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
A magazine article about the Western Union Telegraph Company office located at 201 East First Street in Sanford, Florida, in 1926. According to the article, the telegraph business in Sanford was developing rapidly. The office's manager, L. Tharp, explained that in 1924, the local office only employed two day clerks, one day operator, one night operator, four messenger boys, and a manager. In 1926, when the article was published, the office employed three day operators, one night operator, four day clerks, one cashier, two night clerks, twelve messenger boys, one manager, and one linesman. The article also states that 36 lines lead out of Sanford, with half going to Tampa and half going to Jacksonville. The Western Union Company was originally organized in 1851 under the name the New York and Mississippi Valley Printing Telegraph Company. In 1855, the company merged with the New York & Western Union Telegraph Company. Western Union grew rapidly, opening its first transcontinental telegraph in 1861. The first stock ticker was introduced in 1866 and standardized time service became available in 1870. In 1871, the company began its money transfer service. Although Western Union initially tried to participate in telephone services, it ultimately abandoned telephone communications when it lost a patent lawsuit with the Bell Telephone Company in 1879. Nonetheless, Western Union continued to develop new services for their customers, including the first charge card for consumers in 1914, teletypewriters in 1923, singing telegrams in 1933, intercity faxes in 1935, commercial intercity microwave communications in 1943, Telex services for customers in New York City in 1958, and Candygrams in the 1960s.
Original newspaper article: "Western Union: A Hive of Service." This Week in Sanford, Vol. 02, No. 04, August 9, 1926. Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
Western Union Telegraph Company, Sanford, Florida
A newspaper article about W. A. Patrick, president of the Seminole Tire Shop in Sanford, Florida. Patrick migrated to Sanford on March 10, 192,7 and established a tire repair business that also distributed Firestone and Crosley products. By 1932, his business was recognized as the "leading and most progressive of its kind" in Sanford, according to the article. At the time that the article was written, Patrick resided at 1513 Palmetto Avenue with his wife, Agnes Bartlett Patrick. W. A. Patrick was also a member of the Masons, the Elks Lodges, and the Christian Church. His store, the Seminole Tire Shop, erected one of the largest one-stop service stations in the city, which was located at the first Sanford State Farmers' Market that opened in 1934. The Seminole Tire Shop was incorporated in 1932 but is no longer active.
Original newspaper article: "Seminole Tire Shop ." The Sanford Herald: Who's Who of 1933, Vol. 24, No. 157, April 29, 1933. Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
Vendors at the First Sanford State Farmers' Market
A table representing the vendors to rent stalls at the First Sanford State Farmers' State Market, where they were located, the number of stalls rented, and miscellaneous information. Vendors included B. E. Akin of Winston-Salem, North Carolina; the Sanford-Oviedo Truck Growers, Inc., a cooperative growing and shipping organization; the Brown Brothers; E. J. Cameron; B. R. Carroll; Chase and Company, a packer and shipper of citrus, celery, and other vegetables, as well as a manufacturer of crates, fertilizers, and insecticides; C. I. & M. Dingfelder, Abe Godsey; E. C. Harnage, a former officer of the Atlantic Coast Line Railway Company; W. E. Hathaway; Langford and Son; M. Moses, a grower and shipper of celery; A. B. Stevens, a producer of milk; Peter Thurston, a vegetable grower; William N. William, a dealer of tomatoes, avocados, limes, cucumbers, and peppers; Fred Zerrener; W. H. Britt; B. A. Howard, an executive committee member of the Florida Vegetable Growers' Association board; Stokes Seed Company, a packer and shipper of celery; H. C. Whelchel; W. B. Williams; and Ed Bullion, grower of limes, avocadoes, and vegetables. Bullion's broker, Edward Williams, was credited with the first official sale at the new farmers' market. H. J. Clause, broker for both the Sanford-Oviedo Truck Growers and for Peter Thurston, was credited with the second official sale. The idea for the Sanford State Farmers' Market was devised by Fred Dorner and Gus Schmach, both members of the Seminole Agricultural Club. The Sanford Chamber of Commerce president Harry Papworth also contributed to the development of the market. The Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) authorized construction plans on June 11, 1934. On June 20, 1934, the City of Sanford donated a portion of the Alex V. French properties to the Florida State Marketing Board, which selected the northwest corner of French Avenue and Thirteenth Street. The board approved the installation of telegraph and telephone equipment, as well as a three-pump filling station. The Sanford State Farmer's Market opened on December 18, 1934. By 1939, the Farmers' Market was bringing a total volume of business of $627,065.81. In 1941, business volume reached over $700,000. On April 4, 1957, a fire destroyed the building and caused damages estimated at $2.5 million. Reconstruction began almost immediately and the Farmers' Market was expected to re-open by the fall of 1957. In 1991, plans were created to restore, preserve, and convert the citrus packing house into a museum.
Original dataset by Laura Cepero, August 3, 2011.
Sanford State Farmers' Market, Sanford, Florida
Sanford-Oviedo Truck Growers, Inc., Sanford, Florida
Former Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph Company Office
Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph Company
The former office of the Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph Company on 101 East First Street in Sanford, Florida as early as 1915. As of 2011, the building was being occupied by Betty Anne's Hair Styling. Southern Bell was originally part of the Bell Telephone Company, founded on July 9, 1877 in Boston, Massachusetts. Southern Bell, formerly called the Atlanta Telephonic Exchange, became a separate entity on December 20, 1879, in Atlanta, Georgia. The company was established to serve Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, parts of West Virginia, Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee. In 1917, operations for West Virginia were taken over by the Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Company of West Virginia. On December 20, 1967, Southern Bell formed South Central Bell Telephone to operate in Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee. Although originally incorporated in New York, Southern Bell was reincorporated in Georgia as SBT & T Company in 1983. As of 2013, the company operates as BellSouth Telecommunications and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.
Original color digital image by Laura Cepero, July 24, 2011.
Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph Company, Sanford, Florida
Betty Anne's Hair Styling, Sanford, Florida
Two men loading crates of celery either onto rail car. The celery was shipped by M. Moses, who also leased two stalls at the first Sanford State Farmers' Market, on February 16, 1926, from Sanford, Florida. A. H. Moses & Son sold the celery upon the shipment arrival in New York City on February 24. The man pictured in the dark suit is likely one of the Moses brothers.
Original framed black and white photograph: "Celery Shipment Loaded on Railcar." 1926. Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
A newspaper advertisement for the Seminole Tire Shop in Sanford, Florida. The store erected one of the largest one-stop service stations in the city, which was located at the first Sanford State Farmers' Market that opened in 1934. According to this ad, the shop was located at the corner of West First Street and South Elm Avenue, though earlier sources from the 1920s suggest that the store was once located at 201 North Park Avenue. The Seminole Tire Shop was incorporated in 1932 but is no longer active. .
Original newspaper article: "Seminole Tire Shop." The Sanford Herald: Who's Who of 1933, Vol. 24, No. 157, April 29, 1933. Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
Sanford-Oviedo Truck Growers, Inc. Advertisement
An advertisement for the Sanford-Oviedo Truck Growers, Inc., which was amongst the first to lease stalls at the first Sanford State Farmers' Market when it opened in 1934. Sanford-Oviedo Truck Growers was founded in 1913 as a cooperative growing and shipping organization originally consisting of 14 growers in Sanford and Oviedo, Florida. At the time that the ad was published, T. F. Adams served as president, J. C. Hutchinson served as general sales manager, and Robert A. Cobb served as secretary-treasurer. The offices were located in the building of the First National Bank No. 2, located at 101 East First Street in Sanford. The office of Sanford-Oviedo Truck Growers occupied offices 510-514 on the fifth floor in from as early as 1926 to as late as 1930.
Original newspaper article: "Sanford-Oviedo Truck Growers, Inc." Sanford Today, Vol. 01, No. 12, October 2, 1926: Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
Sanford-Oviedo Truck Growers Formed in 1913
A newspaper article on the history of the Sanford-Oviedo Truck Growers, Inc. Sanford-Oviedo Truck Growers was founded in 1913 as a cooperative growing and shipping organization originally consisting of fourteen growers in Sanford and Oviedo, Florida. The company was also one of the first vendors to lease stalls at the first Sanford State Farmers' Market when it first opened in 1934. At the time that the article was written, the Sanford-Oviedo Truck Growers was packing and shipping vegetables from more than 400 acres of land in the St. Johns River Valley under the management of William E. Vihlen. The company distributed mostly celery, with 80 percent being Pascal, but other vegetables shipped included cabbage, escarole, and peppers. The company's washhouse and packing plant located near the west side of Rand's Siding was managed by C. F. Reese and received additional wash chain equipment costing $4,000 in 1954. According to the article, Joe B. Shaw was the field manager and Lewis James was his assistant. The article also includes two snippets about a 4-H club livestock show in Jacksonville and the watermelon harvest for Levy County in 1952.
Original black and white newspaper article: "Sanford-Oviedo Truck Growers Formed in 1913." February 25, 1952: Museum of Seminole County History, Sanford, Florida.
A newspaper article about Robert A. Cobb in 1933. Cobb was born in Live Oak, Florida, but migrated to Sanford with his parents in January of 1910. He attended Sanford High School (present-day Seminole High School), and studied business at Southern College in Lakeland. Cobb also served as a United States Marine in the Fifth Regiment in the Second Division for a year during World War I. After returning from service, Cobb became the secretary-treasurer of the Sanford-Oviedo Truck Growers, Inc., which was founded in 1913 as a cooperative growing and shipping organization originally consisting of 14 growers in Sanford and Oviedo. His company was also one of the first vendors to lease stalls at the first Sanford State Farmers' Market when it first opened in 1934. He and his wife, Izetta Stone, resided at 313 West Fifteenth Street in Sanford with their children, Thomas A. Cobb and Frances Mae Cobb. Cobb was also a member of the Presbyterian Church, the American Legion, the Lions Club the Masons, and the Odd Fellows.
Original newspaper article: "R. A. Cobb." The Sanford Herald: Who's Who of 1933, Vol. 24, No. 157, April 29, 1933. Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
The Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph Company's new dialing exchange in Sanford, Florida, in the late 1950s. Southern Bell was originally part of the Bell Telephone Company, founded on July 9, 1877, in Boston, Massachusetts. Southern Bell, formerly called the Atlanta Telephonic Exchange, became a separate entity on December 20, 1879 in Atlanta, Georgia. The company was established to serve Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, parts of West Virginia, Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee. In 1917, operations for West Virginia were taken over by the Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Company of West Virginia. On December 20, 1967, Southern Bell formed South Central Bell Telephone to operate in Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee. Although originally incorporated in New York, Southern Bell was reincorporated in Georgia as SBT&T Company in 1983. As of 2013, the company was absorbed into BellSouth Telecommunications and is headquartered in Atlanta.
Original black and white photograph: Greater Sanford Regional Chamber of Commerce, Sanford, Florida.
Greater Sanford Regional Chamber of Commerce
A newspaper article about J. C. Hutchinson, sales manager of Sanford-Oviedo Truck Growers Association, Inc., which was founded in 1913 as a cooperative growing and shipping organization originally consisting of fourteen growers in Sanford and Oviedo, Florida. His company was also one of the first vendors to lease stalls at the first Sanford State Farmers' Market when it first opened in 1934. A school teacher in Sanford from 1915 to 1917, Hutchinson also served as major of the headquarters company in the 124th Infantry of the Florida National Guard and as captain of Company "D." At the time the article was published, he resided in Indian mound Village with his wife Annie Whitner and their two daughters, Elise and Helen.
Original newspaper article: "J. C. Hutchinson." The Sanford Herald: Who's Who of 1933, Vol. 24, No. 157, April 29, 1933. Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph Company--Employees
A newspaper article about Howard Overlin, the manager of the Sanford, Oviedo, and Geneva division of the Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph Company in 1933. Overlin was born and raised in Evansville, Indiana. In 1911, he began his telecommunications career by working for the Indiana Bell Telephone Company, until he was transferred to the Illinois Bell Telephone Company in 1914. In 1918, Overlin migrated to Jacksonville, Florida, to manage the Southern Bell Telephone Company's lines in Camp Johnson during World War I. Once the war ended, he transferred to Sanford and resided at 113 West 19th Street with his wife, Maude Growe Overlin. In addition to his business career, Overlin was also president of the Sanford Kiwanis Club, secretary of the Sanford Elks Club, president of the Seminole County Safety Council, a member of the Seminole County Chamber of Commerce, and a congregant of the First Christian Church.
Original newspaper article: "Howard Overlin." The Sanford Herald: Who's Who of 1933, Vol. 24, No. 157, April 29, 1933. Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
A newspaper advertisement about the estimated amount of 400 carloads of celery that will be shipped out of Sanford in 1917 by Stokes Seed Company, which was also one of the first vendors to lease a stall at the first Sanford State Farmers' Market when it first opened in 1934. The celery consisted mostly of Golden Self-Blanching Celery, but also included New Easy Blanching Celery. The origins of Sanford's connection to celery farming began on December 26, 1894, when a freeze damaged the area's citrus groves. The city began to recover during a warm and wet January which promoted new shoots, but a second freeze hit on February 7, 1895, practically wiping them out. The 24-degree temperature was the coldest known in Florida to that point. The freeze was so intense that the sap froze inside the trunks, many of which split open, sounding like gunshots, and crashed to the ground. The population quickly dropped from 5000 to 2000 as the groves were abandoned. I. H. Terwilliger stayed after the freezes and is believed to have planted the first celery grown in Sanford in 1896. J. N. Whitner and B. F. Whitner, Sr. planted three-fourts of an acre in 1897 with celery imported from Kalamazoo, Michigan. By 1898, celery became the crop synonymous to Sanford, also known as "Celery City."
Original newspaper advertisement: Market Growers Journal: The Market Gardener's Trade Paper, Volume 20.
A newspaper advertisement for the Seminole Tire Shop in Sanford, Florida. The store erected one of the largest one-stop service stations in the city, which was located at the first Sanford State Farmers' Market. This ad, likely published in the 1920s, lists 201 North Park Avenue as the tire shop's address, although advertisements published in 1933 suggest that the company moved to the corner of West First Street and South Elm Avenue. The company was incorporated in 1932 but is no longer active.
Original newspaper advertisement: Agricultural Collection, Celery Collection, Museum of Seminole County History, Sanford, Florida.
Corporate Farming: How Chase & Company Has Grown Into a Dominant Force in Florida Agri-Business
A pamphlet about the history and structure of Chase & Company. One of the first vendors to lease a stall at the first Sanford State Farmers' Market, Chase & Company was established by brothers Sydney Octavius Chase and Joshua Coffin Chase in 1884. The company sold insurance and later invested in storage facilities and fertilizer sales. Chase & Company was known mainly for its agricultural interests and maintained a series of citrus groves throughout Central Florida. The company was based out of Sanford and became one of the city's largest employers into the early twentieth century. By 1886, the Chase brothers purchased several citrus groves to expand their business, including Isleworth Grove in Windermere, Florida. Isleworth Grove covered a total of 1,300 acres along the Butler Chain of Lakes. Between 1894 and 1895, Central Florida was hit by several freezes and most of the citrus crop was destroyed. Chase & Company did not grow citrus crops again until 1904 when Joshua came back from an extended stay in California. Between 1894 and 1900, different types of pesticide equipment was created, including equipment driven by steam, machines, and horses.Randall Chase joined in the family business soon after his brother, Sydney Chase, Jr., did in 1922. Randall became the president of Chase & Company from 1948-1965. The Isleworth property stayed in the Chase family until 1984 when Franklin Chase, the son of Sydney Chase, sold the property to famed golfer Arnold Palmer.
Original pamphlet: "Corporate Farming: How Chase & Company Has Grown Into a Dominant Force in Florida Agri-Business": Agricultural Collection, Celery Collection, Museum of Seminole County History, Sanford, Florida.
The former location of the Chase & Company office, located at 110 West First Street in Sanford, Florida, in 2011. The building served as Chase & Co.'s office since 1887 and its office for fire insurance beginning in 1917. The building is currently occupied by the University of Central Florida's Business Incubator office. Chase & Company was also one of the first vendors to lease a stall at the first Sanford State Farmers' Market when it opened in 1934. Chase & Company was established in 1884 by brothers Sydney Octavius Chase and Joshua Coffin Chase. The company sold insurance and later invested in storage facilities and fertilizer sales. Chase & Company was known mainly for its agricultural interests and maintained a series of citrus groves throughout Central Florida. The company was based out of Sanford and became one of the city's largest employers into the early twentieth century. Randall Chase joined in the family business soon after his brother, Sydney Chase, Jr., did in 1922. Randall became the president of Chase & Company from 1948-1965.
Chase & Company Office, Sanford, Florida
UCF Business Incubator, Sanford, Florida
Chase & Company: Packers and Distributors of Florida Fruits and Vegetables Exclusively
A newspaper advertisement for Chase & Company, the largest and oldest distribution agency in Florida and one of the first vendors to lease a stall at the first Sanford State Farmers' Market when it opened in 1934. The article states that the company conducts business in most shipping districts in Florida and ships to markets across the United States and Canada. Chase & Co.'s main office was located in Jacksonville at the time that the article was published in 1910. There were also offices in Cincinnati, Chicago, New York, St. Louis, Minneapolis, and Washington, D.C. In addition to citrus packing and processing, Chase & Company also did business in insurance. Chase & Company was established in 1884 by brothers Sydney Octavius Chase and Joshua Coffin Chase. The company sold insurance and later invested in storage facilities and fertilizer sales. Chase & Company was known mainly for its agricultural interests and maintained a series of citrus groves throughout Central Florida. The company was based out of Sanford and became one of the city's largest employers into the early twentieth century. Randall Chase joined in the family business soon after his brother, Sydney Chase, Jr., did in 1922. Randall became the president of Chase & Company from 1948-1965.
Original newspaper article: "Chase & Company: Packers and Distributors of Florida Fruits and Vegetables Exclusively." The Sanford Chronicle, Industrial Edition, Winter 1910. Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
The Sanford Herald
Chase & Company Office, Jacksonville, Florida
An advertisement for Chase & Company from Sanford High School's Salmagundi yearbook for the 1920-1921. One of the first vendors to lease a stall at the first Sanford State Farmers' Market, Chase & Company was established in 1884 by brothers Sydney Octavius Chase and Joshua Coffin Chase. The company sold insurance and later invested in storage facilities and fertilizer sales. Chase & Company was known mainly for its agricultural interests and maintained a series of citrus groves throughout Central Florida. The company was based out of Sanford and became one of the city's largest employers into the early twentieth century. Randall Chase joined in the family business soon after his brother, Sydney Chase, Jr., did in 1922. Randall became the president of Chase & Company from 1948-1965.
Original yearbook advertisement: Salmagundi, 1921: Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
Sanford High School
A Chase & Company packing house in Sanford, Florida, 1891. One of the first vendors to lease a stall at the first Sanford State Farmers' Market, Chase & Company was established in 1884 by brothers Sydney Octavius Chase and Joshua Coffin Chase. The company sold insurance and later invested in storage facilities and fertilizer sales. Chase & Company was known mainly for its agricultural interests and maintained a series of citrus groves throughout Central Florida. The company was based out of Sanford and became one of the city's largest employers into the early twentieth century. Randall Chase joined in the family business soon after his brother, Sydney Chase, Jr., did in 1922. Randall became the president of Chase & Company from 1948-1965
Original black and white photograph, 1891: Greater Sanford Regional Chamber of Commerce, Sanford, Florida.
A newspaper article about the building permits awarded in Sanford, Florida, in 1926. By November of that year, the annual building total was about $80,000 short of the figure for 1925, which was a record year for construction in Sanford. The first 10 months of 1926 showed a sum of $1,602,689, whereas as the sum for the first 10 months of 1925 was $1,393,607. Fifty building permits were issued for the month of November in 1926, with over four-fifths designated for improvements, costing an estimated $2,000 or less. There were several large permits issued for the construction of: the Colonial Company's warehouse, which would cost $15,000; the Sanford-Oviedo Truck Growers' warehouse, costing $6,500; and 38 small swellings in Lockhart's First and Second Subdivisions, expected to cost $22,800. The Sanford-Oviedo Truck Growers was also one of the first vendors to lease a stall at the first Sanford State Farmers' Market when it first opened in 1934.
Original newspaper article: "Building Comparisons." Sanford Today, Vol. 01, No. 20, November 27, 1926. Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
A newspaper article about A. J. Peterson, a local agent for the Seaboard Oil Company and a partner in the Seminole Tire Shop in Sanford, Florida. The store was originally located at 201 North Park Avenue until it moved to the corner of West First Street and South Elm Avenue by 1933 at the latest, although the exact date of relocation is unknown. A former manufacturer from Chicago, Illinois, Peterson arrived in Sanford in 1927. He also assisted in building one of the largest one-stop service stations in Sanford, which was located at the Sanford State Farmers' Market. When the article was published in 1933, Peterson resided at Monroe Corner with his wife, Sara Deason. He also enjoyed baseball, congregated with the First Baptist Church of Sanford, and was a member of the Masonic Order.
Original newspaper article: "A. J. Peterson." The Sanford Herald: Who's Who of 1933, Vol. 24, No. 157, April 29, 1933: Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
A deed for the property owned by Pilgrim Black (1905-2002) and his wife, Lula Mae Haynes Black (1917-2007). The property is one of the homes built and owned by Maggie Benjamin Black (ca. 1870-ca. 1934) in the 1800s. Maggie and her husband Harry Black (d. 1911) were the parents of parents of Leckward Black, Mustar Black, Malachi Black, Leatha Black Walker (1889-1976), Pilgrim Black, Margaret Black Jones (1889-1976), and Harriett Black Lawson. In 1911, Harry owned a grocery store at 206 South Sanford Avenue. One day, he came home from work with pneumonia and passed away shortly thereafter. Pilgrim was nine years old when his father passed away. Maggie was the daughter of former slaves, Isaac and Roseanna Benjamin, and the sister of Nathan Benjamin, Pledge Benjamin, Sam Benjamin, Loui Benjamin, Chainey Benjamin, Lara Benjamin, Melvina Benjamin, and Katie Benjamin. Pilgrim had to quit school at age 11 in order to provide for his mother, originally working in a mill house until he was 18 years old. After declining a management position, he traveled to Wayne County to pick cherries, apples, pears, and other crops. He broke a bone after falling from an apple tree his first year and decided to try farm labor on a potato farm in Red Creek, New York, instead. Don Holdridge, the farmer who owned the land, noted Pilgrim's high rate of productivity and offered him a management position supervising up to thirty workers at once, which he accepted. While in Sanford, Pilgrim also worked as a foreman in Sanford for Chase & Company for over 30 years. He married Lula in 1937 and they had several children together, including Vivian Louise Black (1940-); Lula Yvonne Black (1942-); Charles Samuel Black (1945-); Pilgrim Black, Jr. (ca. 1947-), and Patricia Ann Black (1956-).
Original property deed, June 21, 1946: Florida Internal Improvement Fund: Private Collection of Patricia Ann Black.
FACTS: Seminole Florida: The Celery County
A pamphlet produced by the Seminole Agricultural Club and the Oviedo Agricultural Club about the Better Farming Show, which was planned to "promote greater agricultural efficiency in Seminole County." The pamphlet outlines the challenges facing farmers during the Great Depression under four headings: financial, production, transportation, and marketing. Following Stock Market Crash of 1929, the amount of money that farmers could borrow from banks was limited and the majority of growers were forced to give crop liens to banks, co-operatives, and marketing organizations in order to supplement their finances. The pamphlet also states that, despite advances in technique, the cost of producing celery is almost equal to the profit. According to the pamphlet, the increase in freight rates for transportation for celery, despite the decrease in rates for the citrus industry, has also contributed to the problems faced by growers in Seminole County during this time period. Finally, the pamphlet cites the unstable consumer demands for celery size that makes it difficult for farmers to market according to consumer expectations. The pamphlet closes by describing the objectives of the Seminole Agricultural Club and the Oviedo Agricultural Club: to "further the best interests of the [celery] industry and expend every effort to solve the problems of finance, production, transportation and marketing" for the benefit of all citizens of Seminole County, Florida.
Photocopy of original pamphlet: FACTS: Seminole Florida: The Celery County. (Seminole County, FL: Seminole Agricultural Club and Oviedo Agricultural Club): Celery Collection, Agricultural Collection, Museum of Seminole County History.
A newspaper article on the celery industry in Sanford and Seminole County, Florida, as well as the county's its major representative, the Seminole Agriculture Club. At the time that the article was written, Seminole County was the second smallest county in the state with approximately 260 square miles of land. According to the article, celery production had been growing in the county and had resulted in the necessity for improvements in labor and infrastructure. Railroad facilities were furnished by the Atlantic Coast Line Company. The article also credits various other civic organizations with Sanford's growth: the Woman's Club, the Rotary, the Kiwanis and Lion Club, and the Campbell-Lossing Post of the American Legion.
Original newspaper article: The Sanford Herald, Who's Who of 1933, Vol. 24, No. 157, April 29, 1933: Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
Farmers' Club Lauded for its Recent Success: Trade Body Directors Unanimous in Vote of Congratulation
A newspaper article about the congratulations afforded to the Seminole Agricultural Club from the Board of Directors of the Seminole County Chamber of Commerce for successfully lobbying to bring the Florida State Farmers' Wholesale Distributing Market to Sanford, Florida. The Chamber of Commerce predicted that the new farmers' market would turn Sanford into a hub for vegetable, fruit, and poultry production, and would also create steady, year-round jobs for many. The Chamber of Commerce also discussed approved plans for a $6,000 aquarium and zoo enlargement program submitted by the Special Zoo Committee. According to the article, the aquarium was to be designed by F. J. Moughton and erected in the rustic design using cypress. The idea for the Sanford State Farmers' Market was devised by Fred Dorner and Gus Schmach, both members of the Seminole Agricultural Club. The Sanford Chamber of Commerce president Harry Papworth also contributed to the development of the market. The Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) authorized construction plans on June 11, 1934. On June 20, 1934, the City of Sanford donated a portion of the Alex V. French properties to the Florida State Marketing Board, which selected the northwest corner of French Avenue and Thirteenth Street. The board approved the installation of telegraph and telephone equipment, as well as a three-pump filling station. The Sanford State Farmer's Market opened on December 18, 1934. By 1939, the Farmers' Market was bringing a total volume of business of $627,065.81. In 1941, business volume reached over $700,000. On April 4, 1957, a fire destroyed the building and caused damages estimated at $2.5 million. Reconstruction began almost immediately and the Farmers' Market was expected to re-open by the fall of 1957. In 1991, plans were created to restore, preserve, and convert the citrus packing house into a museum.
Original newspaper article: "Farmers' Club Lauded for its Recent Success: Trade Body Directors Unanimous in Vote of Congratulation." The Sanford Herald, June 13, 1934: Sanford State Farmers' Market Collection, Sanford Collection, Museum of Seminole County History, Sanford, Florida.
Sanford State Farmers Market Collection, Sanford, Florida
Memoirs of Life in a WC Migrant Farm Camp
A newspaper article about Patricia Ann Black's (1956-) experience as the child of migrant workers Pilgrim Black (1905-2002) and Lula Mae Haynes Black (1917-2007), who got married in 1937. as the daughter of Pilgrim Black (1905-2002) and Lula Mae Haynes Black (1917-2007), who got married in 1937. Patricia was born August 31, 1956, and grew up at the end of East Tenth Street in Sanford, Florida. She attended Hopper Elementary through sixth grade, Lakeview Middle School for seventh grade, Sanford Junior High School for eighth grade, Crooms High School for ninth grade, and Seminole High School through twelfth grade. She also attended school in the North Rose-Wolcott district each year while in Upsstate New York. During fourth grade, integration began and parents were given the choice to have their children to attend other schools, but Patricia chose to continue attending an all-black school until she entered seventh grade in 1968 and began attending integrated schools. In June 1973, Patricia married her first husband, Clint Holt (1955-); however, the couple quickly separated due to domestic violence and divorced around 1977. Patricia gave birth to her first child, Charmion Le'Antwinetta Holt (1974-). She also had three other children with William Bigham Jr. (1952-), who she was married to for 33 years: William Arthur Bigham III (1982-), Brandon Oliver Black (1990-), and Tempestt Teonte' Black (1992-). Patricia currently lives in the family home built by her grandmother, Maggie Benjamin Black (ca.1870-ca.1934) on East Tenth Street in Sanford. Patricia endured weekly molestation for 11 years from age six to age seventeen and was raped at age seventeen while pregnant with Charmion. At age 29, Patricia became severely addicted to smoking cocaine. After seven years, Patricia was able to overcome her addiction and has maintained her sobriety for 21 years. She has suffered severe mental and physical damage and is still recovering today. Despite her traumatic experiences and sibling rejections, Patricia has developed a devout relationship with God. While in recovery, Patricia refocused her attention on spreading her ministry of love by becoming a foster parent, serving as the Parent Representative of the Committee for Special Education (CSE), and serving on her local school board in the North Rose-Wolcott school district. Patricia also has owned her own business making incense and importing shea butter from Africa. She also became a licensed nail technician specializing in stress-relieving pedicures. As of 2009, Patricia is retired but still maintains some involvement in her business/ministry named GIFTED.
Original newspaper article: Rogers, Pam. "Memoirs of Life in a WC Migrant Farm Camp." The Sun and Record, February 23, 2006: Private Collection of Patricia Ann Black.
Life's Lessons Become Wayne Woman's Message: Being Inclusive Benefits Everyone
A newspaper article about Patricia Ann Black's (1956- ) experience as the child of migrant workers Pilgrim Black (1905-2002) and Lula Mae Haynes Black (1917-2007), who got married in 1937. Patricia was born August 31, 1956, and grew up at the end of East Tenth Street in Sanford, Florida. She attended Hopper Elementary through sixth grade, Lakeview Middle School for seventh grade, Sanford Junior High School for eighth grade, Crooms High School for ninth grade, and Seminole High School through twelfth grade. She also attended school in the North Rose-Wolcott district each year while in Upsstate New York. During fourth grade, integration began and parents were given the choice to have their children to attend other schools, but Patricia chose to continue attending an all-black school until she entered seventh grade in 1968 and began attending integrated schools. In June 1973, Patricia married her first husband, Clint Holt (1955-); however, the couple quickly separated due to domestic violence and divorced around 1977. Patricia gave birth to her first child, Charmion Le'Antwinetta Holt (1974- ). She also had three other children with William Bigham Jr. (1952- ), who she was married to for 33 years: William Arthur Bigham III (1982- ), Brandon Oliver Black (1990- ), and Tempestt Teonte' Black (1992- ). Patricia currently lives in the family home built by her grandmother, Maggie Benjamin Black (ca.1870-ca.1934) on East Tenth Street in Sanford. Patricia endured weekly molestation for 11 years from age six to age seventeen and was raped at age seventeen while pregnant with Charmion. At age 29, Patricia became severely addicted to smoking cocaine. After seven years, Patricia was able to overcome her addiction and has maintained her sobriety for 21 years. She has suffered severe mental and physical damage and is still recovering today. Despite her traumatic experiences and sibling rejections, Patricia has developed a devout relationship with God. While in recovery, Patricia refocused her attention on spreading her ministry of love by becoming a foster parent, serving as the Parent Representative of the Committee for Special Education (CSE), and serving on her local school board in the North Rose-Wolcott school district. Patricia also has owned her own business making incense and importing shea butter from Africa. She also became a licensed nail technician specializing in stress-relieving pedicures. As of 2009, Patricia is retired but still maintains some involvement in her business/ministry named GIFTED.
Original newspaper article: Miller, Jim. "Life's Lessons Become Wayne Woman's Message: Being Inclusive Benefits Everyone." The Finger Lake Times, February 15, 2006: Private Collection of Patricia Ann Black.
The Finger Lake Times
Tempestt Teonte Black (1992-) at her graduation from U.S. Army training at Fort Jackson in Columbia, South Carolina, on August 15, 2013. The first photograph shows Black with her brother, Brandon Oliver Black (1990-), and the second photograph shows her with her mother, Patricia Ann Black (1956-). Both siblings graduated from North Rose Wolcott High School in Wolcott, New York. Black is in her junior year of college at Elmira College in Elmira, New York, where she is studying nursing. She also joined the United States Army and is presently serving as of 2013.
Original color digital images By William Bigham, Jr., August 15, 2013: Private Collection of Patricia Ann Black.
Letter from Robert D. Moran to Pilgrim Black
A letter of correspondence from Robert D. Moran, administrator of the Workplace Standards Administration in the United States Department of Labor, to Pilgrim Black. In the letter, Moran informs Black that the minimum wage for nonfarm employees was to be raised from $1.45/ per hour to $1.60 per hour effective February 1, 1971 and that the minimum wage for farm workers would remain unchanged at $1.30 per hour. Black was born in 1905, although some records list 1907 as his birth year. Pilgrim and Lula Mae Haynes (1917-2007) Black were migrant crew leaders, and thus migrated to Wayne County in Upstate New York in the summers and back to their home in Sanford for the rest of the year. Pilgrim was the son of Harry Black (d. 1911) and Maggie Benjamin Black (ca.1870-ca.1934), who migrated to Sanford from South Carolina in the 1800s. Harry and Maggie had several children: Leckward Black, Mustar Black, Malachi Black, Leatha Black Walker (1889-1976), Pilgrim Black, Margaret Black Jones (1889-1976), and Harriett Black Lawson. In 1911, Harry owned a grocery store at 206 South Sanford Avenue. One day, he came home from work with pneumonia and passed away shortly thereafter. Pilgrim was nine years old when his father passed away. Maggie was the daughter of former slaves, Isaac and Roseanna Benjamin, and the sister of Nathan Benjamin, Pledge Benjamin, Sam Benjamin, Loui Benjamin, Chainey Benjamin, Lara Benjamin, Melvina Benjamin, and Katie Benjamin. Pilgrim had to quit school at age 11 in order to provide for his mother, originally working in a mill house until he was 18 years old. After declining a management position, he traveled to Wayne County to pick cherries, apples, pears, and other crops. He broke a bone after falling from an apple tree his first year and decided to try farm labor on a potato farm in Red Creek, New York, instead. Don Holdridge, the farmer who owned the land, noted Pilgrim's high rate of productivity and offered him a management position supervising up to thirty workers at once, which he accepted. While in Sanford, Pilgrim also worked as a foreman in Sanford for Chase & Company for over 30 years. He married Lula in 1937 and they had several children together, including Vivian Louise Black (1940-); Lula Yvonne Black (1942-); Charles Samuel Black (1945-); Pilgrim Black, Jr. (ca. 1947-), and Patricia Ann Black (1956-).
Original letter from Robert D. Moran to Pilgrim Black: Private Collection of Patricia Ann Black.
Migrant Worker "Big House" in Wayne County, New York
The "big house" of the migrant worker camp, located in Wayne County, New York, that Pilgrim Black (1905-2002) and his wife, Lula Mae Haynes Black (1917-2007), lived in. The house originally had a front porch and was painted a different color. Lula operated her restaurant out of the kitchen in the big house, despite the lack of running water. Pilgrim was born in 1905, although some records list 1907 as his birth year. Pilgrim and Lula Mae Haynes (1917-2007) Black were migrant crew leaders, and thus migrated to Wayne County in Upstate New York in the summers and back to their home in Sanford for the rest of the year. Pilgrim was the son of Harry Black (d. 1911) and Maggie Benjamin Black (ca.1870-ca.1934), who migrated to Sanford from South Carolina in the 1800s. Harry and Maggie had several children: Leckward Black, Mustar Black, Malachi Black, Leatha Black Walker (1889-1976), Pilgrim Black, Margaret Black Jones (1889-1976), and Harriett Black Lawson. In 1911, Harry owned a grocery store at 206 South Sanford Avenue. One day, he came home from work with pneumonia and passed away shortly thereafter. Pilgrim was nine years old when his father passed away. Maggie was the daughter of former slaves, Isaac and Roseanna Benjamin, and the sister of Nathan Benjamin, Pledge Benjamin, Sam Benjamin, Loui Benjamin, Chainey Benjamin, Lara Benjamin, Melvina Benjamin, and Katie Benjamin. Pilgrim had to quit school at age 11 in order to provide for his mother, originally working in a mill house until he was 18 years old. After declining a management position, he traveled to Wayne County to pick cherries, apples, pears, and other crops. He broke a bone after falling from an apple tree his first year and decided to try farm labor on a potato farm in Red Creek, New York, instead. Don Holdridge, the farmer who owned the land, noted Pilgrim's high rate of productivity and offered him a management position supervising up to thirty workers at once, which he accepted. While in Sanford, Pilgrim also worked as a foreman in Sanford for Chase & Company for over 30 years. He married Lula in 1937 and they had several children together, including Vivian Louise Black (1940-); Lula Yvonne Black (1942-); Charles Samuel Black (1945-); Pilgrim Black, Jr. (ca. 1947-), and Patricia Ann Black (1956-).
Original color photograph by Patricia Ann Black: Private Collection of Patricia Ann Black.
The children of Patricia Ann Black (1956-): Charmion Le'Antwinetta Holt (1974-), William Arthur Bigham III (1982-), Brandon Oliver Black (1990-), and Tempestt Teonte Black (1992-). Charmion, who is also the daughter of Clint Holt (1955-), is employed at the Millers Orlando Ale House, located at 50 Towne Center Circle in Sanford, Florida, as of 2013. She also founded a catering business called Charm's Catering. The latter three children are from Patricia's marriage to William Bigham, Jr. (1952-). William III was born in Rochester, New York, and raised in Wayne County. He began teaching microbiology and anatomy at State University of New York in Brockport in 2013. Both Brandon and Tempestt graduated from North Rose Wolcott High School in Wolcott, New York. At age 19, Brandon attended Shear Ego, a barber school in Rochester. He also founded a barber shop called B. Black's Barber Shop, located on Route 414 in North Rose. As of 2013, Tempestt was attending Elmira College in Elmira, where she was studying nursing. She also joined the U.S. Army and is currently serving, as of 2013.
Original color photograph by Carolyn Bigham, November 2011: Private Collection of Patricia Ann Black.
Tax Facts: Local Property Tax Expenditures, 1974-1975
A pamphlet showing the local property tax expenditures for Seminole County, Florida, during the 1974-1975 fiscal year. Based on Seminole County budgets from that year, the county spent 63.8% of its local property tax on the District School Board, 18.6% on the General Fund, 14.4% on the Fine & Forfeiture Fund, 1.3% on the Road & Bridge Fun, 1.1% on the Interest & Sinking Fund, 0.3% on the hospital, and 0.5% on the Port Authority.
Original pamphlet: "Tax Facts: Local Property Tax Expenditures 1974 - 75." Seminole County Florida Government, Seminole County, FL: Private Collection of Patricia Ann Black.
Seminole County Florida Government
Four Orlando Sentinel baseball players in the 1950s. Photographed from left to right is Jesus Jenks, Allen Perisio, Charley "Big Dike" Wilson, and David Harry Black. The two men on the left are from Cuba, while the two men on the left are from Sanford, Florida. Black (1929-2012) was the son of Pilgrim Black (1905-2002) and his first wife Mae Henry Gilmore, who also had a second child named Bessie Mae Black that passed away around 6 months old. Black played baseball throughout high school and was drafted into the military during the Korean War on January 9, 1951, when he was 22. After two years of military service and receiving a discharge on February 2, 1953, he went on to play baseball in the Negro Baseball League at age 24. He also played for the Orlando Sentinels, a white baseball team, in 1954. While playing baseball, Black was known by several nicknames that he acquired as a youth, including "Allstar" and "Kid Blister." At age 29, Black became a long-distance truck driver, a profession he continued for58 years. He retired several times, but returned to the job due to his love of the work. Black finally retired permanently at age 77, when his employer would no longer insure him. He was later diagnosed with cancer and was cared for by his half-sister, Patricia Ann Black (1956-). Black passed away in December of 2012.
Photocopy of original black and white photograph: Private Collection of Patricia Ann Black.
David Harry Black (1929-2012) in military uniform during the Korean War (1950-1953). Black was the son of Pilgrim Black (1905-2002) and his first wife Mae Henry Gilmore, who also had a second child named Bessie Mae Black that passed away around 6 months old. The photograph was given to Black's maternal grandparents. Black played baseball throughout high school and was drafted into the military during the Korean War on January 9, 1951, when he was 22. After two years of military service and receiving a discharge on February 2, 1953, he went on to play baseball in the Negro Baseball League at age 24. He also played for the Orlando Sentinels, a white baseball team, in 1954. While playing baseball, Black was known by several nicknames that he acquired as a youth, including "Allstar" and "Kid Blister." At age 29, Black became a long-distance truck driver, a profession he continued for58 years. He retired several times, but returned to the job due to his love of the work. Black finally retired permanently at age 77, when his employer would no longer insure him. He was later diagnosed with cancer and was cared for by his half-sister, Patricia Ann Black (1956-). Black passed away in December of 2012.
Annual Worker Plan Schedule for Pilgrim Black
A sheath for Annual Worker Plan Schedule issued by the Farm Placement Service of the U.S. Employment Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Labor. This sheath was owned by Pilgrim Black (1905-2002), who was born in 1905, although some records list 1907 as his birth year. Pilgrim and his wife, Lula Mae Haynes Black (1917-2007), were migrant crew leaders, and thus migrated to Wayne County in Upstate New York in the summers and back to their home in Sanford for the rest of the year. Pilgrim was the son of Harry Black (d. 1911) and Maggie Benjamin Black (ca.1870-ca.1934), who migrated to Sanford from South Carolina in the 1800s. Harry and Maggie had several children: Leckward Black, Mustar Black, Malachi Black, Leatha Black Walker (1889-1976), Pilgrim Black, Margaret Black Jones (1889-1976), and Harriett Black Lawson. In 1911, Harry owned a grocery store at 206 South Sanford Avenue. One day, he came home from work with pneumonia and passed away shortly thereafter. Pilgrim was nine years old when his father passed away. Maggie was the daughter of former slaves, Isaac and Roseanna Benjamin, and the sister of Nathan Benjamin, Pledge Benjamin, Sam Benjamin, Loui Benjamin, Chainey Benjamin, Lara Benjamin, Melvina Benjamin, and Katie Benjamin. Pilgrim had to quit school at age 11 in order to provide for his mother, originally working in a mill house until he was 18 years old. After declining a management position, he traveled to Wayne County to pick cherries, apples, pears, and other crops. He broke a bone after falling from an apple tree his first year and decided to try farm labor on a potato farm in Red Creek, New York, instead. Don Holdridge, the farmer who owned the land, noted Pilgrim's high rate of productivity and offered him a management position supervising up to thirty workers at once, which he accepted. While in Sanford, Pilgrim also worked as a foreman in Sanford for Chase & Company for over 30 years. He married Lula in 1937 and they had several children together, including Vivian Louise Black (1940-); Lula Yvonne Black (1942-); Charles Samuel Black (1945-); Pilgrim Black, Jr. (ca. 1947-), and Patricia Ann Black (1956-).
Farm Placement Service, United States Employment Service, United States Department of Labor
Original red sheath: Farm Placement Service, United States Employment Service, United States Department of Labor: Private Collection of Patricia Ann Black.
Dr. George H. Starke (ca. 1899-ca. 1979), a friend of the Black Family, displaying the fish he caught and brought back to his home on Locust Avenue in Sanford (now part of Winter Springs) 1960. For many years, Dr. Starke was the only African-American doctor in Sanford, Florida, and delivered many of the African-American children born in Sanford before the 1960s. He delivered all of the Black children except for Patricia Ann Black (1956-): David Harry Black (1929-2012), Vivian Louise Black (1940-), Lula Yvonne Black (1942-), Charles Samuel Black (1945-), and Pilgrim Black Jr. (ca. 1947- ). Dr. Starke opened his practice in 1927. Shortly thereafter, Dr. Starke became one of only four African-American physicians to be accepted by Harvard University for residency at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. He practiced for several years in Boston and then returned to Sanford in 1933 and continued to practice medicine until his death at age 80. Dr. Starke was also the first African-American doctor to acquire membership in the Florida Medical Association and the Seminole County Medical Association, as well as the second to join the American Medical Association. In 1971, the City of Sanford named George Starke Park, located at 1501 West Third Street, in his honor.
Original black and white photograph, April 1960: Private Collection of Patricia Ann Black.
Migrant Experience Paper by William Arthur Bigham III
An academic paper written by William Arthur Bigham III (1982-) for a course at the State University of New York at Brockport on food and culture on December 19, 2011. Topics discussed in the paper include Bigham's interview with his mother, Patricia Ann Black (1956- ), about her experiences as the child of migrant workers; how migrant workers lived; the difference between education and race relations in the North and in the South; the logistics of working in the fields; and how the Federal government changed migrant work. William Bigham III was born in Rochester and raised in Wayne County, New York. He began teaching microbiology and anatomy at the SUNY Brockport in 2013. He is the son of Patricia Black, the grandson of Pilgrim Black (1905-2002) and Lula Mae Haynes Black (1917-2007), and the great grandson of Harry Black (d. 1911) and Maggie Benjamin Black (ca. 1870-ca. 1934), who migrated to Sanford, Florida, from South Carolina in the 1800s. Bigham's grandparents, Pilgrim and Lula, were migrant crew leaders, and thus migrated to Upstate New York in the summers and back to their home in Sanford for the rest of the year.
Former Location of Harry Black's Grocery Store, 2012
The former lot of a grocery store, located at 206 South Sanford Avenue owned by Harry Black (d. 1911), the grandfather of Patricia Ann Black, in 2012. Harry and Maggie Benjamin Black (ca. 1870-ca. 1934) were the parents of Leckward Black, Mustar Black, Malachi Black, Leatha Black Walker (1889-1976), Pilgrim Black (1905-2002), Margaret Black Jones (1889-1976), and Harriett Black Lawson. They were also the grandparents of David Harry Black (1929-2012), Vivian Louise Black (1940-); Lula Yvonne Black (1942-); Charles Samuel Black (1945- ); Pilgrim Black, Jr. (ca. 1947-); and Patricia Ann Black (1956-). The Black family migrated from South Carolina during the 19th century. In 1911, Harry owned a grocery store at 206 South Sanford Avenue. One day, he came home from work with pneumonia and passed away shortly thereafter.
Original color photograph by Patricia Ann Black, 2012: Private Collection of Patricia Ann Black.
Harry Black's Grocery Store, Sanford, Florida
The Seminole County World War I Memorial is a "broken shaft" of marble erected to honor the 13 young men of Seminole County, Florida, who died serving during World War I. Another three passed away from war-related injuries at later dates. Eleven of these men had their names collected via a newspaper advertisement that ran in The Sanford Herald in December 1918. The following names are engraved on the pillar: George W. Calhoun and M. W. Lowell, Jr. from the Navy; Frank A. Campbell, Handy Jenkins, Joseph S. Laing, Archie B. Liles, Arthur D. Lossing, Carl Marm, Harry Phillips, Edwin J. Robinson, and James Oscar White from the Army. There are also engravings on all four sides of the base. On February 23, 1919, the monument was dedicated in present-day Centennial Park, formerly named Central Park. The memorial was presented by Frank L. Miller and received by Judge E. F. Housholder. It is known as the first monument to soldiers of World War I. A feature that is unique for the time period in which it was erected is the inclusion of the names of two African-American men. This inclusion assured the resulting crowd of over 1,500 people in attendance for the ceremony was made up of people from all races. The memorial has since been moved to various locations including: American Legion Post 53, known locally as the "Legion Hut" until its destruction, at 3506 Orlando Drive on February 24, 1985; the new American Legion Post 53 at 2874 South Sanford Avenue in June 1988; and Veterans Memorial Park on November 11, 2006. The monument was rededicated to the people of Seminole County on May 28, 2007.
Original digital color images by Kristal Schell, August 26, 2013.
Seminole County World War I Memorial, Veterans Memorial Park, Sanford, Florida
The Hawkins residence near West Thirteenth Street in Goldsboro, an historic African-Amercan neighborhood in Sanford, Florida. The Hawkins owned the grocery store next door to their home called Hawkins' Meat Market, which provided meat and other goods for both Goldsboro and Sanford residents from other neighborhoods. At the time that the photograph was taken in 2011, the house was being occupied by Marva Y. Hawkins. Hawkins lived in Goldsboro her entire life and attended Goldsboro Red School and Crooms High School, where she graduated in 1954. She has worked in various positions, such as for Family Services, as an insurance agent, and as a columnist for The Sanford Herald.
Original color digital image by Julio R. Firpo, April 26, 2011.
Home of Marva Y. Hawkins, Goldsboro, Sanford, Florida
Map of Goldsboro, Orange County, Florida
A plat of a handdrawn lot given to Orange County, Florida when Goldsboro was established. The map shows plots along Goldsboro Avenue (present-day West Thirteenth Street and Historic Goldsboro Avenue), Lincoln Street (present-day West Thirteenth Place), Blaine Street (present-day West Fourteenth Street), and Harrison Street (present-day West Sixteenth Street). The majority of the plots were owned by Florida Land and Colonization Company or Thorpe & Chappell. Goldsboro is one of the historic African-American communities in Sanford, Florida. On December 1, 1891, William Clark, a storeowner and businessman, organized 19 other black registered voters to incorporate the town of Goldsboro, which was the second African-American city to be incorporated in Florida. Goldsboro's early economy was driven by rail yards, fields, groves, ice houses, and produce houses. A year after its incorporation, Goldsboro opened a school led by Katie Stubbins. Goldsboro's proximity to Sanford prevented it from expanding further west. Instead, the City of Sanford passed a resolution to absorb Goldsboro, despite opposition from the latter town's officials. Nonetheless, the Florida Legislature revoked Goldsboro's incorporation, in order to allow its absorption into Sanford on April 6, 1911. The identity of Goldsboro began to erode as the City of Sanford renamed several of its historical streets. In 2007, Goldsboro was included in plans for Sanford's revitalization efforts. In 2011, the Goldsboro Historical Museum was opened in the town at the site of its original post office.
Copy of original map, 1891: Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
Letter from Hazel Skjersaa to Marie Jones Francis (June 13, 1975)
Letter from Hazel Skjersaa, the Maternity Nursing Coordinator at Valencia Community College, to Marie Jones Francis, a midwife in Sanford, Florida. In the letter, Skjersaa thanks Francis for a series of lectures she gave students in her home during April and May of 1975. Francis, the "midwife of Sanford," left behind a successful hotel and restaurant she owned in Sarasota in 1942 to return to Sanford and become a midwife. World War II caused a shortage in doctors and nurses, so Florida's Children's Bureau sent Francis to Florida A & M to acquire her practical nursing license in 1945. She specialized in premature babies and returned to Sanford to aid her mother, Carrie Jones, at Fernald-Laughton Memorial Hospital before they opened the ward in their home. "When her health starting failing," she recollects in a newspaper article, "I took over." Francis converted her house at 621 East Sixth Street to also serve as a maternity ward, where she delivered over 40,000 babies over her 32 year career. She became a midwife in the same vein as her mother, Carrie Jones, and together they ran the Jones-Francis Maternity Hall in Georgetown. Francis served her community in several ways. She delivered babies for both white and black families from Seminole County, primarily patrons who either preferred natural births or could not afford deliveries at a hospital. In the 1950s, it cost $70 to stay nine days where soon-to-be mothers were taken care of. Francis was assisted by her sister, Annie Walker, who did the cooking. The house and ward also served as a school, where Marie Francis taught nurses the art of midwifery. Nurses would come from across the state to learn how to delivery infants naturally. A heavy burden on a single working mother, Marie Francis had three daughters, Cassandra Clayton, Daphne Humphrey, and Barbara Torre. Clayton and Humphrey became school teachers and Torre became a purchaser at Seminole Memorial Hospital.
Original letter from Hazel Skjersaa to Marie Jones Francis, June 13, 1975: Private Collection of Daphne F. Humphrey.
Valencia Community College, Orlando, Florida
Jones-Francis Maternity Hall, Georgetown, Sanford, Florida
The former location of Hawkins' Meat Market on West Thirteenth Street in Goldsboro of Sanford, Florida. The Hawkins family owned the grocery store next door to their home, and provided meat and other goods for both Goldsboro and Sanford residents from other neighborhoods. At the time that the photograph was taken in 2011, the building appeared to be vacant, but still retained the business sign for Peggie's Caribbean Take Out Kitchen.
Hawkins Meat Market, Goldsboro, Sanford, Florida
Peggie's Caribbean Take Out Kitchen, Goldsboro, Sanford, Florida
Wilson-Eichelberger Mortuary, located at 1100 Pine Avenue, in 2011. The mortuary is a long-standing business within the historic African-American district of Georgetown of Sanford, Florida. Georgetown was established by the city's founder, Henry Shelton Sanford, as a suburb for African-American residents in the 1870s. The neighborhood spans along Sanford Avenue, with its commercial district between First Street and Fifth Street and its historic district between Seventh Street and Tenth Street. Though originally much smaller, Georgetown spanned to its present boundaries from East Second Street to Celery Avenue and from Sanford Avenue to Mellonville Avenue. Georgetown thrived at its height from circa 1880 to 1940, particularly in agriculture and transportation.
Wilson-Eichelberger Mortuary, Georgetown, Sanford, Florida
The Refoe residence, located at 619 South Sanford Avenue in Georgetown, an historic African-American neighborhood in Sanford, Florida. The house was the home of the Refoes, a family of educators who served the black community of Sanford. The Refoe family moved into the house on December 15, 1950. From 1946 to 2010, the Refoes taught in Seminole County continuously for 64 years. Herman L. Refoe, Jr. and Shellye L. Refoe began teaching at Midway Elementary School in 1946. They quickly became involved with the school and the students, starting clubs and coaching teams, along with teaching African Americans in the Midway and Canaan areas. Their daughter, Annye Refoe, was born on January 29, 1951. Herman became an Assistant Principal of Goldsboro Elementary School in 1959. About two years later, he became the Principal. Herman remained the school principal for over 11 years, until his retirement in 1972. Shellye continued teaching at Midway until 1962, when she began teaching at Crooms High School, followed by South Seminole Middle School, Milwee Middle School, and finally Lyman High School. She moved around as a result of Seminole County’s School Board’s attempt to integrate black teachers. Shellye retired in January 1974. Annye graduated from Seminole High School in the class of 1969. After her treatment in the newly integrated Seminole High School, she decided to enroll in a historically black college/university. She graduated from Fisk College in Nashville, Tennessee, with a bachelors’ in English in 1973. Upon her return from college, Annye began teaching in August 1974 at Lake Howell High School. In 1982, she started teaching at Seminole Community College, where she later became the Dean of the Arts and Humanities.
Home of the Refoe Family, Georgetown, Sanford, Florida
The home of Reverend John R. Hurston, the father of Zora Neale Hurston, in 2011. Later, Marie Jones Francis, the "midwife of Sanford," converted the house to also serve as a maternity ward, where she delivered over 40,000 babies over her 32 year career. Francis became a midwife in the same vein as her mother, Carrie Jones, and together they ran the Jones-Francis Maternity Hall in Georgetown. Francis served her community in several ways. She delivered babies for both white and black families from Seminole County, primarily patrons who either preferred natural births or could not afford deliveries at a hospital. In the 1950s, it cost $70 to stay nine days where soon-to-be mothers were taken care of. Francis was assisted by her sister, Annie Walker, who did the cooking. The house and ward also served as a school, where Marie Francis taught nurses the art of midwifery. Nurses would come from across the state to learn how to delivery infants naturally. A heavy burden on a single working mother, Marie Francis had three daughters, Cassandra Clayton, Daphne Humphrey, and Barbara Torre. Clayton and Humphrey became school teachers and Torre became a purchaser at Seminole Memorial Hospital.
License to Practice Midwifery for Marie Jones Francis
A License to Practice Midwifery, issued by the Florida State Board of Health Department, certifying the completion of midwifery requirements by Marie Jones Francis. The certificate was issued in Sanford, Florida, on May 27, 1943, and signed by Dr. Lucille J. Marsh, the Director of the Bureau of Maternal and Child Health. Marie Jones Francis, the "midwife of Sanford," left behind a successful hotel and restaurant she owned in Sarasota in 1942 to return to Sanford and become a midwife. World War II caused a shortage in doctors and nurses, so Florida's Children's Bureau sent Francis to Florida A & M to acquire her practical nursing license in 1945. She specialized in premature babies and returned to Sanford to aid her mother, Carrie Jones, at Fernald-Laughton Memorial Hospital before they opened the ward in their home. "When her health starting failing," she recollects in a newspaper article, "I took over." Francis converted her house at 621 East Sixth Street to also serve as a maternity ward, where she delivered over 40,000 babies over her 32 year career. She became a midwife in the same vein as her mother, Carrie Jones, and together they ran the Jones-Francis Maternity Hall in Georgetown. Francis served her community in several ways. She delivered babies for both white and black families from Seminole County, primarily patrons who either preferred natural births or could not afford deliveries at a hospital. In the 1950s, it cost $70 to stay nine days where soon-to-be mothers were taken care of. Francis was assisted by her sister, Annie Walker, who did the cooking. The house and ward also served as a school, where Marie Francis taught nurses the art of midwifery. Nurses would come from across the state to learn how to delivery infants naturally. A heavy burden on a single working mother, Marie Francis had three daughters, Cassandra Clayton, Daphne Humphrey, and Barbara Torre. Clayton and Humphrey became school teachers and Torre became a purchaser at Seminole Memorial Hospital.
Florida State Board of Health
Original license, May 27, 1943: Florida State Board of Health, Jacksonville, Florida: Private Collection of Daphne F. Humphrey.
License to Practice Midwifery for Carrie Jones
A License to Practice Midwifery, issued by the Florida State Board of Health, certifying the completion of midwifery requirements by Carrie Jones. The certificate was issued in Sanford, Florida, on July 23, 1943, and signed by Dr. Lucille J. Marsh, the Director of the Bureau of Maternal and Child Health. Jones originally served as a midwife at Fernald-Laughton Memorial Hospital, located at 500 South Oak Avenue in Sanford. Along with her daughter, Marie Jones Francis, Jones co-founded the Jones-Francis Maternity Hall, located at 621 East Sixth Street in Georgetown, an historic African-American neighborhood in Sanford.
Original license, July 23, 1943: Florida State Board of Health, Jacksonville, Florida: Private Collection of Daphne F. Humphrey.
The Hopper Academy was the first African-American school in the Georgetown district of Sanford, Florida. Established in 1886, the school was originally named Colored School No. 11. A new building for the school was constructed at 1110 Pine Avenue in 1906. The school served the African-American community in the surrounding region. Although it was the first black school in Sanford, Hopper Academy only went up to grade 10. While today it has fallen into disrepair, Hopper Academy remains a symbol of Georgetown, representing the enduring legacy of Sanford’s African Americans raising themselves through education. Hopper Academy served as a black elementary school for grades 1 – 6 from 1926 to 1961. Professor Joseph Nathaniel Crooms was principal of Hopper from 1906 to 1926, thereafter becoming principal of Crooms High School in Goldsboro. Key individuals who studied at the school include Harlem Renaissance author Zora Neale Hurston and Sanford’s midwife Marie Francis. In 1968, the Hopper Academy ceased to operate as a school.
Hopper Academy, Georgetown, Sanford, Florida
Certificate of Midwifery for Marie Jones Francis
A document certifying Marie Jones Francis as a Lay-Midwife for the year of 1977. The certificate was issued by the Florida Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services Health Program Office and was signed by the Staff Director. The Governor and Secretary at the time of issuance were Reubin O'Donovan Askew and William J. Page, Jr., respectively. Marie Jones Francis, the "midwife of Sanford," left behind a successful hotel and restaurant she owned in Sarasota in 1942 to return to Sanford and become a midwife. World War II caused a shortage in doctors and nurses, so Florida's Children's Bureau sent Francis to Florida A & M to acquire her practical nursing license in 1945. She specialized in premature babies and returned to Sanford to aid her mother, Carrie Jones, at Fernald-Laughton Memorial Hospital before they opened the ward in their home. "When her health starting failing," she recollects in a newspaper article, "I took over." Francis converted her house at 621 East Sixth Street to also serve as a maternity ward, where she delivered over 40,000 babies over her 32 year career. She became a midwife in the same vein as her mother, Carrie Jones, and together they ran the Jones-Francis Maternity Hall in Georgetown. Francis served her community in several ways. She delivered babies for both white and black families from Seminole County, primarily patrons who either preferred natural births or could not afford deliveries at a hospital. In the 1950s, it cost $70 to stay nine days where soon-to-be mothers were taken care of. Francis was assisted by her sister, Annie Walker, who did the cooking. The house and ward also served as a school, where Marie Francis taught nurses the art of midwifery. Nurses would come from across the state to learn how to delivery infants naturally. A heavy burden on a single working mother, Marie Francis had three daughters, Cassandra Clayton, Daphne Humphrey, and Barbara Torre. Clayton and Humphrey became school teachers and Torre became a purchaser at Seminole Memorial Hospital.
Original certificate, 1977: Florida Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services, Tallahassee, Florida: Private Collection of Daphne F. Humphrey.
Dr. Annye Refoe and Dr. Stephen Caldwell Wright
Dr. Annye Refoe and Dr. Stephen Caldwell Wright in Sanford, Florida, in 2011. Dr. Refoe, the daughter of Herman L. Refoe, Jr. and Shellye L. Refoe, was born on January 29, 1951. Since her parents both taught at Midway Elementary School, Refoe also attended the school, as opposed to attending Hopper Academy in Georgetown, an African-American neighborhood in Sanford. Refoe graduated from Seminole High School in 1969. After her treatment in the newly integrated Seminole High School, she decided to enroll in a historically black college/university. She graduated from Fisk College in Nashville, Tennessee, with a bachelor's degree in English in 1973. Upon her return from college, Refoe began teaching in August 1974 at Lake Howell High School in Winter Park. In 1982, she started teaching at Seminole Community College, where she later became the Dean of the Arts and Humanities. Dr. Wright was born and raised in Goldsboro, an historic black community in Sanford. He lived in Sanford for most of his early life, except for one year that he attended school in Lakeland during ninth grade. He attended Goldsboro Elementary School and Crooms High School, where he graduated in 1964. For his college education, Dr. Wright attended Volusia County Community College in Daytona for one semester, Gibbs College (now merged with St. Petersburg College) in St. Petersburg for the first part of his bachelor's degree in English, Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton for the second part of his bachelor's education degree in English, Atlanta University for his master's degree in English, and Indiana University of Pennsylvania in for his doctoral degree in Linguistics and Rhetoric.
Original color digital images by Julio R. Firpo, April 15, 2011.
Marie Jones Francis with Nurses at the Jones-Francis Maternity Hall
Marie Jones Francis with several nurses in front of the Jones-Francis Maternity Hall, located at 621 East Sixth Street in Georgetown, an historic black neighborhood in Sanford, Florida. The house was originally the home of Reverend John R. Hurston, the father of Zora Neale Hurston. Marie Jones Francis, the "midwife of Sanford," left behind a successful hotel and restaurant she owned in Sarasota in 1942 to return to Sanford and become a midwife. World War II caused a shortage in doctors and nurses, so Florida's Children's Bureau sent Francis to Florida A & M to acquire her practical nursing license in 1945. She specialized in premature babies and returned to Sanford to aid her mother, Carrie Jones, at Fernald-Laughton Memorial Hospital before they opened the ward in their home. "When her health starting failing," she recollects in a newspaper article, "I took over." Francis converted her house at 621 East Sixth Street to also serve as a maternity ward, where she delivered over 40,000 babies over her 32 year career. She became a midwife in the same vein as her mother, Carrie Jones, and together they ran the Jones-Francis Maternity Hall in Georgetown. Francis served her community in several ways. She delivered babies for both white and black families from Seminole County, primarily patrons who either preferred natural births or could not afford deliveries at a hospital. In the 1950s, it cost $70 to stay nine days where soon-to-be mothers were taken care of. Francis was assisted by her sister, Annie Walker, who did the cooking. The house and ward also served as a school, where Marie Francis taught nurses the art of midwifery. Nurses would come from across the state to learn how to delivery infants naturally. A heavy burden on a single working mother, Marie Francis had three daughters, Cassandra Clayton, Daphne Humphrey, and Barbara Torre. Clayton and Humphrey became school teachers and Torre became a purchaser at Seminole Memorial Hospital.
Original color photograph, September 1974: Private Collection of Daphne F. Humphrey.
Midwives Supply Needed Service Community
A newspaper article about African-American midwives in Seminole County, Florida, in the 1960s. The article states that of the 760 babies born at the Seminole Memorial Hospital in 1963, nearly 400 were delivered by African-America midwives. The article explains that the demand for midwifery was due to rising costs in hospital delivery and prenatal care. The article also discusses the licensing for midwives, the delivery process, and then highlights two midwives in Seminole: Mary Moye and Marie Jones Francis. Moye, who lived at 1515 West Sixteenth Street, had been practicing midwifery for 40 years and had been licensed and registered for 20 years at the time that the article was published. According to the article, her services typically cost between $65 and $90. The article also highlights Marie Francis, the "midwife of Sanford." Francis left behind a successful hotel and restaurant she owned in Sarasota in 1942 to return to Sanford and become a midwife. World War II caused a shortage in doctors and nurses, so Florida's Children's Bureau sent Francis to Florida A & M to acquire her practical nursing license in 1945. She specialized in premature babies and returned to Sanford to aid her mother, Carrie Jones, at Fernald-Laughton Memorial Hospital before they opened the ward in their home. "When her health starting failing," she recollects in a newspaper article, "I took over." Francis converted her house at 621 East Sixth Street to also serve as a maternity ward, where she delivered over 40,000 babies over her 32 year career. She became a midwife in the same vein as her mother, Carrie Jones, and together they ran the Jones-Francis Maternity Hall in Georgetown. Francis served her community in several ways. She delivered babies for both white and black families from Seminole County, primarily patrons who either preferred natural births or could not afford deliveries at a hospital. In the 1950s, it cost $70 to stay nine days where soon-to-be mothers were taken care of. Francis was assisted by her sister, Annie Walker, who did the cooking. The house and ward also served as a school, where Marie Francis taught nurses the art of midwifery. Nurses would come from across the state to learn how to delivery infants naturally. A heavy burden on a single working mother, Marie Francis had three daughters, Cassandra Clayton, Daphne Humphrey, and Barbara Torre. Clayton and Humphrey became school teachers and Torre became a purchaser at Seminole Memorial Hospital.
Original newspaper article: Austin, Dottie. "Midwives Supply Needed Service Community." The Sanford Herald, July 24, 1964: Private Collection of Daphne F. Humphrey.
Seminole Memorial Hospital, Sanford, Florida
A newspaper photograph Marie Jones Francis, the "midwife of Sanford." Francis left behind a successful hotel and restaurant she owned in Sarasota in 1942 to return to Sanford and become a midwife. World War II caused a shortage in doctors and nurses, so Florida's Children's Bureau sent Francis to Florida A & M to acquire her practical nursing license in 1945. She specialized in premature babies and returned to Sanford to aid her mother, Carrie Jones, at Fernald-Laughton Memorial Hospital before they opened the ward in their home. "When her health starting failing," she recollects in a newspaper article, "I took over." Francis converted her house at 621 East Sixth Street to also serve as a maternity ward, where she delivered over 40,000 babies over her 32 year career. She became a midwife in the same vein as her mother, Carrie Jones, and together they ran the Jones-Francis Maternity Hall in Georgetown. Francis served her community in several ways. She delivered babies for both white and black families from Seminole County, primarily patrons who either preferred natural births or could not afford deliveries at a hospital. In the 1950s, it cost $70 to stay nine days where soon-to-be mothers were taken care of. Francis was assisted by her sister, Annie Walker, who did the cooking. The house and ward also served as a school, where Marie Francis taught nurses the art of midwifery. Nurses would come from across the state to learn how to delivery infants naturally. A heavy burden on a single working mother, Marie Francis had three daughters, Cassandra Clayton, Daphne Humphrey, and Barbara Torre. Clayton and Humphrey became school teachers and Torre became a purchaser at Seminole Memorial Hospital.
Original newspaper photograph by Jean Patteson: The Sanford Herald: Private Collection of Daphne F. Humphrey.
Heritage Jubilee Honors Distinguished Service Award
A newspaper article about the 1988 Heritage Jubilee Distinguished Service Awards. The Heritage Jubilee is sponsored by the Afro-American Society to honor the birth and achievements of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The program was established in the early 1980s by students and faculty members at Seminole Community College. The committee also created the Distinguished Service Awards, which would highlight the achievements of local African-Americans. One of the honorees for 1988 was Marie Jones Francis, the "midwife of Sanford." Francis left behind a successful hotel and restaurant she owned in Sarasota in 1942 to return to Sanford and become a midwife. World War II caused a shortage in doctors and nurses, so Florida's Children's Bureau sent Francis to Florida A & M to acquire her practical nursing license in 1945. She specialized in premature babies and returned to Sanford to aid her mother, Carrie Jones, at Fernald-Laughton Memorial Hospital before they opened the ward in their home. "When her health starting failing," she recollects in a newspaper article, "I took over." Francis converted her house at 621 East Sixth Street to also serve as a maternity ward, where she delivered over 40,000 babies over her 32 year career. She became a midwife in the same vein as her mother, Carrie Jones, and together they ran the Jones-Francis Maternity Hall in Georgetown. Francis served her community in several ways. She delivered babies for both white and black families from Seminole County, primarily patrons who either preferred natural births or could not afford deliveries at a hospital. In the 1950s, it cost $70 to stay nine days where soon-to-be mothers were taken care of. Francis was assisted by her sister, Annie Walker, who did the cooking. The house and ward also served as a school, where Marie Francis taught nurses the art of midwifery. Nurses would come from across the state to learn how to delivery infants naturally. A heavy burden on a single working mother, Marie Francis had three daughters, Cassandra Clayton, Daphne Humphrey, and Barbara Torre. Clayton and Humphrey became school teachers and Torre became a purchaser at Seminole Memorial Hospital.
Original newspaper article: Hawkins, Marva Y. "Heritage Jubilee Honors Distinguished Service Award." The Sanford Herald: Private Collection of Daphne F. Humphrey.
Sanford's Birth Place: Marie Jones Francis Delivered More than 40,000 Babies in Her Sixth Street Home
A newspaper article about Marie Jones Francis, the "midwife of Sanford." Francis left behind a successful hotel and restaurant she owned in Sarasota in 1942 to return to Sanford and become a midwife. World War II caused a shortage in doctors and nurses, so Florida's Children's Bureau sent Francis to Florida A & M to acquire her practical nursing license in 1945. She specialized in premature babies and returned to Sanford to aid her mother, Carrie Jones, at Fernald-Laughton Memorial Hospital before they opened the ward in their home. "When her health starting failing," she recollects in a newspaper article, "I took over." Francis converted her house at 621 East Sixth Street to also serve as a maternity ward, where she delivered over 40,000 babies over her 32 year career. She became a midwife in the same vein as her mother, Carrie Jones, and together they ran the Jones-Francis Maternity Hall in Georgetown. Francis served her community in several ways. She delivered babies for both white and black families from Seminole County, primarily patrons who either preferred natural births or could not afford deliveries at a hospital. In the 1950s, it cost $70 to stay nine days where soon-to-be mothers were taken care of. Francis was assisted by her sister, Annie Walker, who did the cooking. The house and ward also served as a school, where Marie Francis taught nurses the art of midwifery. Nurses would come from across the state to learn how to delivery infants naturally. A heavy burden on a single working mother, Marie Francis had three daughters, Cassandra Clayton, Daphne Humphrey, and Barbara Torre. Clayton and Humphrey became school teachers and Torre became a purchaser at Seminole Memorial Hospital.
Original newspaper article: Jerla, Michelle. "Sanford's Birth Place: Marie Jones Francis Delivered More than 40,000 Babies in Her Sixth Street Home." The Seminole Herald, February 16, 2003: Private Collection of Daphne F. Humphrey.
Betty Bowman and her child, Rhonda Bowman, in March 1974. Rhonda was delivered by Marie Jones Francis at the Jones-Francis Maternity Hall on December 25, 1973. Located at 621 East Sixth Street in Georgetown, an historic black neighborhood in Sanford, Florida. The house was originally the home of Reverend John R. Hurston, the father of Zora Neale Hurston. Marie Jones Francis, the "midwife of Sanford," left behind a successful hotel and restaurant she owned in Sarasota in 1942 to return to Sanford and become a midwife. World War II caused a shortage in doctors and nurses, so Florida's Children's Bureau sent Francis to Florida A & M to acquire her practical nursing license in 1945. She specialized in premature babies and returned to Sanford to aid her mother, Carrie Jones, at Fernald-Laughton Memorial Hospital before they opened the ward in their home. "When her health starting failing," she recollects in a newspaper article, "I took over." Francis converted her house at 621 East Sixth Street to also serve as a maternity ward, where she delivered over 40,000 babies over her 32 year career. She became a midwife in the same vein as her mother, Carrie Jones, and together they ran the Jones-Francis Maternity Hall in Georgetown.
Original color photograph, March 1975: Private Collection of Daphne F. Humphrey.
A record book owned by Marie Jones Francis, the "midwife of Sanford," for the Jones-Francis Maternity Hall, located at 621 East Sixth Street in Georgetown, an historic black neighborhood in Sanford, Florida. The house was originally the home of Reverend John R. Hurston, the father of Zora Neale Hurston. Marie Jones Francis, the "midwife of Sanford," left behind a successful hotel and restaurant she owned in Sarasota in 1942 to return to Sanford and become a midwife. World War II caused a shortage in doctors and nurses, so Florida's Children's Bureau sent Francis to Florida A & M to acquire her practical nursing license in 1945. She specialized in premature babies and returned to Sanford to aid her mother, Carrie Jones, at Fernald-Laughton Memorial Hospital before they opened the ward in their home. "When her health starting failing," she recollects in a newspaper article, "I took over." Francis converted her house at 621 East Sixth Street to also serve as a maternity ward, where she delivered over 40,000 babies over her 32 year career. She became a midwife in the same vein as her mother, Carrie Jones, and together they ran the Jones-Francis Maternity Hall in Georgetown. Francis served her community in several ways. She delivered babies for both white and black families from Seminole County, primarily patrons who either preferred natural births or could not afford deliveries at a hospital. In the 1950s, it cost $70 to stay nine days where soon-to-be mothers were taken care of. Francis was assisted by her sister, Annie Walker, who did the cooking. The house and ward also served as a school, where Marie Francis taught nurses the art of midwifery. Nurses would come from across the state to learn how to delivery infants naturally. A heavy burden on a single working mother, Marie Francis had three daughters, Cassandra Clayton, Daphne Humphrey, and Barbara Torre. Clayton and Humphrey became school teachers and Torre became a purchaser at Seminole Memorial Hospital.
Original record book by Marie Jones Francis: Private Collection of Daphne F. Humphrey.
Pamela Ruzinsky at age three in December 1975. Ruzinsky was delivered by Marie Jones Francis at the Jones-Francis Maternity Hall, located at 621 East Sixth Street in Georgetown, an historic black neighborhood in Sanford, Florida. The house was originally the home of Reverend John R. Hurston, the father of Zora Neale Hurston. Marie Jones Francis, the "midwife of Sanford," left behind a successful hotel and restaurant she owned in Sarasota in 1942 to return to Sanford and become a midwife. World War II caused a shortage in doctors and nurses, so Florida's Children's Bureau sent Francis to Florida A & M to acquire her practical nursing license in 1945. She specialized in premature babies and returned to Sanford to aid her mother, Carrie Jones, at Fernald-Laughton Memorial Hospital before they opened the ward in their home. "When her health starting failing," she recollects in a newspaper article, "I took over." Francis converted her house at 621 East Sixth Street to also serve as a maternity ward, where she delivered over 40,000 babies over her 32 year career. She became a midwife in the same vein as her mother, Carrie Jones, and together they ran the Jones-Francis Maternity Hall in Georgetown. Francis served her community in several ways. She delivered babies for both white and black families from Seminole County, primarily patrons who either preferred natural births or could not afford deliveries at a hospital. In the 1950s, it cost $70 to stay nine days where soon-to-be mothers were taken care of. Francis was assisted by her sister, Annie Walker, who did the cooking. The house and ward also served as a school, where Marie Francis taught nurses the art of midwifery. Nurses would come from across the state to learn how to delivery infants naturally. A heavy burden on a single working mother, Marie Francis had three daughters, Cassandra Clayton, Daphne Humphrey, and Barbara Torre. Clayton and Humphrey became school teachers and Torre became a purchaser at Seminole Memorial Hospital.
Original color photograph, December 1975: Private Collection of Daphne F. Humphrey.
Pamela Ruzinsky at age one in August 1973. Ruzinsky was delivered by Marie Jones Francis at the Jones-Francis Maternity Hall, located at 621 East Sixth Street in Georgetown, an historic black neighborhood in Sanford, Florida. The house was originally the home of Reverend John R. Hurston, the father of Zora Neale Hurston. Marie Jones Francis, the "midwife of Sanford," left behind a successful hotel and restaurant she owned in Sarasota in 1942 to return to Sanford and become a midwife. World War II caused a shortage in doctors and nurses, so Florida's Children's Bureau sent Francis to Florida A & M to acquire her practical nursing license in 1945. She specialized in premature babies and returned to Sanford to aid her mother, Carrie Jones, at Fernald-Laughton Memorial Hospital before they opened the ward in their home. "When her health starting failing," she recollects in a newspaper article, "I took over." Francis converted her house at 621 East Sixth Street to also serve as a maternity ward, where she delivered over 40,000 babies over her 32 year career. She became a midwife in the same vein as her mother, Carrie Jones, and together they ran the Jones-Francis Maternity Hall in Georgetown. Francis served her community in several ways. She delivered babies for both white and black families from Seminole County, primarily patrons who either preferred natural births or could not afford deliveries at a hospital. In the 1950s, it cost $70 to stay nine days where soon-to-be mothers were taken care of. Francis was assisted by her sister, Annie Walker, who did the cooking. The house and ward also served as a school, where Marie Francis taught nurses the art of midwifery. Nurses would come from across the state to learn how to delivery infants naturally. A heavy burden on a single working mother, Marie Francis had three daughters, Cassandra Clayton, Daphne Humphrey, and Barbara Torre. Clayton and Humphrey became school teachers and Torre became a purchaser at Seminole Memorial Hospital.
Original color photograph, August 1973: Private Collection of Daphne F. Humphrey.
Caucasian Mothers with Children at the Jones-Francis Maternity Hall
A number of caucasian mothers with their newborn children at the Jones-Francis Maternity Hall, located at 621 East Sixth Street in Georgetown, an historic black neighborhood in Sanford, Florida. The house was originally the home of Reverend John R. Hurston, the father of Zora Neale Hurston. Marie Jones Francis, the "midwife of Sanford," left behind a successful hotel and restaurant she owned in Sarasota in 1942 to return to Sanford and become a midwife. World War II caused a shortage in doctors and nurses, so Florida's Children's Bureau sent Francis to Florida A & M to acquire her practical nursing license in 1945. She specialized in premature babies and returned to Sanford to aid her mother, Carrie Jones, at Fernald-Laughton Memorial Hospital before they opened the ward in their home. "When her health starting failing," she recollects in a newspaper article, "I took over." Francis converted her house at 621 East Sixth Street to also serve as a maternity ward, where she delivered over 40,000 babies over her 32 year career. She became a midwife in the same vein as her mother, Carrie Jones, and together they ran the Jones-Francis Maternity Hall in Georgetown. Francis served her community in several ways. She delivered babies for both white and black families from Seminole County, primarily patrons who either preferred natural births or could not afford deliveries at a hospital. In the 1950s, it cost $70 to stay nine days where soon-to-be mothers were taken care of. Francis was assisted by her sister, Annie Walker, who did the cooking. The house and ward also served as a school, where Marie Francis taught nurses the art of midwifery. Nurses would come from across the state to learn how to delivery infants naturally. A heavy burden on a single working mother, Marie Francis had three daughters, Cassandra Clayton, Daphne Humphrey, and Barbara Torre. Clayton and Humphrey became school teachers and Torre became a purchaser at Seminole Memorial Hospital.
Original color photographs: Private Collection of Daphne F. Humphrey.
Original newspaper article: Moore, Stacy. "Midwife on Job Here 32 Years." The Little Sentinel, April 4, 1979: Private Collection of Daphne F. Humphrey.
Florida Agricultural and Mechanical College, Tallahasse, Florida
Fernald-Laughton Memorial Hospital, Sanford, Florida
Marie Jones Francis, the "midwife of Sanford," receiving an award. Francis ran the Jones-Francis Maternity Hall, located at 621 East Sixth Street in Georgetown, an historic black neighborhood in Sanford, Florida. The house was originally the home of Reverend John R. Hurston, the father of Zora Neale Hurston. Marie Jones Francis, the "midwife of Sanford." Francis left behind a successful hotel and restaurant she owned in Sarasota in 1942 to return to Sanford and become a midwife. World War II caused a shortage in doctors and nurses, so Florida's Children's Bureau sent Francis to Florida A & M to acquire her practical nursing license in 1945. She specialized in premature babies and returned to Sanford to aid her mother, Carrie Jones, at Fernald-Laughton Memorial Hospital before they opened the ward in their home. "When her health starting failing," she recollects in a newspaper article, "I took over." Francis converted her house at 621 East Sixth Street to also serve as a maternity ward, where she delivered over 40,000 babies over her 32 year career. She became a midwife in the same vein as her mother, Carrie Jones, and together they ran the Jones-Francis Maternity Hall in Georgetown. Francis served her community in several ways. She delivered babies for both white and black families from Seminole County, primarily patrons who either preferred natural births or could not afford deliveries at a hospital. In the 1950s, it cost $70 to stay nine days where soon-to-be mothers were taken care of. Francis was assisted by her sister, Annie Walker, who did the cooking. The house and ward also served as a school, where Marie Francis taught nurses the art of midwifery. Nurses would come from across the state to learn how to delivery infants naturally. A heavy burden on a single working mother, Marie Francis had three daughters, Cassandra Clayton, Daphne Humphrey, and Barbara Torre. Clayton and Humphrey became school teachers and Torre became a purchaser at Seminole Memorial Hospital.
Original color photograph: Private Collection of Daphne F. Humphrey.
Marguerite Moore, Pat Ciprian, Marie Jones Francis, and Linda Croft at the Jones-Francis Maternity Hall
Marguerite Moore, Pat Ciprian, Marie Jones Francis, and Linda Croft in the front yard of the Jones-Francis Maternity Hall, located at 621 East Sixth Street in Georgetown, an historic black neighborhood in Sanford, Florida. The house was originally the home of Reverend John R. Hurston, the father of Zora Neale Hurston. This photograph was taken on April 4, 1975. Marie Jones Francis, the "midwife of Sanford." Francis left behind a successful hotel and restaurant she owned in Sarasota in 1942 to return to Sanford and become a midwife. World War II caused a shortage in doctors and nurses, so Florida's Children's Bureau sent Francis to Florida A & M to acquire her practical nursing license in 1945. She specialized in premature babies and returned to Sanford to aid her mother, Carrie Jones, at Fernald-Laughton Memorial Hospital before they opened the ward in their home. "When her health starting failing," she recollects in a newspaper article, "I took over." Francis converted her house at 621 East Sixth Street to also serve as a maternity ward, where she delivered over 40,000 babies over her 32 year career. She became a midwife in the same vein as her mother, Carrie Jones, and together they ran the Jones-Francis Maternity Hall in Georgetown. Francis served her community in several ways. She delivered babies for both white and black families from Seminole County, primarily patrons who either preferred natural births or could not afford deliveries at a hospital. In the 1950s, it cost $70 to stay nine days where soon-to-be mothers were taken care of, including three home-cooked meals; mothers were also taught basics in infant care. Francis was assisted by her sister, Annie Walker, who did the cooking. If a mother could not afford the costs, Marie Francis would not turn her away. "There's a lot of charity here but I wouldn't feel good taking money and knowing the mother can't eat when she leaves here," Francis mentions in a newspaper article. The house and ward also served as a school, where Marie Francis taught nurses the art of midwives. Nurses would come from across the state to learn how to delivery infants naturally. A heavy burden on a single working mother, Marie Francis had three daughters, Cassandra Clayton, Daphne Humphrey, and Barbara Torre, Clayton and Humphrey became school teachers and Torre became a purchaser at Seminole Memorial Hospital. The "Midwife of Sanford" Marie Francis and her family contributed to Sanford's development and well-being for the better half of the twentieth century.
Original color photograph, April 4, 1975: Private Collection of Daphne F. Humphrey.
Coverage Jones-Francis Maternity Hall, Georgetown, Sanford, Florida
African-American Mother and Child at the Jones-Francis Maternity Hall
An African-American mother with her newborn child at the Jones-Francis Maternity Hall, located at 621 East Sixth Street in Georgetown, an historic black neighborhood in Sanford, Florida. The house was originally the home of Reverend John R. Hurston, the father of Zora Neale Hurston. Marie Jones Francis, the "midwife of Sanford," left behind a successful hotel and restaurant she owned in Sarasota in 1942 to return to Sanford and become a midwife. World War II caused a shortage in doctors and nurses, so Florida's Children's Bureau sent Francis to Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University to acquire her practical nursing license in 1945. She specialized in premature babies and returned to Sanford to aid her mother, Carrie Jones, at the Fernald-Laughton Memorial Hospital before they opened the ward in their home. "When her health started failing," she recollects in a newspaper article, "I took over." Francis converted her house at 621 East Sixth Street to also serve as a maternity ward, where she delivered over 40,000 babies over her 32 year career. She became a midwife in the same vein as her mother and together they ran the Jones-Francis Maternity Hall in Georgetown.
Business sign thanking customers for their patronage. The sign belonged to a business owned by Ella Wall located on Main Street in Apopka, Florida. Ella Wall (1874-1938) was an entrepreneur and businesswoman of Apopka who served as the inspiration for a character in Zora Neale Hurston's novel Mules and Men. Wall was born in Washington County, Pennsylvania, in 1874 and moved to Apopka as a widow. Throughout her lifetime, Wall purchased four parcels, of land. She operated an orange grove and also constructed small wooden buildings that she rented out to migrant workers. Wall was also a friend of Michael Gladden, Jr., the executor of the George W. Oden estates, until her death in 1938.
Original business sign: series I, box 1, folder 1, African American Legacy: The Carol Mundy Collection, Special Collections & University Archives, University of Central Florida Libraries, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
Warranty Deed for State Bank of Apopka (May 20, 1921)
A warranty deed certifying the transfer of land from Michael Gladden, Jr. and Elizabeth Gladden to the State Bank of Apopka for $100 on May 20, 1921. The property transferred was the west quarter of Lot 17 of Block J in Apopka, Florida. The deed was certified by the circuit court clerk and deputy clerk of the Circuit Court of the 17th Judicial Circuit of Orange County on May 25, 1921. Michael Gladden, Jr. (1899-1982) was the executor of the estate of George W. Oden (1862-1939), a successful businessman and citrus grower in Apopka, Florida. Gladden was born in South Carolina in 1899. He married Elizabeth Gladden and together they had a son, William, who was born around 1904. According to census records, the Gladden family had moved to Jacksonville as early as 1910 and then moved to Apopka. After Oden's death in 1939, Gladden continued to manage the legal documents of Oden's estate.
Original warranty deed, May 20, 1921: State of Florida, County of Orange, Apopka, Florida: series I, box 1, folder 74, African American Legacy: The Carol Mundy Collection, Special Collections & University Archives, University of Central Florida Libraries, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
Envelope and hand-drawn maps of Michael Gladden, Jr.'s property, Lots 21 and 27 of Block J in Apopka, mailed to Ella Wall. Michael Gladden, Jr. (1899-1982) was the executor of the estate of George W. Oden (1862-1939), a successful businessman and citrus grower in Apopka, Florida. Gladden was born in South Carolina in 1899. He married Elizabeth Gladden and together they had a son, William, who was born around 1904. According to census records, the Gladden family had moved to Jacksonville as early as 1910 and then moved to Apopka. After Oden's death in 1939, Gladden continued to manage the legal documents of Oden's estate. Ella Wall (1874-1938) was an entrepreneur and businesswoman of Apopka who served as the inspiration for a character in Zora Neale Hurston's novel Mules and Men. Wall was born in Washington County, Pennsylvania, in 1874 and moved to Apopka as a widow. Throughout her lifetime, Wall purchased four parcels, of land. She operated an orange grove and also constructed small wooden buildings that she rented out to migrant workers. Wall was also a friend of Michael Gladden, Jr., the executor of the George W. Oden estates, until her death in 1938.
Original map by Michael Gladden, Jr.: series I, box 1, folder 12, African American Legacy: The Carol Mundy Collection, Special Collections & University Archives, University of Central Florida Libraries, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
Letter from William H. Falconer to Michael Gladden, Jr. (April 29, 1931)
Fraternal organizations, African American
Letter from William H. Falconer, Supreme Vice President of the Woodmen of Union, to Michael Gladden, Jr., a deputy of the Union. In the letter, Falconer urges all local deputies and officers to attend the Deputy and Officers' School, a instructional course for employees of the Woodmen of Union held in the Woodmen of Union Building, located at 501 Malvern Avenue in Hot Springs, Arkansas, between May 11-16, 1931. The Woodmen of Union, founded in 1883, was a fraternal benefit association that offered insurance benefits for its members and also participated in various social activities. Michael Gladden, Jr. (1899-1982) was the executor of the estate of George W. Oden (1862-1939), a successful businessman and citrus grower in Apopka, Florida. Gladden was born in South Carolina in 1899. He married Elizabeth Gladden and together they had a son, William, who was born around 1904. According to census records, the Gladden family had moved to Jacksonville as early as 1910 and then moved to Apopka. After Oden's death in 1939, Gladden continued to manage the legal documents of Oden's estate.
Original letter from William H. Falconer to Michael Gladden, Jr., April 29, 1931: series I, box 1, folder 171, African American Legacy: The Carol Mundy Collection, Special Collections & University Archives, University of Central Florida Libraries, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
Woodmen of Union, Woodmen of Union Building, Hot Springs, Arkansas
Letter from Daisy P. White to the Apopka Chief of Police (March 16, 1928)
Letter from Daisy P. White to the Apopka Chief of Police written and mailed on March 16, 1928. Topics discussed in the letter include White's previous attempts to write to the Chief of Police, her plans to return to her home in Florence, South Carolina once her daughter finishes school for the school year, and uncertainty in regards to what papers her sister-in-law, Ella Wall, will need following the death of White's Husband. Ella Wall (1874-1938) was an entrepreneur and businesswoman of Apopka who served as the inspiration for a character in Zora Neale Hurston's novel Mules and Men. Wall was born in Washington County, Pennsylvania, in 1874 and moved to Apopka as a widow. Throughout her lifetime, Wall purchased four parcels, of land. She operated an orange grove and also constructed small wooden buildings that she rented out to migrant workers. Wall was also a friend of Michael Gladden, Jr., the executor of the George W. Oden estates, until her death in 1938.
Original letter from Daisy P. White to the Apopka Chief of Police, March 16, 1928: series I, box 1, folder 129, African American Legacy: The Carol Mundy Collection, Special Collections & University Archives, University of Central Florida Libraries, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
Quit-Claim Deed for George W. Oden (November 3, 1902)
Quit-claim deed certifying the transfer of land from Lucian Dixon and Annie Dixon to George W. Oden on November 1, 1902. The property transferred was the north half of Lot 56 in Block H in Apopka, Florida. The deed was notarized on November 3, 1902. George W. Oden (1862-1939) was a successful businessman and citrus grower in Apopka, Florida. Born in Sylacauga, Alabama, Oden moved to Apopka by 1902. He owned four businesses and five parcels of land, where he grew citrus. In 1933, Oden donated land for the construction of the Pleasant View Baptist Church, located at 1202 South Central Avenue. Oden was also the recipient of the City of Apopka's Fifty Years in Business Award.
Original quit-claim deed, November 3, 1902: State of Florida, County of Orange, Apopka, Florida: series I, box 1, folder 24, African American Legacy: The Carol Mundy Collection, Special Collections & University Archives, University of Central Florida Libraries, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
Warranty Deed for George W. Oden (January 6, 1903)
Warranty deed certifying the transfer of land in Apopka, Florida, from John F. Cogswell and Esther M. Cogswell to George W. Oden on November 1, 1902. The property transferred was 40 acres in the southwest quarter of the southwest quarter of Section 8 in Township 21, south of Range 28 East, and was notarized by Frank H. Davis and David E. Moulton. The deed was certified by J. N. Bradshaw and M. A. Howard, circuit court clerk and deputy clerk of the Circuit Court of the 17th Judicial Circuit of Orange County, respectively, on January 28, 1903. George W. Oden (1862-1939) was a successful businessman and citrus grower in Apopka, Florida. Born in Sylacauga, Alabama, Oden moved to Apopka by 1902. He owned four businesses and five parcels of land, where he grew citrus. In 1933, Oden donated land for the construction of the Pleasant View Baptist Church, located at 1202 South Central Avenue. Oden was also the recipient of the City of Apopka's Fifty Years in Business Award.
Original warranty deed, January 6, 1903: State of Florida, County of Orange, Apopka, Florida: series I, box 1, folder 29, African American Legacy: The Carol Mundy Collection, Special Collections & University Archives, University of Central Florida Libraries, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
Inventory from one of the citrus groves owned by George W. Oden (1862-1939), a successful businessman and citrus grower in Apopka, Florida. Born in Sylacauga, Alabama, Oden moved to Apopka, Florida, by 1902. He owned four businesses and five parcels of land, where he grew citrus. In 1933, Oden donated land for the construction of the Pleasant View Baptist Church, located at 1202 South Central Avenue. Oden was also the recipient of the City of Apopka's Fifty Years in Business Award.
Original 1- page inventory, 1930: series I, box 1, folder 142, African American Legacy: The Carol Mundy Collection, Special Collections & University Archives, University of Central Florida Libraries, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
Quit-Claim Deed for Ella Wall (June 1, 1928)
Quit-claim deed certifying the transfer of land from J. D. Beggs, Leila S. Beggs, Annie E. Beggs, Laura B. Casey, and T. L. Casey to Ella Wall on May 22, 1928. The property transferred was Lot 27 Block J in the Town of Apopka, Florida, for $38.28. The document was notarized by Ruth W. McClure on May 24, 1928. The deed was certified by Bill Robinson, clerk of the Circuit Court of the 17th Judicial Circuit of Orange County on June 1, 1928. Wall had previously purchased the north half of the north half of Lot 27 Block J from A. M. and Julia A. Starbird in 1924. Ella Wall (1874-1938) was an entrepreneur and businesswoman of Apopka who served as the inspiration for a character in Zora Neale Hurston's novel Mules and Men. Wall was born in Washington County, Pennsylvania, in 1874 and moved to Apopka as a widow. Throughout her lifetime, Wall purchased four parcels, of land. She operated an orange grove and also constructed small wooden buildings that she rented out to migrant workers. Wall was also a friend of Michael Gladden, Jr., the executor of the George W. Oden estates, until her death in 1938.
Original quit-claim deed, June 1, 1928: State of Florida, County of Orange, Apopka, Florida: series I, box 1, folder 132, African American Legacy: The Carol Mundy Collection, Special Collections & University Archives, University of Central Florida Libraries, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
Property Warranty Deed for Ella Wall (December 8, 1924)
Property warranty deed certifying the transfer of land from A. M. and Julia A. Starbird to Ella Wall on January 26, 1924. The property transferred was the north half of the north half of Lot 27 Block J in the Town of Apopka, Florida. The deed was certified by the Circuit Court of the 17th Judicial Circuit of Orange Countya on December 8, 1924. Wall had later purchased the rest of Lot 27 Block J in 1928. The deed was notarized by W. G. Talton and witnessed by R. M. Moore. Ella Wall (1874-1938) was an entrepreneur and businesswoman of Apopka who served as the inspiration for a character in Zora Neale Hurston's novel Mules and Men. Wall was born in Washington County, Pennsylvania, in 1874 and moved to Apopka as a widow. Throughout her lifetime, Wall purchased four parcels, of land. She operated an orange grove and also constructed small wooden buildings that she rented out to migrant workers. Wall was also a friend of Michael Gladden, Jr., the executor of the George W. Oden estates, until her death in 1938.
Original property warranty deed, December 8, 1924: State of Florida, County of Orange, Apopka, Florida: series I, box 1, folder 34, African American Legacy: The Carol Mundy Collection, Special Collections & University Archives, University of Central Florida Libraries, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
Chattel Mortgage Property Deed for Black Mule (June 20, 1911)
Chattel mortgage property deed for a black mule named Kate. Kate was mortgaged by George W. Oden to W. W. Carpenter for $25 on June 20, 1911. George W. Oden (1862-1939) was a successful businessman and citrus grower in Apopka, Florida. Born in Sylacauga, Alabama, Oden moved to Apopka by 1902. He owned four businesses and five parcels of land, where he grew citrus. In 1933, Oden donated land for the construction of the Pleasant View Baptist Church, located at 1202 South Central Avenue. Oden was also the recipient of the City of Apopka's Fifty Years in Business Award.
Original property deed, June 20, 1911: State of Florida, County of Orange, Apopka, Florida: series I, box 1, folder 34, African American Legacy: The Carol Mundy Collection, Special Collections & University Archives, University of Central Florida Libraries, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
Bible study notes written by an anonymous author in Apopka, Florida. These notes reference the Book of Job, Habakkuk 3:3, and Psalms 11:4 from the Bible.
Original note: series I, box 1, folder 15, African American Legacy: The Carol Mundy Collection, Special Collections & University Archives, University of Central Florida Libraries, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
Letter from William H. Lee to Michael Gladden, Jr. (March 14, 1931)
Policy statement from the Afro-American Life Insurance Company for Michael Gladden, Jr. The letter was sent by the company's secretary, William H. Lee, on March 14, 1931, in regards to Gladden's unpaid life insurance policy account for the annual premium rate of $49.40. Michael Gladden, Jr. (1899-1982) was the executor of the estate of George W. Oden (1862-1939), a successful businessman and citrus grower in Apopka, Florida. Gladden was born in South Carolina in 1899. He married Elizabeth Gladden and together they had a son, William, who was born around 1904. According to census records, the Gladden family had moved to Jacksonville as early as 1910 and then moved to Apopka. After Oden's death in 1939, Gladden continued to manage the legal documents of Oden's estate.
Original letter from William H. Lee to Michael Gladen, Jr.: series I, box 1, folder 96, African American Legacy: The Carol Mundy Collection, Special Collections & University Archives, University of Central Florida Libraries, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
Afro-American Life Insurance Company, Jacksonville, Florida
Mayor Bill Frederick and Dr. Nelson Ying at Construction of Red Chinese Ting
Guilin (Guangxi Zhuangzu Zizhiqu, China)
City of Orlando Mayor Bill Frederick and Dr. Nelson Ying placing the top piece of the Red Chinese Ting in Downtown Orlando's Lake Eola Park. Erected in 1988, the red Chinese pagoda-like structure is called a ting due to its single story. It was constructed out of wood, ceramic, brick, and mortar. Dr. Ying bestowed the ting to the City of Orlando and Mayor Frederick in 1987. Ying, director of The China Group Incorporated, chose to dedicate the pavilion to beautify downtown and offer a place for international exchange for the mayor and dignitaries. Two years before the ting was gifted, in 1985, Ying worked closely with Mayor Bill Frederick to secure a sister-city relationship with the City of Guilin by accompanying Frederick on a three-week goodwill trip to China. Guilin’s downtown landscape consists of four lakes, and downtown is easily recognizable by several pagodas that adorn these lakes. Ying intended to honor the young sister-city relationship with Guilin by placing his donation on the edge of Lake Eola in an effort to mirror the sister-city’s landscape. The ting was built in China by the Shanghai Construction Arts and Crafts Corporation, then disassembled for shipping to the United States, then finally rebuilt in Orlando. The ting is located in the northeast corner of Orlando’s Lake Eola.
Original color photograph, 1988: City of Orlando Archives, Orlando, Florida.
Red Chinese Ting, Lake Eola Park, Downtown Orlando, Florida
Proclamation declaring May 20, 1995, Bataan-Corregidor Day in Kissimmee, Florida. The city holiday was established to honor the thousands of Americans and Filipinos who fought for the Allied Powers at the Battle of Bataan and the Battle of Corregidor during World War II. The proclamation was signed by Mark E. Durbin, the city manager of Kissimmee, on May 16, 1995. The proclamation was created to correspond with the official dedication of the Bataan-Corregidor Memorial, located on the corner of East Monument Avenue and Lakeshore Boulevard at Lakefront Park. The Battle of Bataan lasted from January 7 to April 9, 1942, and marked the most vital phase of the Empire of Japan's invasion of the Philippines during World War II. The United States defended the Commonwealth of the Philippines, but ultimately the battle resulted in the largest surrender in both American and Filipino military history. The forced transfer of 60,000-80,000 Filipino and American prisoners of war (POWs), known as the Bataan Death March, began on April 9. The POWs were subjected to physical abuse and murder. An estimated 2,500 to 10,000 POWs died before reaching Camp O'Donnell. After Bataan fell, organized opposition against Imperial Japan in the Philippines became decimated. The Battle of Corregidor was waged on May 5 and 6 and resulted in another American-Filipino defeat. This event marked the fall of both the Philippines and Asia to Imperial Japan. American and Filipino forces were able to recapture the island in 1945 and the Bataan Death March was declared a war crime following the end of World War II.
City of Kissimmee
Original city proclamation, May 16, 1995: City of Kissimmee Archives, Kissimmee, Florida.
Bataan-Corregidor Memorial, Lakefront Park, Kissimmee, Florida
Mariveles, Bataan, Central Luzon, Philippines
Camp O'Donnell, Capas, Tarlac, Philippines
Nellie Furen’s Sixth Grade Class at Sanford Grammar School, 1911-1912
Nellie Furen's sixth grade class standing on the front steps of Sanford Grammar School during the 1911-1912 school year. Photographed from left to right is: front row - Ed Betts, J.D Woodruff, Ed Millen, G.W. Spencer, Ernest Brotherson, Ercel Little, Watson McAlexander, and PeeWee Tillis; second row - Roby Laing, Sherman Moore, Eva Hodges, Olga Vihlen, Maud Miot, Fannie Reba Munson, Virginia Brady, Carl McDonald, and John Morrison; third row: Percy Packard, Beatrice Hutchinson, Clara Bowen, Laura Parker, Ruth Waldron, Fern Ward, Alice Caldwell, and Harold Washburn; fourth row: Howard Wynn, Newton Stenstrom, and Annie Mae Morris; back row: Dennis Allen, Eunice Woodcock, Maud Allen, Guy Stenstrom, Argel Cameron, Rush Murphy, Walter Rowland, Nellie Furen, and Collier Brown. Originally located at 301 West Seventh Street in Sanford, Florida, Seminole Grammar School was first established as Sanford High School in 1902. The building was designed by W. G. Talley in the Romanesque revival style. Due to an increasing student population, a new school building was constructed on Sanford Avenue in 1911. The original building on Seventh Street served as Westside Grammar Elementary School, which was later renamed Sanford Grammar School. In 1984, the building was placed on the National Registry of Historic Places and converted into the Student Museum. The building reopened as the University of Central Florida's Public History Center in 2012. In 1927, a high school campus was designed by Elton J. Moughton in the Mediterranean revival style and constructed at 1700 French Avenue. The school reopened on January 10 and was renamed Seminole High School. In 1960, the high school moved to a new campus at 2701 Ridgewood Avenue and the former building on French Avenue was converted to Sanford Junior High School, which was later renamed Sanford Middle School. The old building was demolished in the summer of 1991 and replaced by a $5.77 million school complex. As of 2013, Seminole High School offers various Advanced Placement courses, the Academy for Health Careers, and the International Baccalaureate Programme for students.
Original 5 x 7 inch black and white photograph: East Wing Hallway Display, Seminole County Public School Collection, UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida.
Sanford Grammar School, Sanford, Florida
Sanford High School Graduating Class of 1907
The first four graduates of Sanford High School at their graduation ceremony in 1907. The graduates are pictured wearing white graduation dresses while holding their diplomas. Photographed from left to right is: Alberta Hill Howard, Peacha Leffler Wiggins, Clara Millen, and Mabel Bowler Bram. Millen served as the principal of Sanford Grammar School from 1919 to 1926. Sanford High School was originally established at 301 West Seventh Street in 1902. The building was designed by W. G. Talley in the Romanesque revival style. Due to an increasing student population, a new school building was constructed on Sanford Avenue in 1911. The original building on Seventh Street served as Westside Grammar Elementary School, which was later renamed Sanford Grammar School. In 1984, the building was placed on the National Registry of Historic Places and converted into the Student Museum. The building reopened as the University of Central Florida's Public History Center in 2012. In 1927, a high school campus was designed by Elton J. Moughton in the Mediterranean revival style and constructed at 1700 French Avenue. The school reopened on January 10 and was renamed Seminole High School. In 1960, the high school moved to a new campus at 2701 Ridgewood Avenue and the former building on French Avenue was converted to Sanford Junior High School, which was later renamed Sanford Middle School. The old building was demolished in the summer of 1991 and replaced by a $5.77 million school complex. As of 2013, Seminole High School offers various Advanced Placement courses, the Academy for Health Careers, and the International Baccalaureate Programme for students.
Original 8 x 10 inch black and white photograph, 1907: box 3C, folder 1A, item SM-017-047, Seminole County Public School Collection, UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida.
The Sanford Grammar school faculty standing on the front steps of the school building circa 1922. The faculty members photographed include Ruth Gillon (married name: Ruth Swinney), Gladys Adams, Carolyn Spencer, Mildred Babcock, Pearl Babbet, Ruth Kanner, Edna Chilterden, Mrs. Arrington, Claire McMillen, and Laura Christenden. Sanford High School was originally established at 301 West Seventh Street in Sanford, Florida 1902. The building was designed by W. G. Talley in the Romanesque revival style. Due to an increasing student population, a new school building was constructed on Sanford Avenue in 1911. The original building on Seventh Street served as Westside Grammar Elementary School, which was later renamed Sanford Grammar School. In 1984, the building was placed on the National Registry of Historic Places and converted into the Student Museum. The building reopened as the University of Central Florida's Public History Center in 2012. In 1927, a high school campus was designed by Elton J. Moughton in the Mediterranean revival style and constructed at 1700 French Avenue. The school reopened on January 10 and was renamed Seminole High School. In 1960, the high school moved to a new campus at 2701 Ridgewood Avenue and the former building on French Avenue was converted to Sanford Junior High School, which was later renamed Sanford Middle School. The old building was demolished in the summer of 1991 and replaced by a $5.77 million school complex. As of 2013, Seminole High School offers various Advanced Placement courses, the Academy for Health Careers, and the International Baccalaureate Programme for students.
Original 7.15 x 9.15 inch black and white photograph: Main Lobby Display, Seminole County Public School Collection, UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida.
An autographed portrait of Langston Hughes, which is housed at the Mary McLeod Bethune Foundation, located at 640 Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Boulevard in Daytona Beach, Florida. Hughes was born February 1, 1902, in Joplin, Missouri. He attended Columbia University in New York City, New York ,from 1921-1922, but did not complete a degree. Instead, he received a Bachelor of Arts from Lincoln University, located in Chester County, Pennsylvania, in 1929. Hughes was a very notable poet during the Harlem Renaissance. He also produced plays, short stories, and novels. Hughes and Dr. Mary Jane McLeod Bethune became acquainted with one another when she organized a reading tour for him through photographer Carl Van Vechten. He later described Dr. Bethune as "marvelous as mistress of ceremonies." Hughes passed away from complications after abdominal surgery in New York City on May 22, 1967.
Original black and white photograph: Mary McLeod Bethune Foundation, Daytona Beach, Florida.
Mary McLeod Bethune Foundation, Daytona Beach, Florida
A portrait of Edgar Amos Love, which is housed at the Mary McLeod Bethune Foundation, located at 640 Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Boulevard in Daytona Beach, Florida. Love was born in Harrisburg, Virginia, on September 10,1891. He earned four degrees including: a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1913 and a Bachelor of Divinity degree in 1916 from Howard University in Washington, D.C.; a Bachelor of Sacred Theology degree in 1918 from Boston University School of Theology in Boston, Massachusetts; and a Honorary Doctorate of Divinity degree from Morgan College in Baltimore, Maryland. He was a reverend in various cities in Maryland as well as a bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC). Love is best known for being one of the founders of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., the first African-American fraternity founded on a black campus. He also served as a chaplain in the United States Army during World War I. Following his honorable discharge, Love taught at Morgan College for two years before becoming a Methodist minister. In 1933, he became the District Superintendent of the Washington Conference of the Methodist Church and then led the Methodist Department of Negro Work in 1940. Love also worked with Mary McLeod Bethune on the Methodist Federation for Social Services (MFSS) Executive Committee when Bethune began her four-year tenure in 1940. On June 22, 1952, Love was elected Bishop of the Central Conference of the Methodist Church, a segregated congregation in Baltimore. He continued serving as Bishop for 12 years, retired, and then returned from retirement from November 1966 to June 1967 to serve as the Bishop of the Atlantic Coast Area, which including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi. During his life, Bishop Love also served as a trustee for several black colleges and universities, as a member of the Maryland Inter-Racial Commission, and as a member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). He passed away on May 1, 1974, in Baltimore.
Palmer Memorial Institute (Sedalia, N.C.)
Portrait of Charlotte Hawkins Brown, which is housed at the Mary McLeod Bethune Foundation, located at 640 Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Boulevard in Daytona Beach, Florida. Brown was born June 11, 1883, in Henderson, North Carolina. In 1902, she founded the Alice Freeman Palmer Memorial Institute in Sedalia, North Carolina. The school was housed in a small log cabin and combined a standard educational curriculum with industrial training. Brown was able to raise enough money to erect a new school building in 1905 and the school became nationally renowned by the 1920s. Brown also received national attention for her activities and was frequently invited to lecture at various colleges around the country. In 1941, she published The Correct Thing To Do—To Say—To Wear, a book which featured her educational philosophies and maxims. Brown continued to run the Palmer Institute until she retired in 1952. Through her work, Brown became a good friend to Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune and was active in the National Association of Colored Women (NACW), the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW), the Southern Commission for Interracial Cooperation, and the Negro Business League. Brown was also the first African-American woman to join the national board for the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA). She passed away on January 11, 1961.
Alice Freeman Palmer Memorial Institute, Gibsonville, North Carolina
The House of Bread Bakery, located at 401 South Sanford Avenue in Sanford, Florida, in the 1920s. This four-unit building was located on the corner of South Sanford Avenue and East First Street in the historic African-American neighborhood called Georgetown. The earliest known occupant of this lot was Sanford Ice and Cold Storage in 1887. The first known residents were W. M. Burnett in 1911 and L. W. Caldwell in 1917. Confectioner H. L. Duhart ran his business from this location in 1924. Duhart had previously resided at 403 South Sanford Avenue from approximately 1911 to 1924 and also had another residence at 318 South Sanford Avenue in 1917. By 1926, Duhart had opened a real estate business in his first residence. In that same year, Emma Rankin's restaurant was listed at Suite 401. The House of Bread Bakery was also located here sometime in the 1920s, though it is not clear if this was before or after Rankin had opened her restaurant. H & A Department Store, opened by Herman Jacobson (d. 1989) and Arthur Jacobson, was located here from approximately 1947 to 1965. By 1952, the store had expanded to include Suites 403-405. Herman's wife, Rose E. Zauderer Jacobson (1913-2009), also became a co-owner after the two married in 1934. Rose Jacobson moved to Geneva, Florida, in 1925 and taught at Sanford Grammar School as a young adult. The couple also opened Ro-Jay's, a women's clothing store at 224 East First Street. Suite 401 was listed as vacant by 1975. By January 2012, this building remained vacant. On March 7, 2012, Jason Turner's application for a Façade Improvement Grant was approved by the Sanford Community Redevelopment Agency for $20,000.
Original 8 x 10 inch black and white photograph: Georgetown Folder, General Collection, UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida.
House of Bread Bakery, Georgetown, Sanford, Florida
The Winter Springs Veterans Memorial, located at the corner of Tuskawilla Road and Blumberg Boulevard, was constructed by the City of Winter Springs along with the local Rotary Club. The monument is dedicated to all United States military veterans who lived and died serving their country during warfare. The centerpiece of the memorial is a pair of empty boots with a rifle placed in between and a soldier's helmet on top. The memorial represents the men and women from the Winter Springs community that have served in the military. The project was started by the Rotary Club and the City of Winter Springs in 2005 and was completed in 2008.
Original digital color image by Daniel Fitzsimons, October 9, 2013, image number 0767.
Winter Springs Veterans Memorial, Winter Springs, Florida
Battle of the Bulge Memorial at Lake Eola
The Battle of the Bulge Memorial in Lake Eola Park in Downtown Orlando, Florida. This six-foot, bronze statue of an American G.I. sits on a bronze-outlined, white star set into a 34-foot diameter concrete base. The statue was sculpted by Chris Scala, a local artist from Orlando, and dedicated on December 16, 1999, the 55th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge. American, Belgian, and Luxembourger flags fly in a semi-circle behind the statue. Scala also duplicated the monument for a memorial in Clervaux, Luxembourg. The Battle of the Bulge was a major offensive campaign launched by German forces between December 16, 1944, and January 25, 1945. The battle was waged in the Ardennes region of France, Luxembourg, and Belgium's Wallonia region and involved armies from the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Belgium, France, and the Luxembourgish resistance. The German attack was unexpected, causing the Allies, especially the United States, to lose a significant number of casualties. The goal of the offensive was to separate the British and American Allied forces in half, capture the Belgian city of Antwerp, and then surround the four Allied armies. While the Germans had the benefit of surprise and initially poor weather conditions that grounded the Allies' air forces, the Allied Forces were ultimately able to win the battle thanks to defensible terrain and improved weather conditions that allowed the use of air attacks. The battle is also known as Unternehmen Wacht am Rhein ("Operation Watch on the Rhine") to the Germans, Bataille des Ardennes ("Battle of the Ardennes") to the French, and the Ardennes Counteroffensive to the Allies as a whole. The Battle of the Bulge was the largest and bloodiest battle fought by the United States in World War II.
Original digital color image by Cody Schuppe, August 24, 2013.
Battle of the Bulge Memorial, Lake Eola Park, Downtown Orlando, Florida
The Bust of Simón Bolívar at Lake Eola in Downtown Orlando, Florida, in 2013. This life-sized, 150-pound bronze bust is set on a polished stone plinth and was erected in March 1996. The monument was donated to the City of Orlando by Rafael Antonio Caldera Rodríguez, the president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela from 1969 to 1974 and again from 1994 to 1999. The monument honors Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios Ponte y Blanco, the founder of Bolivia and the liberator of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, and Peru. The Bust of Simón Bolívar was the first in a series of sculptures of international heroes that lines International Plaza and Bridge. Bolívar, considered one of the most influential politicians in the history of the Americas, was a major player in Latin America's struggle for independence from the Spanish Empire during the early 19th century. Bolívar was also fundamental in the foundation of Gran Colombia, the first union of independent Hispanic nations, and led as its president from 1819 to 1830.
Original digital color image by Robin Dunn, September 21, 2013.
Bust of Simón Bolívar, Lake Eola Park, Downtown Orlando, Florida
Caracas, Metropolitan Region of Caracas, Venezuela
Confederate Soldiers, Sailors, and Statesmen Memorial at Lake Eola
The Confederate Soldiers, Sailors, and Statesmen Memorial was erected in 1911 by the Annie Coleman Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC). The construction of the monument was spearheaded by Mrs. Abernethy, the President of the Annie Coleman Chapter. The monument was erected at the intersection of East Central Avenue and Main Street in Downtown Orlando, Florida In 1917, the Confederate Memorial was deemed a traffic hazard and was moved to its permanent location on the east side of Lake Eola.
Original digital color images by Katherine Bowers, August 8, 2013.
Confederate Soldiers, Sailors, and Statesmen Memorial, Lake Eola Park, Downtown Orlando, Florida
Bataan-Corregidor Memorial at Lakefront Park
The Bataan-Corregidor Memorial, located on the corner of East Monument Avenue and Lakeshore Boulevard in Lakefront Park, is the result of the combined efforts of the Filipino-American community and the City of Kissimmee. It began in the late 1980s when resident and a former Filipino diplomat, Menandro M. de Mesa, recognized the lack of recognition received for those who fought and perished during the fall of Bataan and Corregidor and the subsequent Death March in World War II. At an annual conference, de Mesa befriended City Commissioner Richard Herring, who also shared the same sentiments towards the victims and veterans of the events. Together, the two founded the nonprofit Bataan-Corregidor Memorial Foundation. In 1991, using his influence as City Commissioner, Richard Herring was able to persuade the City of Kissimmee to donate a piece of land in Lakefront Park for a future Bataan-Corregidor memorial. Groundbreaking for the memorial took place in 1994, and in 1995, the memorial was unveiled. The memorial features several benches, a stone dedication, an American flag, a Filipino flag, and the centerpiece: a statue depicting an American G.I. and a Filipino soldier being offered water by a Filipino woman during the Death March. Since its dedication, the memorial has become the site of annual meetings of WWII veterans who survived the infamous Death March. It has also come to be the site of annual gatherings of Filipinos and Americans celebrating Filipino-American Friendship Day on April 9th. The Battle of Bataan lasted from January 7 to April 9, 1942, and marked the most vital phase of the Empire of Japan's invasion of the Philippines during World War II. The United States defended the Commonwealth of the Philippines, but ultimately the battle resulted in the largest surrender in both American and Filipino military history. The forced transfer of 60,000-80,000 Filipino and American prisoners of war (POWs), known as the Bataan Death March, began on April 9. The POWs were subjected to physical abuse and murder. An estimated 2,500 to 10,000 POWs died before reaching Camp O'Donnell. After Bataan fell, organized opposition against Imperial Japan in the Philippines became decimated. The Battle of Corregidor was waged on May 5 and 6 and resulted in another American-Filipino defeat. This event marked the fall of both the Philippines and Asia to Imperial Japan. American and Filipino forces were able to recapture the island in 1945 and the Bataan Death March was declared a war crime following the end of World War II.
Original color digital images by Kyle Messamore, October 10, 2013.
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
Erected in Downtown Orlando’s Lake Eola Park in 1988, the red Chinese pagoda-like structure is called a "ting" due to its single story. It was constructed out of wood, ceramic, brick, and mortar. Dr. Nelson Ying bestowed the ting to the City of Orlando and Mayor Bill Frederick in 1987. Ying, director of The China Group Incorporated, chose to dedicate the pavilion to beautify Downtown Orlando and offer a place for international exchange for the mayor and dignitaries. Two years before the ting was gifted in 1985, Ying worked closely with Mayor Bill Frederick to secure a sister-city relationship with the City of Guilin by accompanying Frederick on a three-week goodwill trip to China. Guilin’s downtown landscape consists of four lakes, and downtown is easily recognizable by several pagodas that adorn these lakes. Ying intended to honor the young sister-city relationship with Guilin by placing his donation on the edge of Lake Eola in an effort to mirror the sister-city’s landscape. The ting was built in China by the Shanghai Construction Arts and Crafts Corporation, disassembled for shipping to the United States, and then rebuilt in Orlando. The ting is located in the northeast corner of Orlando’s Lake Eola.
Original digital color image by Gianna Borawski, October 8, 2013.
Lyman High School Girls Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps
Lyman High School's Girls Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) during inspection led by Katherine Mendelson in 1998. The Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) is a high school-level education program sponsored by the United States Armed Forces. The program was created by Army Lieutenant Edgar Steevers in 1911 and officially established by the National Defense Act of 1916. The act provided high schools with loans of federal military equipment and assigned active or retired military personnel as instructors.
Original black and white photograph, 1998.
Lyman High School Class of 1991 Graduation
Lyman High School Class of 1991 graduation ceremony. Lyman High School is a Seminole County Public School located in Longwood, Florida. In 1923, a board of trustees agreed to construct a new school to accommodate the growing population in the Longwood and Altamonte Springs area. Construction began at 1725 County Road 427 in 1924 and opened in September 1924 with Professor Howard Douglas as its first principal. Lyman School, as it was originally called, was named after Howard Charles Lyman, a citizen who was active in planning the school's establishment, but died a few days before construction began. In just two years, Lyman became an accredited junior high school and its campus had been expanded with six rooms. With W. J. Wells as principal, the Lyman School achieved accreditation through 12th grade in 1929. In 1963, the school was renamed Lyman High School when it became an accredited institution with Carlton D. Henley as principal. In 1966, Lyman High became integrated with both white and black students. A new campus was constructed at 865 South Ronald Reagan Boulevard in 1969 and the original campus became R. T. Milwee Junior High School. Milwee was named after Rayburn T. Milwee, Sr., who taught at Lyman from 1939 to 1949, served as principal from 1949 to 1952, and finally as Superintendent of Seminole County Schools from 1952 to 1967. In 1970, Seminole County transitioned from the junior high school system to the middle school system, causing Lyman High School to now accommodate ninth grader in addition to 10th, 11th, and 12th graders. During the transition period from 1970 to 1971, the school mandated "double sessions" in which half of the school would attend from 7:00 am to 1:30 pm and the other half would attend from 11:30 am to 6:00 pm. In June of 1971, Milwee Middle school, where Lyman's original campus was, closed and reopened as a satellite campus for Lyman High School during the 1971-1972 school year. For the 1972-1973 academic year, all Lyman students returned to the primary campus and the satellite campus was used for Lake Brantley High School instead. In 2000, Lyman established the Institute for Engineering, a magnet program emphasizing mathematics and science.
Original black and white photograph, June 13, 1991.
Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service
Lyman High School alumna Patricia Simpson. After graduating from Lyman, Simpson began working in a parachute factory in Casselberry, Florida. Shortly afterward, she joined Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES), completing a training course in parachute rigging at Lakehurst Naval Air Station in Jackson, New Jersey. Although the photograph is dated as 1941, it was likely taken sometime after 1942, as WAVES did not exist in that year. WAVES, officially named the U.S. Naval Reserve (Women's Reserve), was established on July 30, 1942, as a division in the United States Navy for women. WAVES was officially part of the Navy and its members held thee same rank and ratings as their male counterparts, received the same pay, and were subject to the same standards for military discipline. Initially, WAVES members were stationed only in the continental U.S. and were barred from serving aboard combat ships or aircraft. Towards the end of World War II, members of WAVES were allowed to serve in a number of U.S. occupied locations, such as Hawaii. Most members of WAVES performed clerical work, but a number served in aviation, medicine, communications, intelligence, storekeeping, science, and technology. On June 12, 1948, women were granted permanent status in the Armed Forces via the Women's Armed Services Integration Act. The V9 WAVE Officer Candidate Volunteer Program and V10 WAVE Enlisted Rating Volunteer Program were discontinued and renamed the W9 Women's Officer Training Program and W10 Women's Enlisted Training Program, respecitvely, because women were no longer volunteers as the WAVES acronym implied. Nonetheless, the acronym for WAVES was still used through the 1970s.
Lakehurst Naval Air Station, Jackson, New Jersey
Lyman High School student at the chalkboard during a TEC Club meeting during the 1965-1966 school year. Lyman High School is a Seminole County Public School located in Longwood, Florida. In 1923, a board of trustees agreed to construct a new school to accommodate the growing population in the Longwood and Altamonte Springs area. Construction began at 1725 County Road 427 in 1924 and opened in September 1924 with Professor Howard Douglas as its first principal. Lyman School, as it was originally called, was named after Howard Charles Lyman, a citizen who was active in planning the school's establishment, but died a few days before construction began. In just two years, Lyman became an accredited junior high school and its campus had been expanded with six rooms. With W. J. Wells as principal, the Lyman School achieved accreditation through 12th grade in 1929. In 1963, the school was renamed Lyman High School when it became an accredited institution with Carlton D. Henley as principal. In 1966, Lyman High became integrated with both white and black students. A new campus was constructed at 865 South Ronald Reagan Boulevard in 1969 and the original campus became R. T. Milwee Junior High School. Milwee was named after Rayburn T. Milwee, Sr., who taught at Lyman from 1939 to 1949, served as principal from 1949 to 1952, and finally as Superintendent of Seminole County Schools from 1952 to 1967. In 1970, Seminole County transitioned from the junior high school system to the middle school system, causing Lyman High School to now accommodate ninth grader in addition to 10th, 11th, and 12th graders. During the transition period from 1970 to 1971, the school mandated "double sessions" in which half of the school would attend from 7:00 am to 1:30 pm and the other half would attend from 11:30 am to 6:00 pm. In June of 1971, Milwee Middle school, where Lyman's original campus was, closed and reopened as a satellite campus for Lyman High School during the 1971-1972 school year. For the 1972-1973 academic year, all Lyman students returned to the primary campus and the satellite campus was used for Lake Brantley High School instead. In 2000, Lyman established the Institute for Engineering, a magnet program emphasizing mathematics and science.
Seminole High School Girls Diamond Ball, 1938
Seminole High School Senior Diamond Ball Champions in 1938. Photographed from left to right is Edna Stich, Ellen Betts, Louise Hardin, Donna Morgan, Doris Lake, Eloise Lowe, Anna Greer, Guerite McKenny, and Eda Stich. Originally located at 301 West Seventh Street in Sanford, Florida, Seminole High School was first established as Sanford High School in 1902. The building was designed by W. G. Talley in the Romanesque revival style. Due to an increasing student population, a new school building was constructed on Sanford Avenue in 1911. The original building on Seventh Street served as Westside Grammar Elementary School, which was later renamed Sanford Grammar School. In 1984, the building was placed on the National Registry of Historic Places and converted into the Student Museum. The building reopened as the University of Central Florida's Public History Center in 2012. In 1927, a high school campus was designed by Elton J. Moughton in the Mediterranean revival style and constructed at 1700 French Avenue. The school reopened on January 10 and was renamed Seminole High School. In 1960, the high school moved to a new campus at 2701 Ridgewood Avenue and the former building on French Avenue was converted to Sanford Junior High School, which was later renamed Sanford Middle School. The old building was demolished in the summer of 1991 and replaced by a $5.77 million school complex. As of 2013, Seminole High School offers various Advanced Placement courses, the Academy for Health Careers, and the International Baccalaureate Programme for students.
Original 5 x 2.75 inch sepia photograph, 1938: Special Project 100th Anniversary SCPS Box, Seminole County Public Schools Collection, UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida.