Harry and Maggiem had several other children: Leckward Black, Mustar Black, Malachi Black, Leatha Black Walker (1889-1976), Margaret Black Jones (1889-1976), and Harriett Black Lawson. In 1911, Harry owned a grocery store at 206 South Sanford Avenue. One day, he came home from work with pneumonia and passed away shortly thereafter. Pilgrim was nine years old when his father passed away. Maggie was the daughter of former slaves, Isaac and Roseanna Benjamin, and the sister of Nathan Benjamin, Pledge Benjamin, Sam Benjamin, Loui Benjamin, Chainey Benjamin, Lara Benjamin, Melvina Benjamin, and Katie Benjamin. Pilgrim had to quit school at age 11 in order to provide for his mother, originally working in a mill house until he was 18 years old. After declining a management position, he traveled to Wayne County to pick cherries, apples, pears, and other crops. He broke a bone after falling from an apple tree his first year and decided to try farm labor on a potato farm in Red Creek, New York, instead. Don Holdridge, the farmer who owned the land, noted Pilgrim's high rate of productivity and offered him a management position supervising up to thirty workers at once, which he accepted. While in Sanford, Pilgrim also worked as a foreman in Sanford for Chase & Company for over 30 years. He married Lula in 1937 and they had several children together, including Vivian Louise Black (1940- ); Lula Yvonne Black (1942- ); Charles Samuel Black (1945- ); Pilgrim Black, Jr. (ca.1947- ), and Patricia Ann Black (1956- ).
Patricia Black with Nephew Benjamin Hawkins, Jr.
Six year old Patricia Ann Black (1956- ) with her two year old nephew, Benjamin Hawkins, Jr. (1960-), in 1962. The two children are pictured in the front yard of the Black family home located at the corner of East Tenth Street and South Bay Avenue in Georgetown in Sanford, Florida. Hawkins is the son of Patricia's oldest sister, Vivian Louise Black (1940- ). As an adult, Hawkins moved to Rochester, New York. Patricia Ann Black was the daughter of Pilgrim Black (1905-2002) and Lula Mae Haynes Black (1917-2007), who got married in 1937. Patricia was born August 31, 1956, and grew up at the end of East Tenth Street in Sanford, Florida. She attended Hopper Elementary through sixth grade, Lakeview Middle School for seventh grade, Sanford Junior High School for eighth grade, Crooms High School for ninth grade, and Seminole High School through twelfth grade. She also attended school in the North Rose-Wolcott district each year while in Upsstate New York. During fourth grade, integration began and parents were given the choice to have their children to attend other schools, but Patricia chose to continue attending an all-black school until she entered seventh grade in 1968 and began attending integrated schools. In June 1973, Patricia married her first husband, Clint Holt (1955-); however, the couple quickly separated due to domestic violence and divorced around 1977. Patricia gave birth to her first child, Charmion Le'Antwinetta Holt (1974- ). She also had three other children with William Bigham Jr. (1952- ), who she was married to for 33 years: William Arthur Bigham III (1982- ), Brandon Oliver Black (1990- ), and Tempestt Teonte' Black (1992- ). Patricia currently lives in the family home built by her grandmother, Maggie Benjamin Black (ca.1870-ca.1934) on East Tenth Street in Sanford. Patricia endured weekly molestation for 11 years from age six to age seventeen and was raped at age seventeen while pregnant with Charmion. At age 29, Patricia became severely addicted to smoking cocaine. After seven years, Patricia was able to overcome her addiction and has maintained her sobriety for 21 years. She has suffered severe mental and physical damage and is still recovering today. Despite her traumatic experiences and sibling rejections, Patricia has developed a devout relationship with God. While in recovery, Patricia refocused her attention on spreading her ministry of love by becoming a foster parent, serving as the Parent Representative of the Committee for Special Education (CSE), and serving on her local school board in the North Rose-Wolcott school district. Patricia also has owned her own business making incense and importing shea butter from Africa. She also became a licensed nail technician specializing in stress-relieving pedicures. As of 2009, Patricia is retired but still maintains some involvement in her business/ministry named GIFTED.
Original black and white photograph, 1962: Private Collection of Patricia Ann Black.
Lula Mae Haynes Black and Pilgrim Black in New York
Lula Mae Haynes Black (1917-2007) and Pilgrim Black (1905-2002) in the kitchen of the "big house" of the migrant worker camp in Wayne County, New York. This is the kitchen where Lula operated her restaurant, despite the lack of running water. In this photograph, Pilgrim is drinking morning coffee before going to work as a migrant crew leader. Pilgrim Black was born in 1905, although some records list 1907 as his birth year. Pilgrim and Lula Mae Haynes (1917-2007) Black were migrant crew leaders, and thus migrated to Wayne County in Upstate New York in the summers and back to their home in Sanford for the rest of the year. Pilgrim was the son of Harry Black (d. 1911) and Maggie Benjamin Black (ca.1870-ca.1934), who migrated to Sanford from South Carolina in the 1800s. Harry and Maggie had several children: Leckward Black, Mustar Black, Malachi Black, Leatha Black Walker (1889-1976), Pilgrim Black, Margaret Black Jones (1889-1976), and Harriett Black Lawson. In 1911, Harry owned a grocery store at 206 South Sanford Avenue. One day, he came home from work with pneumonia and passed away shortly thereafter. Pilgrim was nine years old when his father passed away. Maggie was the daughter of former slaves, Isaac and Roseanna Benjamin, and the sister of Nathan Benjamin, Pledge Benjamin, Sam Benjamin, Loui Benjamin, Chainey Benjamin, Lara Benjamin, Melvina Benjamin, and Katie Benjamin. Pilgrim had to quit school at age 11 in order to provide for his mother, originally working in a mill house until he was 18 years old. After declining a management position, he traveled to Wayne County to pick cherries, apples, pears, and other crops. He broke a bone after falling from an apple tree his first year and decided to try farm labor on a potato farm in Red Creek, New York, instead. Don Holdridge, the farmer who owned the land, noted Pilgrim's high rate of productivity and offered him a management position supervising up to thirty workers at once, which he accepted. While in Sanford, Pilgrim also worked as a foreman in Sanford for Chase & Company for over 30 years. He married Lula in 1937 and they had several children together, including Vivian Louise Black (1940- ); Lula Yvonne Black (1942- ); Charles Samuel Black (1945- ); Pilgrim Black, Jr. (ca.1947- ), and Patricia Ann Black (1956- ).
Patricia Ann Black and Michael Vallot with Santa Claus
Six year old Patricia Ann Black (1956- ) and four year old Michael Vallot with Santa Claus at the Sibley's department store, located at 228 East Main Street in Rochester, New York, in 1962. Vallot is also a relative of Patricia's brother-in-law, Willie Lee Hooks, who is married to her sister Lula Yvonne Black (1942-). Patricia Ann Black was the daughter of Pilgrim Black (1905-2002) and Lula Mae Haynes Black (1917-2007), who got married in 1937. Patricia was born August 31, 1956, and grew up at the end of East Tenth Street in Sanford, Florida. She attended Hopper Elementary through sixth grade, Lakeview Middle School for seventh grade, Sanford Junior High School for eighth grade, Crooms High School for ninth grade, and Seminole High School through twelfth grade. She also attended school in the North Rose-Wolcott district each year while in Upsstate New York. During fourth grade, integration began and parents were given the choice to have their children to attend other schools, but Patricia chose to continue attending an all-black school until she entered seventh grade in 1968 and began attending integrated schools. In June 1973, Patricia married her first husband, Clint Holt (1955-); however, the couple quickly separated due to domestic violence and divorced around 1977. Patricia gave birth to her first child, Charmion Le'Antwinetta Holt (1974- ). She also had three other children with William Bigham Jr. (1952- ), who she was married to for 33 years: William Arthur Bigham III (1982- ), Brandon Oliver Black (1990- ), and Tempestt Teonte' Black (1992- ). Patricia currently lives in the family home built by her grandmother, Maggie Benjamin Black (ca.1870-ca.1934) on East Tenth Street in Sanford. Patricia endured weekly molestation for 11 years from age six to age seventeen and was raped at age seventeen while pregnant with Charmion. At age 29, Patricia became severely addicted to smoking cocaine. After seven years, Patricia was able to overcome her addiction and has maintained her sobriety for 21 years. She has suffered severe mental and physical damage and is still recovering today. Despite her traumatic experiences and sibling rejections, Patricia has developed a devout relationship with God. While in recovery, Patricia refocused her attention on spreading her ministry of love by becoming a foster parent, serving as the Parent Representative of the Committee for Special Education (CSE), and serving on her local school board in the North Rose-Wolcott school district. Patricia also has owned her own business making incense and importing shea butter from Africa. She also became a licensed nail technician specializing in stress-relieving pedicures. As of 2009, Patricia is retired but still maintains some involvement in her business/ministry named GIFTED.
Sibley, Lindsay & Curr Company, Rochester, New York
Lake Howell High School Football Squad, 1987
The Lake Howell High School football team, called the Lake Howell Silver Hawks, in 1987. Greg Astle, number 54 in the back row, played for Pennsylvania State University after he graduated in 1989. Marquette Smith, number 23 on the bottom left, eventually went on to play for the Carolina Panthers in the National Football Association (NFL) from 1996 to 1997. To the right of Smith is Mike Bisceglia, the head coach. Lake Howell High School is a public high school located at 4200 Dike Road in Winter Park, Florida. Although its mailing address is Winter Park, which is part of Orange County, the school is geographically located in Seminole County and serves students in Winter Springs and Oviedo. The school was established in 1975 and has over 2,000 students.
Original 9.75 x 7.75 inch color photograph: Seminole County Schools Collection, UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida.
Lake Howell High School, Winter Park, Florida
Crooms Academy Graduating Class of 1927. Professor Joseph National Crooms, the school principal, can be seen in the center of the photograph. The Crooms Academy of Information Technology is located at 2200 West Thirteenth Street in the Goldsboro community of Sanford, Florida, and was founded by Joseph Nathaniel Crooms as the first African-American high school in Seminole County in 1926. Professor Crooms and his wife, Wealthy Crooms, donated the land on which the school was constructed. The professor served as the school's principal until his retirement in 1953. In 1970, Seminole County Public Schools desegregated and changed the school's functions numerous times. In 1973, the original school building burned down; other school buildings have deteriorated over the past couple of decades. In 2000, the United States Department of Justice allowed Seminole County to lift it's desegregation order by 2003 under several conditions, one of which was to rebuild Crooms Academy as an academy of information technology. Crooms Academy currently functions as a magnet school with Information Technology Certifications in A+, MOUS, MCP, CCNA, MCSE, and others.
Original 8 x 10 inch black and white photograph, 1927: Seminole County Public Schools Collection, UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida.
Crooms Academy, Goldsboro, Sanford, Florida
Crooms Academy Graduating Class of 1929 on the steps of the home of Professor Joseph National Crooms, located at 812 South Sanford Avenue in Sanford, Florida. The Crooms Academy of Information Technology is located at 2200 West Thirteenth Street and was founded by Joseph Nathaniel Crooms as the first African-American high school in Seminole County in 1926. Professor Crooms and his wife, Wealthy, donated the land on which the school was constructed. The professor served as the school's principal until his retirement in 1953. In 1970, Seminole County Public Schools desegregated and changed i's functions numerous times. In 1973, the original school building burned down; other school buildings have deteriorated over the past couple of decades. In 2000, the United States Department of Justice allowed Seminole County to lift it's desegregation order by 2003 under several conditions, one of which was to rebuild Crooms Academy as an academy of information technology. Crooms Academy currently functions as a magnet school with Information Technology Certifications in A+, MOUS, MCP, CCNA, MCSE, and others.
Original 8 x 10 inch black and white photograph, 1929: Seminole County Public Schools Collection, UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida.
Home of Professor Joseph Nathaniel Crooms, Goldsboro, Sanford, Florida
Co-Educational Physical Education Class at Seminole High School
Physical education and training--Florida
Co-educational physical education class at Seminole High School in 1959. Originally located at 301 West Seventh Street in Sanford, Florida, Seminole High School was first established as Sanford High School in 1902. The building was designed by W. G. Talley in the Romanesque revival style. Due to an increasing student population, a new school building was constructed on Sanford Avenue in 1911. The original building on Seventh Street served as Westside Grammar Elementary School, which was later renamed Sanford Grammar School. In 1984, the building was placed on the National Registry of Historic Places and converted into the Student Museum. The building reopened as the University of Central Florida's Public History Center in 2012. In 1927, a high school campus was designed by Elton J. Moughton in the Mediterranean revival style and constructed at 1700 French Avenue. The school reopened on January 10 and was renamed Seminole High School. In 1960, the high school moved to a new campus at 2701 Ridgewood Avenue and the former building on French Avenue was converted to Sanford Junior High School, which was later renamed Sanford Middle School. The old building was demolished in the summer of 1991 and replaced by a $5.77 million school complex. As of 2013, Seminole High School offers various Advanced Placement courses, the Academy for Health Careers, and the International Baccalaureate Programme for students.
Original 6 x 4 inch black and white photograph, 1959: Special Project 100th Anniversary SCPS Box, Seminole County Public Schools Collection, UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida.
Seminole High School French Avenue Campus
The second campus for Seminole High School, sometime after 1927. Although the caption on the photograph calls the campus Sanford High School, this particular campus was only named Seminole High School (1927-1961), Sanford Junior High School (1961-1970), and Sanford Middle School (1970-present). Originally located at 301 West Seventh Street in Sanford, Florida, Seminole High School was first established as Sanford High School in 1902. The building was designed by W. G. Talley in the Romanesque revival style. Due to an increasing student population, a new school building was constructed on Sanford Avenue in 1911. The original building on Seventh Street served as Westside Grammar Elementary School, which was later renamed Sanford Grammar School. In 1984, the building was placed on the National Registry of Historic Places and converted into the Student Museum. The building reopened as the University of Central Florida's Public History Center in 2012. In 1927, a high school campus was designed by Elton J. Moughton in the Mediterranean revival style and constructed at 1700 French Avenue. The school reopened on January 10 and was renamed Seminole High School. In 1960, the high school moved to a new campus at 2701 Ridgewood Avenue and the former building on French Avenue was converted to Sanford Junior High School, which was later renamed Sanford Middle School. The old building was demolished in the summer of 1991 and replaced by a $5.77 million school complex. As of 2013, Seminole High School offers various Advanced Placement courses, the Academy for Health Careers, and the International Baccalaureate Programme for students.
Original 9 x 12 inch sepia photograph: item SM-135-010, Seminole County Public Schools Collection, UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida.
Sanford Junior High School, Sanford, Florida
Seminole High School Girls Diamond Ball, 1938
Seminole High School Senior Diamond Ball Champions in 1938. Photographed from left to right is Edna Stich, Ellen Betts, Louise Hardin, Donna Morgan, Doris Lake, Eloise Lowe, Anna Greer, Guerite McKenny, and Eda Stich. Originally located at 301 West Seventh Street in Sanford, Florida, Seminole High School was first established as Sanford High School in 1902. The building was designed by W. G. Talley in the Romanesque revival style. Due to an increasing student population, a new school building was constructed on Sanford Avenue in 1911. The original building on Seventh Street served as Westside Grammar Elementary School, which was later renamed Sanford Grammar School. In 1984, the building was placed on the National Registry of Historic Places and converted into the Student Museum. The building reopened as the University of Central Florida's Public History Center in 2012. In 1927, a high school campus was designed by Elton J. Moughton in the Mediterranean revival style and constructed at 1700 French Avenue. The school reopened on January 10 and was renamed Seminole High School. In 1960, the high school moved to a new campus at 2701 Ridgewood Avenue and the former building on French Avenue was converted to Sanford Junior High School, which was later renamed Sanford Middle School. The old building was demolished in the summer of 1991 and replaced by a $5.77 million school complex. As of 2013, Seminole High School offers various Advanced Placement courses, the Academy for Health Careers, and the International Baccalaureate Programme for students.
Original 5 x 2.75 inch sepia photograph, 1938: Special Project 100th Anniversary SCPS Box, Seminole County Public Schools Collection, UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida.
The House of Bread Bakery, located at 401 South Sanford Avenue in Sanford, Florida, in the 1920s. This four-unit building was located on the corner of South Sanford Avenue and East First Street in the historic African-American neighborhood called Georgetown. The earliest known occupant of this lot was Sanford Ice and Cold Storage in 1887. The first known residents were W. M. Burnett in 1911 and L. W. Caldwell in 1917. Confectioner H. L. Duhart ran his business from this location in 1924. Duhart had previously resided at 403 South Sanford Avenue from approximately 1911 to 1924 and also had another residence at 318 South Sanford Avenue in 1917. By 1926, Duhart had opened a real estate business in his first residence. In that same year, Emma Rankin's restaurant was listed at Suite 401. The House of Bread Bakery was also located here sometime in the 1920s, though it is not clear if this was before or after Rankin had opened her restaurant. H & A Department Store, opened by Herman Jacobson (d. 1989) and Arthur Jacobson, was located here from approximately 1947 to 1965. By 1952, the store had expanded to include Suites 403-405. Herman's wife, Rose E. Zauderer Jacobson (1913-2009), also became a co-owner after the two married in 1934. Rose Jacobson moved to Geneva, Florida, in 1925 and taught at Sanford Grammar School as a young adult. The couple also opened Ro-Jay's, a women's clothing store at 224 East First Street. Suite 401 was listed as vacant by 1975. By January 2012, this building remained vacant. On March 7, 2012, Jason Turner's application for a Façade Improvement Grant was approved by the Sanford Community Redevelopment Agency for $20,000.
Original 8 x 10 inch black and white photograph: Georgetown Folder, General Collection, UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida.
House of Bread Bakery, Georgetown, Sanford, Florida
Palmer Memorial Institute (Sedalia, N.C.)
Portrait of Charlotte Hawkins Brown, which is housed at the Mary McLeod Bethune Foundation, located at 640 Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Boulevard in Daytona Beach, Florida. Brown was born June 11, 1883, in Henderson, North Carolina. In 1902, she founded the Alice Freeman Palmer Memorial Institute in Sedalia, North Carolina. The school was housed in a small log cabin and combined a standard educational curriculum with industrial training. Brown was able to raise enough money to erect a new school building in 1905 and the school became nationally renowned by the 1920s. Brown also received national attention for her activities and was frequently invited to lecture at various colleges around the country. In 1941, she published The Correct Thing To Do—To Say—To Wear, a book which featured her educational philosophies and maxims. Brown continued to run the Palmer Institute until she retired in 1952. Through her work, Brown became a good friend to Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune and was active in the National Association of Colored Women (NACW), the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW), the Southern Commission for Interracial Cooperation, and the Negro Business League. Brown was also the first African-American woman to join the national board for the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA). She passed away on January 11, 1961.
Original black and white photograph: Mary McLeod Bethune Foundation, Daytona Beach, Florida.
Alice Freeman Palmer Memorial Institute, Gibsonville, North Carolina
Mary McLeod Bethune Foundation, Daytona Beach, Florida
A portrait of Edgar Amos Love, which is housed at the Mary McLeod Bethune Foundation, located at 640 Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Boulevard in Daytona Beach, Florida. Love was born in Harrisburg, Virginia, on September 10,1891. He earned four degrees including: a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1913 and a Bachelor of Divinity degree in 1916 from Howard University in Washington, D.C.; a Bachelor of Sacred Theology degree in 1918 from Boston University School of Theology in Boston, Massachusetts; and a Honorary Doctorate of Divinity degree from Morgan College in Baltimore, Maryland. He was a reverend in various cities in Maryland as well as a bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC). Love is best known for being one of the founders of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., the first African-American fraternity founded on a black campus. He also served as a chaplain in the United States Army during World War I. Following his honorable discharge, Love taught at Morgan College for two years before becoming a Methodist minister. In 1933, he became the District Superintendent of the Washington Conference of the Methodist Church and then led the Methodist Department of Negro Work in 1940. Love also worked with Mary McLeod Bethune on the Methodist Federation for Social Services (MFSS) Executive Committee when Bethune began her four-year tenure in 1940. On June 22, 1952, Love was elected Bishop of the Central Conference of the Methodist Church, a segregated congregation in Baltimore. He continued serving as Bishop for 12 years, retired, and then returned from retirement from November 1966 to June 1967 to serve as the Bishop of the Atlantic Coast Area, which including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi. During his life, Bishop Love also served as a trustee for several black colleges and universities, as a member of the Maryland Inter-Racial Commission, and as a member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). He passed away on May 1, 1974, in Baltimore.
An autographed portrait of Langston Hughes, which is housed at the Mary McLeod Bethune Foundation, located at 640 Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Boulevard in Daytona Beach, Florida. Hughes was born February 1, 1902, in Joplin, Missouri. He attended Columbia University in New York City, New York ,from 1921-1922, but did not complete a degree. Instead, he received a Bachelor of Arts from Lincoln University, located in Chester County, Pennsylvania, in 1929. Hughes was a very notable poet during the Harlem Renaissance. He also produced plays, short stories, and novels. Hughes and Dr. Mary Jane McLeod Bethune became acquainted with one another when she organized a reading tour for him through photographer Carl Van Vechten. He later described Dr. Bethune as "marvelous as mistress of ceremonies." Hughes passed away from complications after abdominal surgery in New York City on May 22, 1967.
The Sanford Grammar school faculty standing on the front steps of the school building circa 1922. The faculty members photographed include Ruth Gillon (married name: Ruth Swinney), Gladys Adams, Carolyn Spencer, Mildred Babcock, Pearl Babbet, Ruth Kanner, Edna Chilterden, Mrs. Arrington, Claire McMillen, and Laura Christenden. Sanford High School was originally established at 301 West Seventh Street in Sanford, Florida 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 7.15 x 9.15 inch black and white photograph: Main Lobby Display, Seminole County Public School Collection, UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida.
Sanford Grammar School, Sanford, Florida
Sanford High School Graduating Class of 1907
The first four graduates of Sanford High School at their graduation ceremony in 1907. The graduates are pictured wearing white graduation dresses while holding their diplomas. Photographed from left to right is: Alberta Hill Howard, Peacha Leffler Wiggins, Clara Millen, and Mabel Bowler Bram. Millen served as the principal of Sanford Grammar School from 1919 to 1926. 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.
Original 8 x 10 inch black and white photograph, 1907: box 3C, folder 1A, item SM-017-047, Seminole County Public School Collection, UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida.
Nellie Furen’s Sixth Grade Class at Sanford Grammar School, 1911-1912
Nellie Furen's sixth grade class standing on the front steps of Sanford Grammar School during the 1911-1912 school year. Photographed from left to right is: front row - Ed Betts, J.D Woodruff, Ed Millen, G.W. Spencer, Ernest Brotherson, Ercel Little, Watson McAlexander, and PeeWee Tillis; second row - Roby Laing, Sherman Moore, Eva Hodges, Olga Vihlen, Maud Miot, Fannie Reba Munson, Virginia Brady, Carl McDonald, and John Morrison; third row: Percy Packard, Beatrice Hutchinson, Clara Bowen, Laura Parker, Ruth Waldron, Fern Ward, Alice Caldwell, and Harold Washburn; fourth row: Howard Wynn, Newton Stenstrom, and Annie Mae Morris; back row: Dennis Allen, Eunice Woodcock, Maud Allen, Guy Stenstrom, Argel Cameron, Rush Murphy, Walter Rowland, Nellie Furen, and Collier Brown. Originally located at 301 West Seventh Street in Sanford, Florida, Seminole Grammar School was first established as Sanford High School in 1902. The building was designed by W. G. Talley in the Romanesque revival style. Due to an increasing student population, a new school building was constructed on Sanford Avenue in 1911. The original building on Seventh Street served as Westside Grammar Elementary School, which was later renamed Sanford Grammar School. In 1984, the building was placed on the National Registry of Historic Places and converted into the Student Museum. The building reopened as the University of Central Florida's Public History Center in 2012. In 1927, a high school campus was designed by Elton J. Moughton in the Mediterranean revival style and constructed at 1700 French Avenue. The school reopened on January 10 and was renamed Seminole High School. In 1960, the high school moved to a new campus at 2701 Ridgewood Avenue and the former building on French Avenue was converted to Sanford Junior High School, which was later renamed Sanford Middle School. The old building was demolished in the summer of 1991 and replaced by a $5.77 million school complex. As of 2013, Seminole High School offers various Advanced Placement courses, the Academy for Health Careers, and the International Baccalaureate Programme for students.
Original 5 x 7 inch black and white photograph: East Wing Hallway Display, Seminole County Public School Collection, UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida.
Bible study notes written by an anonymous author in Apopka, Florida. These notes reference the Book of Job, Habakkuk 3:3, and Psalms 11:4 from the Bible.
Original note: series I, box 1, folder 15, African American Legacy: The Carol Mundy Collection, Special Collections & University Archives, University of Central Florida Libraries, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
Chattel Mortgage Property Deed for Black Mule (June 20, 1911)
Chattel mortgage property deed for a black mule named Kate. Kate was mortgaged by George W. Oden to W. W. Carpenter for $25 on June 20, 1911. George W. Oden (1862-1939) was a successful businessman and citrus grower in Apopka, Florida. Born in Sylacauga, Alabama, Oden moved to Apopka by 1902. He owned four businesses and five parcels of land, where he grew citrus. In 1933, Oden donated land for the construction of the Pleasant View Baptist Church, located at 1202 South Central Avenue. Oden was also the recipient of the City of Apopka's Fifty Years in Business Award.
Original property deed, June 20, 1911: State of Florida, County of Orange, Apopka, Florida: series I, box 1, folder 34, African American Legacy: The Carol Mundy Collection, Special Collections & University Archives, University of Central Florida Libraries, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
Property Warranty Deed for Ella Wall (December 8, 1924)
Property warranty deed certifying the transfer of land from A. M. and Julia A. Starbird to Ella Wall on January 26, 1924. The property transferred was the north half of the north half of Lot 27 Block J in the Town of Apopka, Florida. The deed was certified by the Circuit Court of the 17th Judicial Circuit of Orange Countya on December 8, 1924. Wall had later purchased the rest of Lot 27 Block J in 1928. The deed was notarized by W. G. Talton and witnessed by R. M. Moore. Ella Wall (1874-1938) was an entrepreneur and businesswoman of Apopka who served as the inspiration for a character in Zora Neale Hurston's novel Mules and Men. Wall was born in Washington County, Pennsylvania, in 1874 and moved to Apopka as a widow. Throughout her lifetime, Wall purchased four parcels, of land. She operated an orange grove and also constructed small wooden buildings that she rented out to migrant workers. Wall was also a friend of Michael Gladden, Jr., the executor of the George W. Oden estates, until her death in 1938.
Original property warranty deed, December 8, 1924: State of Florida, County of Orange, Apopka, Florida: series I, box 1, folder 34, African American Legacy: The Carol Mundy Collection, Special Collections & University Archives, University of Central Florida Libraries, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
Quit-Claim Deed for Ella Wall (June 1, 1928)
Quit-claim deed certifying the transfer of land from J. D. Beggs, Leila S. Beggs, Annie E. Beggs, Laura B. Casey, and T. L. Casey to Ella Wall on May 22, 1928. The property transferred was Lot 27 Block J in the Town of Apopka, Florida, for $38.28. The document was notarized by Ruth W. McClure on May 24, 1928. The deed was certified by Bill Robinson, clerk of the Circuit Court of the 17th Judicial Circuit of Orange County on June 1, 1928. Wall had previously purchased the north half of the north half of Lot 27 Block J from A. M. and Julia A. Starbird in 1924. Ella Wall (1874-1938) was an entrepreneur and businesswoman of Apopka who served as the inspiration for a character in Zora Neale Hurston's novel Mules and Men. Wall was born in Washington County, Pennsylvania, in 1874 and moved to Apopka as a widow. Throughout her lifetime, Wall purchased four parcels, of land. She operated an orange grove and also constructed small wooden buildings that she rented out to migrant workers. Wall was also a friend of Michael Gladden, Jr., the executor of the George W. Oden estates, until her death in 1938.
Original quit-claim deed, June 1, 1928: State of Florida, County of Orange, Apopka, Florida: series I, box 1, folder 132, African American Legacy: The Carol Mundy Collection, Special Collections & University Archives, University of Central Florida Libraries, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
Inventory from one of the citrus groves owned by George W. Oden (1862-1939), a successful businessman and citrus grower in Apopka, Florida. Born in Sylacauga, Alabama, Oden moved to Apopka, Florida, by 1902. He owned four businesses and five parcels of land, where he grew citrus. In 1933, Oden donated land for the construction of the Pleasant View Baptist Church, located at 1202 South Central Avenue. Oden was also the recipient of the City of Apopka's Fifty Years in Business Award.
Original 1- page inventory, 1930: series I, box 1, folder 142, African American Legacy: The Carol Mundy Collection, Special Collections & University Archives, University of Central Florida Libraries, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
Warranty Deed for George W. Oden (January 6, 1903)
Warranty deed certifying the transfer of land in Apopka, Florida, from John F. Cogswell and Esther M. Cogswell to George W. Oden on November 1, 1902. The property transferred was 40 acres in the southwest quarter of the southwest quarter of Section 8 in Township 21, south of Range 28 East, and was notarized by Frank H. Davis and David E. Moulton. The deed was certified by J. N. Bradshaw and M. A. Howard, circuit court clerk and deputy clerk of the Circuit Court of the 17th Judicial Circuit of Orange County, respectively, on January 28, 1903. George W. Oden (1862-1939) was a successful businessman and citrus grower in Apopka, Florida. Born in Sylacauga, Alabama, Oden moved to Apopka by 1902. He owned four businesses and five parcels of land, where he grew citrus. In 1933, Oden donated land for the construction of the Pleasant View Baptist Church, located at 1202 South Central Avenue. Oden was also the recipient of the City of Apopka's Fifty Years in Business Award.
Original warranty deed, January 6, 1903: State of Florida, County of Orange, Apopka, Florida: series I, box 1, folder 29, African American Legacy: The Carol Mundy Collection, Special Collections & University Archives, University of Central Florida Libraries, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
Quit-Claim Deed for George W. Oden (November 3, 1902)
Quit-claim deed certifying the transfer of land from Lucian Dixon and Annie Dixon to George W. Oden on November 1, 1902. The property transferred was the north half of Lot 56 in Block H in Apopka, Florida. The deed was notarized on November 3, 1902. George W. Oden (1862-1939) was a successful businessman and citrus grower in Apopka, Florida. Born in Sylacauga, Alabama, Oden moved to Apopka by 1902. He owned four businesses and five parcels of land, where he grew citrus. In 1933, Oden donated land for the construction of the Pleasant View Baptist Church, located at 1202 South Central Avenue. Oden was also the recipient of the City of Apopka's Fifty Years in Business Award.
Original quit-claim deed, November 3, 1902: State of Florida, County of Orange, Apopka, Florida: series I, box 1, folder 24, African American Legacy: The Carol Mundy Collection, Special Collections & University Archives, University of Central Florida Libraries, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
Warranty Deed for State Bank of Apopka (May 20, 1921)
A warranty deed certifying the transfer of land from Michael Gladden, Jr. and Elizabeth Gladden to the State Bank of Apopka for $100 on May 20, 1921. The property transferred was the west quarter of Lot 17 of Block J in Apopka, Florida. The deed was certified by the circuit court clerk and deputy clerk of the Circuit Court of the 17th Judicial Circuit of Orange County on May 25, 1921. Michael Gladden, Jr. (1899-1982) was the executor of the estate of George W. Oden (1862-1939), a successful businessman and citrus grower in Apopka, Florida. Gladden was born in South Carolina in 1899. He married Elizabeth Gladden and together they had a son, William, who was born around 1904. According to census records, the Gladden family had moved to Jacksonville as early as 1910 and then moved to Apopka. After Oden's death in 1939, Gladden continued to manage the legal documents of Oden's estate.
Original warranty deed, May 20, 1921: State of Florida, County of Orange, Apopka, Florida: series I, box 1, folder 74, African American Legacy: The Carol Mundy Collection, Special Collections & University Archives, University of Central Florida Libraries, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
Business sign thanking customers for their patronage. The sign belonged to a business owned by Ella Wall located on Main Street in Apopka, Florida. Ella Wall (1874-1938) was an entrepreneur and businesswoman of Apopka who served as the inspiration for a character in Zora Neale Hurston's novel Mules and Men. Wall was born in Washington County, Pennsylvania, in 1874 and moved to Apopka as a widow. Throughout her lifetime, Wall purchased four parcels, of land. She operated an orange grove and also constructed small wooden buildings that she rented out to migrant workers. Wall was also a friend of Michael Gladden, Jr., the executor of the George W. Oden estates, until her death in 1938.
Original business sign: series I, box 1, folder 1, African American Legacy: The Carol Mundy Collection, Special Collections & University Archives, University of Central Florida Libraries, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
African-American Mother and Child at the Jones-Francis Maternity Hall
An African-American mother with her newborn child at the Jones-Francis Maternity Hall, located at 621 East Sixth Street in Georgetown, an historic black neighborhood in Sanford, Florida. The house was originally the home of Reverend John R. Hurston, the father of Zora Neale Hurston. Marie Jones Francis, the "midwife of Sanford," left behind a successful hotel and restaurant she owned in Sarasota in 1942 to return to Sanford and become a midwife. World War II caused a shortage in doctors and nurses, so Florida's Children's Bureau sent Francis to Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University to acquire her practical nursing license in 1945. She specialized in premature babies and returned to Sanford to aid her mother, Carrie Jones, at the Fernald-Laughton Memorial Hospital before they opened the ward in their home. "When her health started failing," she recollects in a newspaper article, "I took over." Francis converted her house at 621 East Sixth Street to also serve as a maternity ward, where she delivered over 40,000 babies over her 32 year career. She became a midwife in the same vein as her mother and together they ran the Jones-Francis Maternity Hall in Georgetown.
Original color photograph: Private Collection of Daphne F. Humphrey.
Jones-Francis Maternity Hall, Georgetown, Sanford, Florida
Marguerite Moore, Pat Ciprian, Marie Jones Francis, and Linda Croft at the Jones-Francis Maternity Hall
Marguerite Moore, Pat Ciprian, Marie Jones Francis, and Linda Croft in the front yard of the Jones-Francis Maternity Hall, located at 621 East Sixth Street in Georgetown, an historic black neighborhood in Sanford, Florida. The house was originally the home of Reverend John R. Hurston, the father of Zora Neale Hurston. This photograph was taken on April 4, 1975. Marie Jones Francis, the "midwife of Sanford." Francis left behind a successful hotel and restaurant she owned in Sarasota in 1942 to return to Sanford and become a midwife. World War II caused a shortage in doctors and nurses, so Florida's Children's Bureau sent Francis to Florida A & M to acquire her practical nursing license in 1945. She specialized in premature babies and returned to Sanford to aid her mother, Carrie Jones, at Fernald-Laughton Memorial Hospital before they opened the ward in their home. "When her health starting failing," she recollects in a newspaper article, "I took over." Francis converted her house at 621 East Sixth Street to also serve as a maternity ward, where she delivered over 40,000 babies over her 32 year career. She became a midwife in the same vein as her mother, Carrie Jones, and together they ran the Jones-Francis Maternity Hall in Georgetown. Francis served her community in several ways. She delivered babies for both white and black families from Seminole County, primarily patrons who either preferred natural births or could not afford deliveries at a hospital. In the 1950s, it cost $70 to stay nine days where soon-to-be mothers were taken care of, including three home-cooked meals; mothers were also taught basics in infant care. Francis was assisted by her sister, Annie Walker, who did the cooking. If a mother could not afford the costs, Marie Francis would not turn her away. "There's a lot of charity here but I wouldn't feel good taking money and knowing the mother can't eat when she leaves here," Francis mentions in a newspaper article. The house and ward also served as a school, where Marie Francis taught nurses the art of midwives. Nurses would come from across the state to learn how to delivery infants naturally. A heavy burden on a single working mother, Marie Francis had three daughters, Cassandra Clayton, Daphne Humphrey, and Barbara Torre, Clayton and Humphrey became school teachers and Torre became a purchaser at Seminole Memorial Hospital. The "Midwife of Sanford" Marie Francis and her family contributed to Sanford's development and well-being for the better half of the twentieth century.
Original color photograph, April 4, 1975: Private Collection of Daphne F. Humphrey.
Coverage Jones-Francis Maternity Hall, Georgetown, Sanford, Florida
Marie Jones Francis, the "midwife of Sanford," receiving an award. Francis ran the Jones-Francis Maternity Hall, located at 621 East Sixth Street in Georgetown, an historic black neighborhood in Sanford, Florida. The house was originally the home of Reverend John R. Hurston, the father of Zora Neale Hurston. Marie Jones Francis, the "midwife of Sanford." Francis left behind a successful hotel and restaurant she owned in Sarasota in 1942 to return to Sanford and become a midwife. World War II caused a shortage in doctors and nurses, so Florida's Children's Bureau sent Francis to Florida A & M to acquire her practical nursing license in 1945. She specialized in premature babies and returned to Sanford to aid her mother, Carrie Jones, at Fernald-Laughton Memorial Hospital before they opened the ward in their home. "When her health starting failing," she recollects in a newspaper article, "I took over." Francis converted her house at 621 East Sixth Street to also serve as a maternity ward, where she delivered over 40,000 babies over her 32 year career. She became a midwife in the same vein as her mother, Carrie Jones, and together they ran the Jones-Francis Maternity Hall in Georgetown. Francis served her community in several ways. She delivered babies for both white and black families from Seminole County, primarily patrons who either preferred natural births or could not afford deliveries at a hospital. In the 1950s, it cost $70 to stay nine days where soon-to-be mothers were taken care of. Francis was assisted by her sister, Annie Walker, who did the cooking. The house and ward also served as a school, where Marie Francis taught nurses the art of midwifery. Nurses would come from across the state to learn how to delivery infants naturally. A heavy burden on a single working mother, Marie Francis had three daughters, Cassandra Clayton, Daphne Humphrey, and Barbara Torre. Clayton and Humphrey became school teachers and Torre became a purchaser at Seminole Memorial Hospital.
Caucasian Mothers with Children at the Jones-Francis Maternity Hall
A number of caucasian mothers with their newborn children at the Jones-Francis Maternity Hall, located at 621 East Sixth Street in Georgetown, an historic black neighborhood in Sanford, Florida. The house was originally the home of Reverend John R. Hurston, the father of Zora Neale Hurston. Marie Jones Francis, the "midwife of Sanford," left behind a successful hotel and restaurant she owned in Sarasota in 1942 to return to Sanford and become a midwife. World War II caused a shortage in doctors and nurses, so Florida's Children's Bureau sent Francis to Florida A & M to acquire her practical nursing license in 1945. She specialized in premature babies and returned to Sanford to aid her mother, Carrie Jones, at Fernald-Laughton Memorial Hospital before they opened the ward in their home. "When her health starting failing," she recollects in a newspaper article, "I took over." Francis converted her house at 621 East Sixth Street to also serve as a maternity ward, where she delivered over 40,000 babies over her 32 year career. She became a midwife in the same vein as her mother, Carrie Jones, and together they ran the Jones-Francis Maternity Hall in Georgetown. Francis served her community in several ways. She delivered babies for both white and black families from Seminole County, primarily patrons who either preferred natural births or could not afford deliveries at a hospital. In the 1950s, it cost $70 to stay nine days where soon-to-be mothers were taken care of. Francis was assisted by her sister, Annie Walker, who did the cooking. The house and ward also served as a school, where Marie Francis taught nurses the art of midwifery. Nurses would come from across the state to learn how to delivery infants naturally. A heavy burden on a single working mother, Marie Francis had three daughters, Cassandra Clayton, Daphne Humphrey, and Barbara Torre. Clayton and Humphrey became school teachers and Torre became a purchaser at Seminole Memorial Hospital.
Original color photographs: Private Collection of Daphne F. Humphrey.
Pamela Ruzinsky at age one in August 1973. Ruzinsky was delivered by Marie Jones Francis at the Jones-Francis Maternity Hall, located at 621 East Sixth Street in Georgetown, an historic black neighborhood in Sanford, Florida. The house was originally the home of Reverend John R. Hurston, the father of Zora Neale Hurston. Marie Jones Francis, the "midwife of Sanford," left behind a successful hotel and restaurant she owned in Sarasota in 1942 to return to Sanford and become a midwife. World War II caused a shortage in doctors and nurses, so Florida's Children's Bureau sent Francis to Florida A & M to acquire her practical nursing license in 1945. She specialized in premature babies and returned to Sanford to aid her mother, Carrie Jones, at Fernald-Laughton Memorial Hospital before they opened the ward in their home. "When her health starting failing," she recollects in a newspaper article, "I took over." Francis converted her house at 621 East Sixth Street to also serve as a maternity ward, where she delivered over 40,000 babies over her 32 year career. She became a midwife in the same vein as her mother, Carrie Jones, and together they ran the Jones-Francis Maternity Hall in Georgetown. Francis served her community in several ways. She delivered babies for both white and black families from Seminole County, primarily patrons who either preferred natural births or could not afford deliveries at a hospital. In the 1950s, it cost $70 to stay nine days where soon-to-be mothers were taken care of. Francis was assisted by her sister, Annie Walker, who did the cooking. The house and ward also served as a school, where Marie Francis taught nurses the art of midwifery. Nurses would come from across the state to learn how to delivery infants naturally. A heavy burden on a single working mother, Marie Francis had three daughters, Cassandra Clayton, Daphne Humphrey, and Barbara Torre. Clayton and Humphrey became school teachers and Torre became a purchaser at Seminole Memorial Hospital.
Original color photograph, August 1973: Private Collection of Daphne F. Humphrey.
Pamela Ruzinsky at age three in December 1975. Ruzinsky was delivered by Marie Jones Francis at the Jones-Francis Maternity Hall, located at 621 East Sixth Street in Georgetown, an historic black neighborhood in Sanford, Florida. The house was originally the home of Reverend John R. Hurston, the father of Zora Neale Hurston. Marie Jones Francis, the "midwife of Sanford," left behind a successful hotel and restaurant she owned in Sarasota in 1942 to return to Sanford and become a midwife. World War II caused a shortage in doctors and nurses, so Florida's Children's Bureau sent Francis to Florida A & M to acquire her practical nursing license in 1945. She specialized in premature babies and returned to Sanford to aid her mother, Carrie Jones, at Fernald-Laughton Memorial Hospital before they opened the ward in their home. "When her health starting failing," she recollects in a newspaper article, "I took over." Francis converted her house at 621 East Sixth Street to also serve as a maternity ward, where she delivered over 40,000 babies over her 32 year career. She became a midwife in the same vein as her mother, Carrie Jones, and together they ran the Jones-Francis Maternity Hall in Georgetown. Francis served her community in several ways. She delivered babies for both white and black families from Seminole County, primarily patrons who either preferred natural births or could not afford deliveries at a hospital. In the 1950s, it cost $70 to stay nine days where soon-to-be mothers were taken care of. Francis was assisted by her sister, Annie Walker, who did the cooking. The house and ward also served as a school, where Marie Francis taught nurses the art of midwifery. Nurses would come from across the state to learn how to delivery infants naturally. A heavy burden on a single working mother, Marie Francis had three daughters, Cassandra Clayton, Daphne Humphrey, and Barbara Torre. Clayton and Humphrey became school teachers and Torre became a purchaser at Seminole Memorial Hospital.
Original color photograph, December 1975: Private Collection of Daphne F. Humphrey.
A record book owned by Marie Jones Francis, the "midwife of Sanford," for the Jones-Francis Maternity Hall, located at 621 East Sixth Street in Georgetown, an historic black neighborhood in Sanford, Florida. The house was originally the home of Reverend John R. Hurston, the father of Zora Neale Hurston. Marie Jones Francis, the "midwife of Sanford," left behind a successful hotel and restaurant she owned in Sarasota in 1942 to return to Sanford and become a midwife. World War II caused a shortage in doctors and nurses, so Florida's Children's Bureau sent Francis to Florida A & M to acquire her practical nursing license in 1945. She specialized in premature babies and returned to Sanford to aid her mother, Carrie Jones, at Fernald-Laughton Memorial Hospital before they opened the ward in their home. "When her health starting failing," she recollects in a newspaper article, "I took over." Francis converted her house at 621 East Sixth Street to also serve as a maternity ward, where she delivered over 40,000 babies over her 32 year career. She became a midwife in the same vein as her mother, Carrie Jones, and together they ran the Jones-Francis Maternity Hall in Georgetown. Francis served her community in several ways. She delivered babies for both white and black families from Seminole County, primarily patrons who either preferred natural births or could not afford deliveries at a hospital. In the 1950s, it cost $70 to stay nine days where soon-to-be mothers were taken care of. Francis was assisted by her sister, Annie Walker, who did the cooking. The house and ward also served as a school, where Marie Francis taught nurses the art of midwifery. Nurses would come from across the state to learn how to delivery infants naturally. A heavy burden on a single working mother, Marie Francis had three daughters, Cassandra Clayton, Daphne Humphrey, and Barbara Torre. Clayton and Humphrey became school teachers and Torre became a purchaser at Seminole Memorial Hospital.
Original record book by Marie Jones Francis: Private Collection of Daphne F. Humphrey.
Betty Bowman and her child, Rhonda Bowman, in March 1974. Rhonda was delivered by Marie Jones Francis at the Jones-Francis Maternity Hall on December 25, 1973. Located at 621 East Sixth Street in Georgetown, an historic black neighborhood in Sanford, Florida. The house was originally the home of Reverend John R. Hurston, the father of Zora Neale Hurston. Marie Jones Francis, the "midwife of Sanford," left behind a successful hotel and restaurant she owned in Sarasota in 1942 to return to Sanford and become a midwife. World War II caused a shortage in doctors and nurses, so Florida's Children's Bureau sent Francis to Florida A & M to acquire her practical nursing license in 1945. She specialized in premature babies and returned to Sanford to aid her mother, Carrie Jones, at Fernald-Laughton Memorial Hospital before they opened the ward in their home. "When her health starting failing," she recollects in a newspaper article, "I took over." Francis converted her house at 621 East Sixth Street to also serve as a maternity ward, where she delivered over 40,000 babies over her 32 year career. She became a midwife in the same vein as her mother, Carrie Jones, and together they ran the Jones-Francis Maternity Hall in Georgetown.
Original color photograph, March 1975: Private Collection of Daphne F. Humphrey.
Marie Jones Francis with Nurses at the Jones-Francis Maternity Hall
Marie Jones Francis with several nurses in front of the Jones-Francis Maternity Hall, located at 621 East Sixth Street in Georgetown, an historic black neighborhood in Sanford, Florida. The house was originally the home of Reverend John R. Hurston, the father of Zora Neale Hurston. Marie Jones Francis, the "midwife of Sanford," left behind a successful hotel and restaurant she owned in Sarasota in 1942 to return to Sanford and become a midwife. World War II caused a shortage in doctors and nurses, so Florida's Children's Bureau sent Francis to Florida A & M to acquire her practical nursing license in 1945. She specialized in premature babies and returned to Sanford to aid her mother, Carrie Jones, at Fernald-Laughton Memorial Hospital before they opened the ward in their home. "When her health starting failing," she recollects in a newspaper article, "I took over." Francis converted her house at 621 East Sixth Street to also serve as a maternity ward, where she delivered over 40,000 babies over her 32 year career. She became a midwife in the same vein as her mother, Carrie Jones, and together they ran the Jones-Francis Maternity Hall in Georgetown. Francis served her community in several ways. She delivered babies for both white and black families from Seminole County, primarily patrons who either preferred natural births or could not afford deliveries at a hospital. In the 1950s, it cost $70 to stay nine days where soon-to-be mothers were taken care of. Francis was assisted by her sister, Annie Walker, who did the cooking. The house and ward also served as a school, where Marie Francis taught nurses the art of midwifery. Nurses would come from across the state to learn how to delivery infants naturally. A heavy burden on a single working mother, Marie Francis had three daughters, Cassandra Clayton, Daphne Humphrey, and Barbara Torre. Clayton and Humphrey became school teachers and Torre became a purchaser at Seminole Memorial Hospital.
Original color photograph, September 1974: Private Collection of Daphne F. Humphrey.
Certificate of Midwifery for Marie Jones Francis
A document certifying Marie Jones Francis as a Lay-Midwife for the year of 1977. The certificate was issued by the Florida Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services Health Program Office and was signed by the Staff Director. The Governor and Secretary at the time of issuance were Reubin O'Donovan Askew and William J. Page, Jr., respectively. Marie Jones Francis, the "midwife of Sanford," left behind a successful hotel and restaurant she owned in Sarasota in 1942 to return to Sanford and become a midwife. World War II caused a shortage in doctors and nurses, so Florida's Children's Bureau sent Francis to Florida A & M to acquire her practical nursing license in 1945. She specialized in premature babies and returned to Sanford to aid her mother, Carrie Jones, at Fernald-Laughton Memorial Hospital before they opened the ward in their home. "When her health starting failing," she recollects in a newspaper article, "I took over." Francis converted her house at 621 East Sixth Street to also serve as a maternity ward, where she delivered over 40,000 babies over her 32 year career. She became a midwife in the same vein as her mother, Carrie Jones, and together they ran the Jones-Francis Maternity Hall in Georgetown. Francis served her community in several ways. She delivered babies for both white and black families from Seminole County, primarily patrons who either preferred natural births or could not afford deliveries at a hospital. In the 1950s, it cost $70 to stay nine days where soon-to-be mothers were taken care of. Francis was assisted by her sister, Annie Walker, who did the cooking. The house and ward also served as a school, where Marie Francis taught nurses the art of midwifery. Nurses would come from across the state to learn how to delivery infants naturally. A heavy burden on a single working mother, Marie Francis had three daughters, Cassandra Clayton, Daphne Humphrey, and Barbara Torre. Clayton and Humphrey became school teachers and Torre became a purchaser at Seminole Memorial Hospital.
Original certificate, 1977: Florida Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services, Tallahassee, Florida: Private Collection of Daphne F. Humphrey.
Map of Goldsboro, Orange County, Florida
A plat of a handdrawn lot given to Orange County, Florida when Goldsboro was established. The map shows plots along Goldsboro Avenue (present-day West Thirteenth Street and Historic Goldsboro Avenue), Lincoln Street (present-day West Thirteenth Place), Blaine Street (present-day West Fourteenth Street), and Harrison Street (present-day West Sixteenth Street). The majority of the plots were owned by Florida Land and Colonization Company or Thorpe & Chappell. Goldsboro is one of the historic African-American communities in Sanford, Florida. On December 1, 1891, William Clark, a storeowner and businessman, organized 19 other black registered voters to incorporate the town of Goldsboro, which was the second African-American city to be incorporated in Florida. Goldsboro's early economy was driven by rail yards, fields, groves, ice houses, and produce houses. A year after its incorporation, Goldsboro opened a school led by Katie Stubbins. Goldsboro's proximity to Sanford prevented it from expanding further west. Instead, the City of Sanford passed a resolution to absorb Goldsboro, despite opposition from the latter town's officials. Nonetheless, the Florida Legislature revoked Goldsboro's incorporation, in order to allow its absorption into Sanford on April 6, 1911. The identity of Goldsboro began to erode as the City of Sanford renamed several of its historical streets. In 2007, Goldsboro was included in plans for Sanford's revitalization efforts. In 2011, the Goldsboro Historical Museum was opened in the town at the site of its original post office.
Copy of original map, 1891: Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
Dr. George H. Starke (ca. 1899-ca. 1979), a friend of the Black Family, displaying the fish he caught and brought back to his home on Locust Avenue in Sanford (now part of Winter Springs) 1960. For many years, Dr. Starke was the only African-American doctor in Sanford, Florida, and delivered many of the African-American children born in Sanford before the 1960s. He delivered all of the Black children except for Patricia Ann Black (1956-): David Harry Black (1929-2012), Vivian Louise Black (1940-), Lula Yvonne Black (1942-), Charles Samuel Black (1945-), and Pilgrim Black Jr. (ca. 1947- ). Dr. Starke opened his practice in 1927. Shortly thereafter, Dr. Starke became one of only four African-American physicians to be accepted by Harvard University for residency at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. He practiced for several years in Boston and then returned to Sanford in 1933 and continued to practice medicine until his death at age 80. Dr. Starke was also the first African-American doctor to acquire membership in the Florida Medical Association and the Seminole County Medical Association, as well as the second to join the American Medical Association. In 1971, the City of Sanford named George Starke Park, located at 1501 West Third Street, in his honor.
Original black and white photograph, April 1960: Private Collection of Patricia Ann Black.
David Harry Black (1929-2012) in military uniform during the Korean War (1950-1953). Black was the son of Pilgrim Black (1905-2002) and his first wife Mae Henry Gilmore, who also had a second child named Bessie Mae Black that passed away around 6 months old. The photograph was given to Black's maternal grandparents. Black played baseball throughout high school and was drafted into the military during the Korean War on January 9, 1951, when he was 22. After two years of military service and receiving a discharge on February 2, 1953, he went on to play baseball in the Negro Baseball League at age 24. He also played for the Orlando Sentinels, a white baseball team, in 1954. While playing baseball, Black was known by several nicknames that he acquired as a youth, including "Allstar" and "Kid Blister." At age 29, Black became a long-distance truck driver, a profession he continued for58 years. He retired several times, but returned to the job due to his love of the work. Black finally retired permanently at age 77, when his employer would no longer insure him. He was later diagnosed with cancer and was cared for by his half-sister, Patricia Ann Black (1956-). Black passed away in December of 2012.
Photocopy of original black and white photograph: Private Collection of Patricia Ann Black.
Four Orlando Sentinel baseball players in the 1950s. Photographed from left to right is Jesus Jenks, Allen Perisio, Charley "Big Dike" Wilson, and David Harry Black. The two men on the left are from Cuba, while the two men on the left are from Sanford, Florida. Black (1929-2012) was the son of Pilgrim Black (1905-2002) and his first wife Mae Henry Gilmore, who also had a second child named Bessie Mae Black that passed away around 6 months old. Black played baseball throughout high school and was drafted into the military during the Korean War on January 9, 1951, when he was 22. After two years of military service and receiving a discharge on February 2, 1953, he went on to play baseball in the Negro Baseball League at age 24. He also played for the Orlando Sentinels, a white baseball team, in 1954. While playing baseball, Black was known by several nicknames that he acquired as a youth, including "Allstar" and "Kid Blister." At age 29, Black became a long-distance truck driver, a profession he continued for58 years. He retired several times, but returned to the job due to his love of the work. Black finally retired permanently at age 77, when his employer would no longer insure him. He was later diagnosed with cancer and was cared for by his half-sister, Patricia Ann Black (1956-). Black passed away in December of 2012.
Tax Facts: Local Property Tax Expenditures, 1974-1975
A pamphlet showing the local property tax expenditures for Seminole County, Florida, during the 1974-1975 fiscal year. Based on Seminole County budgets from that year, the county spent 63.8% of its local property tax on the District School Board, 18.6% on the General Fund, 14.4% on the Fine & Forfeiture Fund, 1.3% on the Road & Bridge Fun, 1.1% on the Interest & Sinking Fund, 0.3% on the hospital, and 0.5% on the Port Authority.
Original pamphlet: "Tax Facts: Local Property Tax Expenditures 1974 - 75." Seminole County Florida Government, Seminole County, FL: Private Collection of Patricia Ann Black.
Seminole County Florida Government
Farmers' Club Lauded for its Recent Success: Trade Body Directors Unanimous in Vote of Congratulation
A newspaper article about the congratulations afforded to the Seminole Agricultural Club from the Board of Directors of the Seminole County Chamber of Commerce for successfully lobbying to bring the Florida State Farmers' Wholesale Distributing Market to Sanford, Florida. The Chamber of Commerce predicted that the new farmers' market would turn Sanford into a hub for vegetable, fruit, and poultry production, and would also create steady, year-round jobs for many. The Chamber of Commerce also discussed approved plans for a $6,000 aquarium and zoo enlargement program submitted by the Special Zoo Committee. According to the article, the aquarium was to be designed by F. J. Moughton and erected in the rustic design using cypress. The idea for the Sanford State Farmers' Market was devised by Fred Dorner and Gus Schmach, both members of the Seminole Agricultural Club. The Sanford Chamber of Commerce president Harry Papworth also contributed to the development of the market. The Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) authorized construction plans on June 11, 1934. On June 20, 1934, the City of Sanford donated a portion of the Alex V. French properties to the Florida State Marketing Board, which selected the northwest corner of French Avenue and Thirteenth Street. The board approved the installation of telegraph and telephone equipment, as well as a three-pump filling station. The Sanford State Farmer's Market opened on December 18, 1934. By 1939, the Farmers' Market was bringing a total volume of business of $627,065.81. In 1941, business volume reached over $700,000. On April 4, 1957, a fire destroyed the building and caused damages estimated at $2.5 million. Reconstruction began almost immediately and the Farmers' Market was expected to re-open by the fall of 1957. In 1991, plans were created to restore, preserve, and convert the citrus packing house into a museum.
Original newspaper article: "Farmers' Club Lauded for its Recent Success: Trade Body Directors Unanimous in Vote of Congratulation." The Sanford Herald, June 13, 1934: Sanford State Farmers' Market Collection, Sanford Collection, Museum of Seminole County History, Sanford, Florida.
The Sanford Herald
Sanford State Farmers Market Collection, Sanford, Florida
A newspaper article on the celery industry in Sanford and Seminole County, Florida, as well as the county's its major representative, the Seminole Agriculture Club. At the time that the article was written, Seminole County was the second smallest county in the state with approximately 260 square miles of land. According to the article, celery production had been growing in the county and had resulted in the necessity for improvements in labor and infrastructure. Railroad facilities were furnished by the Atlantic Coast Line Company. The article also credits various other civic organizations with Sanford's growth: the Woman's Club, the Rotary, the Kiwanis and Lion Club, and the Campbell-Lossing Post of the American Legion.
Original newspaper article: The Sanford Herald, Who's Who of 1933, Vol. 24, No. 157, April 29, 1933: Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
FACTS: Seminole Florida: The Celery County
A pamphlet produced by the Seminole Agricultural Club and the Oviedo Agricultural Club about the Better Farming Show, which was planned to "promote greater agricultural efficiency in Seminole County." The pamphlet outlines the challenges facing farmers during the Great Depression under four headings: financial, production, transportation, and marketing. Following Stock Market Crash of 1929, the amount of money that farmers could borrow from banks was limited and the majority of growers were forced to give crop liens to banks, co-operatives, and marketing organizations in order to supplement their finances. The pamphlet also states that, despite advances in technique, the cost of producing celery is almost equal to the profit. According to the pamphlet, the increase in freight rates for transportation for celery, despite the decrease in rates for the citrus industry, has also contributed to the problems faced by growers in Seminole County during this time period. Finally, the pamphlet cites the unstable consumer demands for celery size that makes it difficult for farmers to market according to consumer expectations. The pamphlet closes by describing the objectives of the Seminole Agricultural Club and the Oviedo Agricultural Club: to "further the best interests of the [celery] industry and expend every effort to solve the problems of finance, production, transportation and marketing" for the benefit of all citizens of Seminole County, Florida.
Photocopy of original pamphlet: FACTS: Seminole Florida: The Celery County. (Seminole County, FL: Seminole Agricultural Club and Oviedo Agricultural Club): Celery Collection, Agricultural Collection, Museum of Seminole County History.
A deed for the property owned by Pilgrim Black (1905-2002) and his wife, Lula Mae Haynes Black (1917-2007). The property is one of the homes built and owned by Maggie Benjamin Black (ca. 1870-ca. 1934) in the 1800s. 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, Margaret Black Jones (1889-1976), and Harriett Black Lawson. In 1911, Harry owned a grocery store at 206 South Sanford Avenue. One day, he came home from work with pneumonia and passed away shortly thereafter. Pilgrim was nine years old when his father passed away. Maggie was the daughter of former slaves, Isaac and Roseanna Benjamin, and the sister of Nathan Benjamin, Pledge Benjamin, Sam Benjamin, Loui Benjamin, Chainey Benjamin, Lara Benjamin, Melvina Benjamin, and Katie Benjamin. Pilgrim had to quit school at age 11 in order to provide for his mother, originally working in a mill house until he was 18 years old. After declining a management position, he traveled to Wayne County to pick cherries, apples, pears, and other crops. He broke a bone after falling from an apple tree his first year and decided to try farm labor on a potato farm in Red Creek, New York, instead. Don Holdridge, the farmer who owned the land, noted Pilgrim's high rate of productivity and offered him a management position supervising up to thirty workers at once, which he accepted. While in Sanford, Pilgrim also worked as a foreman in Sanford for Chase & Company for over 30 years. He married Lula in 1937 and they had several children together, including Vivian Louise Black (1940-); Lula Yvonne Black (1942-); Charles Samuel Black (1945-); Pilgrim Black, Jr. (ca. 1947-), and Patricia Ann Black (1956-).
Original property deed, June 21, 1946: Florida Internal Improvement Fund: Private Collection of Patricia Ann Black.
A newspaper article about A. J. Peterson, a local agent for the Seaboard Oil Company and a partner in the Seminole Tire Shop in Sanford, Florida. The store was originally located at 201 North Park Avenue until it moved to the corner of West First Street and South Elm Avenue by 1933 at the latest, although the exact date of relocation is unknown. A former manufacturer from Chicago, Illinois, Peterson arrived in Sanford in 1927. He also assisted in building one of the largest one-stop service stations in Sanford, which was located at the Sanford State Farmers' Market. When the article was published in 1933, Peterson resided at Monroe Corner with his wife, Sara Deason. He also enjoyed baseball, congregated with the First Baptist Church of Sanford, and was a member of the Masonic Order.
Original newspaper article: "A. J. Peterson." The Sanford Herald: Who's Who of 1933, Vol. 24, No. 157, April 29, 1933: Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
A newspaper article about the building permits awarded in Sanford, Florida, in 1926. By November of that year, the annual building total was about $80,000 short of the figure for 1925, which was a record year for construction in Sanford. The first 10 months of 1926 showed a sum of $1,602,689, whereas as the sum for the first 10 months of 1925 was $1,393,607. Fifty building permits were issued for the month of November in 1926, with over four-fifths designated for improvements, costing an estimated $2,000 or less. There were several large permits issued for the construction of: the Colonial Company's warehouse, which would cost $15,000; the Sanford-Oviedo Truck Growers' warehouse, costing $6,500; and 38 small swellings in Lockhart's First and Second Subdivisions, expected to cost $22,800. The Sanford-Oviedo Truck Growers was also one of the first vendors to lease a stall at the first Sanford State Farmers' Market when it first opened in 1934.
Original newspaper article: "Building Comparisons." Sanford Today, Vol. 01, No. 20, November 27, 1926. Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
A Chase & Company packing house in Sanford, Florida, 1891. One of the first vendors to lease a stall at the first Sanford State Farmers' Market, Chase & Company was established in 1884 by brothers Sydney Octavius Chase and Joshua Coffin Chase. The company sold insurance and later invested in storage facilities and fertilizer sales. Chase & Company was known mainly for its agricultural interests and maintained a series of citrus groves throughout Central Florida. The company was based out of Sanford and became one of the city's largest employers into the early twentieth century. Randall Chase joined in the family business soon after his brother, Sydney Chase, Jr., did in 1922. Randall became the president of Chase & Company from 1948-1965
Original black and white photograph, 1891: Greater Sanford Regional Chamber of Commerce, Sanford, Florida.
Greater Sanford Regional Chamber of Commerce
An advertisement for Chase & Company from Sanford High School's Salmagundi yearbook for the 1920-1921. One of the first vendors to lease a stall at the first Sanford State Farmers' Market, Chase & Company was established in 1884 by brothers Sydney Octavius Chase and Joshua Coffin Chase. The company sold insurance and later invested in storage facilities and fertilizer sales. Chase & Company was known mainly for its agricultural interests and maintained a series of citrus groves throughout Central Florida. The company was based out of Sanford and became one of the city's largest employers into the early twentieth century. Randall Chase joined in the family business soon after his brother, Sydney Chase, Jr., did in 1922. Randall became the president of Chase & Company from 1948-1965.
Original yearbook advertisement: Salmagundi, 1921: Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
Sanford High School
Chase & Company Office, Sanford, Florida
Chase & Company: Packers and Distributors of Florida Fruits and Vegetables Exclusively
A newspaper advertisement for Chase & Company, the largest and oldest distribution agency in Florida and one of the first vendors to lease a stall at the first Sanford State Farmers' Market when it opened in 1934. The article states that the company conducts business in most shipping districts in Florida and ships to markets across the United States and Canada. Chase & Co.'s main office was located in Jacksonville at the time that the article was published in 1910. There were also offices in Cincinnati, Chicago, New York, St. Louis, Minneapolis, and Washington, D.C. In addition to citrus packing and processing, Chase & Company also did business in insurance. Chase & Company was established in 1884 by brothers Sydney Octavius Chase and Joshua Coffin Chase. The company sold insurance and later invested in storage facilities and fertilizer sales. Chase & Company was known mainly for its agricultural interests and maintained a series of citrus groves throughout Central Florida. The company was based out of Sanford and became one of the city's largest employers into the early twentieth century. Randall Chase joined in the family business soon after his brother, Sydney Chase, Jr., did in 1922. Randall became the president of Chase & Company from 1948-1965.
Original newspaper article: "Chase & Company: Packers and Distributors of Florida Fruits and Vegetables Exclusively." The Sanford Chronicle, Industrial Edition, Winter 1910. Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
Chase & Company Office, Jacksonville, Florida
Corporate Farming: How Chase & Company Has Grown Into a Dominant Force in Florida Agri-Business
A pamphlet about the history and structure of Chase & Company. One of the first vendors to lease a stall at the first Sanford State Farmers' Market, Chase & Company was established by brothers Sydney Octavius Chase and Joshua Coffin Chase in 1884. The company sold insurance and later invested in storage facilities and fertilizer sales. Chase & Company was known mainly for its agricultural interests and maintained a series of citrus groves throughout Central Florida. The company was based out of Sanford and became one of the city's largest employers into the early twentieth century. By 1886, the Chase brothers purchased several citrus groves to expand their business, including Isleworth Grove in Windermere, Florida. Isleworth Grove covered a total of 1,300 acres along the Butler Chain of Lakes. Between 1894 and 1895, Central Florida was hit by several freezes and most of the citrus crop was destroyed. Chase & Company did not grow citrus crops again until 1904 when Joshua came back from an extended stay in California. Between 1894 and 1900, different types of pesticide equipment was created, including equipment driven by steam, machines, and horses.Randall Chase joined in the family business soon after his brother, Sydney Chase, Jr., did in 1922. Randall became the president of Chase & Company from 1948-1965. The Isleworth property stayed in the Chase family until 1984 when Franklin Chase, the son of Sydney Chase, sold the property to famed golfer Arnold Palmer.
Original pamphlet: "Corporate Farming: How Chase & Company Has Grown Into a Dominant Force in Florida Agri-Business": Agricultural Collection, Celery Collection, Museum of Seminole County History, Sanford, Florida.
A newspaper advertisement for the Seminole Tire Shop in Sanford, Florida. The store erected one of the largest one-stop service stations in the city, which was located at the first Sanford State Farmers' Market. This ad, likely published in the 1920s, lists 201 North Park Avenue as the tire shop's address, although advertisements published in 1933 suggest that the company moved to the corner of West First Street and South Elm Avenue. The company was incorporated in 1932 but is no longer active.
Original newspaper advertisement: Agricultural Collection, Celery Collection, Museum of Seminole County History, Sanford, Florida.
A newspaper advertisement about the estimated amount of 400 carloads of celery that will be shipped out of Sanford in 1917 by Stokes Seed Company, which was also one of the first vendors to lease a stall at the first Sanford State Farmers' Market when it first opened in 1934. The celery consisted mostly of Golden Self-Blanching Celery, but also included New Easy Blanching Celery. The origins of Sanford's connection to celery farming began on December 26, 1894, when a freeze damaged the area's citrus groves. The city began to recover during a warm and wet January which promoted new shoots, but a second freeze hit on February 7, 1895, practically wiping them out. The 24-degree temperature was the coldest known in Florida to that point. The freeze was so intense that the sap froze inside the trunks, many of which split open, sounding like gunshots, and crashed to the ground. The population quickly dropped from 5000 to 2000 as the groves were abandoned. I. H. Terwilliger stayed after the freezes and is believed to have planted the first celery grown in Sanford in 1896. J. N. Whitner and B. F. Whitner, Sr. planted three-fourts of an acre in 1897 with celery imported from Kalamazoo, Michigan. By 1898, celery became the crop synonymous to Sanford, also known as "Celery City."
Original newspaper advertisement: Market Growers Journal: The Market Gardener's Trade Paper, Volume 20.
Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph Company--Employees
A newspaper article about Howard Overlin, the manager of the Sanford, Oviedo, and Geneva division of the Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph Company in 1933. Overlin was born and raised in Evansville, Indiana. In 1911, he began his telecommunications career by working for the Indiana Bell Telephone Company, until he was transferred to the Illinois Bell Telephone Company in 1914. In 1918, Overlin migrated to Jacksonville, Florida, to manage the Southern Bell Telephone Company's lines in Camp Johnson during World War I. Once the war ended, he transferred to Sanford and resided at 113 West 19th Street with his wife, Maude Growe Overlin. In addition to his business career, Overlin was also president of the Sanford Kiwanis Club, secretary of the Sanford Elks Club, president of the Seminole County Safety Council, a member of the Seminole County Chamber of Commerce, and a congregant of the First Christian Church.
Original newspaper article: "Howard Overlin." The Sanford Herald: Who's Who of 1933, Vol. 24, No. 157, April 29, 1933. Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
A newspaper article about J. C. Hutchinson, sales manager of Sanford-Oviedo Truck Growers Association, Inc., which was founded in 1913 as a cooperative growing and shipping organization originally consisting of fourteen growers in Sanford and Oviedo, Florida. His company was also one of the first vendors to lease stalls at the first Sanford State Farmers' Market when it first opened in 1934. A school teacher in Sanford from 1915 to 1917, Hutchinson also served as major of the headquarters company in the 124th Infantry of the Florida National Guard and as captain of Company "D." At the time the article was published, he resided in Indian mound Village with his wife Annie Whitner and their two daughters, Elise and Helen.
Original newspaper article: "J. C. Hutchinson." The Sanford Herald: Who's Who of 1933, Vol. 24, No. 157, April 29, 1933. Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph Company
The Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph Company's new dialing exchange in Sanford, Florida, in the late 1950s. Southern Bell was originally part of the Bell Telephone Company, founded on July 9, 1877, in Boston, Massachusetts. Southern Bell, formerly called the Atlanta Telephonic Exchange, became a separate entity on December 20, 1879 in Atlanta, Georgia. The company was established to serve Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, parts of West Virginia, Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee. In 1917, operations for West Virginia were taken over by the Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Company of West Virginia. On December 20, 1967, Southern Bell formed South Central Bell Telephone to operate in Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee. Although originally incorporated in New York, Southern Bell was reincorporated in Georgia as SBT&T Company in 1983. As of 2013, the company was absorbed into BellSouth Telecommunications and is headquartered in Atlanta.
Original black and white photograph: Greater Sanford Regional Chamber of Commerce, Sanford, Florida.
A newspaper article about Robert A. Cobb in 1933. Cobb was born in Live Oak, Florida, but migrated to Sanford with his parents in January of 1910. He attended Sanford High School (present-day Seminole High School), and studied business at Southern College in Lakeland. Cobb also served as a United States Marine in the Fifth Regiment in the Second Division for a year during World War I. After returning from service, Cobb became the secretary-treasurer of the Sanford-Oviedo Truck Growers, Inc., which was founded in 1913 as a cooperative growing and shipping organization originally consisting of 14 growers in Sanford and Oviedo. His company was also one of the first vendors to lease stalls at the first Sanford State Farmers' Market when it first opened in 1934. He and his wife, Izetta Stone, resided at 313 West Fifteenth Street in Sanford with their children, Thomas A. Cobb and Frances Mae Cobb. Cobb was also a member of the Presbyterian Church, the American Legion, the Lions Club the Masons, and the Odd Fellows.
Original newspaper article: "R. A. Cobb." The Sanford Herald: Who's Who of 1933, Vol. 24, No. 157, April 29, 1933. Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
Sanford-Oviedo Truck Growers Formed in 1913
A newspaper article on the history of the Sanford-Oviedo Truck Growers, Inc. Sanford-Oviedo Truck Growers was founded in 1913 as a cooperative growing and shipping organization originally consisting of fourteen growers in Sanford and Oviedo, Florida. The company was also one of the first vendors to lease stalls at the first Sanford State Farmers' Market when it first opened in 1934. At the time that the article was written, the Sanford-Oviedo Truck Growers was packing and shipping vegetables from more than 400 acres of land in the St. Johns River Valley under the management of William E. Vihlen. The company distributed mostly celery, with 80 percent being Pascal, but other vegetables shipped included cabbage, escarole, and peppers. The company's washhouse and packing plant located near the west side of Rand's Siding was managed by C. F. Reese and received additional wash chain equipment costing $4,000 in 1954. According to the article, Joe B. Shaw was the field manager and Lewis James was his assistant. The article also includes two snippets about a 4-H club livestock show in Jacksonville and the watermelon harvest for Levy County in 1952.
Original black and white newspaper article: "Sanford-Oviedo Truck Growers Formed in 1913." February 25, 1952: Museum of Seminole County History, Sanford, Florida.
Sanford-Oviedo Truck Growers, Inc. Advertisement
An advertisement for the Sanford-Oviedo Truck Growers, Inc., which was amongst the first to lease stalls at the first Sanford State Farmers' Market when it opened in 1934. Sanford-Oviedo Truck Growers was founded in 1913 as a cooperative growing and shipping organization originally consisting of 14 growers in Sanford and Oviedo, Florida. At the time that the ad was published, T. F. Adams served as president, J. C. Hutchinson served as general sales manager, and Robert A. Cobb served as secretary-treasurer. The offices were located in the building of the First National Bank No. 2, located at 101 East First Street in Sanford. The office of Sanford-Oviedo Truck Growers occupied offices 510-514 on the fifth floor in from as early as 1926 to as late as 1930.
Original newspaper article: "Sanford-Oviedo Truck Growers, Inc." Sanford Today, Vol. 01, No. 12, October 2, 1926: Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
Sanford-Oviedo Truck Growers, Inc., Sanford, Florida
A newspaper advertisement for the Seminole Tire Shop in Sanford, Florida. The store erected one of the largest one-stop service stations in the city, which was located at the first Sanford State Farmers' Market that opened in 1934. According to this ad, the shop was located at the corner of West First Street and South Elm Avenue, though earlier sources from the 1920s suggest that the store was once located at 201 North Park Avenue. The Seminole Tire Shop was incorporated in 1932 but is no longer active. .
Original newspaper article: "Seminole Tire Shop." The Sanford Herald: Who's Who of 1933, Vol. 24, No. 157, April 29, 1933. Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
Two men loading crates of celery either onto rail car. The celery was shipped by M. Moses, who also leased two stalls at the first Sanford State Farmers' Market, on February 16, 1926, from Sanford, Florida. A. H. Moses & Son sold the celery upon the shipment arrival in New York City on February 24. The man pictured in the dark suit is likely one of the Moses brothers.
Original framed black and white photograph: "Celery Shipment Loaded on Railcar." 1926. Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
A newspaper article about W. A. Patrick, president of the Seminole Tire Shop in Sanford, Florida. Patrick migrated to Sanford on March 10, 192,7 and established a tire repair business that also distributed Firestone and Crosley products. By 1932, his business was recognized as the "leading and most progressive of its kind" in Sanford, according to the article. At the time that the article was written, Patrick resided at 1513 Palmetto Avenue with his wife, Agnes Bartlett Patrick. W. A. Patrick was also a member of the Masons, the Elks Lodges, and the Christian Church. His store, the Seminole Tire Shop, erected one of the largest one-stop service stations in the city, which was located at the first Sanford State Farmers' Market that opened in 1934. The Seminole Tire Shop was incorporated in 1932 but is no longer active.
Original newspaper article: "Seminole Tire Shop ." The Sanford Herald: Who's Who of 1933, Vol. 24, No. 157, April 29, 1933. Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
A magazine article about the Western Union Telegraph Company office located at 201 East First Street in Sanford, Florida, in 1926. According to the article, the telegraph business in Sanford was developing rapidly. The office's manager, L. Tharp, explained that in 1924, the local office only employed two day clerks, one day operator, one night operator, four messenger boys, and a manager. In 1926, when the article was published, the office employed three day operators, one night operator, four day clerks, one cashier, two night clerks, twelve messenger boys, one manager, and one linesman. The article also states that 36 lines lead out of Sanford, with half going to Tampa and half going to Jacksonville. The Western Union Company was originally organized in 1851 under the name the New York and Mississippi Valley Printing Telegraph Company. In 1855, the company merged with the New York & Western Union Telegraph Company. Western Union grew rapidly, opening its first transcontinental telegraph in 1861. The first stock ticker was introduced in 1866 and standardized time service became available in 1870. In 1871, the company began its money transfer service. Although Western Union initially tried to participate in telephone services, it ultimately abandoned telephone communications when it lost a patent lawsuit with the Bell Telephone Company in 1879. Nonetheless, Western Union continued to develop new services for their customers, including the first charge card for consumers in 1914, teletypewriters in 1923, singing telegrams in 1933, intercity faxes in 1935, commercial intercity microwave communications in 1943, Telex services for customers in New York City in 1958, and Candygrams in the 1960s.
Original newspaper article: "Western Union: A Hive of Service." This Week in Sanford, Vol. 02, No. 04, August 9, 1926. Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
Western Union Telegraph Company, Sanford, Florida
Sanford Salutes Dr. G. H. Starke Sunday Sept 1
This newspaper clipping, presumably from The Sanford Herald, reproduces a photograph of Sanford's First Street with a banner commemorating Dr. George H. Starke (1898-1978) strung between several buildings. Dr. Starke was a practicing medical doctor who opened his practice in Sanford, Florida, on September 15, 1927. Shortly thereafter, Dr. Starke became one of only four African-American physicians to be accepted by Harvard University for residency at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. He practiced for several years in Boston and then returned to Sanford in 1933 and continued to practice medicine until his death at age 80. For many years, Dr. Starke was the only African-American doctor in Sanford. Dr. Starke was also the first African-American doctor to acquire membership in the Florida Medical Association and the Seminole County Medical Association, as well as the second to join the American Medical Association. In 1971, the City of Sanford named George Starke Park, located at 1501 West Third Street, in his honor.
Print newspaper reproduction of original photograph: The Sanford Herald, September 7, 1977: Dr. George H. Starke Folder, General Henry S. Sanford Memorial Library, Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
50th Anniversary for Starke; Hundredth for City
This newspaper article commemorates Dr. George H. Starke's (1898-1978) 50 years of service to the Sanford community. Dr. Starke was a practicing medical doctor who opened his practice in Sanford, Florida, on September 15, 1927. Shortly thereafter, Dr. Starke became one of only four African-American physicians to be accepted by Harvard University for residency at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. He practiced for several years in Boston and then returned to Sanford in 1933 and continued to practice medicine until his death at age 80. For many years, Dr. Starke was the only African-American doctor in Sanford. Dr. Starke was also the first African-American doctor to acquire membership in the Florida Medical Association and the Seminole County Medical Association, as well as the second to join the American Medical Association. In 1971, the City of Sanford named George Starke Park, located at 1501 West Third Street, in his honor.
Original newspaper article: "50th Anniversary for Starke; Hundredth for City," The Sanford Herald, August 7, 1977: Dr. George H. Starke Folder, General Henry S. Sanford Memorial Library, Sanford Museum, Sanford Florida.
Florida Agricultural and Technical University, Tallahassee, Florida
This undated newspaper clipping advertises an "Appreciation Day Sunday" held by the Sanford Chamber of Commerce and the Concerned Citizens Committee for Dr. George H. Starke (1898-1978). The Chamber of Commerce hung a banner over First Street in Downtown Sanford, Florida, in Dr. Starke's honor. The event was held at the Sanford Civic Center, located at 401 East Seminole Boulevard. Dr. Starke was a practicing medical doctor who opened his practice in Sanford, Florida, on September 15, 1927. Shortly thereafter, Dr. Starke became one of only four African-American physicians to be accepted by Harvard University for residency at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. He practiced for several years in Boston and then returned to Sanford in 1933 and continued to practice medicine until his death at age 80. For many years, Dr. Starke was the only African-American doctor in Sanford. Dr. Starke was also the first African-American doctor to acquire membership in the Florida Medical Association and the Seminole County Medical Association, as well as the second to join the American Medical Association. In 1971, the City of Sanford named George Starke Park, located at 1501 West Third Street, in his honor.
Original newspaper article: "Dr. Starke Honored": Dr. George H. Starke Folder, General Henry S. Sanford Memorial Library, Sanford Museum, Sanford Florida.
This newspaper article, from The Evening Herald, commemorating Dr. George H. Starke (1898-1978) for his services to the community. In 1971, the Sanford Mayor Lee P. Moore dedicated George Starke Park to Dr. Starke, located at 1501 West Third Street. He has also received honors from Dr. Luis Perez, Dr. Jorge Gomez, and Dr. Thomas Largen and was honored at the ""Appreciation Day Sunday" event held by the Sanford Chamber of Commerce and the Concerned Citizens Committee. Dr. Starke was a practicing medical doctor who opened his practice in Sanford, Florida, on September 15, 1927. Shortly thereafter, Dr. Starke became one of only four African-American physicians to be accepted by Harvard University for residency at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. He practiced for several years in Boston and then returned to Sanford in 1933 and continued to practice medicine until his death at age 80. For many years, Dr. Starke was the only African-American doctor in Sanford. Dr. Starke was also the first African-American doctor to acquire membership in the Florida Medical Association and the Seminole County Medical Association, as well as the second to join the American Medical Association. In 1971, the City of Sanford named George Starke Park, located at 1501 West Third Street, in his honor.
Original newspaper article: "A Big Thanks for Dr. Starke," The Evening Herald, September 13, 1977, page 4A: Dr. George H. Starke Folder, General Henry S. Sanford Memorial Library, Sanford Museum, Sanford Florida.
View of the American Legion Hut on Lake Monroe
The American Legion Hall, located at the 300 Seminole Boulevard in Sanford, Florida during the 1920s. 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: Private Collection of Luticia "Tish" Lee.
American Legion Campbell-Lossing Post 53, Sanford, Florida
The American Legion Hall, located at the 300 Seminole Boulevard in Sanford, Florida. 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 x 4 inch color photograph: Private Collection of Luticia "Tish" Lee.
Charles Ernest Gormley Playing the Clarinet During World War I
Charles Ernest Gormley, an American soldier, playing the clarinet during World War I. Gormley was originally from Kansas, but he moved to Sanford, Florida, with his family shortly before WWI. Gormley served alongside his brother, George Gormley, in France from August 13, 1917, to April 14, 1919. His daughter, Luticia "Tish" Gormley Lee, was the contributor of this photograph. Before entering World War I, the United States maintained a policy of neutrality, although the U.S. continued to supply the Allies: Great Britan, France, and Russia. The U.S. officially entered the war on April 6, 1917, in response to Germany's return to all-out submarine warfare on all commercial ships sailing for Great Britain and Germany's offer for military alliance to Mexico via the Zimmerman Telegram. The U.S. mobilized over four million military personnel through the course of American involvement in the war and lost 110,000 casualties. The U.S. vastly expanded its government and dramatically increase the size of its military during World War I.
Original 2.25 x 3.25 inch black and white photograph: Private Collection of Luticia "Tish" Gormley Lee.
Lee, Luticia "Tish" Gormley
George Gormley Playing the Clarinet During World War I
George Gormley, an American soldier, playing the clarinet during World War I. Gormley was originally from Kansas, but he moved to Sanford, Florida, with his family shortly before WWI. Gormley served alongside his brother, Charles Ernest Gormley, in France from August 13, 1917 to April 14, 1919. His niece, Luticia "Tish" Gormley Lee, was the contributor of this photograph. Before entering World War I, the United States maintained a policy of neutrality, although the U.S. continued to supply the Allies: Great Britan, France, and Russia. The U.S. officially entered the war on April 6, 1917, in response to Germany's return to all-out submarine warfare on all commercial ships sailing for Great Britain and Germany's offer for military alliance to Mexico via the Zimmerman Telegram. The U.S. mobilized over four million military personnel through the course of American involvement in the war and lost 110,000 casualties. The U.S. vastly expanded its government and dramatically increase the size of its military during World War I.