Oral history of Linda Moscato, interviewed by John Settle on March 2, 2013, for the UCF Public History Center's History Harvest. In the oral history, Moscato discusses the items she contributed to the History Harvest, which including photographs, birth certificates, and other documents. Moscato was born Linda Leigh Morgan on November 11, 1940, in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, where he great grandfather was a steel worker. The father of Moscato's daughter, Joseph Moscato, entered into military service during World War II when he was 17 and later became a teacher for truck driver training in Miami, Florida. She had three children, all of which were born in Miami: Scott Sheridan, Anna Sophia Moscato, and Dean Moscato. She also graduated from the University of Central Florida on May 1, 2004, with a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice.
Moscato, Linda. Interviewed by John Settle. UCF Public History Center, HAR1063471P. March 2, 2013. Video record available. UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida.
University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida
Oral History of Luticia "Tish" Lee, Linda Maliczowski, and Catherine "Cathy" Dingle
Oral history of Luticia "Tish" Lee and her two daughters, Linda Maliczowski and Cathy Dingle. The interview was conducted by University of Central Florida Professor of History Dr. Scot French on October 20, 2013. Lee was born in Sanford, Florida in 1923 and lived in her family house, which was constructed in 1926, while growing up. Her father was a member of the American Legion and worked as a superintendent for the Crown Paper Company, and also as a carpenter. Following her high school graduation, Lee worked as a secretary for the local ice plant, which no longer stands. Other topics in the oral history include Sanford during World War II, the cannon at the American Legion Hall, the Lee family rolling pin and other family heirlooms, baking various foods, Lee's father, the grocery store run by Lee's mother and aunt, Lee's involvement with Creative Sanford, Inc. productions, a family fireless cooker, and the French house.
Lee, Luticia, Linda Maliczowski, and Cathy Dingle. Interviewed by Scot French. October 30, 2013. Audio/video record available. RICHES of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
RICHES of Central Florida
Creative Sanford, lnc., Sanford, Florida
American Legion Campbell-Lossing Post 53, Sanford, Florida
Naval Air Station (NAS), Sanford, Florida
Oral History of Luticia Roberts Lee and Catherine Lee Dingle
An oral history of Luticia Lee, with her daughter, Cathy Lee Dingle. Lee was born in Sanford, Florida, where her mother bought a grocery store on First Street at half-interest in 1910. Lee's mother graduated from Sanford High School in 1913 and Lee graduated in 1942, after it was renamed Seminole High School. Her children in the attended the school in the 1960, and her grandson graduated later. Lee met her husband, James Lee, who had just returned from service in the U.S. Army in December of 1945. In September of 1946, the couple married. They had three children and five grandchildren. In this oral history, Lee discusses how they started the tradition of throwing pasture parties, life was like during integration in Sanford, how Jim Crow laws were applied, Lee's old house, and tornadoes and hurricanes that had passed through Sanford.
Lee, Luticia and Catherine Lee Dingle. Interviewed by Trish Thompson and Laura Donaldson. Celery Soup. July 2012. Audio record available. Creative Sanford, Inc., Sanford Florida.
East 3rd Street and South Palmetto Avenue, Sanford, Florida
West 15th Street and South Oak Avenue, Sanford, Florida
Episode in the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra's 20th Anniversary video series, chronicling the orchestra's history in Central Florida. This episode features an interview with Lyman Brodie, Principal Trumpet and board member. Topics in the video include an anecdote about outdoor concert, the earliest days of the OPO, educational programs, venues, performing with John Williams and other experiences with the orchestra, music played by the Philharmonic, and the role of orchestra members as community members. In addition to the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, Lyman A. Brodie performs for the Dallas Wind Symphony and the Black Music Repertory Ensemble. He also is the Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Humanities and a Professor of Music at the University of Central Florida (UCF). Previous positions that Brodie has held at UCF include Chair of the Department of Music and President of the University Wide Counsel of Chairs and Chairmen of the Campus Review for the Strategic Planning Initiative. Additionally, Brodie has served as a national grant review panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts Music Program, an elected board member of Chamber Music Directors of the Orlando Philharmonic, an Advisory Board member of the Arts Presenters, and a voting member of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. The Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, located at 812 East Rollins Street Suite 300 in Orlando, was inspired by the closing of the Florida Symphony in 1993. The orchestra performs in more than 125 concerts each season. In June of 2013, the Philharmonic made plans to purchase the Plaza Live, located at 425 North Bumby Avenue in downtown Orlando, for office space, a rehearsal hall, a music library, and a music hall.
Original 3-minute and 49-second video by Joe Gennaro, Timothy G. Brown, and Lisa Mills: "The Orlando Phil's 20th Anniversary | Lyman Brodie, Principal Trumpet." Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, October 3, 2012: Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, Orlando, Florida.
Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra
Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, Orlando, Florida
An oral history interview of Marc Ennis, who joined the U.S. Navy in December of 1990 and attended Recruit Training Center Orlando (RTC Orlando) for boot camp at age 17. After boot camp, he attended Electronic Warfare training at Corry Station Naval Technical Training Center in Pensacola, Florida, and reported to his first ship, USS Gunston Hall, at Little Creek, Virginia. After three and a half years, Ennis trained at aircrew school in Pensacola and then Millington, Tennessee, to become an Aviation Warfare Sensor Operator and rescue swimmer for Sikorsky SH-60/MH-60 Seahawk helicopters. He also joined the fleet replacement squadron aircrew for Helicopter Squadron 1 in Jacksonville, and then reported to his first fleet squadron, Helicopter Squadron 5 (HS-5), also in Jacksonville. After completing his service for HS-5, Ennis reported to the helicopter wing as an instructor. After three years instructing, he transferred to Naval Air Facility Atsugi in Yamato and Ayase, Japan, for sea duty with Helicopter Squadron 14. This interview was conducted by Kendra Hazen and includes topics such as Ennis' background and family, RTC Orlando, his Navy life after training, Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division (NAWCTSD), and the simulation industry in Central Florida.
Ennis, Marc. Interviewed by Kendra Hazen, February 22, 2014. Audio/video record available. Item DP0014894, UCF Community Veterans History Project, Special Collections and University Archives, University of Central Florida Libraries, Orlando, Florida.
Recruit Training Center, Orlando, Florida
Corry Station Naval Technical Training Center, Pensacola, Florida
Naval Air Facility Atsugi, Yamato-Ayase, Japan
Oral history of Marilyn Maples, an actress in the Creative Sanford, Inc., and Celery Soup production of Remade - Not Bought. The interview was conducted by University of Central Florida Professor of History Dr. Scot French and graduate student Katie Kelley on October 19, 2013. Maples moved to Sanford, Florida, in 1993. As an actress, she played the roles of Marlene Baggs and Arthurene in Remade - Not Bought. Maples is also a member of the theatre committee, the volunteer coordinator, and a member of the marketing team for Creative Sanford and Celery Soup. The interview focuses mainly on Maples involvement with Creative Sanford and Celery Soup. Other topics include how Maples came to Sanford, how she became involved with Creative Sanford, the importance of preserving history through community theater, her acting roles in Remade - Not Bought, the Celery Soup production of Touch and Go, presenting difficult or dark history, segregation in Sanford, and Dr. George H. Starke.
Maples, Marilyn. Interviewed by Katie Kelley and Scot French. October 19, 2013. Audio/video record available. RICHES of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center, Sanford, Florida
Episode in the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra's 20th Anniversary video series, chronicling the orchestra's history in Central Florida. This episode features an interview with Mark Fischer, General Manager and Principal Horn. Topics in the video include the orchestra's performance for the television program Seaquest DSV and community involvement in the OPO. Mark Fischer received his education in music from the University of South Florida and studied the horn with the Philadelphia Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic. From 1975 to 1993, Fischer performed as Second Horn and Fourth Horn for the Florida Symphony. A founding member of the OPO, Fischer has been serving on the Orlando Philharmonic Board of Directors since its inception. He was also appointed to the position of Principal Horn in 1995 and the position of General Manager in 1997. Finally, he has performed with the Minnesota Orchestra, the Grand Teton Festival Orchestra, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Jacksonville Symphony, the Naples Philharmonic, and the Florida Orchestra. The Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, located at 812 East Rollins Street Suite 300 in Orlando, was inspired by the closing of the Florida Symphony in 1993. The orchestra performs in more than 125 concerts each season. In June of 2013, the Philharmonic made plans to purchase the Plaza Live, located at 425 North Bumby Avenue in downtown Orlando, for office space, a rehearsal hall, a music library, and a music hall.
Original 2-minute and 37-second video by Joe Gennaro, Timothy G. Brown, and Lisa Mills: "The Orlando Phil's 20th Anniversary | Mark Fischer, General Manager & Principal Horn." Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, October 3, 2012: Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, Orlando, Florida.
Lake Eola Bandshell, Downtown Orlando, Florida
An pral history of Mart Tucker, conducted by Stephanie Youngers on November 10, 2010. In the interview, Tucker discusses the various towns and cities that she resided in, her college education, her career as a typist, her family history, her children and grandchildren, her husband's career, her involvement in the Seminole County Farm Bureau and the 4-H program, and opening Tucker's Farm and Garden Center. The interview also includes commentary from her husband, Cecil A. Tucker II.
Tucker, Mart. Interviewed by Stephanie Youngers. November 10, 2010. Museum of Seminole County History, Sanford, Florida.
University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
Tucker's Farm and Garden Center, Sanford, Florida
In this oral history, Marva Y. Hawkins recounts her life living in Goldsboro, a historic African-American community in Sanford, Florida. Her mother was the owner of the neighborhood grocery store, Hawkins' Meat Market, located off of West Thirteenth Street, originally called Goldsboro Avenue and now called Historic Goldsboro Boulevard. Hawkins lived in Goldsboro her entire life and attended Goldsboro Red School and Crooms High School, where she graduated in 1954. Hawkins has worked in various positions, such as for Family Services, as an insurance agent, and as a columnist for The Sanford Herald.
Hawkins, Marva Y. Interview by Julio R. Firpo. Home of Marva Y. Hawkins. April 6, 2011. Audio record available. RICHES of Central Florida.
An oral history of Mary Carolyn Bistline (b. 1928), conducted by Stephanie Youngers on December 10, 2010. Bistline was born on December 22, 1928, in Memphis, Tennessee, but has spent most of her life in Florida. In this interview, Bistline discusses growing up in Miami, the economic and social development of Miami, going to college and getting married, migrating to Longwood, her career in education, the history of her family and her husband's family, the Central Florida Society for Historic Preservation, her husband and children, opening Oak Tree Preschool, and her children and grandchildren.
Original 48-minute and 15-second oral history: Bistline, Mary Carolyn. Interviewed by Stephanie Youngers. December 10, 2010. Museum of Seminole County History, Sanford, Florida.
Bradlee-McIntyre House, Longwood, Florida
Florida Southern College, Lakeland, Florida
An oral history with Matt Clancy, a surfer and the owner of Clancy's Mexican Cantina. Clancy moved to New Smyrna Beach, Florida, in 1962 when his father, a member of the United States Air Force, relocated to Central Florida. Clancy began teaching himself how to surf at age six. His six older brothers, as well as friends Mike Martin and Tommy Wright, also helped Clancy learn. As a child, Clancy joined the Smyrna Surfari Club, a social organization founded in 1979 in New Smyrna Beach. He was also a member of the Eastern Surfing Association (ESA) and the National Scholastic Surfing Association (NSSA) and participated in numerous competitions in Florida, Texas, North Carolina, and California. Other topics discussed in the oral history include memories of Central Florida, surfboards, surfing in difficult weather conditions, sharks and shark attacks, surfing injuries, and Clancy's restaurant.
Clancy, Matt. Interview by Erin Wells and Brandon Clark. Daytona State College, New Smyrna Beach-Edgewater Campus. July 25, 2013. Audio/video record available. Daytona State College, New Smyrna Beach, Florida.
Daytona State College
Clancy's Mexican Cantina, New Smyrna Beach, Florida
An oral history interview of Michael Partain (b. 1968), who served in the U.S. Navy during the Cold War Era. Partain was born at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina on January 30, 1968. He enlisted in the Navy on January 2, 1988, but was disqualified due to illness on February 20. During his short service, Partain trained at Naval Training Center Orlando (NTC Orlando). This oral history interview was conducted by Amanda Hill on March 6, 2014. Interview topics include Partain's background, enlistment, basic training, advanced training at the Nuclear Propulsion School, the effect of the Navy's presence in Central Florida on the region, NTC Orlando, training, his illness and subsequent qualification, and life after leaving the Navy.
Partain, Michael. Interviewed by Amanda Hill, March 6, 2014. Audio/video record available. Item DP0014905, UCF Community Veterans History Project, Special Collections and University Archives, University of Central Florida Libraries, Orlando, Florida.
Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina
Recruit Training Center Orlando, Naval Training Center Orlando, Orlando, Florida
An oral history interview of Mick Dolan, a radio personality, news and traffic reporter, voiceover actor, promotions director, talk show producer and social media blogger based in Central Florida. The interview was conducted by Geoffrey Cravero at the Salem Media Group radio stations in Altamonte Springs, on July 30, 2015. Topics covered in the interview include how Dolan got into broadcasting, his experiences working on The Baxter and Mark Show, Clear Channel’s impact on broadcasting, the evolution of the Orlando music scene, including some of his favorite musicians and venues, Rock Super Bowls at the Tangerine Bowl, interviewing David Lee Roth and George Thorogood, being onstage for The Who, his attempt to put together a country music fantasy camp with CMT’s Camp Nashville, what he’s been up to lately, and his final thoughts and advice to young musical artists and broadcasters.
Dolan, Mick. Interviewed by Geoffrey Cravero. Audio/video record available. RICHES of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
Lakeland Civic Center, Lakeland, Florida
Orlando Citrus Bowl Stadium, Orlando, Florida
Salem Media Group, Altamonte Springs, Florida
An oral history told by Nancy Harris Ford, an actress in the Creative Sanford, Inc. and Celery Soup: Florida's Folk Life Play production of Remade - Not Bought. Ford was raised in Sanford, Florida, and lived there until she graduated from Seminole High School in 1973. She returned to Sanford around 2009 and became involved with Celery Soup, a community theater project operated by Creative Sanford. This interview was conducted by Drew Fedorka on November 16, 2013, and focuses on the historical figure and character of Dr. George H. Starke, an African-American physician in Georgetown in Sanford. Other topics include Ford's biographical information, her decision to return back to Sanford after 36 years elsewhere, how she became involved with Creative Sanford and Celery Soup, her involvement in Touch and Go and Remade - Not Bought, and segregation.
Ford, Nancy Harris. Interviewed by Drew Fedorka. UCF Public History Center. November 16, 2013. Audio/video record available. RICHES of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
Creative Sanford, Inc., Sanford, Florida
Dr. George H. Starke's Office, Sanford, Florida
Dr. Edward D. Strickland's Office, Sanford, Florida
An oral history interview of Nicholas Agon Kresky, a member of the Orlando Gay Chorus who serves on the chorus’s Music and Artistic Development Committee. The interview was conducted by Sarah Schneider at the University of Central Florida Center for Emerging Media in Orlando, Florida, on November 17th, 2016. Some of the topics covered include joining the Orlando Gay Chorus, his favorite productions, the 2012 Gay and Lesbian Association of Choruses (GALA) festival, the mass shooting at Pulse nightclub, the Orlando Gay Chorus’s response to the Pulse tragedy, the community response to the Pulse tragedy, pet therapy, the national response to the Pulse tragedy, the 2016 Gay and Lesbian Association of Choruses (GALA) festival, support from other gay choruses, the significance of Pulse before and after the tragedy, the role of social media in the aftermath of the tragedy, and the long-term consequences of the Pulse tragedy.
Kresky, Nicholas Agon. Interviewed by Sarah Schneider, November 17, 2016. Audio record available. RICHES of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, Orlando, Florida
GALA Choruses Festival, Denver Performing Arts Center, Denver, Colorado
An oral history of 89-year-old Odetta Copper (b. 1921), who was born on June 26, 1921, in France, Florida. She migrated to Sanford in 1946. Copper tells of her strict upbringing and the hardship she faced when growing up with her parents and nine siblings. In the interview, she also describes what it was like working on the farm, what holidays were like, and how times have changed.
Copper, Odetta. Interviewed by Bev [last name unknown]. February 25, 2010. Audio record available. Creative Sanford, Inc., Sanford Florida.
Oral History of Oviedo Plane Crash (1962)
On Saturday, March 6, 2021, a historical marker was unveiled honoring the crew of a 1962 plane crash in Oviedo. A Naval A3D Skywarrior Airplane based at the Sanford Naval Air Station would crash in the Oviedo area narrowly missing a school ground full of children. The pilot, Lt. Charles Hodgate, was credited with navigating the airplane away from the school ground, defying orders to bail out, and subsequently claiming three members of the crew including Navy Petty Officers John W. Bush, Horace Marks and Lt. Charles Hodgate in the crash. Hodgate would later be the basis for the narrator character in the community-storytelling series from Creative Sanford entitled "Celery Soup."
Jones, Jim; Mello, Steve; Scott, Mary Courier; Minter, Tom; Evans, David; Lingo, Thad; Moon, Thomas; Hodgate, Charles Richard; Montour, Tracy Hodgate. Interviewed by Geoffrey Cravero, March 6, 2021. Audio record available. RICHES, Orlando, Florida.
RICHES
Oviedo School (Lawton Elementary), Oviedo, Florida
Oral History of Patricia Ann Black and Billy Hardy
An oral history of both Patricia Ann Black (b. 1956) and Billy Hardy (b. 1956). Hardy was born on August 17, 1956, and Black was born 14 days later on August 31. Both grew up at the end of Tenth Street in Sanford, Florida. This oral history interview was conducted by Trish Thompson and Freddie Román-Toro. Hardy and Black attended Hopper Elementary School 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. They talk about what life was like in Sanford during segregation and what happened to make integration possible. Black talks about what her education in New York was like when compared to that in Sanford. Hardy discusses how football helped ameliorate tensions among blacks and whites. He also shares his experiences in the Army. Black and Hardy also discuss their childhood romance and how circumstances changed their relationship. Hardy also speaks about his time in technical school and his passion for cars. Other topics include the differences between attending school in New York and Florida, the Trayvon Martin case, and the sexual abuse of Black as a child.
Black, Patricia and Billy Hardy. Interviewed by Trish Thompson and Freddie Román-Toro. March 2013. Audio record available. Creative Sanford, Inc., Sanford, Florida.
Lakeview Middle School, Winter Garden, Florida
Sanford Junior High School, Sanford, Florida
An oral history interview of Patrick Herman, a member of the Orlando Gay Chorus. The interview was conducted by Sarah Schneider at Herman’s home in Orlando, Florida, on November 4th, 2016. Some of the topics covered include moving to Florida, joining the Orlando Gay Chorus, the Gay and Lesbian Association of Choruses (GALA) Festival, the mass shooting at Pulse nightclub and its aftermath, the Orlando Gay Chorus’s response to the Pulse tragedy, coping with the emotional repercussions of the tragedy, the community response to the Pulse tragedy, support from other gay choruses at the GALA festival, the significance of Latin night at Pulse, the long-term consequences of the Pulse tragedy, and gun control.
Herman, Patrick. Interviewed by Sarah Schneider, November 4, 2016. Audio record available. RICHES of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
An oral history interview of Patty Sheehan, Orlando’s first openly gay city commissioner. The interview was conducted by Kalynn Smith at Sheehan’s offices at Orlando City Hall in Orlando, Florida, on April 11th, 2017. Some of the topics covered include an introduction, how the challenges of growing up gay shaped her activism, how coming out affected her familial relationships and career, identifying items in her collection, Michael’s March and bringing together the gay and lesbian communities over HIV/AIDS, the stigma of HIV/AIDS and how shame kills, facing discrimination while running for office, civil rights activism as city commissioner, becoming an advocate for marriage equality, and her favorite accomplishments as City Commissioner.
Sheehan, Patty. Interviewed by Kalynn Smith, April 11, 2017. Audio record available. RICHES of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
Audubon Park Covenant Church, Orlando, Florida
Oral history of Paul H. Friedman's military service in Vietnam during the Vietnam War (1961-1975). Friedman was born on August 28, 1946 in Rockway Beach, New York. In 1966, he enlisted in the United States Navy and served in the U.S.S. Forrestal G Division, which engaged in combat operations in the Gulf of Tonkin. Friedman achieved the rank of Petty Officer, 3rd Class. He was injured in the 1967 fire that devastated the Forrestal and killed 134 of his shipmates. Friedman ended his service on November 19, 1967. During his service, he received the National Defense Medal and the Vietnam Service Medal. This oral history interview was conducted by Ettore M. Lanza in Coral Springs, Florida on March 21, 2011. The Vietnam War was a Cold War Era "military conflict". The war was originally waged between Cambodia, Vietnam, and Laos. The United States became involved as a preventive measure to combat communism. The official date of the military conflict is November 1, 1955 and ending in April 1975. The date of the war has been disputed, but a study in 1998 by the Department of Defense definitively put the start of the Vietnam War as November 1, 1955. The first combat military troops 9th Marine Expeditionary Brigade didn't arrive until 1965. With the arrival of the combat troops came the first traditional battles of combat fighting in the war. During the Vietnam War, not only did American military go into battle with and for South Vietnam, the military also trained members of South Vietnam to fight alongside during the war. Peace talks were attempted, with France moderating, beginning on May 10, 1968. These talks were unsuccessful and lasted over three years. The longest battle of the Vietnam War began on January 21, 1968 and didn't end until the U.S. reclaimed Route 9 on April 8, 1968, seventy-seven days later. While the military conflict ended in 1975, it was a long process towards reunification and redevelopment as a country. The conflict left Vietnam in both political and economical ruins. While the U.S. military was fighting overseas, Many American citizens protested the war at home. Demonstrations took place across the country with the most famous one being at Kent State University in Ohio. While this is the most well known demonstration it was not the first. Americans questioned the U.S. involvement in the war throughout.
Friedman, Paul H. Interviewed by Ettore M. Lanza. UCF Community Veterans History Project, DP0011885. March 21, 2011. Audio/video record available. UCF Community Veterans History Project, Special Collections and University Archives, University of Central Florida Libraries, Orlando, Florida.
Special Collections and University Archives, University of Central Florida Libraries
An oral history of Paul Mikler (1916-2000)), a history teacher and coach from Oviedo, Florida. Mikler was born on July 8, 1916, and was raised in Slavia, an unincorporated community that was once part of Oviedo. He taught at Oviedo High School (OHS), where he was seminal in shaping the school's baseball program, from 1946 to 1970. Mikler passed away on April 12, 2000. Interview topics include Slovak immigrants in Oviedo, the importance of St. Luke’s Lutheran Church, the celery industry, Judge R. W. Ware's praise of Oviedo, driving a Ford Model T automobile, Florida State Road 426 (SR 426), visiting Orlando, grocery and clothes shopping, the increase of drug use of youths over the years, and the future of the city, the state, and the country.
Mikler, Paul. Museum of Seminole County History, Oviedo, Florida.
St. Luke's Lutheran Church, Oviedo, Florida
Slemons Department Store, Orlando, Florida
Oral history told by Peter Newman, playwright, director, and board member of Creative Sanford, Inc., a non-profit organization created to manage Celery Soup: Florida's Folk Life Play community theater productions. Celery Soup's first production was Touch and Go, a play about how the people of Sanford overcame obstacles throughout their history. This interview, conducted by Mark Miller, deals with topics such as the history of Creative Sanford, and Celery Soup, Newman's playwriting process, the Florida highwaymen, scripts that Newman wrote, the use of history as inspiration for plays, the importance of authenticity, the story of Dr. George H. Starke, dealing with sensitive issues and race relations, the interviewing process, and the community's reaction to Celery Soup's plays.
Newman, Peter. Interviewed by Mark Miller. Audio record available. RICHES of Central Florida.
Holy Cross Episcopal Church, Sanford, Florida
An oral history interview of Philip Rogers (b. 1953), who served in the U.S. Navy from 1978 to 1998. Rogers was born in the Bronx borough of New York City, New York, in 1953. He attended Lehman College for undergraduate school and Indiana University for graduate school. In May of 1978, Rogers was commissioned as an officer and assigned to teach engineering at the Nuclear Power School at Naval Training Center Orlando (NTC Orlando). After four and a half years, he became an Engineering Duty Office in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. This interview was conducted by Killian Hiltz in Orlando on November 14, 2014. Interview topics include Rogers' background, becoming a commissioned officer, teaching at the Nuclear Power School at NTC Orlando, serving as an Engineering Duty Officer in Pearl Harbor, serving in the Naval Reserves, advanced training, the USS Nathan Hale, the Cold War, the University of Central Florida (UCF), his wife and family, and the terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001.
Rogers, Philip. Interviewed by Killian Hiltz, November 14, 2014. Audio/video record available. Item DP0016191, UCF Community Veterans History Project, Naval Training Center Orlando, Orlando, Florida.
Naval Training Center Orlando, Orlando, Florida
An oral history interview of Ray Sturm (b. 1963), who served in the U.S. Army from 1983 to 1989. Sturm was born in Winter Park, Florida, on October 22, 1963. He enlisted in the Army in 1983 and completed his basic training and advanced training at Fort Jackson in Columbia, South Carolina. Sturm then served at Herzo Base in Herzogenaurach, Germany. He served in the 210th Field Artillery Brigade and 34th Infantry Division, and achieved the rank of Sergeant. This interview was conducted by Katie Hollingsworth in Orlando, Florida, on November 13, 2014. Interview topics include basic training and advanced training at Fort Jackson, Herzo Base, his rank as Sergeant, Fort Stewart, the 24th Infantry Division, comradery, Sturm's interest in music, and his post-military life.
Sturm, Ray. Interviewed by Katie Hollingsworth, November 13, 2014. Audio/video record available. Item DP0016004, UCF Community Veterans History Project, Special Collections and University Archives, University of Central Florida Libraries, Orlando, Florida.
Herzo Base, Herzogenaurach, Hesse, Germany
Oral History of Reverend Margaret E. "Peggy" Howland
An oral history interview of Reverend Margaret E. “Peggy” Howland, a member of the Orlando Gay Chorus and a former Presbyterian minister. The interview was conducted by Geoffrey Cravero at the interviewee’s residence in Orlando, Florida, on December 13th, 2016. Some of the topics covered include becoming one of the first female ministers, fighting for GLBTQ+ rights, joining the Orlando Gay Chorus, her role in the Orlando Gay Chorus, her favorite productions, the mass shooting at Pulse nightclub, women in the chorus, the Orlando Gay Chorus’s response to Pulse tragedy, changing community attitudes on homosexuality, missing out on initial vigils, memorials and outreaches, physical challenges, performing at the first responders breakfast, the long-term consequences of Pulse tragedy, and her closing remarks.
Howland, Margaret E. "Peggy". Interviewed by Geoffrey Cravero, December 13, 2016. Audio record available. RICHES, Orlando, Florida.
Gay and Lesbian Association of Choruses Festival, Denver, Colorado
Joy Metropolitan Community Church, Orlando, Florida
Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Florida
An oral history of Rex Clonts, Jr., conducted by Joseph Morris on November 2, 2011. Clonts was born in Orlando, Florida, but he was raised in Oviedo. In the interview, Clonts discusses his family's work in agriculture, celery farming, how Oviedo has changed over time, the effect of Walt Disney World and the University of Central Florida (UCF) on the region, the citrus and cattle industries, the relationship between the Oviedo community and the Naval Air Station Sanford (NAS Sanford), and fire ants in Florida.
Original 55-minute and 16-second oral history: Clonts, Rex, Jr. Interviewed by Joseph Morris. November 2, 2011. Audio record available. Museum of Seminole County History, Sanford, Florida.
Naval Air Station Sanford, Sanford, Florida
An oral history interview of Richard Lamberty, a member of the Orlando Gay Chorus, same-sex ballroom dancer, and software developer. This interview was conducted by Geoffrey Cravero at the Center for Humanities and Digital Research at the University of Central Florida (UCF) in Orlando, Florida, on October 11th, 2016. Some of the topics covered include a biographical summary, his educational history, discovering dance, his family history, his relationship with his father, same-sex ballroom dancing, the Orlando Gay Chorus, Orlando Cloggers, becoming a dance instructor, losing communication and physical skills from rheumatoid arthritis, world travels as a dance instructor, homosexuality in Japan, the end of his dance career, North American Same-Sex Partner Dance Association (NASSPDA), the history of same-sex dancing, the kinesiology of dance, Dance Vision International Dancers Association (DVIDA) American Smooth Bronze Syllabus manual, reasons for joining the Orlando Gay Chorus, the mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub and its aftermath, the Gay and Lesbian Association of Choruses (GALA) Festival, being a public figure and representing Orlando, violence against homosexuals, meeting a transsexual Muslim, the John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC) vigil for victims of the Pulse massacre, homosexuality in the space and defense industry, turning tragedy into positive change, gun control reform, the community response to Pulse tragedy, the significance of the rainbow flag, the long-term consequences of the Pulse tragedy, and the rise of fundamentalism.
Lamberty, Richard. Interviewed by Geoffrey Cravero, October 11, 2016. Audio record available. RICHES of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
An oral history interview of Richard Tobias Sloane (b. 1934), who served in the U.S. Navy from 1964 to 1969, during the Vietnam War. Sloane was born in Queens, New York City, New York, on March 4, 1934. In August of 1964, he was commissioned into the Navy. Sloane served in Vietnam from September of 1967 to September of 1968. He also served on the USS Rockbridge, USS Santa Barbara in River Section 35, the USS Garcia, the USS Wisconsin, and the USS Blue Jacket. Sloane achieved the rank of Captain and earned a Purple Heart, Bronze Star with V Device, Legion of Merit, Combat Action Award, and Navy E Ribbon. This oral history interview was conducted by Carli Van Zandt on March 5, 2014. Interview topics include Sloane's background, joining the Navy, the USS Rockbridge, Officer Candidate School (OCS), the Vietnam War, Naval Training Center (NTC) Orlando, the Grinder, the USS Blue Jacket, airbases in Central Florida, the simulation industry, and the Lone Sailor Memorial Project.
Sloane, Richard T.. Interviewed by Carli Van Zandt, March 5, 2014. Audio/video record available. Item DP0014912, UCF Community Veterans History Project, Special Collections and University Archives, University of Central Florida Libraries, Orlando, Florida.
Officer Candidate School, Newport, Rhode Island
An oral history interview of Robert Matthews (b. 1957), who served in the U.S. Navy during the Cold War era. Matthews was born in Lake Wales, Florida, on May 23, 1957. He enlisted in the Navy in February of 1977 and was discharged in July of 1984. During his service, Matthews was stationed at Recruit Training Center Orlando (RTC Orlando), Naval Air Station Memphis (NAS Memphis), and Naval Air Maintenance Training Detachment (NAMTRADET) at Naval Air Station Jacksonville (NAS Jacksonville). He also served in Attack Squadron 174 (VA-174) and VA-87. Matthews was a Master Training Specialist and received an Expeditionary Medal. This interview was conducted by Mark Miller on March 28, 2014. Interview topics include Matthews' background, enlistment, training at RTC Orlando, the USS Blue Jacket, the Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC), Matthews' naval career, NAWCTSD, and the Lone Sailor Memorial Project.
Matthews, Robert. Interviewed by Mark Miller, March 28, 2014. Audio/video record available. Item DP0014900, UCF Community Veterans History Project, Special Collections and University Archives, University of Central Florida Libraries, Orlando, Florida.
Recruit Training Center, Naval Training Center Orlando, Orlando, Florida
Naval Air Station Memphis, Millington, Tennessee
Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division, Naval Training Center Orlando, Orlando, Florida
Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division, Naval Support Activity, Orlando, Florida
Naval Air Station Cecil Field, Duvall County, Florida
Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Jacksonville, Florida
An oral history with Sally Mackay, former mayor of New Smyrna Beach, Florida, and founder of the Hub on Canal, located at 132 Canal Street. Mackay migrated to Central Florida from Great Britain in 1973. In November of 2007, she was elected Mayor of New Smyrna Beach. She also served on the Volusia Council of Governments Executive Board, the Volusia League of Cities, and Florida League of Cities.
Original 49-minute and 18-second oral history: Mackay, Sally. Interview by Karen Botta, Ian Jones, Shannon Haley, Zachary McCormick, Brenna Broadway, and John Robert Grooms, Jr. Daytona State College, New Smyrna Beach-Edgewater Campus. November 12, 2013. Audio/video record available.
Croydon High School, London, England, United Kingdom
The Hub on Canal, New Smyrna Beach, Florida
An oral history interview of Scott Peterson, a member of the Orlando Gay Chorus. The interview was conducted by Sarah Schneider at the Orlando Public Library in Orlando, Florida, on October 23rd, 2016. Some of the topics covered include an introduction, joining the Orlando Gay Chorus, his favorite productions, the mass shooting at Pulse nightclub and its aftermath, the Orlando Gay Chorus’s response to the Pulse tragedy, the community response to the tragedy, the significance of Pulse before and after the mass shooting, the role of social media in the aftermath of the tragedy, the long-term consequences of the tragedy, and the significance of the Orlando Gay Chorus.
Peterson, Scott. Interviewed by Sarah Schneider, October 23, 2016. Audio record available. RICHES of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
GALA Choruses Festival, Denver, Colorado
An oral history of former recruit training Commander Scott T. Kidd. This interview was conducted by Mark Barnes at the University of Central Florida's Colbourn Hall in Orlando, Florida. This oral history was produced as part of the Community Veterans History Project (CVHP) and the Lone Sailor Memorial Committee for the purpose conducting background research for a memorial honoring the former Orlando Naval Training Center (NTC Orlando). Kidd was a former recruit commander at Naval Training Center Orlando (NTC Orlando) from 1989 to 1993. He also served in the U.S. Navy from 1983 to 1994. Kidd was the first recruit commander at the base to lead a fully integrated company of male and female recruits. He also served on the USS Ponce LPD-15, the USS Niagara Falls AFS-3, and the USS Iowa.
Kidd, Scott T. Interviewed by Mark Barnes. UCF Community Veterans History Project. February 2, 2014. Audio/video record available. UCF Community Veterans History Project, Special Collections and University Archives, University of Central Florida Libraries, Orlando, Florida.
UCF Community Veterans History Project
Naval Station Great Lakes, Great Lakes, Illinois
Oral History of Serena Rankin Parks Fisher
Oral history of Serena Rankin Parks Fisher, a resident of Seminole County, Florida. Parks was born in Concord, North Carolina, on March 3, 1941. She has worked as a social studies teacher, a media center specialist, and a social studies resource teacher for Seminole County Public Schools, as wells as a Museum Specialist/Teacher Curator from 1992-2000. She then as a Volunteer/Docent at the Student Museum and Center for Social Studies, located at 301 West Seventh Street in Sanford, Florida. This interview was conducted by MacKenzie See at UCF Public History Center on October 8, 2012.
Parks, Serena Fisher Rankin. Interviewed by MacKenzie See. UCF Public History Center, IMG_0036. October 8, 2012. Audio/video record available. UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida.
Student Museum and Center for Social Studies, Sanford, Florida
Oral History of Sharon Karraker Driskell
Oral history of Sharon Karraker Driskell, who attended Sanford Grammar School for fifth and sixth grade during the 1953-1954 and 1954-1955 school years, respectively. Driskell was born in Kansas on February 24, 1943, but her family migrated to Sanford, Florida. She attended Southside Elementary School, Sanford Grammar School, Sanford Middle School, and Seminole High School. Growing up, Driskell lived off of Celery Avenue. Her father owned a Standard Oil Company filing station, located at the corner of Sanford Avenue and Celery Avenue. After graduating from high school, Driskell married a fireman from the John F. Kennedy Space Center, had two children, and worked at Keith Elementary School in Winter Springs-Idlewild. Topics discussed in the oral history include her experiences prior to attending Sanford Grammar School, her memories at the school, her most memorable experiences, keeping in touch with her former classmates, her favorite place in the building, the subjects she learned in grammar school, being an alumnus of Sanford Grammar School, her thoughts on the current state of the building, misbehaving in school, and schools activities.
Driskell, Sharon Karraker. Interviewed by Daniel Velásquez, October 12, 2012. Audio/video record available. UCF Public History Center.
Sanford Grammar School, Sanford, Florida
Student Museum and Center for the Social Studies, Sanford, Florida
An oral history interview of Sharon Ekern, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) from 1981 to1990 and now works at the University of Central Florida (UCF) with the Student Development and Enrollment Service. This interview was conducted by Roy McKinney at UCF on November 13, 2014. Interview topics include Ekern's family life, her education, enlistment in the Marines, boot camp, advanced training, her first duty station, the San Diego Recruit Depot, Parris Island, the Cold War, being assigned to Orlando, serving as a female Marine, the Tailhook Scandal, Camp Smith, her awards and medals, life after service, her employment at UCF, and being an expert markswoman.
Ekern, Sharon L. Interviewed by Roy McKinney. Audio/video record available. UCF Community Veterans History Project, RICHES of Central Florida, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, Jacksonville, North Carolina
Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, San Diego, California
Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, Port Royal, South Carolina
University of Central Florida. Department of History
Oral history interview of Shirley Muse, collection cataloger for the UCF Public History Center, located at 301 West Seventh Street in Sanford, Florida. Muse was born in Corvallis, Oregon, on May 16, 1936. She was raised in the Panama Canal Zone. In 1958, Muse married her husband while attending Florida State University in Tallahassee. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Library Science that same year. She worked in the Florida Public School System as a Librarian/Media Specialist for 20 years until 1999. Following her retirement, Muse began volunteering at the Student Museum and Center for Social Studies. This interview was conducted by Jesse Glasshoff at the UCF Public History Center on October 12, 2012.
Muse, Shirley. Interviewed by Jesse Glasshoff. UCF Public History Center. October 12, 2012. Audio/video record available. UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida.
Student Museum and Center for the Social Studies,Sanford, Florida
UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida
An oral history interview of Sister Gail Grimes, a Roman Catholic sister from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, who moved to Apopka, Florida, in January of 1975 to serve the farmworker, low-income and immigrant communities. This interview was conducted by Jared Muha in Apopka on October 10, 2014. Some of the topics covered include moving to Apopka, working for the Hope CommUnity Center, the working conditions of Central Florida farmworkers, Apopka farms in the 1970s, relations between farmworkers and crew leaders, migration to Florida, early types of industry, the development of muck farms, shifting racial dynamics on Apopka farms, a history of racism in Central Florida, finding work after the shutdown of Lake Apopka, and the legacy of black farmworkers in Florida history.
Grimes, Gail. Interviewed by Jared Muha, October 10, 2015. Audio record available. RICHES, Orlando, Florida.
Farmworker Association of Florida, Apopka, Florida
An oral history interview of Terry W. Wheeler (b. 1959), who served in the U.S. Army, during the Cold War. Wheeler was born in Fort Lee, Virginia, in 1959. He joined the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) and was commissioned into the Army on December 28, 1981. He earned the rank of Captain, as well as several awards and commendations: the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon, the Army Achievement Medal, and the Army Commendation Medal. Wheeler served in Fort Knox, Kentucky, Schweinfurt, West Germany, and Fort Benning, Georgia. This interview was conducted by Taylor Johnson at the University of Central Florida (UCF) on November 13, 2014. Interview topics include training at Fort Knox, duties as an Armor Officer, assignment in West Germany, Fort Benning, duties as a Tank Company commander, combat simulations, resigning from the Army and attending graduate school, and employment in the private sector.
Wheeler, Terry W. Interviewed by Taylor Johnson, November 13, 2014. Audio/video record available. Item DP0016010, UCF Community Veterans History Project, Special Collections and University Archives, University of Central Florida Libraries, Orlando, Florida.
Schweinfurt, Lower Franconia, Bavaria, Germany
U.S. Army Infrantry School, Fort Benning, Georgia
Oral History of the Florida High-Tech Corridor Council
An oral history interview of John C. Hitt, Randolph E. Berridge, Dr. Peter T. Panousis, Dan Holsenbeck, Carrie Martine, and Roger Pynn regarding the Florida High Tech Corridor Council. This interview conducted by Dr. Connie L. Lester and James C. Clark at the Board Room in the Office of University of Central Florida President John C. Hitt on December 3rd, 2012. The Florida High Tech Corridor Council (FHTCC) is an economic development initiative whose mission is to foster the high technology industry in Florida's High Tech Corridor, which spans 23 counties with rich industries in aerospace engineering, modeling and simulation, optics and photonics, digital media, and medical technologies. The council consists of the University of Central Florida (UCF) in Orlando, the University of South Florida (USF) in Tampa, and the University of Florida (UF) in Gainesville. In 1996, the Florida Legislature passed an act founding the FHTCC to support the 21-county service areas of UCF and USF. Its original mission was to expand research and educational partnerships in order to retain the Cirent Semiconductor water fabrication facility located in Orlando, Florida. In 1997, the development of all technology industries across Central Florida was added to the FHTCC's mission. UF joined the partnership in 2005. Interview topics include: how the High Tech Corridor Council began, the Dallas-Fort Worth Corridor in Texas, Charlie Reed, reinvesting the original funding, expanding partnerships, Silicon Valley, Lynda Weatherman and economic development in Brevard County, the “Core Team” and the “Pajama Hotline,” the Florida Virtual Entrepreneur Center, serving as a model for other regions, the role of venture capitalism, workforce development, the expansion of the corridor, the impact of the business community on approval of university projects, and future challenges.
Original 1-hour, 59-minute, and 19-second oral history: Hitt, John C., Randolph E. Berridge, Dr. Peter T. Panousis, Dan Holsenbeck, Carrie Martine, and Roger Pynn. Interviewed by Dr. Connie L. Lester and James C. Clark. December 3, 2012. Audio/video record available. RICHES of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida
AT&T Semiconductor Plant, Orlando, Florida
Gray-Robinson Law Firm, Orlando, Florida
Advanced Materials Processing and Analysis Center, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida
Lake Nona Medical City, Orlando, Florida
Florida Polytechnic University, Lakeland, Florida
Economic Development Commission of Florida's Space Coast, Rockledge, Florida
National Academy of Inventors, Tampa, Florida
Department of Economic Opportunity, Tallahassee, Florida
Florida High Tech Corridor Council, Heathrow, Florida
Harrah's Cherokee Casino, Cherokee, North Carolina
GrowFl: Florida Economic Gardening Institute, Orlando, Florida
Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission, Orlando, Florida
Florida Power & Light Company, Winter Park, Florida
Central Florida Research Park, Orlando, Florida
An oral history with Thomas D. Wright, a surfer and lawyer with Wright, Casey & Stowers, P.L. in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. Wright was born in Florida on April 8, 1951. Other topics discussed in the oral history include growing up in New Smyrna Beach, how others perceive surfers, the evolution of surfing, how surfing affects society, surfboards preference, surfing contests, how New Smyrna Beach was affected by surfing, and plans to establish the East Coast Surfing Museum.
Wright, Thomas D. Interview by Dakota Hull. Daytona State College, New Smyrna Beach-Edgewater Campus. August 1, 2013. Audio/video record available. Daytona State College, New Smyrna Beach, Florida.
Oral history told by Trish Thompson, Vice President of Creative Sanford, Inc. The interview was conducted by Autumn Reisz and Mark Miller on October 11, 2013 and focuses on Thompson's experiences with Creative Sanford and Celery Soup. Other topics include adapting the Swamp Gravy model to Celery Soup, how Creative Sanford and Celery Soup have evolved over time, the oral history interviewing process, partnering with the African-American community, the effects of the George Zimmerman trial on Sanford, adapting oral histories into community plays, goals of Creative Sanford and Celery Soup, community involvement and feedback, fundraising and the Celery Ball, production costs, preserving the legacy of Creative Sanford and Celery Soup, and maintaining community involvement. Creative Sanford, Inc. is a non-profit organization created to manage Celery Soup community theater productions. The original idea for the Celery Soup project came from Jeanine Taylor, the owner of a folk-art gallery on First Street in Sanford, Florida. Their first production was Touch and Go, which took several years of planning. The play focused on how the people of Sanford overcame obstacles throughout their history. Some of these stories include the fall of Sanford's celery industry, the Freeze of 1894-1895, and the closing of Naval Air Station (NAS) Sanford in the 1960s. Richard Geer and Jules Corriere, partners from Community Performance International, were in charge of assessing oral histories, converting them into scenes for the play, and writing original songs. Director Geer also used an all-volunteer cast from the local community, many of which were not experienced actors. During the process of producing the show, Creative Sanford decided to rehabilitate an historic building, the Princess Theater, which was located on 115 West First Street and owned by Stephen Tibstra. The Creative Sanford offices are housed in the Historic Sanford Welcome Center, located at 203 East First Street. As of December 2013, the Executive Board for Creative Sanford included President Brian Casey, Vice President Trish Thompson, Treasurer Linda Hollerbach, Secretary Dr. Annye Refoe, and Founder Jeanine Taylor. The Board of Directors consisted of Cheryl Deming, Juanita Roland, Wendy Wheaton, and Dr. Connie Lester, a professor of history at the University of Central Florida. Honorary Board Members included: Glenda Hood, former Florida Secretary of State and Mayor of Orlando; Valada Flewellyn, a local poet, author, and historian; and Jackie Jones, a local entertainer and arts advocate.
Thompson, Trish. Interviewed by Autumn Reisz and Mark Miller. Creative Sanford, Inc. Offices, Sanford Welcome Center. October 11, 2013. Audio/video record available. RICHES of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
Oral history of Walter Smith, interviewed by John Settle on March 2, 2013 for the UCF Public History Center's History Harvest. In the oral history, Smith discusses how he found information about the History Harvest, what it was like going to school at Westside Grammar Elementary School in the 1930s, his attendance at Seminole High School, and the football season. Sanford High School was originally established at 301 West Seventh Street in 1902. The building was designed by W. G. Talley in the Romanesque revival style. Due to an increasing student population, a new school building was constructed on Sanford Avenue in 1911. The original building on Seventh Street served as Westside Grammar Elementary School, which was later renamed Sanford Grammar School. In 1984, the building was placed on the National Registry of Historic Places and converted into the Student Museum. The building reopened as the University of Central Florida's Public History Center in 2012. In 1927, a high school campus was designed by Elton J. Moughton in the Mediterranean revival style and constructed at 1700 French Avenue. The school reopened on January 10 and was renamed Seminole High School. In 1960, the high school moved to a new campus at 2701 Ridgewood Avenue and the former building on French Avenue was converted to Sanford Junior High School, which was later renamed Sanford Middle School. The old building was demolished in the summer of 1991 and replaced by a $5.77 million school complex. As of 2013, Seminole High School offers various Advanced Placement courses, the Academy for Health Careers, and the International Baccalaureate Programme for students.
Smith, Walter. Interviewed by John Settle. UCF Public History Center, HAR1063392P. March 2, 2013. Video record available. UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida.
Westside Grammar Elementary School, Sanford, Florida
An oral history interview of Warren McFarland, a telegrapher, train dispatcher, railroad station agent, grocery clerk, Railroad Safety and Service Agent, Assistant Regional Director and Regional Manager for the Interstate Commerce Commission, and Director of the Office of Compliance and Consumer Assistance. The interview was conducted by Geoffrey Cravero at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida, on January 28, 2016. Some of the interview topics covered include McFarland’s early years and formative experiences, his family life, growing up as the son of a railroad station agent and telegrapher in a railroad depot, World War II, railroad work and telegraphy in his time versus his father’s time, his first job as a grocery clerk, the “extra board” and railroad seniority, working for the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC), the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System, the Morse Telegraph Club, female telegraphers, American Morse Code versus International Morse Code, acquiring a piece of the first transcontinental telegraph line, train dispatching, overcoming communication limits, an explanation of telegrapher’s paralysis, and Guglielmo Marconi’s contributions to wireless telegraphy.
McFarland, Warren. Interviewed by Geoffrey Cravero. Audio/video record available. RICHES of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
Avon Park Atlantic Coast Line Train Station, Avon Park, Florida
Frances Perkins Building, Washington, D.C.
Golden Spike National Historic Site, Brigham City, Utah
An oral history interview of William Reuter (b. 1961), who served in the U.S. Navy from 1979 until 2012. Reuter was born in Camden, New Jersey on April 21, 1961. He served in Libya during the Action in the Gulf of Sidra and in the fjords of Norway. Reuter achieved the rank of Captain, earned a Legion of Merit, and served as Executive Officer (XO) at the Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division (NAWCTSD) at Naval Training Center (NTC) Orlando. This oral history interview was conducted by Daniel Bradfield on March 10, 2014. Interview topics include Reuter's experiences as XO at NAWCTSD, the simulation industry, Recruit Training Center (RTC) Orlando, the Lone Sailor Memorial Project, and applying to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
Reuter, William. Interviewed by Daniel Bradfield, March 10, 2014. UCF Community Veterans History Project, DP0014907. Audio/video record available. UCF Community Veterans History Project, Special Collections and University Archives, University of Central Florida Libraries, Orlando, Florida.
Oral Memoirs of Benjamin Franklin Wheeler III
An oral history interview of Benjamin Franklin Wheeler III, a descendant of the Wheeler and Lawton families in Oviedo. The interview was conducted by Desta Lee Horner at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida, on June 18th, 2019. Some of the topics covered include the family history of the Lawtons and Wheelers, the significance of the pine timber industry in Oviedo, the career path of Benjamin Franklin Wheeler, Sr., the role of Benjamin Franklin Wheeler, Sr. in the incorporation and development of Oviedo, withstanding freezes and destruction of crops and trees, shipping citrus on the railroads and the decline of the citrus industry in Oviedo, working in packing houses, varieties of citrus production in Oviedo, transitioning from citrus to celery production, how packing houses served a social function, building a railroad on muck land and dealing with derailed trains, how Seminole County was formed and the consequences of its formation, George Kelsey and enforcing the law in a small town, eccentric characters and interesting stories from Oviedo, how churches influenced life in Oviedo, how the Oviedo lights became an urban legend, how being a bedroom community shaped the City of Oviedo, how the Oviedo Fire Department evolved, his experience with race relations in Oviedo, how Alafaya Trail became a paved road, deciding on where to build Florida Technological University, and his closing remarks.
Wheeler III, Benjamin Franklin. Interviewed by Desta Lee Horner, June 18, 2019. Audio record available. RICHES of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
Five Points Operations Complex, Sanford, Florida
Florida Technological University, Orlando, Florida
Nelson and Company Packing Plant, Oviedo, Florida
Oviedo Drug and Meat World, Oviedo, Florida
An oral history interview of Curtis Joshua Rayam Jr. The interview was conducted by Eric Thompson at the Melrose Center at the Orlando Public Library in Orlando, Florida, on March 5, 2025. Rayam, born February 4, 1951, is a native of the Parramore neighborhood in Orlando and a successful opera and concert singer. Some of the topics covered include his family's move to Orlando in search of better educational opportunities, his experiences growing up in Parramore, and the influence of teachers and mentors such as Masie Cosby and Jessie B. Demps Smith. Rayam shares memories of attending Callahan Elementary School and Jones High School and reflects on the role that educators played in shaping his musical ambitions. He describes community life centered around churches such as Mt. Olive AME Church and Saint Mark AME Church and remembers the vibrant cultural and commercial activity in Parramore. He mentions streets such as Green Street, Jackson Street, Jefferson Street, and Orange Avenue, as well as businesses like Pyramid Cleaners and the Carver and Lincoln Theaters. He reflects on community figures including Chief Wilson, who attended the 1964 New York World’s Fair, as well as other key figures like Queenie Powell, Augusta Rogers, Alma Polope, and Georgia Wallace. He also discusses the work of Jessie B. Demps Smith at the Magnolia School. Rayam recalls his later studies at the University of Miami, the legacy of segregation, the importance of entrepreneurship, and the changes he has witnessed in Parramore over the decades, including poverty and homelessness.
Raya, Jr., Curtis. Interviewed by Eric Thompson, March 25, 2025. Audio record available. RICHES, Orlando, Florida.
An oral history interview of educator David Tossie. The interview was conducted by Geoffrey Cravero and Diana Dizon over Zoom on November 8th, 2022. Some of the topics include early life and education in Oviedo, his favorite teachers, integration of Central Florida public schools, becoming an educator, thoughts on Historic Colored Schools Museum, and his final thoughts.
Tossie, David. Interviewed by Geoffrey Cravero and Diana Dizon, November 8, 2022. Audio record available. RICHES, Orlando, Florida.
Jackson Heights Elementary, Oviedo, Florida
An oral history interview of educator Dillard A. Gould. The interview was conducted by Dr. Connie Lester and Jessica Oldham over Zoom on August 2nd, 2022. Some of the topics include his early life and education in Oviedo and playing sports, his military service, experiencing discrimination in the United States Army, and being stationed in Germany, working for AT&T, and his thoughts on African American advancement and the Oviedo Colored School Museum.
Gould, Dillard Alan. Interviewed by Connie Lester and Jessica Oldham, August 2, 2022. Audio record available. RICHES, Orlando, Florida.
An oral history interview of Fairolyn H. Livingston, chief historian of the Hannibal Square Heritage Center in Winter Park, Florida. The interview was conducted by Geoffrey Cravero at the Hannibal Square Heritage Center on December 12, 2019. Some of the topics covered include growing up in a segregated community, finding the resources to attend college, becoming involved in the Hannibal Square Heritage Center and documenting the community’s history, why residents attended churches of multiple denominations, conducting difficult interviews and how those who have experienced oppression have refused to allow it to define them, how gentrification has affected sense of community, changes in the community since de-segregation and gentrification, the challenges of preserving a marginalized community’s history and coming to terms with the long-lasting effects of segregation, how government policies encourage gentrification and her final remarks.
Livingston, Fairolyn. Interviewed by Geoffrey Cravero, December 12, 2019. Audio record available. RICHES of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
Crealdé School of Art, Winter Park, Florida
Hannibal Square Heritage Center, Winter Park, Florida
Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist Church, Winter Park, Florida
Robert Hungerford Preparatory High School, Eatonville, Florida
Ward Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church, Winter Park, Florida
Winter Park High School, Winter Park, Florida
An oral history interview of Jeannie Economos, the Pesticide Safety and Environmental Health Project Coordinator at the Farmworker Association of Florida (FAF), who also worked as Lake Apopka Project Coordinator for the FAF, as well as for non-profit organizations such as the Audubon Society and Save the Manatee Club. The interview was conducted by Jared Muha at the FAF in Apopka on December 10, 2014. Topics discussed in the interview include a summary of her career, the Lake Apopka Project versus the Lake Apopka Restoration Act of 1996, the Farmworker Association of Florida, pesticide health and safety, common environmental challenges facing farmworkers, the necessity of farmworkers, the evolution of farmworkers, African-American farmworkers in Apopka, the shutdown of Lake Apopka, effects of the shutdown on African-American farmworkers, the influx of Hispanic farmworkers, and the future of farm labor in the United States.
Economos, Jeannie. Interviewed by Jared Muha, December 10, 2014. Audio record available. RICHES, Orlando, Florida.
Part One of an oral history of Jesse Cutler conducted by Geoffrey Cravero at Trevor Colbourn Hall at the University of Central Florida on February 8, 2024. Cutler has spent an illustrious career, beginning at age 12, as a musician, composer, actor, producer, and entrepreneur. Starting in New York City in the 1960s and then in Los Angeles from the early seventies through the late nineties, Jesse performed with his bands and in the original cast of Godspell on Broadway, made records that saw Billboard’s Top 100, formed his own companies and appeared on TV and radio and in national print. Some of the topics covered include growing up and attending schools in New York, becoming involved in the Broadway musical Godspell, finding a manager, starting a career in the music industry and signing with his first record label, enjoying his success, purchasing a penthouse and a dog, taking his first trip to Beverly Hills, California, meeting Stevie Wonder and starting a romantic relationship with Jolie Jones, moving to Beverly Hills with Jolie Jones and meeting her sisters, starting a romantic relationship with Deana Martin, meeting Tupac Shakur, encountering interesting women and his advice to young people, performing at the Whisky a Go Go and having a dangerous encounter with Pamela Courson, reflecting on missed opportunities, signing with United Artists Records, his love for R&B music, astrology and numerology, and meeting Michael Jackson and Marvin Gaye.
Cutler, Jesse. Interviewed by Geoffrey Cravero, February 8, 2024. Audio record available. RICHES, Orlando, Florida.
Highland School Preparatory, Jamaica, New York
Part Two of an oral history of Jesse Cutler conducted by Geoffrey Cravero at Trevor Colbourn Hall at the University of Central Florida on February 23, 2024. Cutler has spent an illustrious career, beginning at age 12, as a musician, composer, actor, producer, and entrepreneur. Starting in New York City in the 1960s and then in Los Angeles from the early seventies through the late nineties, Jesse performed with his bands and in the original cast of Godspell on Broadway, made records that saw Billboard’s Top 100, formed his own companies and appeared on TV and radio and in national print. Some of the topics covered include getting starstruck meeting Marvin Gaye in the R & B Room of the Shrine Auditorium at the Grammy Awards, repackaging his album and forging a relationship with Quincy Jones, putting a band together and touring the West Coast, composing new songs, beginning a new romantic relationship, and developing Disco Diet, meeting Richard Simmons, creating and distributing the Eddie Rabbitt Mask, recording with Alice Cooper’s and Aretha Franklin’s Bands, forming his childhood band, The Young Executives, being managed by his father, performing for celebrities, signing to Mercury Records, charting a single, being on television, experiencing success and the breakup of the group, attending preparatory school in Queens and becoming involved in the Broadway musical Godspell, leaving Godspell, finding a manager and the importance of management and agency to a successful music career, repackaging his music and re-releasing it, moving to Winter Park, recording an album inspired by the city, getting re-married, recording a 12-album set of music inspired by astrology and marketing it through eclectic sound pallets, advice for aspiring entertainers, running a marketing company, writing his autobiography and finding a publisher, his closing remarks and future goals.
Cutler, Jesse. Interviewed by Geoffrey Cravero, February 23, 2024. Audio record available. RICHES, Orlando, Florida.
The Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, California
An oral history interview of Robert Hickey, a descendant of the Hickey family of Ocoee, Florida. The interview was conducted by Geoffrey Cravero at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida, on February 26, 2019. Some of the topics covered include the family history of the Hickeys, growing up with his grandparents, John and Lucy Hickey, in Apopka, how John Hickey became a prosperous landowner in Ocoee, learning about the Ocoee Massacre and the resettlement of his family from his grandmother, interviewing his grandmother as an adult and conducting his own research about his grandfather’s landholdings, reflections on the Ocoee Massacre, working towards righting the injustice and honoring his grandparents, his closing remarks, the significance of his family dogs in his childhood, and carrying on his grandfather’s legacy.
Hickey, Robert. Interviewed by Geoffrey Cravero, February 26, 2019, 2019. Audio record available. RICHES, Orlando, Florida.
Edgewood-Greenwood Cemetery, Apopka, Florida
Postcard showing a bird's eye view of Orange Avenue in Orlando, Florida. The cross street in the foreground is Church Street. On the west side of Orange Avenue at the corner of Church Street is the First National Bank Building, located at 190 South Orange Avenue. The bank was constructed between 1929-1930 and designed by Howard M. Reynolds in an Egyptian Revival style, covered in terra cotta with Art Deco-style false columns designed to look like sheaves of wheat. The building cost $300,000 to construct and opened on March 24, 1930.From 1929 to 1960, the building was occupied by the bank. Starting in the mid 1980s, it became Valencia Community College's Downtown Campus. On the east side of the street is the Woolworth Building at 101 South Orange Avenue. Constructed in 1924, the building was built for $100,000 by Franklin J. Mason and was opened in July 1924. The building was occupied by the Woolworth Store from 1924 until 1989, and then by Terror on Church Street, a Haunted House attraction, in the 1990s. This block, which includes the McCrory's Store, was demolished in January 2004. The Woolworth Store replaced the Guernsey Hardware building at 101 South Orange, which was constructed circa 1881 and demolished in 1924. Guernsey Hardware as originally the Cassius A. Boone Hardware Store. Boone operated his hardware store along with his partner, William A. Patrick. In 1895, the building and the stock was purchased by Joseph L. Guernsey. Boone chose to go into the citrus industry instead of running a store. Guernsey Hardware operated in the store until 1922.
Original 5.5 x 3.5 inch color postcard by Genuine Curteich-Chicago: Orange News Company, Orlando, Florida: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
Orange Ave. Looking North, Orlando, Fla. Postcard
Postcard showing Orange Avenue in Orlando, Florida. The Rutland Building, located at 63 North Orange Avenue, can be seen in the foreground. The original two-story structure was designed by F. Earl Deloe in the Art Moderne-style for Joseph Rutland's menswear store in 1941. In 1952, three additional stories were added. Rutland's closed its downtown store in the late 1960s, but remained open in the Colonial Plaza Shopping Center. Behind Rutland's is the Angebilt Hotel, located at 37 N. Orange. The building was constructed between 1921-1923. Plans to build the hotel were announced in June 1921 and construction cost $1 million. The Angebilt Hotel opened on March 14, 1923. The original owner was Joseph Fenner Ange, who moved to Orlando in 1913 from Martin County, North Carolina. Two months after the building's opening, Ange sold his interest in the hotel. In November 1924, a group of Orlando businessmen purchased the hotel for $1.25 million. Florida's first registered architect, Murray S. King, designed the building in the twentieth century commercial style, complete with eleven stories and 240 hotel rooms. Since its opening, the building has housed the Angebilt Hotel, the Bank of Orange and Trust Company, and the offices for two radio stations including WDBO ("Way Down By Orlando"), which was the first regular radio station in Orlando. As of 2010, it also is occupied by business offices and two restaurants. Across the street is the San Juan de Ulloa Hotel, located at 32 North Orange Avenue in Orlando, Florida. The hotel was constructed from 1885 to 1886 by Captain C. E. Pierce at an initial cost of $150,000. The original owner was Henry S. Kedney, who moved from Minnesota to Maitland in 1870 and then to Orlando in 1885. The initial building was a three-story, wood-framed building topped with a dome. In 1887, Harry L. Beeman moved to Orlando and bought the San Juan Hotel. He added two stories and a new addition for $500,000 around 1900. In 1903, Beeman added a veranda on the north side. In 1914, Henry Green took charge of $20,000 in alterations, including the addition of a laundry room, twelve private baths, and the conversion of the barbershop into a café. In the spring of 1922, Turner Construction Company added an additional eight stories at a cost of $357,000. In May 1928, there was a plan to spend $150,000 to rebuild it along modern lines but it is not known if this was carried out or to what extent. From 1890 to 1900, it housed Orlando's Post Office. The hotel also housed a series of services for hotel guests and Orlando residents alike. Among these were several restaurants, a barbershop, and a laundry. The San Juan was the main focal point for activity in Orlando in the early years. The San Juan hit hard times in the 1960s and was re-opened as the Grand Central Hotel, which opened on October 6, 1978. The Grand Central served a gay clientele, featuring several themed bars and lounges. In 1979, the hotel was destroyed by fire. The building was eventually demolished in 1981. The current use of site is a business office originally known as the First Union Bank Tower. It is a sixteen-story, 300,000-square foot building, completed in 1983.
Original 5.5 x 3.5 inch color postcard by Genuine Curteich-Chicago, 1944: Orange News Company, Orlando, Florida: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
Orange Avenue and Central Boulevard, 2001
The intersection of Orange Avenue and Central Boulevard in Downtown Orlando in 2001, Florida. The SunTrust Center can be seen on the left and a Lynx bus stop can be seen on the right. The Orlando area was originally occupied by the Creek and Seminole tribes. In 1838, Fort Gatlin was erected on the shores of Lake Gatlin, just a few miles south of present-day Downtown Orlando. Centered around Church Street in Orlando, Orlando became a city in 1884. Originally a cattle town, Orlando grew into a major citrus growing center by the 1920s. The city continued to grow during the Great Depression with aid from the Work Progress Administration (WPA). During World War II, Orlando became a major military center as well with the development of the McCoy Air Force Base and Pinecastle Air Force Base, and with the addition of the Naval Training Center Orlando (NTC Orlando) in 1968. Downtown Orlando declined in the 1960s and 1970s. Redevelopment began in the 1970s and continued into the 1980s, with projects such as Church Street Station. In 1998, a building boom began and continued through the 2000s.
Original color digital image by Thomas Cook, 2001: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
Orange Avenue and Central Boulevar, Downtown Orlando, Florida
The holiday star located at the intersection of Central Boulevard and Orange Avenue in Downtown Orlando, Florida, in 2003. The holiday star tradition was started in 1955 by two department stores: Ivey's and Dickson & Ives. The stores hung a large gold-colored star from the southwest corner of Central Boulevard and Orange Avenue to the southeast corner. Wilson Reed, owner of Dickson & Ives at the time, is credited with the idea. The star used since 1984, which can be seen in this image, measured 13 feet in diameter and weighed over 500 pounds. In 2005, the original was replaced by a more ornate star.
Original color digital images by Thomas Cook, 2003: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
The holiday star located at the intersection of Central Boulevard and Orange Avenue in Downtown Orlando, Florida, in 2007. The holiday star tradition was started in 1955 by two department stores: Ivey's and Dickson & Ives. The stores hung a large gold-colored star from the southwest corner of Central Boulevard and Orange Avenue to the southeast corner. Wilson Reed, owner of Dickson & Ives at the time, is credited with the idea. The star used since 1984 measured 13 feet in diameter and weighed over 500 pounds. In 2005, the original was replaced by a more ornate star, which can be seen in this image.
Original color digital images by Thomas Cook, 2007: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
Construction at the Orange Avenue Plaza Downtown Orlando, Florida, in 2007. The Orlando area was originally occupied by the Creek and Seminole tribes. In 1838, Fort Gatlin was erected on the shores of Lake Gatlin, just a few miles south of present-day Downtown Orlando. Centered around Church Street, Orlando became a city in 1884. Originally a cattle town, Orlando grew into a major citrus growing center by the 1920s. The city continued to grow during the Great Depression with aid from the Work Progress Administration (WPA). During World War II, Orlando became a major military center as well with the development of the McCoy Air Force Base and Pinecastle Air Force Base, and with the addition of the Naval Training Center Orlando (NTC Orlando) in 1968. Downtown Orlando declined in the 1960s and 1970s. Redevelopment began in the 1970s and continued into the 1980s, with projects such as Church Street Station. In 1998, a building boom began and continued through the 2000s.
Orange Avenue Plaza, Downtown Orlando, Florida
Postcard showing a bird's eye view of Orange Avenue in Orlando, Florida. The cross street in the foreground is Church Street. On the west side of Orange Avenue at the corner of Church Street is the First National Bank Building, located at 190 South Orange Avenue. The bank was constructed between 1929-1930 and designed by Howard M. Reynolds in an Egyptian Revival style, covered in terra cotta with Art Deco-style false columns designed to look like sheaves of wheat. The building cost $300,000 to construct and opened on March 24, 1930.From 1929 to 1960, the building was occupied by the bank. Starting in the mid 1980s, it became Valencia Community College's Downtown Campus. On the east side of the street is the Woolworth Building at 135-141 South Orange Avenue. Constructed in 1924, the building was built for $100,000 by Franklin J. Mason and was opened in July 1924. The building was occupied by the Woolworth Store from 1924 until 1989, and then by Terror on Church Street, a Haunted House attraction, in the 1990s. This block, which includes the McCrory's Store, was demolished in January 2004. The Woolworth Store replaced the Guernsey Hardware building at 135-141 South Orange, which was constructed circa 1881 and demolished in 1924. Guernsey Hardware as originally the Cassius A. Boone Hardware Store. Boone operated his hardware store along with his partner, William A. Patrick. In 1895, the building and the stock was purchased by Joseph L. Guernsey. Boone chose to go into the citrus industry instead of running a store. Guernsey Hardware operated in the store until 1922.
Original 5.5 x 3.5 inch color postcard by Genuine Curteich-Chicago, 1951: Orange News Company, Orlando, Florida: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
A postcard featuring a horse and buggy on Orange Avenue in Daytona, Florida, around 1910. Palm fronds, live oaks, and electric power lines line both sides of the street. In 1871, Mathias Day, Jr. (1824-1904), a migrant from Mansfield, Ohio, purchased a large tract of land along the west bank of the Halifax River, which included the former Williams Plantation. With the construction of Day's hotel, today's Daytona Beach Historic District was created. In 1876, residents named the city "Daytona," in honor of Day, when the area was incorporated as a town. Growth continued in 1886 when the St. Johns & Halifax River Railway extended to Daytona. In 1926, the towns of Daytona, Daytona Beach, Kingston, and Seabreeze merged together as Daytona Beach, in an effort led by J. B. Kahn. By this time, the beach had been nicknamed "The World's Most Famous Beach." Automobile and motorcycle races began in 1902, due to the smooth, compacted sand that covered the beach. Daytona Beach became the site of various land speed record attempts. On March 8, 1836, the first stock car race was held at the Daytona Beach Road Course, which is located in present-day Ponce Inlet. Bill France, Sr. (1909-1992) and the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) established the Daytona International Speedway in 1958 to replace the beach course.
Original 8 centimeter x 12 centimeter color postcard: "Daytona, Florida, Orange Avenue." The Hugh C. Leighton Company, Portland, Maine: accession number 1057, Stetson University Postcard Collection, Archive and Special Collections, duPont-Ball Library, Stetson University, DeLand, Florida.
Postcard showing an early scene of Orange Avenue, looking south from Washington Street in Orlando, Florida. In the distance on the west side of the street is the San Juan Hotel, which was built 1885-1886. In front of the San Juan is the Orange County Jail and it's exercise yard. The three-story jail building was built in 1884.
Original 5.5 x 3.5 inch color postcard: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
Orange Blossom Special Comes to Lake Wales
The Orange Blossom Special at the Lake Wales Train Depot. The coming of the railroad to Lake Wales, Florida, brought with it a connection to civilization. Prior to the coming of the railroad there was very little if any development in the area. The first rail line came to Lake Wales in 1919 and from that point until the end of the boom period of Florida history the city expanded extensively. This photograph shows the inaugural run of the Orange Blossom Special from New York to West Palm Beach on the second rail line to arrive in Lake Wales, the Seaboard Air Line Railroad (SAL) , on November 22, 1925. The Lake Wales Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Depot is located at 325 South Scenic Highway.
Original 7 x 11 inch black and white photograph, November 22, 1925: Historic Lake Wales Society, Lake Wales, Florida.
Lake Wales Train Depot, Lake Wales, Florida
The Orange Blossom Special, the last train at the Church Street Railroad Station, located at 76 West Church Street in Downtown Orlando, Florida, in 1989. The original site was occupied by a railroad depot built around 1883. That building was demolished around 1890 and the current Church Street Station Depot was constructed by the South Florida Railroad on the same lot. The site also served the Tavares, Orlando and Atlantic Railroad and the Orlando and Winter Park Railway. In 1926, the Orlando Health/Amtrak station took over passenger operations, but Church Street Station continued to serve as a ticket outlet and freight station until 1972. The last train, called the Orange Blossom Special, remained at the station until January of 2012. The 100-year-old engine was transported to the Florida Railroad Museum in Parrish in order to make room for the new SunRail platform. Church Street Station is on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
Original color photograph, 1989: Private Collection of Nancy Lynn Cepero.
Church Street Station, Downtown Orlando, Florida
Orange Blossom Trail: The Scenic Route Through Central Florida
Pamphlet on the scenic route of Orange Blossom Trail north from the Georgia-Florida border to Key West. The pamphlet lists roadside attractions near or on OBT, in an era before the construction of I-95, I-75 and I-4 nearly ended the traditional roadside attraction.
Original pamphlet by the Orange Blossom Trail Association: Vaughan & Co., Orlando, Florida: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
A flyer for the Orange Book Festival at the Albertson Public Library, located at 101 East Central Boulevard in Downtown Orlando, Florida. The Orange Book Festival was held in the summer of 1950. Before there was a public library in Orlando, the local Sorosis Club ran a circulating library for the city. After years of running the library out of homes and clubhouses, the Sorosis Club joined the Board of Education in an effort to organize an official public library. In 1919, the Mayor of Orlando, Eugene Goodman Duckworth (1875-1959), secured the corner of Central Avenue and Rosalind Avenue as the site for the new library. A $73,983 contract was drafted and Murry S. King (1870-1925) was hired as the architect. On December 28, 1922, the cornerstone was laid and, on November 8, 1923, the Albertson Public Library opened with 20,000 books, which included the Sorosis Club's collection, as well as 12,000 books from Captain Charles L. Albertson, a retired police inspector from New York for whom the library was named. Near the end of 1963, plans for a new library were being made. The Albertson Public Library, along with two branches, were to be demolished in order to make room for the new building. In the meantime, a temporary location at 905 North Orange Avenue was used as the library headquarters. On August 7, 1966, the Orlando Public Library opened. Although the name of the library changed, Albertson is still commemorated in the new library for his generous donation with a plaque at the entrance of the building, and the genealogy and local history section of the library is named after him. Less than 10 years later, in 1974, officials began to consider expansion of the library. In 1978, the Orlando City Counsel allocated the block of land to the west of the building for expansion. Architect Duane Stark was given the expansion task, as well as renovating the existing building. The current 290,000 square foot building opened on April 6, 1986.
Original flyer, 1950: Orlando Remembered Exhibit, Orlando Public Library, Orlando, Florida.
Albertson Public Library, Downtown Orlando, Florida
The Orange County Courthouse, located at 425 North Orange Avenue in Downtown Orlando, Florida, in 2003. In 1857, B. F. Caldwell donated four acres of land at the northeast corner of Central Boulevard and Main Street (present-day Magnolia Avenue) for the original courthouse in Orange County. A two-story hand-hewn log structured was built in 1863, but burned down in 1868. A three-story frame courthouse, the county's fourth, was built by Augustus Hyer in 1875. In 1882, W. C. Green's Company built a fifth courthouse that was designed by A. S. Wagner. An eight-foot tall clock tower with a 1,500 pound bell, nicknamed "Big Ben," was added at the intersection of Central Boulevard and Magnolia Avenue. The sixth courthouse was constructed on land acquired by the county in 1924 in the Neoclassical Revival style. The building was designed by Murray S. King, completed by his son James R. King, and dedicated on October 12, 1927. The 1892 courthouse was demolished in 1957 and replaced in 1960 by a modern glass and steel annex structure connected to the 1927 building. In 1999, the annex was torn down after being abandoned due to asbestos. In the late 1990s, the 1927 courthouse was remodeled for $35 million as the Orange County Regional History Center. The current courthouse for the Ninth District is located on North Orange Avenue.
Original color digital images by Thomas Cook, 2011: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
Orange County Courthouse, Downtown Orlando, Florida
According to its website, "The Historical Museum first opened in 1942 in the 1892 red brick Orange County Courthouse at the corner of Central and Magnolia, as a pioneer kitchen exhibit for the Central Florida Centennial Celebration. The popular exhibit remained open; and through public donations of historical objects, large and small, books, papers, and photographs, it grew to fill rooms in the old Courthouse. The collections went into storage from 1957 until 1963, while the county demolished the 1892 Courthouse and built an addition to the 1927 Courthouse on the site of the old building. The museum reopened in the Courthouse Annex in 1963, under the auspices of Orange County Historical Commission, a new county department established by the County Commissioners in 1957 to ensure fiscal and legal stability. By 1970 , the county government needed the space in the annex, so the museum collection was moved again, to the second floor of the Christ Building, a few doors away on Central Boulevard . . .The Orange County Historical Society, Inc., organized in 1971 to raise money for a permanent museum building, which opened in Loch Haven Park in 1976. In 2000, the Historical Museum moved again, back to where it had started at Central Boulevard and Magnolia Avenue. The vacated 1927 Courthouse was restored to become the Orange County Regional History Center, and the Orange County Historical Society became the Historical Society of Central Florida, Inc., operating the History Center in partnership with the Orange County Board of County Commissioners. The current Orange County Regional History Center showcases the vast collections of the Historical Society of Central Florida, Inc. The museum features three floors of permanent exhibitions and also presents nationally important limited-run exhibitions. In 2006, the museum was accepted as an Affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution and was accredited by the American Association of Museums, the highest honor a museum can receive."
Historical Society of Central Florida, Inc.
Orange County Regional History Center 65 East Central Boulevard Orlando, Florida 32801
Orange County World War I Soldiers Memorial
On November 11, 1924, Armistice Day, the Orlando Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) dedicated a granite marker to the soldiers from Orange County, Florida, who died in World War I. The idea was conceived by the then-regent of DAR in 1920, but for unknown reasons, and much to the dismay of the DAR chapter, it took four years to construct. The marker consists of a bronze tablet attached to a large granite block and was originally erected at Memorial High School in Orlando, Florida. In the dedication address, Francis Gregory, chapter regent, proclaimed that the granite marker symbolized the solid character of the United States of America, and the bronze plaque commemorated those who made the marker possible: the DAR and the citizens of Orange County. After Memorial High School was demolished in 1961, the Orange County World War I Soldiers Memorial was moved to South Lake Eola where it still stands today.
Original digital color image by Carly Kittel, September 19, 2013.
Orange County World War I Soldiers Memorial, Lake Eola Park, Downtown Orlando, Florida
Orange County's Sheriff's Book of Wanted Persons, 1882-1889
The Orange County book of wanted persons from 1882 to 1889, during the tenure of two sheriffs: Sheriff Thomas "Long Tom" Shine who served from January 27, 1877, until February 15, 1885, and Julias Caesar Anderson, who served until his death on January 20, 1901. Sheriff Anderson saw a very different Orange County than his predecessors, because railroads had doubled the local population in five years. While most of the wanted fugitives are from Central Florida, there were also warrants from across Florida. There were also warrants from different states, such as California, Alabama, New York, and Georgia. The reward prices varied from suspect to suspect, but most were within the range of 50 dollars, although some were as high as 450 dollars. While there are no more warrants issued from Florida after 1889, there were national warrants dating to 1897. This book was donated to the Museum of Seminole County History by Sheriff John Polk, who was the dean of Florida sheriffs from 1969 to 1990.
Original color digital image, 2015: Museum of Seminole County History, Sanford, Florida.
A postcard featuring Orange Court Apartment Hotel, located at 650 North Orange Avenue in Downtown Orlando, Florida. The hotel was designed in Spanish Revival architectural style by G. Lloyd Preacher (1882-1972) of Atlanta, Georgia, and constructed by G.A. Miller, Inc. (also known as the GA Miller Construction Company) in 1924. The hotel had 275 rooms, a Spanish garden, and a small orange grove. Orange Court was also one of the first hotels in Orlando to have a steam-heated swimming pool. The building was demolished in 1990.
Original color postcard: "Orange Court Apartment Hotel, Orlando, Florida." E. C. Kropp Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Special Collections & University Archives, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
Orange Court Apartment Hotel, Downtown Orlando, Florida
Orange grove in Sanford, Florida. By the time that this photograph had been taken in 1897, citrus groves in Central Florida had mostly recover from the devastating Freeze of 1888. In 1871, General Henry S. Sanford (1823-1891) began clearing land and planting citrus groves. He began planting citrus groves at St. Gertrude, an orange grove named after his wife. By 1873, General Sanford moved his orange growing endeavors to Belair, a tract of 145 acres three miles from Sanford. In 1894, General Sanford and other citrus growers suffered greatly as a result of record low and freezing temperatures. Since all of the year's crop yield was damaged as well as the trees, farmers in Sanford relied on celery as a new crop and source of income. Local business Chase & Company continued growing citrus and took over the operations at Belair to become one of Sanford's largest employers during the early twentieth century.
Original 8.5 x 5.5 inch inch black and white photograph by Chase & Company, June 3, 1897: Chase Collection (MS 14), box 211, folder 3.30A, item CC 113, Special and Area Studies Collections, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.
Orange Hill Cemetery, located approximately at 1700 East Michigan Street in Orlando, Florida, in 2001. Forty acres of land for the graveyard was purchased by Orange County in 1904 to use for the burial of paupers. The cemetery was active from 1917 to 1961. The first documented burial was of Richard Johnson, who died of "insanity" at the county jail on May 8, 1907. There are limited records of who was buried at Orange Hill Cemetery or how many graves there are, although a survey conducted in 1955 indicated that there were 522 gravesites. In 1997, Orange County officials and the Orange County Historical Society began efforts to properly maintain the cemetery.
Original color image by Thomas Cook, 2001: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
One of Winter Garden's first hotels was the Orange Hotel, located on the east side of South Main Street. The hotel had various types of guests, such as fishermen, salesmen, and regular visitors. The hotel burned down in the fire of 1912.
Original black and white photograph: Up From the Ashes Exhibit, Winter Garden Heritage Foundation, Winter Garden, Florida.
Orangewood Village Preliminary Subdivision Plan, 1977
A 1977 preliminary subdivision plan for Orangewood Village in Orlando, Florida. This residential development is located just south of Freedom High School, off Central Florida Parkway. The real property of Orangewood Village was owned by Florida Land Company and surveyed by Daryl Ganung. Reynolds, Smith & Hills engineered the development. Now called RS&H, Inc., the engineering company was founded in Jacksonville in 1941.
Original 36 x 30 inch preliminary subdivision plan, January 10, 1977: Pine Castle Historical Society, Pine Castle, Florida.
Reynolds, Smith & Hills
Orchid Gardens at Weeki Wachee Springs. The hothouse, which allowed visitors to view a variety of orchids, was one of the original attractions to join the mermaid show at Weeki Wachee Springs. The May Natural History Museum of the Tropics is a non-profit organization that displays the world’s largest private insect collection. James May acquired the thousands of insects and arthropods that make up the collection from the late 1800s until his death in 1956. John May continued his father’s legacy, building a museum in Weeki Wachee, Florida, that lasted from 1954-1964, and a museum in Colorado that opened in the 1950s and is still open today. John May also took parts of the collection across the United States and Canada to display at fairs and exhibitions. Along with a group of investors, Newton Perry opened Weeki Wachee Springs to the public in October of 1947. At the time, roadside attractions were becoming popular stops along Florida roadways. The attraction consisted of an amalgamation of vendors, an orchid garden, a river boat tour, as well as the star attraction: a mermaid show that took place in an underwater theater. Eventually, the May Museum of the Tropics, an "abandoned Seminole village", a show called “Birds of Prey”, and a petting zoo were added. After peaking in the 1950s and 1960s, attendance began to decline as theme parks and highways changed the dynamics of Florida's tourism. The State of Florida took over the attraction as a state park in 2008. Since then, the park has focused on appealing to a modern audience while preserving its history.
Original black and white photograph by John M. May: May Natural History Museum Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Orchid Gardens, Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, Weeki Wachee, Florida
In 2017, the University of Central Florida was one of three universities selected to launch the National Cemetery Administration’s Veterans Legacy Program Project. The program engaged a team of scholars to make the life stories of veterans buried in the Florida National Cemetery available to the public. The project engages UCF students in research and writing and fosters collaboration between students, faculty and local Central Florida schools to produce interactive curriculum for k-12 students. The corresponding website exhibit uses RICHES Mosaic Interface to create a digital archive of related data. The public can use the project-developed augmented-reality app at more than 100 gravesites at the Florida National Cemetery, where they can access the UCF student-authored biographies of veterans.
Original Dinnerware from the Mayfair Inn
Original dinnerware from the Mayfair Inn. When the New York Giants acquired the building in 1948, visitors enjoyed comfortable rooms with cheaper rates than the resorts in Miami. Room rates at the Mayfair Inn also included meals and a game of golf per day. During the 1950s, the Mayfair Inn hosted many social events. Locals and visitors alike visited the hotel and attended cocktail parties, dinners, and dances. Originally named after the Sanford Mayor and president of Seminole County Bank, construction of the Forrest Lake Hotel began in 1916. Local architect Elton J. Moughton designed the hotel. In 1925, Hotel Forrest Lake opened and became a popular destination for tourists visiting Sanford. By 1929, the hotel closed after the stock market crash and the downfall of Florida's tourism and real estate boom. William E. Kirchhoff leased the building in 1934 and the hotel reopened in 1935 with the new name Mayfair Hotel. Under Kirchhoff's ownership, the Mayfair Hotel became known as one of the finest hotels in the South. Kirchhoff sold the hotel in 1948 to Horace Stoneham, owner of the New York Giants. Stoneham then sold the building to the Bernard McFadden Foundation. After the Naval Air Station Sanford acquired $1.3 million to fund the construction of a naval academy in 1963, the Foundation made significant alterations to the building to house students from the Sanford Naval Academy. The Foundation later sold the building to the New Tribes Mission in 1977. The New Tribes Mission's goal is to reach tribes who have no access to the Gospel through translated publications and missionary work.
Original black and white photograph, 1976.
Original Ladder at the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center
An original ladder backstage at the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center in 2011. Originally the Milane Theatre, the building was constructed at 203 South Magnolia Avenue in Sanford, the former location of the Star Theatre, an abandoned movie house. Scroggs and Ewing, architects from Georgia, prepared the plans for the Milane. The name of the new theater was derived from the combination of the presidents of the Milane Amusement Company president and vice president: Frank L. Miller and Edward F. Lane. The Milane opened in July of 1923 and seated 823 patrons. In 1933, the Milane was sold to Frank and Stella Evans, investors from Lake Mary, Florida. The new owners renamed their business the Ritz Theatre and held the property until the 1990s. However, the Ritz struggled financially in the 1960s and closed in 1978 due to failure to compete with the new multiplex theaters. The building remained vacant until 1984, when it reopened as the Showtime Cantina. The Showtime Cantina closed in 1988 and remained vacant and in decay. In the mid-1990s, Ritz Community Theater Projects, Inc. acquired the property and began rehabilitation in 1998. On May 6, 2000, the theater reopened as the Helen Stairs Theatre in honor of the citizen who led the restoration project, Helen Stairs. The following year, the location was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2008, additional renovations were completed at the theater was renamed the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center in honor of the Wayne Densch Charitable Trust Fund for contributing to the renovations fund.
Original color digital image by Laura Cepero, June 9, 2011.
The Outlaws, featuring the original five members in 1967. Formed in Tampa, Florida, in 1967 by guitarist and lead vocalist, Hugh "Hughie" Edward Thomasson, Jr., The Outlaws peaked in popularity in the mid-to-late 1970s, with hits such as "Green Grass and High Tides," "There Goes Another Love Song," and "(Ghost) Riders in the Sky." Known by fans as "The Florida Guitar Army," the band's three-part harmonies distinguished them from their Southern rock contemporaries. The band experienced more personnel changes than most musical groups, with at least 45 different members between 1967 and 2015.
Original black and white photograph: Profiles: Bands & Artists, Tampa Bay Music Scene Historical Society.
Tampa Bay Music Scene Historical Society
Original Orange Seedling at Belair Grove
Original orange seedling planted by Henry Sanford at Belair Grove. In 1870, Henry Shelton Sanford purchased 23 square acres of land known as the Sanford Grant. The acreage included an experiment station called Belair located just three miles southwest of the city named after Sanford. By 1889, Sanford extended his land purchase to 145 acres and contained mainly orange and lemon trees. In Belair alone, Sanford introduced over 140 varieties of citrus plants. All were tested to determine if Florida citrus growers could introduce new varieties into the growing citrus market. Sanford also grew exotic plants acquired from Central and South America, many of which survived the 1886 freeze, including the camellia bushes. Sanford mainly used Belair as his own experiment station, but ultimately the findings and reports would be used by other citrus growers throughout Florida. Eventually, Sanford handed over the operations of Belair to Sydney and Joshua Chase. In 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. When Sydney Chase died in 1941, the family-operated company was handed down to his sons, Sydney Chase, Jr., Randall Chase, and Franklin Chase.
Original black and white photograph by Chase & Company, January 1953: Chase Collection (MS 14), box 211, folder 3.3C, item CC83, Special and Area Studies Collections, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.
Orlando Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Station Postcard
A color postcard featuring the Atlantic Coast Line (ACL) Railway Company station, located at 1400 Sligh Boulevard in Orlando, Florida, in the 1930s. This station was constructed in 1926 at a cost of $500,000 and was originally part of the ACL system. However, in 1967, the station joined the Seaboard Coast Line (SCL) Railroad, after a merger between the SCL and the ACL. With stucco facade and towers flanking its entrance, the station has been studied many times for its Mission Revival-style architecture. After being in operation for 65 years, the Orlando Amtrak station was in desperate need of renovations. In 1991, a collective of local organizations, companies and groups came together to fund the needed renovations.
Original 10 x 14 centimeter color postcard: "A.C.L. Railway Station, Orlando, Fla. 'The City Beautiful.'" Orange News Company, Orlando, Florida: Special Collections & University Archives, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Company Station, Orlando, Florida
Orlando Centennial Scrapbook: Westinghouse Centennial, 1886-1986
In commemoration of the 100-year anniversary of the Westinghouse Electric Corporation, this booklet was created to tell the highlights of the contribution of George Westinghouse (1846-1914) , identify the many connected families in the employee ranks, and to report on the celebration that marked the event and progress of the organization. Originally called the Westinghouse Electric Company, George Westinghouse (1846-1914) founded his manufacturing company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on January 8, 1886. In 1889, he renamed his business The Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company. Westinghouse's primary products include turbines, generators, motors and switchgear related to the generation, transmission, and use of electricity. The company changed its name to Westinghouse Electric Corporation in 1945. In 1981, the company began to relocate its division headquarters for the Steam-Turbine Generator Divisions from Pennsylvania (turbines from Lester and generators from Pittsburgh) to Orlando, Florida. The Power Generation Business Unit (PGBU) building was located in The Quadrangle, at 4400 Alafaya Trail. Originally, Westinghouse had purchased a large plot of land for future development that extended westward from Alafaya Trail to Rouse Road. The original headquarters was located on several acres of that land parcel close to Alafaya Trail. In 1994, after a major corporate management shuffling, and a top-level decision to change from an industrial manufacturing company to primarily a broadcasting/communications company, Westinghouse bought the CBS Network and changed its name to the CBS Corporation. As the PGBU grew in size, other buildings in the area were leased and then, after PGBU was sold to Siemens Corporation of Germany in 1998, additional buildings (Quad II and Quad III) were added to the original complex at the Quadrangle. From 1998 to 2003 the Orlando operation was known as Siemens-Westinghouse, after which the name of Westinghouse was dropped. The operation has been known as Siemens from that time forward.
Original 10-page booklet: Scalise, Jan, ed. Orlando Centennial Scrapbook: Westinghouse Centennial, 1886-1986 (Orlando: Human Resources Communications, Westinghouse Orlando, 1986): Private Collection of George E. Baker.
Westinghouse Power Generation Business Unit, Orlando, Florida
The Orlando Chamber of Commerce building, located at 113 East Central Boulevard in Downtown Orlando, Florida. Before there was a chamber of commerce in Orlando, there was the Board of Trade. It was established 1913 and aimed to promote the growing City of Orlando. In 1926, the Orlando Chamber of Commerce building, designed by Howard M. Reynolds (1885-1943), was constructed. The building was four stories tall, made of steel and tile, and was designed to look grand and ornate both inside and out. In 1967, the chamber traded the building with the City of Orlando in exchange for a new site on Ivanhoe Boulevard, where it is currently located today. After the chamber moved to its new location, the Junior Chamber of Commerce, or Jaycees, used the old building. The Orlando Chamber of Commerce played a part in creating an National Basketball Association (NBA) team for Orlando. The organization sold 10,000 preseason tickets before there was a team or a venue to play in. The Orlando Magic played their first game in 1989. In 2003, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce named the Orlando Chamber of Commerce a Five-Star Chamber. It was the first chamber in Orlando to receive the title. Since its start in 1913, the Orlando Chamber of Commerce has gone by many names. Today, it is known as Orlando, Inc.
Original black and white photograph: Orlando Remembered Exhibit, Orlando Public Library, Orlando, Florida.
Orlando Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Orlando, Florida
Orlando Chamber of Commerce Building Interior
The interior of the Orlando Chamber of Commerce building, located at 113 East Central Boulevard in Downtown Orlando, Florida. Before there was a chamber of commerce in Orlando, there was the Board of Trade. It was established 1913 and aimed to promote the growing City of Orlando. In 1926, the Orlando Chamber of Commerce building, designed by Howard M. Reynolds (1885-1943), was constructed. The building was four stories tall, made of steel and tile, and was designed to look grand and ornate both inside and out. In 1967, the chamber traded the building with the City of Orlando in exchange for a new site on Ivanhoe Boulevard, where it is currently located today. After the chamber moved to its new location, the Junior Chamber of Commerce, or Jaycees, used the old building. The Orlando Chamber of Commerce played a part in creating an National Basketball Association (NBA) team for Orlando. The organization sold 10,000 preseason tickets before there was a team or a venue to play in. The Orlando Magic played their first game in 1989. In 2003, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce named the Orlando Chamber of Commerce a Five-Star Chamber. It was the first chamber in Orlando to receive the title. Since its start in 1913, the Orlando Chamber of Commerce has gone by many names. Today, it is known as Orlando, Inc.
Orlando Chamber of Commerce Building Tile
A tile from the Orlando Chamber of Commerce building, located at 113 East Central Boulevard in Downtown Orlando, Florida. Before there was a chamber of commerce in Orlando, there was the Board of Trade. It was established 1913 and aimed to promote the growing City of Orlando. In 1926, the Orlando Chamber of Commerce building, designed by Howard M. Reynolds (1885-1943), was constructed. The building was four stories tall, made of steel and tile, and was designed to look grand and ornate both inside and out. In 1967, the chamber traded the building with the City of Orlando in exchange for a new site on Ivanhoe Boulevard, where it is currently located today. After the chamber moved to its new location, the Junior Chamber of Commerce, or Jaycees, used the old building. The Orlando Chamber of Commerce played a part in creating an National Basketball Association (NBA) team for Orlando. The organization sold 10,000 preseason tickets before there was a team or a venue to play in. The Orlando Magic played their first game in 1989. In 2003, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce named the Orlando Chamber of Commerce a Five-Star Chamber. It was the first chamber in Orlando to receive the title. Since its start in 1913, the Orlando Chamber of Commerce has gone by many names. Today, it is known as Orlando, Inc.
Original tile: Orlando Remembered Exhibit, Orlando Public Library, Orlando, Florida.
Orlando Chief of Police Bob Chewning's Whistle and Badge
The police badge and whistle of Robert Joseph Chewning (b. 1923), the Chief of Police for the Orlando Police Department (OPD) from 1967 to 1973. Chief Chewning was born October 22, 1923, in Baltimore, Maryland. After serving in the Eighth Air Force (8 AF) of the U.S. Army Air Force during World War II, he migrated to Central Florida and began his law enforcement career with OPD in 1946. While Chief Chewning was in office he made great strides in modernizing the agency. This included issuing portable radios for patrol officers and several other progressive programs that were instituted department wide. One of his successful plans was to give financial aid to officers under his charge to pursue higher education and obtain their college degrees. Chief Chewning later served as the Director of Public Safety for Orange County.
Original whistle and badge: Orlando Remembered Exhibit, Orlando City Hall, Orlando, Florida.
Orlando Police Department, Orlando City Hall, Downtown Orlando, Florida
The keys to the Orlando City Council chambers. The key was the only key that would unlock the door to the Council chambers. The key opened a pin tumbler lock, which had five pins that responded when depressed by the key. This type of key format was patented in 1851. Attached to the chain is a disc that was more than likely designed to prevent theft, as well as to prevent the key from getting lost as it was the only key that could open the council chambers. It is likely that this key was the original used in the city hall built in 1958, which remained in use until 1991.
Original key: Orlando Remembered Exhibit, Orlando City Hall, Orlando, Florida.
Orlando City Hall, Downtown Orlando, Florida
The Orlando City Hall in Downtown Orlando, Florida, in the 1960s or 1970s. During that same decade, Orlando experienced a population boom. Due to this increase in population, the city needed to expand its public buildings to accommodate the changes that were happening in the city. Prior to the construction of the fourth city hall, pictured here, the municipal government officers were housed on the top floor of the Armory Building on Jefferson Street and Orange Avenue. The Orlando Public School was built in 1906 on Jackson Street and Orange Avenue. It served its purpose as a school until the year 1922. In 1924, the City of Orlando bought the school for $115,000 and moved city hall into the empty building. Along with city hall being located here, the Orlando Police Department (OPD) and the city jail were located in the basement.
Original black and white photograph: Orlando Remembered Exhibit, Orlando City Hall, Orlando, Florida.
Orlando City Hall Architectural Drawings
The contract drawings for the heating and air conditioning systems that were to be installed in Orlando City Hall in Downtown Orlando, Florida. Drawings contain the name of the commissioners of the city of Orlando. The old Orlando City Hall building was completed in 1958, stood at eight stories tall, and cost $1,600,000 to construct. The city hall was imploded on October 25, 1991, for the opening scene of the film Lethal Weapon 3. The new city hall building was completed in 1992, stands at nine stories tall, and cost $32,000,000 to construct.
The cornerstone commemorative brick of the Orlando City Hall in Downtown Orlando, Florida. From 1906 to 1924, this brick was part of Orlando Public School, located at 1 West Jackson Street. In 1922, the school was moved to a new building and Orlando City Hall and the Orlando Police Department (OPD) was moved to the old school building in 1924. In 1958, it became headquarters for the OPD and city hall was moved to a new building at 400 South Orange Avenue. On February 28, 1972, when Carl T. Langford (1918-2011) was the mayor, the cornerstone was removed for commemoration.
Original commemorative brick: Orlando Remembered Exhibit, Orlando City Hall, Orlando, Florida.
Orlando Public School, Downtown Orlando, Florida
Orlando Police Department, Downtown Orlando, Florida
This painting highlights notable businesses and the Orlando City Hall located in Downtown Orlando, Florida in 1951. Featured in the piece is South Street and the South West Corner of Boone Street. At the center of the piece is the Orlando City Hall which was constructed in 1906 originally to serve as the Orlando Public School. On the right is the headquarters of the American Fire and Casualty Company, which is the only distinguishable business in the piece. In 1951, visitors would have seen many flourishing businesses such as Howard's Grocery Company, Borden Dairy, Orlando Linen Service, as well as the Dixie Sales and Service Garage. The piece was painted by artist Jim Stoll in conjunction with Orlando Remembered.
Original oil painting by Jim Stoll: Orlando Remembered Exhibit, Orlando City Hall, Orlando, Florida.
Howard Grocery Company, Downtown Orlando, Florida
Orlando Linen Service, Downtown Orlando, Florida
Borden's Dairy, Downtown Orlando, Florida
Dixie Sales & Service, Downtown Orlando, Florida
Joe Croy's Filling Station, Downtown Orlando, Florida
McElroy Apartments, Downtown Orlando, Florida
Enzor's Pharmacy, Downtown Orlando, Florida
American First & Casualty Company, Downtown Orlando, Florida
Orlando City Hall in Downtown Orlando, Florida, as it appeared from 1958 to 1991. The building was located on the corner of South Street and Orange Avenue and acted as the place of governance for the growing Orlando area. The painting was created by James Stoll and is paired with the Orlando Remembered Exhibit located in the Orlando City Hall Building, located at 400 South Orange Avenue. The 1958 city hall was designed by Richard Boone Rogers and constructed by the C. A. Finland Company of Tampa. Dedicated on October 3, 1958, the building was faced with Tennessee marble, Minnesota granite and terrazzo stones. The Orlando Utilities Commission was located within the building from 1958 to 1967, when it moved into a $3.5 million building at 500 South Orange Ave. The Orlando Police Department (OPD) remained in the previous city hall building, which was the original Orlando Public School, across the street. In January of 1972, OPD and the city jail relocated to the Municipal Justice Building at 100 South Hughey Avenue.
The newly constructed Orlando City Hall in Downtown Orlando, Florida, as it looked in 1958 upon its completion. Located on the southwest corner of South Orange Avenue and South Street, construction of the new city hall began in 1956 with the building fully operational two years later. Under the administration of Mayor William Beardall (1890-1984), plans for the construction of a newer and larger city hall had been in the works since as early as 1950, with the city received an advanced grant of $28,500 for what would eventually become a $1,052,500 facility. Totaling a span of 85,000 square feet, the building was eight stories high with the infrastructure required for the possibility of an additional six floors. Designed by architect Richard Boone Rogers, it would go on to replace the old Orlando Public School Building on South Orange Avenue as the main residence for the city government. The Orlando Public School Building had served as Orlando’s City Hall since 1924. On October 24, 1991, the building would be imploded to make way for the current city hall. The moment of implosion was captured on film and the footage of the blast famously used in the 1992 film Lethal Weapon 3.
Original 9 x 11 inch black and white photographic print, 1958: Orlando Remembered Exhibit, Orlando City Hall, Orlando, Florida.
A poster for the Orlando Gay Chorus. The poster is not for an event. It has a background of large black, red and gold bars with a white eighth note taking up most of the page. The OGC header is centered at the bottom of the page. The Orlando Gay Chorus is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts and humanitarian organization part of GALA Choruses. Founded on Valentines Day 1990, OGC is not only one of the largest mixed gay choirs in the United States at over 100 members, but they also boast four smaller ensembles that perform annual concerts, cabarets, and a whole host of community events like Come Out With Pride, Orlando Museum of Art’s Festival of Trees, and World Aids Day memorial services. In 2017, the group performed at over 105 events, including 15 performances for the first anniversary of the Pulse Nightclub tragedy. Members come from all walks of life and all sexual and gender orientations, including straight allies. OGC lives by the motto “Singing the World to a Better Place” and strives to use music to change attitudes and build a stronger community.
Orlando Gay Chorus
Original color poster: University of Central Florida Special Collections, Orlando, Florida.
A grid map of Orlando, Florida, showing what appears to be the proposed site for the Sky Lake, a residential community and unincorporated area. It is located approximately seven miles south of Downtown Orlando between Lancaster Road and Sand Lake Road. This residential community was developed in late 1950s and 1960s by Hymen Lake. Houses originally sold in the range of $10,000 to $15,000. In the 1970s, Sky Lake became one of the first housing developments to be racially integrated. This residential community was originally proposed to include one thousand homes within the middle of the square mile block and a ring of commercial developments along the perimeter.
Original map: Pine Castle Historical Society, Pine Castle, Florida.
Orlando Junior Chamber of Commerce Gavel
A gavel from the Orlando Junior Chamber of Commerce, also known as the Jaycees. In 1927, a group of young men between the ages of 18 and 35 organized the Orlando Junior Chamber of Commerce to support the Orlando Chamber of Commerce and the advancement of their community. The club was involved in a number of projects, such as creating the Orlando Municipal Airport, which is now known as the Orlando Executive Airport. They also helped with voting campaigns and setting up the Orlando Parks Department. During World War I, the men in the group either served in Armed Forces or stayed home doing projects such as blood drives to support the war effort. After the Orlando Chamber of Commerce moved to its new location on Ivanhoe Boulevard in 1967, the Jaycees moved to its old building, located at 113 East Central Boulevard.
Original gavel: Orlando Remembered Exhibit, Orlando Public Library, Orlando, Florida.
Orlando Junior Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Orlando, Florida