A History of Central Florida, Episode 43: Surfboards
Episode 43 of A History of Central Florida podcasts: Surfboards. RICHES Podcast Documentaries are short form narrative documentaries that explore Central Florida history and are locally produced. These podcasts can involve the participation or cooperation of local area partners. Episode 43 features a discussion of surfboards and surfing in Central Florida, including surfboards displayed at the Halifax Historical Museum in Daytona Beach, Florida. This podcast also includes interviews with Dr. Mark Howard Long of the University of Central Florida and photographer and painter Paul Aho.
Original 15-minute and 26-second podcast by Christopher Brooke, 2015: RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Orlando, Florida. https://youtu.be/XSWvE9n2cl8.
RICHES
Indian River Citrus Museum
Halifax Historical Museum
Florida Memory Project
Library of Congress
Internet Archive
Halifax Historical Museum, Daytona Beach, Florida
Letter from A. Worley Brown to Pilgrim Black (May 21, 1962)
Letter of correspondence from A. Worley Brown, chairman of the Florida Industrial Commission, to Pilgrim Black written on May 21, 1962. In the letter, Brown informs Black that he has been scheduled for summer agricultural labor outside of Florida, as approved by the Florida State Employment Service. Pilgrim Black was born in 1905, although some records list 1907 as his birth year. Pilgrim and Lula Mae Haynes Black were migrant crew leaders, and thus migrated to Wayne County in Upstate New York in the summers and back to their home in Sanford for the rest of the year. Pilgrim was the son of Harry Black (d. 1911) and Maggie Benjamin Black (ca.1870-ca.1934), who migrated to Sanford from South Carolina in the 1800s. Harry and Maggie had several children: Leckward Black, Mustar Black, Malachi Black, Leatha Black Walker (1889-1976), Pilgrim Black, Margaret Black Jones (1889-1976), and Harriett Black Lawson. In 1911, Harry owned a grocery store at 206 South Sanford Avenue. One day, he came home from work with pneumonia and passed away shortly thereafter. Pilgrim was nine years old when his father passed away. Maggie was the daughter of former slaves, Isaac and Roseanna Benjamin, and the sister of Nathan Benjamin, Pledge Benjamin, Sam Benjamin, Loui Benjamin, Chainey Benjamin, Lara Benjamin, Melvina Benjamin, and Katie Benjamin. Pilgrim had to quit school at age eleven in order to provide for his mother, originally working in a mill house until he was 18n years old. After declining a management position, he traveled to Wayne County to pick cherries, apples, pears, and other crops. He broke a bone after falling from an apple tree his first year and decided to try farm labor on a potato farm in Red Creek, New York, instead. Don Holdridge, the farmer who owned the land, noted Pilgrim's high rate of productivity and offered him a management position supervising up to thirty workers at once, which he accepted. While in Sanford, Pilgrim also worked as a foreman in Sanford for Chase & Company for over 30 years. He married Lula in 1937 and they had several children together, including Vivian Louise Black (1940- ); Lula Yvonne Black (1942- ); Charles Samuel Black (1945- ); Pilgrim Black, Jr. (ca.1947- ), and Patricia Ann Black (1956- ).
Original letter from A. Worley Brown to Pilgrim Black, May 21, 1962: Private Collection of Patricia Ann Black.
"I Got You (I Feel Good)" by Arturo Sandoval
An audio recording of "I Got You (I Feel Good)," composed by James Brown (1933-2006), and performed by Arturo Sandoval (b. 1949) live on-air on WUCF-FM on October 9, 1999. A protégé of trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie (1917-1993), who was the first musician to bring Latin influences into American jazz, Cuban-born Sandoval became one of the most celebrated trumpeters of all-time, winning ten Grammy Awards, six Billboard Awards, and an Emmy Award. Sandoval defected to the United States while touring with Gillespie in 1990. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama (b. 1961) in 2013. Arturo Sandoval's Jazz Club was briefly open in Miami Beach, Florida, in the late 2000s. "I Got You (I Feel Good)" was written and recorded as a single by Brown, who is often referred to as the "Godfather of Soul," in 1965, becoming his highest charting song.
Original 6-minute and 56-second audio recording: Brown, James. "I Got You (I Feel Good)," by Arturo Sandoval: WUCF-FM, Orlando, Florida, October 9, 1999.
WUCF-FM
WUCF-FM, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida
Arturo Sandoval Jazz Club, Deauville Beach Resort, Miami Beach, Florida
Cut-down Isleworth Seedlings cut down at Isleworth Grove in Windermere, Florida, in the Spring of 1924. Citrus growers often pruned seedlings to produce higher quality fruit. 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 black and white photographs by C. E. Browne, 1924: box 215, Chase Collection (MS 14), Special and Area Studies Collections, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.
Sixteenth Census Population for Garrett, Maryland, 1940
A Sixteenth United States census record for Garrett, Maryland for 1940. The census divides the population into categories of name, age, sex, race, marital status, occupants and relation to head of house, status of the house (farm, own, rent), and citizenship. On this record, Thomas Robert Savage (1892-1941) is listed as head of house (line 29), though his wife Della is listed first. Because of this, it is likely that Thomas was at work when the census recorder gathered their information. Thus, the whole family's race is listed as white, probably based on Della's complexion as a biracial woman. This could also account for other inconsistencies in this record, such as Thomas's parents' birthplace. Thomas Robert Savage was born on March 27, 1892 in Eastern Shore, Virginia. Though little is known about his childhood and early life, we do know he could read and write. On June 5, 1917, Savage, like many, registered for the draft in Portsmouth, Virginia. It is likely he married his wife, Della, before being inducted and serving in Europe. He was inducted into the United States Army on August 3, 1918 and served as a corporal in Company C of the 540th Engineers. From October 27, 1918 to May 21, 1919, Savage and his unit worked overseas in a behind-the-lines role, repairing roads and building barracks to keep the rest of the army moving. After returning to the United States, he resumed life with his wife. They eventually moved to Maryland, where Savage worked as a driver. He died on April 7, 1941. He is buried in the St. Augustine National Cemetery, Florida at Section D Grave 3. In 2017, the University of Central Florida was one of three universities selected to launch the National Cemetery Administration’s Veterans Legacy Program Project. The program engaged a team of scholars to make the life stories of veterans buried in the Florida National Cemetery available to the public. The project engages UCF students in research and writing and fosters collaboration between students, faculty and local Central Florida schools to produce interactive curriculum for k-12 students. The corresponding website exhibit uses RICHES Mosaic Interface to create a digital archive of related data. The public can use the project-developed augmented-reality app at more than 100 gravesites at the Florida National Cemetery, where they can access the UCF student-authored biographies of veterans.
United States Census Bureau
Digital reproduction of original census record by John Q. Browning, April 3, 1940: Garrett, Maryland, Page 6A, Enumeration District 12-10A, Roll m-t0627-01550.
The draft registration card for Willie Roberts (1892-1992), who enlisted in the United States military during World War I. The card contains the demographic information for the soldier including name, age, home address, date of birth, place of birth, race, citizenship, trade or occupation, number of dependents, whether tall, medium, or short, slender, medium, or stout, eye and hair color, whether bald, and disabilities. World War I draft registration cards were completed by approximately 24 million men living in the U.S. in 1917 and 1918. Willie Roberts enlisted in his hometown of Starke, Florida, on April 26, 1918. He served in the United States Reserve Labor Battalion, Quartermaster Corps till his discharge with rank of private on April 11, 1919. Born on March 25, 1892 in Starke, Florida, Willie Roberts spent his entire life in the state of Florida. He served in the United States Army during World War I. After the war, he married Ruth Plessley he had a daughter named Geneve. Roberts worked in the railroad industry, eventually moving to Jacksonville working as a train porter. Roberts died on February 29, 1992 in Lake City, Florida and is buried in the Bushnell National Cemetery in Bushnell, Florida. In 2017, the University of Central Florida was one of three universities selected to launch the National Cemetery Administration’s Veterans Legacy Program. The program engaged a team of scholars to make the life stories of veterans buried in the Florida National Cemetery available to the public. The project engages UCF students in research and writing and fosters collaboration between students, faculty and local Central Florida schools to produce interactive curriculum for k-12 students. The corresponding website exhibit uses RICHES Mosaic Interface to create a digital archive of related data. The public can use the project-developed augmented-reality app at more than 100 gravesites at the Florida National Cemetery, where they can access the UCF student-authored biographies of veterans.
War Department, Office of Provost Marshal General, Selective Service System
Digital reproduction of original draft registration card.
Certificate of Death for John W. Donaldson, 1946
The certificate of death for John W. Donaldson (1897-1946). John was admitted to the Veterans Administration Hospital in Kerr County, Texas, on February 9, 1946, for tuberculosis treatment. After arrival at the hospital, he suffered a cerebral thrombosis and was pronounced dead at 10pm on February 11 at the age of 48. Other information provided on the document included his parents' names and his marriage status. John W. Donaldson (1897-1946) was born on September 8, 1897, to John F. and Hattie Donaldson in Waldo, Florida. He enlisted in the United States Army in March of 1918, at the age of 20, and was assigned to the Motor Transport Corps of the 5th Division. John trained at Camp Johnston in Jacksonville, Florida, before leaving for New Jersey, where he set sail aboard the USS America on June 10, 1918, and arrived at Brest, France, on June 19, 1918. He spent some time at Camp Pontanezen, a crowded rest camp, where soldiers performed construction work. In France, John served as a chauffeur in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. During the intense six-week battle, John sustained shrapnel wounds on his left knee and burns on his neck. Before being honorably discharged on May 3, 1920, he rose to the rank of Sergeant Major, the highest rank for a non-commissioned officer. Donaldson returned to Florida after discharge, where he married Archie K. Hughes in 1924, in Winter Haven. In 1929, they had a son named Delbert. The couple divorced in 1931. He visited VA hospitals in North Carolina and Bay Pines, Florida, for tuberculosis treatment. On April 10, 1937, John married again to Lillie May Holloway, but they divorced some time after. John was admitted to the VA hospital in Kerrville, Texas, on February 9, 1946, and died two days later due to cerebral thrombosis. He rests in Bay Pines National Cemetery at Section 11, Row 2, Site 13. In 2017, the University of Central Florida was one of three universities selected to launch the National Cemetery Administration’s Veterans Legacy Program Project. The program engaged a team of scholars to make the life stories of veterans buried in the Florida National Cemetery available to the public. The project engages UCF students in research and writing and fosters collaboration between students, faculty and local Central Florida schools to produce interactive curriculum for K-12 students. The corresponding website exhibit uses RICHES Mosaic Interface to create a digital archive of related data. The public can use the project-developed augmented-reality app at more than 100 gravesites at the Florida National Cemetery, where they can access the UCF student-authored biographies of veterans.
Bureau of Vital Statistics, Texas Department of State Health Services
Digital reproduction of original certificate of death, February 11, 1946: State Registrar Office, Austin, Texas, certificate number 8907.
Letter from Shlora Bruth to Herly Mae Wainright (February 13, 1981)
A letter from Shlora Bruth to Herly Mae Wainright dated February 13, 1981. In the letter, Bruth declines an invitation to attend the 75th anniversary celebration of the Oviedo Woman's Club (OWC), which was founded in 1906 as the Oviedo Magazine Club by seven charter members: H. B. McCall, Edith Meade, Georgia Lee Wheeler, Lillian Lee Lawton, Mattie Aulin Wheeler, Milcah Yonge, and Mary King. The first clubhouse was constructed in 1914 and also served as Oviedo's first library. In 1916, the club joined the Florida Federation of Women's Clubs (FFWC) and officially changed its name to the Oviedo Woman's Club. In 1923, the woman's club was federated under the umbrella of the General Federation of Woman's Clubs (GFWC). A new clubhouse was built in 1961 on property donated by R. L. Croom, a former member, which is located at 414 King Street. The Oviedo Woman's Club is involved in many civic projects, including the annual Great Day in the Country Arts and Crafts Festival, the Spring Fundraiser, Tasting Luncheons, and Celebrate Spring Teas.
Original letter from Shlora Bruth to Herly Mae Wainright, February 13, 1981: Private Collection of Beatrice Gestrich.
Oviedo Woman's Club
In this interview, Ingrid Bryant, a long-time resident of Oviedo, Florida, recalls her experiences growing up and living in this community. Bryant discusses her birth in Munich, Germany, in 1944, during the height of World War II, and her subsequent immigration to the United States. Bryant reminisces about the difficulties that faced her in Orlando, specifically her language barrier. She then goes on to talk about her success at Oviedo High School, her eventual mastery of English, and her decision to become an American citizen. Bryant talks at length about her family and her love for Oviedo. She also highlights her efforts to obtain a Catholic Church for the Oviedo area and her membership in the Oviedo Historical Society (OHS). She also voices her strong feelings about the new plan for Oviedo’s downtown and her desire for the creation of a museum to showcase Oviedo’s rich history.
Bryant, Ingrid. Interviewed by Erin Montgomery, March 21, 2015. Audio/video record available. Oviedo History Harvest, Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
RICHES of Central Florida
Most Precious Blood Catholic Church, Oviedo, Florida
PO Box Receipt for R. C. M. Zachary (September 30, 1954)
A receipt for a PO box for R. C. M. Zachary with the box number that he paid for, listed along with the dates of purchase and when the rent for the PO box expires. In addition, the receipt shows the exact amount of $4.52 that Zachary paid along with the stamp of approval from postmaster L. A. Bryant Jr.
Original receipt, September 30, 1954: Orlando Remembered Exhibit, Downtown Orlando Post Office, Downtown Orlando, Florida.
Downtown Orlando Post Office, Downtown Orlando, Florida
Letter from Lucius A. Bryant, Jr. to H. V. Campbell (November 11, 1975)
A letter from Orlando Postmaster Lucius A. Bryant, Jr. (ca. 1919-2012) to H. V. Campbell, the manager of the Tampa district. The letter is regarding a memorandum from November 3, 1973, that requests any obsolete artifacts from the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), to be donated to the Florida Bureau of Historical Museums. The bureau was established in 1967 when the Florida Legislature established the Florida Board of Archives and History to replace the Florida Board of Antiquities. The board included three additional bureaus: the Bureau of Archives and Records Management, the Bureau of Historic Sites and Properties, and the Bureau of Publications. In 1969, the Florida Division of Archives, History and Records Management was created to replace the board. The division was later renamed the Florida Division of Historical Resources in 1986.
Original letter from Lucius A. Bryant, Jr. to H. V. Campbell, November 11, 1975: Private Collection of Texann Ivy Buck.
Letter from Lucius A. Bryant, Jr. to George A. Chatelain (October 9, 1954)
A letter from Orlando Postmaster Lucius A. Bryant, Jr. (ca. 1919-2012) to George A. Chatelain of Mansura, Louisiana. This letter was written in response to Chatelain’s inquiry regarding the purchase of sweet potatoes. Bryant suggests Otto Cooper, presumably a local farmer. After serving in the U.S. Army during World War II, Bryant settled in Orlando's College Park neighborhood. At the time of his death in 2012, Bryant was the longest-serving postmaster for Orlando, a position that he held from 1951 to 1983. In 1952, William Beardall (1890-1954) appointed Bryant to the local aviation advisory board, which he served of for 22 years.
Original letter, October 9, 1954 from Lucius A. Bryant, Jr. to George A. Chatelain: Private Collection of Texann Ivy Buck.
Routing Slip to Lucius A. Bryant, Jr. (December 14, 1966)
A routing slip addressed to Orlando Postmaster Lucius A. Bryant, Jr. (ca. 1919-2012) regarding a visit by Germain Gerin to the Downtown Orlando Post Office in Downtown Orlando, Florida. Gerin, an employee of a post office in Paris, was visiting her son, John Gerin, for Christmas. John was a French exchange student studying at Bishop Moore High School and living with Richard Rupp's family. After serving in the U.S. Army during World War II, Bryant settled in Orlando's College Park neighborhood. At the time of his death in 2012, Bryant was the longest-serving postmaster for Orlando, a position that he held from 1951 to 1983. In 1952, William Beardall (1890-1984) appointed Bryant to the local aviation advisory board, which he served on for 22 years.
Original routing slip to Lucius A. Bryant, Jr., December 14, 1966: Private Collection of Texann Ivy Buck.
Letter from Lucius A. Bryant, Jr. to Germain Gerin (December 12, 1966)
A letter from Orlando Postmaster Lucius A. Bryant, Jr. (ca. 1919-2012) to Germain Gerin. In the letter, Bryant invites gerin to visit the Downtown Orlando Post Office in Downtown Orlando, Florida. Gerin, an employee of a post office in Paris, was visiting her son, John Gerin, for Christmas. John was a French exchange student studying at Bishop Moore High School and living with Richard Rupp's family. After serving in the U.S. Army during World War II, Bryant settled in Orlando's College Park neighborhood. At the time of his death in 2012, Bryant was the longest-serving postmaster for Orlando, a position that he held from 1951 to 1983. In 1952, William Beardall (1890-1984) appointed Bryant to the local aviation advisory board, which he served on for 22 years.
Original letter from Lucius A. Bryant, Jr. to Germain Gerin, December 12, 1966: Private Collection of Texann Ivy Buck.
The widow's claim for pension for Letty Buchanan. The government record served to prove relationships and dependency for widow’s of those who died in the American Civil War. It contains specifics about how the couple met, who wed them, where they were wed, the birth and names of their children, and any other information that corroborates that they were married. It also guarantees that if the widow remarries, she will lose pension benefits. In the case of this pension, Letty Buchanan received seventeen dollars a month, plus an additional dollar per child under her care born to Thomas Buchanan. Thomas Buchanan was born on January 21, 1823, in Williamson County, Tennessee. Buchanan eventually moved to Kentucky, married Letty Greene on November 5, 1846, and fathered six children with her. According to a letter to his parents, Buchanan may have been a member of the Kentucky Home Guard in 1861, as he fought off secessionists. Later, when Kentucky’s neutrality was violated by the Confederacy, Buchanan was mustered into the 7th Kentucky Infantry U.S. He fought in a number of battles, including the Siege of Vicksburg, where he was mortally wounded. Buchanan passed away in a Union hospital a few weeks later. His widow, Letty, went on to collect his pension until 1916. She passed away in 1936. Thomas Buchanan is buried in the Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell. In 2017, the University of Central Florida was one of three universities selected to launch the National Cemetery Administration’s Veterans Legacy Program Project. The program engaged a team of scholars to make the life stories of veterans buried in the Florida National Cemetery available to the public. The project engages UCF students in research and writing and fosters collaboration between students, faculty and local Central Florida schools to produce interactive curriculum for k-12 students. The corresponding website exhibit uses RICHES Mosaic Interface to create a digital archive of related data. The public can use the project-developed augmented-reality app at more than 100 gravesites at the Florida National Cemetery, where they can access the UCF student-authored biographies of veterans.
Digital reproduction of original widow’s claim for pension, September 2, 1863.
Oral History of Alice Kathryn Aulin Bunch
An oral history interview of Alice Kathryn Aulin Bunch (1926-), conducted by Porsha Dossie on April 18, 2015. Bunch was born in in Oviedo, Florida, on July 2, 1926. After graduating from Oviedo High School, Bunch began working in a bank in Downtown Orlando. On August 17, 1946, she married Richard Burdette Bunch (1924-) and together they had two daughters: Mary Kathryn Bunch Hamby (1947-) and Billy Beatrice Bunch Parrot (1948-). In the interview, Bunch discusses attending high school during World War II, her career as a bank teller, how she met her husband, the founding families of Oviedo, church and her social life growing up, the influence of the military on Oviedo, the artifacts that she contributed to the Oviedo History Harvest, her parents and her siblings, and how Oviedo has changed over time.
Bunch, Alice Kathryn Aulin. Interviewed by Porsha Dossie, April 18, 2015. Audio/video record available. Oviedo History Harvest, Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
Freedmen’s Bureau Application for William Hewlin
The Freedmen’s Bureau application for William Hewlin. The application provides specific information from his time in the military, including enlistment date and location and muster in and muster out dates. The notes at the bottom of the document indicate that he was a slave upon enlistment and joined the original organization of the First South Carolina Volunteer Infantry. The names of fellow African American Civil War veterans Thomas Hanandos and Martin Nateel appear on the application as well. The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, also known as the Freedmen's Bureau, was established in the War Department by an act of Congress on March 3, 1865. The Bureau was responsible for the supervision and management of all matters relating to refugees and freedmen, and of lands abandoned or seized during the Civil War. William Hewlin was a runaway slave from Saint Augustine, Florida. On January 12, 1863, Hewlin enlisted into the Company B, First Regiment South Carolina Volunteer Infantry, serving as a Private during the American Civil War. During his time in the military, he was granted an official absence on furlough to marry his wife, Victoria, on February 7, 1864. After the war, he and his wife settled in Saint Augustine, where they had four children: George, John, Cato, and Julia. Hewlin passed away sometime before or during the year 1890, and later was buried in the Saint Augustine National Cemetery in Saint Augustine, Florida, in Section A, Plot 185. In 2017, the University of Central Florida was one of three universities selected to launch the National Cemetery Administration’s Veterans Legacy Program Project. The program engaged a team of scholars to make the life stories of veterans buried in the Florida National Cemetery available to the public. The project engages UCF students in research and writing and fosters collaboration between students, faculty and local Central Florida schools to produce interactive curriculum for K-12 students. The corresponding website exhibit uses RICHES Mosaic Interface to create a digital archive of related data. The public can use the project-developed augmented-reality app at more than 100 gravesites at the Florida National Cemetery, where they can access the UCF student-authored biographies of veterans.
Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands
Digital reproduction of original Freedmen’s Bureau Application: National Archives and Records Administration.
Certificate of Marriage for Willie Roberts and Ruth Plessley
Certificate of marriage for Willie Roberts and Ruth Plessley in Bradford County, Florida, on November 10, 1920. An affidavit representative affirms the legitimacy of the marriage between the groom and bride, detailing their age at the time of marriage along with their signatures. The certificate also lists the date of sworn notary and the name and signature of the authorized affidavit representative. Willie Roberts enlisted in his hometown of Starke, Florida, on April 26, 1918. He served in the United States Reserve Labor Battalion, Quartermaster Corps till his discharge with rank of private on April 11, 1919. Born on March 25, 1892 in Starke, Florida, Willie Roberts spent his entire life in the state of Florida. He served in the United States Army during World War I. After the war, he married Ruth Plessley he had a daughter named Geneve. Roberts worked in the railroad industry, eventually moving to Jacksonville working as a train porter. Roberts died on February 29, 1992, in Lake City, Florida and is buried in the Bushnell National Cemetery in Bushnell. In 2017, the University of Central Florida was one of three universities selected to launch the National Cemetery Administration’s Veterans Legacy Program Project. The program engaged a team of scholars to make the life stories of veterans buried in the Florida National Cemetery available to the public. The project engages UCF students in research and writing and fosters collaboration between students, faculty and local Central Florida schools to produce interactive curriculum for k-12 students. The corresponding website exhibit uses RICHES Mosaic Interface to create a digital archive of related data. The public can use the project-developed augmented-reality app at more than 100 gravesites at the Florida National Cemetery, where they can access the UCF student-authored biographies of veterans.
Digital reproduction of original marriage certificate recorded by the Clerk of the Circuit Court, November 10, 1920.
Certificate of Death for Charles Wade, 1938
The certificate of death for Charles E.T. Wade. The form lists the city, county and state an individual died in, their full name, spouse’s name, race, gender, age, occupation, birthplace and other personal information. Charles E.T. Wade was born in the West Indies and migrated to Maryland. Before serving in the United States Army, he worked as a laborer. On March 25, 1899, Wade enlisted as a Private in the Company K Ninth United States Cavalry Regiment in Baltimore, Maryland. He served in the Western United States, escorting funds for Native Americans. In the early 1900s, during the Philippine-American War, the Ninth Cavalry was stationed in the Philippine Islands, guarding small villages and military bases. Wade was honorably discharged on March 24, 1902, in Draga, Philippines, and remained there following his service. He married a Philippine woman named Seage Awai Soong and had a daughter, Federica Wade, born in 1910. On July 2, 1935, Wade traveled back to the United States and died three years later on December 10, 1938, in Jacksonville, Florida. He was interned at St. Augustine National Cemetery on December 28, 1938, in section A row 218. In 2017, the University of Central Florida was one of three universities selected to launch the National Cemetery Administration’s Veterans Legacy Program Project. The program engaged a team of scholars to make the life stories of veterans buried in the Florida National Cemetery available to the public. The project engages UCF students in research and writing and fosters collaboration between students, faculty and local Central Florida schools to produce interactive curriculum for K-12 students. The corresponding website exhibit uses RICHES Mosaic Interface to create a digital archive of related data. The public can use the project-developed augmented-reality app at more than 100 gravesites at the Florida National Cemetery, where they can access the UCF student-authored biographies of veterans.
Digital reproduction of original certificate of death, December 10, 1938: Bureau of Vital Statistics.
Marriage License and Certificate of Marriage for Lester Magrath and Hazel Snyder
The marriage license and certificate of marriage for Lester Magrath and Hazel Snyder, who were married on July 3, 1943. Magrath was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on June 6, 1921, to Louise and Clifton Magrath. After graduating high school, he enlisted in the United States Army Air Corp. Magrath married his wife, Hazel, in Hillsborough County, Florida, in 1943. Magrath served in the Air Corp until 1972, achieving the rank of Master Sargent. After his service, Magrath retired to Valrico, Florida, where he died on July 18, 1996. Lester Magrath is memorialized in Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell. In 2017, the University of Central Florida was one of three universities selected to launch the National Cemetery Administration’s Veterans Legacy Program Project. The program engaged a team of scholars to make the life stories of veterans buried in the Florida National Cemetery available to the public. The project engages UCF students in research and writing and fosters collaboration between students, faculty and local Central Florida schools to produce interactive curriculum for k-12 students. The corresponding website exhibit uses RICHES Mosaic Interface to create a digital archive of related data. The public can use the project-developed augmented-reality app at more than 100 gravesites at the Florida National Cemetery, where they can access the UCF student-authored biographies of veterans.
Bureau of Vital Statistics, Florida Department of Health
Digital reproduction of original marriage license and certificate of marriage, July 3, 1943.
Marriage License and Certificate of Marriage for John W. Donaldson and Archie K. Hughes
The marriage license and certificate of marriage for John W. Donaldson and Archie K. Hughes, who were married in Winter Haven, Florida, on March 26, 1924. Because Archie was under 21 at the time of marriage, her mother had to sign a consent form. John W. Donaldson (1897-1946) was born on September 8, 1897, to John F. and Hattie Donaldson in Waldo, Florida. He enlisted in the United States Army in March of 1918, at the age of 20, and was assigned to the Motor Transport Corps of the 5th Division. John trained at Camp Johnston in Jacksonville, Florida, before leaving for New Jersey, where he set sail aboard the USS America on June 10, 1918, and arrived at Brest, France, on June 19, 1918. He spent some time at Camp Pontanezen, a crowded rest camp, where soldiers performed construction work. In France, John served as a chauffeur in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. During the intense six-week battle, John sustained shrapnel wounds on his left knee and burns on his neck. Before being honorably discharged on May 3, 1920, he rose to the rank of Sergeant Major, the highest rank for a non-commissioned officer. Donaldson returned to Florida after discharge, where he married Archie K. Hughes in 1924, in Winter Haven. In 1929, they had a son named Delbert. The couple divorced in 1931. He visited VA hospitals in North Carolina and Bay Pines, Florida, for tuberculosis treatment. On April 10, 1937, John married again to Lillie May Holloway, but they divorced some time after. John was admitted to the VA hospital in Kerrville, Texas, on February 9, 1946, and died two days later due to cerebral thrombosis. He rests in Bay Pines National Cemetery at Section 11, Row 2, Site 13. In 2017, the University of Central Florida was one of three universities selected to launch the National Cemetery Administration’s Veterans Legacy Program Project. The program engaged a team of scholars to make the life stories of veterans buried in the Florida National Cemetery available to the public. The project engages UCF students in research and writing and fosters collaboration between students, faculty and local Central Florida schools to produce interactive curriculum for K-12 students. The corresponding website exhibit uses RICHES Mosaic Interface to create a digital archive of related data. The public can use the project-developed augmented-reality app at more than 100 gravesites at the Florida National Cemetery, where they can access the UCF student-authored biographies of veterans.
Digital reproduction of original marriage license and certificate of marriage, March 26, 1924: Polk County Clerk of Court.
The Naval Air Station Sanford Memorial, located at Veterans Memorial Park in Sanford, Florida. On May 30, 2003, the monument was commemorated to the Navy servicemen who served at the Naval Air Station Sanford, and features a fully restored RA-5C Vigilante. The Naval Air Station (NAS) Sanford was commissioned on November 3, 1942 as a naval aviation training facility during World War II. The Navy continued to train pilots at NAS Sanford throughout the Korean and Vietnam Wars. NAS Sanford was temporarily decommissioned after World War II in 1946 and then recommissioned as the Naval Auxiliary Air Station (NAAS) Sanford in 1950 due to the outbreak of the Korean War and the ongoing Cold War. Soon afterward, the station was renamed NAS Sanford and redesignated as a full naval air station. On February 6, 1959, NAS Sanford was dedicated as Ramey Field in honor of Lieutenant Commander Robert W. Ramey. In 1968, due to lack of funding caused by the Vietnam War, Congress directed the closure of NAS Sanford. The City of Sanford assumed authority over the former NAS Sanford facility the year after it closed and renamed it the Sanford Airport, which was managed by Commander J. S. "Red" Cleveland. The airport underwent various name changes over the next several decades: Sanford Regional Airport, Central Florida Regional Airport, Orlando-Sanford Regional Airport, and its current name, Orlando-Sanford International Airport. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, several Naval buildings were demolished and new buildings were constructed.
Original color digital image by David Burel, February 17, 2011.
Fifteenth Census Population for Miami, Dade County, Florida, 1930
The Fifteenth United States census records for Miami, Florida, for 1930. The census divides the population into categories of name, age, sex, race, marital status, occupants and relation to head of house, whether the home is owned or rented, value of home or rent, whether home is a farm residence, whether the home has a radio. It also records college attendance, literacy, birthplace and birthplace of parents, citizenship status, language spoken before coming to United States, year of immigration, occupation or business, class of worker, whether they worked the previous day, military status, and the war or expedition participated in. A notable resident listed in the record is Ray Edward Knowles (1925-1991). Born on July 6, 1925, in Miami, Florida, Knowles's was adopted by his older sister and her husband after his mother passed away. He enlisted in the United States Navy on April 29, 1943, and served as a naval painter. He was promoted to Petty Officer Third Class before he left the Navy on February 8, 1945. Knowles moved back to Miami after completing his service. He passed away on December 17, 1991, and is memorialized at Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell, Florida. In 2017, the University of Central Florida was one of three universities selected to launch the National Cemetery Administration’s Veterans Legacy Program Project. The program engaged a team of scholars to make the life stories of veterans buried in the Florida National Cemetery available to the public. The project engages UCF students in research and writing and fosters collaboration between students, faculty and local Central Florida schools to produce interactive curriculum for k-12 students. The corresponding website exhibit uses RICHES Mosaic Interface to create a digital archive of related data. The public can use the project-developed augmented-reality app at more than 100 gravesites at the Florida National Cemetery, where they can access the UCF student-authored biographies of veterans.
Digital reproduction of original census record by Myrtle Butler, April 11, 1930.
Postcard showing the American Legion Hall, located at the 900 block of Orange Avenue on Lake Ivanhoe. The hall was constructed in 1938 with a Spanish Colonial Revival Style. The building cost $82,000 and replaced an earlier American Legion Hall built on the same location in May of 1924.The World War I German cannon that was on display outside the entrance was donated to the World War II war effort as scrap metal to make shells to fight Germany once again.
Original 5.5 x 3.5 inch color postcard by C. T. American Art: Asheville Post Card Company, Asheville, North Carolina: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
Postcard showing the Victorian-style Orange County Courthouse with Lake Eola in the background. The streets are Main Street (present-day Magnolia Avenue) and Central Avenue (present-day Central Boulevard). The Orange County Courthouse was constructed in 1892 and its cornerstone was laid on January 15, 1892. The architect was A. S. Wagner and the general contractor was the W. C. Green Company of Chicago, Illinois. The red brick, three-story building, which cost $57,000, was built in the Gothic Revival style with a eighty-foot high clock tower. The clock and bell were provided for by W. C. Sherman, a local businessman who raised several thousand dollars for the project. The clock mechanism was manufactured by Dent, London, founded by Edward John Dent, the company which made the Big Ben clock movement in London, England. The bell in the tower weighed 1,500 pounds, was tuned "F", was selected by local musician Harry Newell, and, as of 2011, is on display in the lobby of the Orange County Courthouse. The Orange County Courthouse occupied the building until 1927, when a new primary courthouse was constructed next door. Afterward, it was used for Orange County offices. On July 30, 1957, the building was condemned and then demolished on December 30, 1957. A new Orange County Courthouse Annex building was constructed on the site. In the late 1990s, the Courthouse Annex was demolished and replaced with an urban park called Heritage Square, owned by Orange County. The gray building on the right is the McEwan Clinic, located at 100 East Central Boulevard, which was constructed in 1911. The original owner was Dr. John Singer McEwan. The building was designed to be Orlando's first public hospital. A third story was added circa 1920 to make a total of twenty hospital rooms. Apart from being a hospital and clinic, it was also the Florida Public Service Corporation, later the office of the Florida Gas Company, clothing stores (Artistry), and a 7-Eleven. As of 2011, it is the Central Station Bar. Across the Main Street from the Courthouse is the Orlando Lawn Bowling Clubs grounds.
Postcard showing the Masonic Temple, located on 205 East Central Boulevard in Orlando, Florida. The building was constructed in the 20th Century Commercial style in 1925 and was dedicated on January 13, 1926. The original owner was the Free and Associated Masons of Orlando from 1926 until 1982. The building was purchased in 1982 for $660,000 and underwent extensive modifications, including an additional two stories. The building now serves as professional offices.
First Church of Christ, Scientist Postcard
Postcard showing the First Church of Christ, Scientist, formerly located on 24 North Rosalind Avenue. The building was constructed between 1926 and May 1928. Architect George Foote Dunham built it in the Italian Renaissance and Classical Revival style with 2 and a half stories, masonry, a copper dome, and a main facade with a Doric portico. From 1928 to 1975, it was the home of the First Church of Christ, Scientist. The Christian Scientists sold it in 1975 to the St. George Greek Orthodox Church. The Church sits across from Lake Eola and is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Original 5.5 x 3.5 inch color postcard by C. T. American Art Colored: Asheville Post Card Company, Asheville, North Carolina: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
A. B. & A. Passenger Station Postcard
A postcard of the A.B. & A. Passenger Station in Fitzgerald, Georgia. The building was used as a stop on the railway system in the city. Today, the building is used to house the Blue and Gray Museum. This postcard is part of a private collection kept by Roger Hipel of St. Cloud, Florida.
Original 5 x 3 black and white postcard: Private Collection of Roger Hipel.
A. B. & A. Passenger Station, Fitzgerald, Georgia
A postcard depicting a colorized scene of Grant Street in Fitzgerald, Georgia. Automobiles are parked along the sides of the road in front of business buildings. A man is riding his bike in the street heading north. This postcard is part of a private collection kept by Roger Hipel of St. Cloud, Florida.
Original 5 x 3 colored postcard: Private Collection of Roger Hipel.
A postcard of the Lee-Grant Hotel in Fitzgerald, Georgia. On the back of the postcard is a handwritten message addressed to H. E. Bennett of "Southeastern" Bedford, Indiana. The message reads, "10-11-17 Dear Friend, Here I am, way down South, and suppose will be in Southern territory all winter. Will not be localed in any one place long at a time. Give my regards to "Smith" [...], ["Dillan"]. Best wishes to you, E. L. [Chunnley]". In the left corner of the message section of the postcard is a note saying, "Box 119 [...]". This postcard is part of a private collection kept by Roger Hipel of St. Cloud, Florida.
Postcard depicting a colorized artist's rendition of the St. Cloud Hotel located on New York Avenue. St. Cloud built its first hotel named for the town in 1909 as a two-story structure using materials from the Disston Sugar Mill which previously occupied the land. In December of the same year, it was destroyed in a fire. The hotel was rebuilt with stone as opposed to wood shortly after the fire and was expanded to three floors instead of two. The original rebuilt hotel included wrap-around verandas, but by 1927 the verandas were removed, as can be seen in this photo. This postcard is part of a private collection kept by Roger Hipel of St. Cloud, Florida.
Original 5 x 3 inch color postcard: Private Collection of Roger Hipel.
Women's Club and Veterans' Memorial Library Postcard
A colorized artist rendition of the Veterans' Memorial Library in St. Cloud, Florida. Located on Massachusetts Avenue between Tenth and Eleventh Street, the library was dedicated in 1925. Today the building is used for the Women's Club. The back of the postcard includes a handwritten message addressed to Mrs. Dorothy Mac Claren at 818 Fawcett St in McKeesport, Pennsylvania. The message reads, "October 29, 1952. Dear daughter, I presume you read my letter by this time. Here is a view of one of the bldg in St. Cloud. It isn't a large place but it is a nice little town. It keeps Rae busy with the children [always] some thing doing at school &amp
etc. We are expecting Lillian (Rae's mother-in-law) on Friday. She will be surprised to see us. Will write occasionally. Regards to Jack. Mother." This postcard is part of a private collection kept by Roger Hipel of St. Cloud, Florida.
Letter from Sally Cameron to Arthur W. Sinclair (July 25, 1966)
A letter from Sally Cameron, Director of Research for Claude Roy Kirk, Jr.'s (1926-2011) gubernatorial campaign, in response to an earlier letter from Arthur W. Sinclair, the Executive Secretary-Manager for the City of Winter Garden, asking for future action on Lake Apopka if Kirk becomes governor. Cameron writes that Kirk has personally read Sinclair's letter, and has included Lake Apopka restoration within his conservation program. Claude Roy Kirk, Jr. was elected governor in 1966, and formed the Florida Department of Environmental Protection during his time as governor.
Original typewritten letter from Sally Cameron to Arthur W. Sinclair, July 25, 1966: binder 1966, Friends of Lake Apopka Archives, Ginn Museum, Oakland Nature Preserve, Oakland, Florida.
Kirk for Governor State Headquarters, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Westside Grammar Elementary School Report Card for Christine Kinlaw, 1963-1964
Westside Grammar Elementary School report card for fourth-grader Christine Kinlaw during the 1963-1964 school year. Students were evaluated in subjects such as reading, language, spelling, handwriting, social studies, arithmetic, science, health education, physical education, music, art, and Spanish. Kinlaw was evaluated by teacher Lucile Campbell and the principal for that school year was Freeman E. Baggett. 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 report card by Lucile Campbell: Private Collection of Christine Kinlaw-Best.
Westside Grammar Elementary School, Sanford, Florida
Memorandum from Thomas E. Campbell (May 7, 1987)
A memorandum from Thomas E. Campbell regarding recent appointments and realignments of Westinghouse Electric Corporation's Generation Technology Systems Division (GTSD) in 1987. In 1983, the Westinghouse power generation business operation, starting with the Steam Turbine Generator Division, was taking shape in its new Orlando headquarters under the management team led by General Manager Dr. Stan Quick (under E. J. "Gene" Cattabiani, Vice President of the Power Generation Group). This series of letters, memoranda, and charts documents the changes in management leadership at the Orlando site from 1983 through 1998, when the Westinghouse Power Genration Business was acquired by Siemens. Following the announcement of the retirement of Dr. Quick in 1984, the management was led by the team of Bob Ractcliffe and Howard Pierce. In 1987, Tom Campbell was appointed General Manager of the Power Generation Technology Systems Division under Nat Woodsen and Jim Moore, Vice Presidents of the Power Systems Business Unit. In 1988, the Power Generation Business Unit (PGBU) was formed under Frank R. Bakos, Vice President and General Manager (under Executive Vice President Ted Stern), and, in 1995, Randy H. Zwirn took the helm as Vice President and General Manager of the PGBU. He remained at the executive level for 20 years, through the PGBU acquisition by Siemens in 1998 and beyond to 2016. Originally called the Westinghouse Electric Company, George Westinghouse (1846-1914) founded his manufacturing company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on January 8, 1886. In 1889, he renamed his business The Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company. Westinghouse's primary products include turbines, generators, motors and switchgear related to the generation, transmission, and use of electricity. The company changed its name to Westinghouse Electric Corporation in 1945. In 1981, the company began to relocate its division headquarters for the Steam-Turbine Generator Divisions from Pennsylvania (turbines from Lester and generators from Pittsburgh) to Orlando. The PGBU building was located in The Quadrangle, at 4400 Alafaya Trail.
Original 4-page typed memorandum from Thomas E. Campbell, May 7, 1987: Private Collection of Harry L. Jaeger.
Westinghouse Electric Corporation, The Quadrangle, Orlando, Florida
Memorandum from Thomas E. Campbell to Energy Systems Technology Divisions (May 7, 1987)
A memorandum from Thomas E. Campbell regarding recent appointments and realignments of Westinghouse Electric Corporation's Generation Technology Systems Division (GTSD) in 1987. The Steam Turbine Generator Division (STGD) was taking shape under the management team led by General Manager Dr. Stan Quick (under E. J. "Gene" Cattabiani, Vice President of the Power Generation Group) through the changes in management leadership of the team of Bob Ractcliffe and Howard Pierce, Tom Campbell (under Nat Woodsen and Jim Moore), Frank R. Bakos of the Power Generation Business Unit (PGBU), and Randy H. Zwirn, who remained at the executive level for 20 years, through the PGBU acquisition in 1998. Originally called the Westinghouse Electric Company, George Westinghouse (1846-1914) founded his manufacturing company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on January 8, 1886. In 1889, he renamed his business The Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company. Westinghouse's primary products include turbines, generators, motors and switchgear related to the generation, transmission, and use of electricity. The company changed its name to Westinghouse Electric Corporation in 1945. In 1981, the company began to relocate its division headquarters for the Steam-Turbine Generator Divisions from Pennsylvania (turbines from Lester and generators from Pittsburgh) to Orlando. The PGBU building was located in The Quadrangle, at 4400 Alafaya Trail.
Original 1-page typed memorandum from Thomas E. Campbell, May 7, 1987: Private Collection of Harry L. Jaeger.
Memorandum from Thomas E. Campbell (June 24, 1988)
A memorandum from Thomas E. Campbell, General Manager of Westinghouse Electric Corporation's Power Systems Division, regarding recent appointments and realignments of the Energy Systems Business Unit (ESBU) in 1988. In 1983, the Westinghouse power generation business operation, starting with the Steam Turbine Generator Division, was taking shape in its new Orlando headquarters under the management team led by General Manager Dr. Stan Quick (under E. J. "Gene" Cattabiani, Vice President of the Power Generation Group). This series of letters, memoranda, and charts documents the changes in management leadership at the Orlando site from 1983 through 1998, when the Westinghouse Power Genration Business was acquired by Siemens. Following the announcement of the retirement of Dr. Quick in 1984, the management was led by the team of Bob Ractcliffe and Howard Pierce. In 1987, Tom Campbell was appointed General Manager of the Power Generation Technology Systems Division under Nat Woodsen and Jim Moore, Vice Presidents of the Power Systems Business Unit. In 1988, the Power Generation Business Unit (PGBU) was formed under Frank R. Bakos, Vice President and General Manager (under Executive Vice President Ted Stern), and, in 1995, Randy H. Zwirn took the helm as Vice President and General Manager of the PGBU. He remained at the executive level for 20 years, through the PGBU acquisition by Siemens in 1998 and beyond to 2016. Originally called the Westinghouse Electric Company, George Westinghouse (1846-1914) founded his manufacturing company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on January 8, 1886. In 1889, he renamed his business The Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company. Westinghouse's primary products include turbines, generators, motors and switchgear related to the generation, transmission, and use of electricity. The company changed its name to Westinghouse Electric Corporation in 1945. In 1981, the company began to relocate its division headquarters for the Steam-Turbine Generator Divisions from Pennsylvania (turbines from Lester and generators from Pittsburgh) to Orlando. The PGBU building was located in The Quadrangle, at 4400 Alafaya Trail.
Original 2-page typed memorandum from Thomas E. Campbell, June 24, 1988: Private Collection of Harry L. Jaeger.
Memorandum from Thomas E. Campbell (July 8, 1988)
A memorandum from Thomas E. Campbell, General Manager of Westinghouse Electric Corporation's Power Systems Division, regarding the restructuring of the Power Projects Development Department in 1988. In 1983, the Westinghouse power generation business operation, starting with the Steam Turbine Generator Division, was taking shape in its new Orlando headquarters under the management team led by General Manager Dr. Stan Quick (under E. J. "Gene" Cattabiani, Vice President of the Power Generation Group). This series of letters, memoranda, and charts documents the changes in management leadership at the Orlando site from 1983 through 1998, when the Westinghouse Power Genration Business was acquired by Siemens. Following the announcement of the retirement of Dr. Quick in 1984, the management was led by the team of Bob Ractcliffe and Howard Pierce. In 1987, Tom Campbell was appointed General Manager of the Power Generation Technology Systems Division under Nat Woodsen and Jim Moore, Vice Presidents of the Power Systems Business Unit. In 1988, the Power Generation Business Unit (PGBU) was formed under Frank R. Bakos, Vice President and General Manager (under Executive Vice President Ted Stern), and, in 1995, Randy H. Zwirn took the helm as Vice President and General Manager of the PGBU. He remained at the executive level for 20 years, through the PGBU acquisition by Siemens in 1998 and beyond to 2016. Originally called the Westinghouse Electric Company, George Westinghouse (1846-1914) founded his manufacturing company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on January 8, 1886. In 1889, he renamed his business The Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company. Westinghouse's primary products include turbines, generators, motors and switchgear related to the generation, transmission, and use of electricity. The company changed its name to Westinghouse Electric Corporation in 1945. In 1981, the company began to relocate its division headquarters for the Steam-Turbine Generator Divisions from Pennsylvania (turbines from Lester and generators from Pittsburgh) to Orlando. The PGBU building was located in The Quadrangle, at 4400 Alafaya Trail.
Original 3-page typed memorandum from Thomas E. Campbell, July 8, 1988: Private Collection of Harry L. Jaeger.
Lake Wales Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Depot and Lake Wales Depot Museum
The Lake Wales Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Depot, located at 325 South Scenic Highway, in Lake Wales, Florida, in 2014. The depot was established in 1928 by the R. W. Burrows Construction Company. It was the second station built in Lake Wales since the coming of the railroad in 1911. It continued to operate as a functioning railroad depot for several decades. In 1978, the depot was dedicated as the Lake Wales Depot Museum, housing the local history of the Railroad Depot and the City of Lake Wales.
Original color digital image by Tyler Campbell, February 21, 2014.
Lake Wales Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Depot and Lake Wales Depot Museum, Lake Wales, Florida
U.S. National Register of Historic Places Dedication Marker for the Lake Wales Train Depot
The U.S. National Register of Historic Places dedication marker for the Lake Wales Train Depot. The Lake Wales Train Depot, which is currently the Lake Wales Depot Museum, was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places, along with several other buildings in Lake Wales, Florida, in 1990. The train depot was built in 1928 by R. W. Burrows Construction Company. It was the second train depot to be constructed along the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL) in Lake Wales. It was built to house the large influx of train traffic through the city. The Lake Wales Depot Museum is located at 325 South Scenic Highway.
Lake Wales Train Depot, Lake Wales, Florida
Letter from William J. Cappleman to Gary I. Sharp (May 16, 1975)
A letter from William J. Cappleman of the Cappleman Agency, Inc. to Gary I. Sharp, dated May 16, 1975. In this letter, Cappleman states that they have received calls from landowners in the Gourd Neck Springs area seeking to sell their plots, as well as calls from interested buyers. The letter states that there is little interest in the sale of large individual tracts of land in the Gourd Neck area, and that they are working to divide a large holding by Herbert S. Starr into smaller sized plots for purchase. The letter also states the Cappleman Agency had made appointments with interested buyers to examine Sharp's property in the Gourd Neck area. Gourd Neck Springs is a small spring located in the southwest portion of Lake Apopka, in a small cove called “Gourd Neck” due to its distinctive shape. This area of the lake was considered in the 1960s as a potential nursery for fish. The Lake Apopka Technical Committee explored damming the Gourd Neck, separating it from the lake and preventing polluted lake water from entering, but these plans did not materialize. Efforts were also made in the 1960s to have the Gourd Neck area purchased by the State of Florida for use as a public park. The Gourd Neck Springs Park Association was formed in 1961 to study the site’s potential for a park and lobby for support from legislators. The land bordering the area was privately-owned by various individuals. One of these, Gary I. Sharp, continued seeking support for a park into the 1970s. While the project received support from Florida legislators and environmentalists, the land was never purchased by the state.
Photocopy of original 1-page typewritten letter from William J. Cappleman to Gary I. Sharp, May 16, 1975: binder 1975, Friends of Lake Apopka Archives, Ginn Museum, Oakland Nature Preserve, Oakland, Florida.
Gourd Neck Springs, Lake Apopka, Florida
"'O Sole Mio" by Jeff Rupert + Dirty Martini
An audio recording of "'O Sole Mio," composed by Eduardo di Capua (1865-1917), with lyrics by Giovanni Capurro (1859-1920), and performed by Jeff Rupert + Dirty Martini live on-air on WUCF-FM on April 23, 2007. Jeff Rupert (b. 1964) is a freelance tenor saxophonist, Director of Jazz Studies and professor at the University of Central Florida (UCF), founder of Flying Horse Records, composer, and Yamaha performing artist. He has recorded with numerous artists, including Maynard Ferguson (1928-2006), Sam Rivers (1923-2011), Mel Tormé (1925-1999), and Benny Carter, whose 1992 album, Harlem Renaissance, Rupert appeared on, won a Grammy award. He has recorded and performed with his own bands as well, including Jeff Rupert + Dirty Martini and The Jazz Professors. "'O Sole Mio" is an internationally popular Neapolitan song composed in 1898 that has been recorded by numerous artists. The 1980 recording by Luciano Pavarotti (1935-2007) won the Grammy Award for Best Classical Vocal Performance.
Original 4-minute and 3-second audio recording: Capurro, Giovanni, and Eduard di Capua. "'O Sole Mio," by Jeff Rupert + Dirty Martini: WUCF-FM, Orlando, Florida, April 23, 2007.
Excerpt from When Celery Was King by Charlie C. Carlson. The excerpt includes an image of the Rand Yard Ice House with accompanying text. The Rand Yard Ice House was located on Rand Yard Road in Sanford, Florida. The ice plant was built in 1926 by the Mountain Ice Company of Chicago, had a 700 ton storage capacity, operated 24 hours a day, ranked second in the U.S. for ice production, and was once Seminole County's largest building for somet time. During the late-1800s, individual ice factories were comprised of a machine room, boiler room, ice store, loading platforms, and other office space. Large cans were used to mold the ice. When ice was needed, workers would operate a crane system to carry the ice block into a warm water bath where the ice could be removed from the reusable can. Although working at an ice plant was known as dangerous and hard work, employees enjoyed a steady well paid job. By 1928, the Rand Yard Ice House employed 73 African-American workers.
Carlson, Charlie. When Celery Was King. Sanford, Fla: Sanford Historical Society, 2000.
Sanford Historical Society, Inc.
The Mayfair Inn lobby in 1946. Originally named after the Sanford Mayor and president of Seminole County Bank, construction of the Forrest Lake Hotel began in 1916. Local architect Elton J. Moughton designed the hotel. In 1925, Hotel Forrest Lake opened and became a popular destination for tourists visiting Sanford. By 1929, the hotel closed after the stock market crash and the downfall of Florida's tourism and real estate boom. William E. Kirchhoff leased the building in 1934 and the hotel reopened in 1935 with the new name Mayfair Hotel. Under Kirchhoff's ownership, the Mayfair Hotel became known as one of the finest hotels in the South. Kirchhoff sold the hotel in 1948 to Horace Stoneham, owner of the New York Giants. Stoneham then sold the building to the Bernard McFadden Foundation. After the Naval Air Station Sanford acquired $1.3 million to fund the construction of a naval academy in 1963, the Foundation made significant alterations to the building to house students from the Sanford Naval Academy. The Foundation later sold the building to the New Tribes Mission in 1977. The New Tribes Mission's goal is to reach tribes who have no access to the Gospel through translated publications and missionary work.
Original photograph taken by Linda Carpenter, 1946: The Sentinel Star.
Oral history of Henry A. Martin's military service during the Vietnam War (1961-1975). Martin was born on July 8, 1941 in Sayre, Pennsylvania. In 1960, he enlisted in the United States Army and served as an Ordinary Engineer. Throughout his military career, Martin served in Italy, Germany, Vietnam, and Korea and achieved the rank of Sergeant First Class. He received the Good Conduct Medal and the Instructor of the Month award. Martin completed his service on July 1, 1981. This oral history interview was conducted by Carmen Carroquino on November 18, 2010 The Vietnam War was a Cold War Era "military conflict". The war was originally waged between Cambodia, Vietnam, and Laos. The United States became involved as a preventive measure to combat communism. The official date of the military conflict is November 1, 1955 and ending in April 1975. The date of the war has been disputed, but a study in 1998 by the Department of Defense definitively put the start of the Vietnam War as November 1, 1955. The first combat military troops 9th Marine Expeditionary Brigade didn't arrive until 1965. With the arrival of the combat troops came the first traditional battles of combat fighting in the war. During the Vietnam War, not only did American military go into battle with and for South Vietnam, the military also trained members of South Vietnam to fight alongside during the war. Peace talks were attempted, with France moderating, beginning on May 10, 1968. These talks were unsuccessful and lasted over three years. The longest battle of the Vietnam War began on January 21, 1968 and didn't end until the U.S. reclaimed Route 9 on April 8, 1968, seventy-seven days later. While the military conflict ended in 1975, it was a long process towards reunification and redevelopment as a country. The conflict left Vietnam in both political and economical ruins. While the U.S. military was fighting overseas, Many American citizens protested the war at home. Demonstrations took place across the country with the most famous one being at Kent State University in Ohio. While this is the most well known demonstration it was not the first. Americans questioned the U.S. involvement in the war throughout.
Martin, Henry A.. Interviewed by Carmen Carroquino. UCF Community Veterans History Project, DP0010472 November 18, 2010. Audio record available. UCF Community Veterans History Project, Special Collections and University Archives, University of Central Florida Libraries, Orlando, Florida.
Special Collections and University Archives, University of Central Florida Libraries
Mungyeong, Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea
Annual Report of the Board of Supervisors of the Seminole Soil and Water Conservation District, 1954
The annual report of the Board of Supervisors of the Seminole Soil and Water Conservation District for 1954. The organization began in 1948 with a goal to assist in agricultural interests. Over the years, the Seminole Soil and Water Conservation District began to also concentrate on the development and management of recreational enterprises. Their interests also entailed inventory and evaluations for land uses and solving issues concerning soil and water resources. In this year's report, the board gives an annual review of the accomplishments of the past and a summation of the objectives for the next year.
Original 11-page typewritten report by the Board of Supervisors of the Seminole Soil and Water Conservation District,1954: Folder SSWCD Annual Reports, 1949-1975, Seminole Soil and Water Conservation District, Sanford, Florida.
Seminole Soil and Water Conservation District
Annual Report of the Board of Supervisors of the Seminole Soil and Water Conservation District, 1955
The annual report of the Board of Supervisors of the Seminole Soil and Water Conservation District for 1955. The organization began in 1948 with a goal to assist in agricultural interests. Over the years, the Seminole Soil and Water Conservation District began to also concentrate on the development and management of recreational enterprises. Their interests also entailed inventory and evaluations for land uses and solving issues concerning soil and water resources. In this year's report, the board gives an annual review of the accomplishments of the past and a summation of the objectives for the next year.
Original 11-page typewritten report by the Board of Supervisors of the Seminole Soil and Water Conservation District,1955: Folder SSWCD Annual Reports, 1949-1975, Seminole Soil and Water Conservation District, Sanford, Florida.
Annual Report of the Board of Supervisors of the Seminole Soil and Water Conservation District, 1957
The annual report of the Board of Supervisors of the Seminole Soil and Water Conservation District for 1957. The organization began in 1948 with a goal to assist in agricultural interests. Over the years, the Seminole Soil and Water Conservation District began to also concentrate on the development and management of recreational enterprises. Their interests also entailed inventory and evaluations for land uses and solving issues concerning soil and water resources. In this year's report, the board gives an annual review of the accomplishments of the past and a summation of the objectives for the next year.
Original 10-page typewritten report by the Board of Supervisors of the Seminole Soil and Water Conservation District,1957: Folder SSWCD Annual Reports, 1949-1975, Seminole Soil and Water Conservation District, Sanford, Florida.
Annual Report of the Board of Supervisors of the Seminole Soil and Water Conservation District, 1958
The annual report of the Board of Supervisors of the Seminole Soil and Water Conservation District for 1958. The organization began in 1948 with a goal to assist in agricultural interests. Over the years, the Seminole Soil and Water Conservation District began to also concentrate on the development and management of recreational enterprises. Their interests also entailed inventory and evaluations for land uses and solving issues concerning soil and water resources. In this year's report, the board gives an annual review of the accomplishments of the past and a summation of the objectives for the next year.
Original 10-page typewritten report by the Board of Supervisors of the Seminole Soil and Water Conservation District,1958: Folder SSWCD Annual Reports, 1949-1975, Seminole Soil and Water Conservation District, Sanford, Florida.
Fifteenth Census Population for Middletown Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, 1930
The Fifteenth United States Census records for Middletown Township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, for 1930. The census divides the population into categories of name, age, sex, race, marital status, occupants and relation to head of house, whether the home is owned or rented, value of home or rent, whether home is a farm residence, and whether the home has a radio. It also records college attendance, literacy, birthplace and birthplace of parents, citizenship status, language spoken before coming to United States, year of immigration, occupation or business, class of worker, whether they worked the previous day, military status, and the war or expedition participated in. A notable resident listed in this record is Charles Henry Craig (1896-1982). Craig was born on October 6, 1896, in Dixmont, Maine. He was drafted in 1917, and his service began on March 31, 1917. He served with Battery C 4 Field Artillery in the United States Army, but never went overseas. He was stationed in Justice Precinct 8, Bexar, Texas, in 1920, and was honorably discharged on April 6, 1920, as part of demobilization. After his discharge, Craig moved to Delaware, Pennsylvania, and married Edith Hazel Chambers on December 30, 1922, with whom he had four children: Charles (1923), Elizabeth Sarah (1925), Mary Louise (1927), and Frances (1936). In 1940, Craig became a principal superintendent of Williamson School in Media, Pennsylvania, while maintaining his job as a tree surgeon. Craig registered for the “Old Man’s Draft” for World War II on April 27, 1942. Charles and Edith moved to Florida by 1954. Craig passed away on March 9, 1982 in Hollywood, Florida, and Edith followed in March 1989. They are buried together in the Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell, Florida. In 2017, the University of Central Florida was one of three universities selected to launch the National Cemetery Administration’s Veterans Legacy Program Project. The program engaged a team of scholars to make the life stories of veterans buried in the Florida National Cemetery available to the public. The project engages UCF students in research and writing and fosters collaboration between students, faculty and local Central Florida schools to produce interactive curriculum for k-12 students. The corresponding website exhibit uses RICHES Mosaic Interface to create a digital archive of related data. The public can use the project-developed augmented-reality app at more than 100 gravesites at the Florida National Cemetery, where they can access the UCF student-authored biographies of veterans.
Digital reproduction of original census record by George M. Carter, April 8, 1930.
RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Episode 1: Preview
Episode 1 of RICHES Podcast Documentaries: Preview. RICHES Podcast Documentaries are short form narrative documentaries that explore Central Florida history and are locally produced. These podcasts can involve the participation or cooperation of local area partners. Episode 1 provides a preview of the project and excerpts of podcast interviews.
Original 11-minute and 19-second podcast by Robert Cassanello, January 1, 2011: "RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Episode 1: Preview." RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Orlando, Florida.
Parliament House Resort, Orlando, Florida
Jones High School, Parramore, Orlando, Florida
Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, Orlando, Florida
Bethune-Cookman College, Daytona Beach, Florida
Institute for Simulation and Training, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida
RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Episode 48: The Groveland 4
Groveland Boys Trial, Groveland, Fla., 1949-1952
Episode 48 of RICHES Podcast Documentaries: The Groveland 4. RICHES Podcast Documentaries are short form narrative documentaries that explore Central Florida history and are locally produced. These podcasts can involve the participation or cooperation of local area partners. Episode 48 features an interview with Gilbert King, author of Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America. King's book analyzes the Groveland Four: Ernest Thomas, Charles Greenlee, Samuel Shepherd, and Walter Lee Irvin. Also known as the Groveland Boys, these four African-American men were falsely accused of raping Norma Padgett in Lake County, Florida, in 1949. Thomas was shot and killed by a mob, but the other three suspects were put on trial. Both Shepherd and Irvin were sentenced to death and Greenlee was sentenced to life in prison. National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) special counsel Thurgood Marshall had the verdict overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court in November 1951. While transporting Shepherd and Irvin, Lake County Sheriff Willis Virgil McCall claimed that the prisoners attacked him and that he subsequently shot and killed Shepherd and shot Irvin. Irvin claimed that McCall falsified the escape attempt, but McCall was cleared of any wrongdoing. Irvin was again sentenced to death for the rape of Padgett. In 1955, the then newly-elected Governor of Florida LeRoy Collins commuted Irvin's sentence to life in prison. Irvin was paroled in 1968 and died in 1970.
Original 18-minute and 50-second podcast by Robert Cassanello, February 14, 2013: "RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Episode 48: The Groveland 4." RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Orlando, Florida.
RICHES Podcast Documentaries, New Podcast Preview: A History of Central Florida
New Podcast Preview of RICHES Podcast Documentaries: A History of Central Florida. RICHES Podcast Documentaries are short form narrative documentaries that explore Central Florida history and are locally produced. These podcasts can involve the participation or cooperation of local area partners. This episode previews the new RICHES podcast series called A History of Central Florida. This 50-episode podcast series will examine the history of Central Florida through local area objects found in museums, historical organizations and other places. It is based on the BBC's famous podcast History of the World in 100 Objects.
Original 12-minute and 18-second podcast by Robert Cassanello, March 25, 2013: "RICHES Podcast Documentaries, New Podcast Preview: A History of Central Florida."RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Orlando, Florida.
Windover Burial Site, Brevard County, Florida
Maitland Research Studio, Maitland, Florida
Walt Disney World, Lake Buena Vista, Florida
RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Episode 51: An Interview with Jim Clark, Part 1
Smathers, George A. (George Armistead), 1913-2007
Episode 51, Part 1 of RICHES Podcast Documentaries: An Interview with Jim Clark. RICHES Podcast Documentaries are short form narrative documentaries that explore Central Florida history and are locally produced. These podcasts can involve the participation or cooperation of local area partners. Episode 51 features an interview with James "Jim" C. Clark about his research and recent book examining the 1950 US Senate Primary election between Claude Pepper and George Smathers.
Original 18-minute and 58-second podcast by Robert Cassanello, April 11, 2013: "RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Episode 51: An Interview with Jim Clark, Part 1." RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Orlando, Florida.
Claude Pepper Library, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida
George A. Smarthers Libraries, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Episode 52: An Interview with Jim Clark, Part 2
Reedy Creek (Orange County-Polk County, Fla.)
Indian River (Fla. : River) Orlando (Fla.)
Episode 52, Part 2 of RICHES Podcast Documentaries: An Interview with Jim Clark. RICHES Podcast Documentaries are short form narrative documentaries that explore Central Florida history and are locally produced. These podcasts can involve the participation or cooperation of local area partners. Episode 52 features an interview with Jim Clark about his book Presidents in Florida and his forthcoming book Pineapple Anthology of Florida Writers Volume 1. Dr. Clark discusses the various presidents who have traveled to Florida for campaigning and for vacationing, with the first president being Chester Alan Arthur, as well as William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, Warren G. Harding, Calvin Coolidge, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, and Richard M. Nixon. He also discusses his anthology on writers in Florida, including Robert Frost, Ernest Hemingway, and others.
Original 17-minute and 46-second podcast by Robert Cassanello, April 11, 2013: "RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Episode 52: An Interview with Jim Clark, Part 2." RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Orlando, Florida.
Harry S. Truman Little White House, Key West, Florida
Florida White House, Key Biscayne, Florida
RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Episode 53: Community-Based Research
Episode 53 of RICHES Podcast Documentaries: Community-Based Research. RICHES Podcast Documentaries are short form narrative documentaries that explore Central Florida history and are locally produced. These podcasts can involve the participation or cooperation of local area partners. Episode 53 features an interview with Dr. Julian C. Chambliss about community-based research and how he incorporates this approach into his teaching. An associate professor of history at Rollins College, Dr. Chambliss is the coordinator of the Africa and African-American Studies Program.
Original 26-minute and 24-second podcast by Robert Cassanello, May 15, 2013: "RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Episode 53: Community-Based Research." RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Orlando, Florida.
Winter Park History Museum, Winter Park, Florida
RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Episode 54: 500 Years
Episode 54 of RICHES Podcast Documentaries: 500 Years. RICHES Podcast Documentaries are short form narrative documentaries that explore Central Florida history and are locally produced. These podcasts can involve the participation or cooperation of local area partners. Episode 54 focuses on the Florida Historical Quarterly (FHQ) and includes interviews with editor Dr. Connie L. Lester and assistant editor Dr. Daniel S. Murphree. The Florida Historical Society was organized on November 26, 1902, and chartered in 1905. The Florida Historical Quarterly was originally based at the University of Florida from 1964 to 1993 and edited by Professor Samuel Proctor. University of South Florida professor George E. Pozzetta was the next editor of the FHQ from 1993 to 1995. Proctor again became the editor in 1995 when Pozzetta passed away. In late 1995, Professor Jerrell Schofner became the interim editor and began establishing a partnership between the Florida Historical Society and the University of Central Florida. From 1996 to 2000, Professor Kari Fredrickson served as the FHQ, expanding the breadth of the journal by including social history topics. In 2000, Craig Thompson Friend became the next editor, adding a feature called the "Florida Room," which is designed to engage in more recent regional development topics. Dr. Lester, Associate Professor in History, became the Florida Historical Quarterly editor in 2005 and remains in said position as of 2013. In 2011, the FHQ added Dr. Murphree, Associate Professor in History, as Assistant Editor. The FHQ is published four times annual and has recently added the "Florida Classroom" feature, which integrates Florida events into national history education.
Original 22-minute and 23-second podcast by Robert Cassanello, June 4, 2013: "RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Episode 54: 500 Years." RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Orlando, Florida.
Florida Historical Society, Cocoa Beach, Florida
University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida
RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Episode 55: Apopka Farmworkers, Part One
Episode 55, Part 1 of RICHES Podcast Documentaries: Apopka Farmworkers. RICHES Podcast Documentaries are short form narrative documentaries that explore Central Florida history and are locally produced. These podcasts can involve the participation or cooperation of local area partners. Episode 55 features interviews with Linda Lee and Geraldine Mathew, two women who worked as farmworkers in Apopka in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Lee and Matthew discuss the social conditions of African-American farmworkers and the role of a number of Catholic nuns in launching the Office for Farmworker Ministry. Farmworkers like Geraldine Mathew and Linda Lee along with the Office for Farmworker Ministry successfully organized numerous programs and protests to improve the lives of local area farmers.
Original 18-minute and 58-second podcast by Robert Cassanello, June 16, 2013: "RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Episode 55: Apopka Farmworkers, Part One." RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Orlando, Florida.
RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Episode 56: Apopka Farmworkers, Part Two
Episode 56, Part 2 of RICHES Podcast Documentaries: Apopka Farmworkers. RICHES Podcast Documentaries are short form narrative documentaries that explore Central Florida history and are locally produced. These podcasts can involve the participation or cooperation of local area partners. Episode 56 features interviews with Linda Lee and Geraldine Mathew, two women who worked as farmworkers in Apopka in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Lee and Matthew discuss the social conditions of African-American farmworkers and their attempts to organize. Farmworkers like Geraldine Mathew and Linda Lee along with the Office for Farmworker Ministry successfully organized numerous programs and protests to improve the lives of local area farmers.
Original 13-minute and 35-second podcast by Robert Cassanello, June 16, 2013: "RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Episode 56: Apopka Farmworkers, Part Two." RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Orlando, Florida.
RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Episode 57: Apopka Farmworkers, Part Three
Episode 57, Part 3 of RICHES Podcast Documentaries: Apopka Farmworkers. RICHES Podcast Documentaries are short form narrative documentaries that explore Central Florida history and are locally produced. These podcasts can involve the participation or cooperation of local area partners. Episode 57 features interviews with Linda Lee and Geraldine Matthew, two women who worked as farmworkers in Apopka in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Lee and Matthew discuss the inspiration for the Lake Apopka Farmworker Memorial Quilts. Farmworkers like Geraldine Matthew and Linda Lee, along with the Office for Farmworker Ministry successfully organized numerous programs and protests to improve the lives of local area farmers.
Original 15-minute and 47-second podcast by Robert Cassanello, June 16, 2013: "RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Episode 57: Apopka Farmworkers, Part Three." RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Orlando, Florida.
Florida State Capitol, Tallahassee, Florida
RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Episode 58: Museum Tour
Episode 58 of RICHES Podcast Documentaries: Museum Tour. RICHES Podcast Documentaries are short form narrative documentaries that explore Central Florida history and are locally produced. These podcasts can involve the participation or cooperation of local area partners. Episode 58 previews the upcoming podcast series A History of Central Florida, which will feature various Central Florida museums. This episode includes excerpts from interviews with: Rebecca Rickey of the Heritage Center and Indian River Citrus Museum, located at 2140 Fourteenth Avenue in Vero Beach; Juanita Barton of the Harry T. and Harriette V. Moore Memorial Park, Kim Nelson of the Museum of Seminole County History, and Jane Kenovich and Mary Jane Duryea of the Lake Mary Historical Museum.
Original 13-minute and 43-second podcast by Robert Cassanello, July 29, 2013: "RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Episode 58: Museum Tour." RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Orlando, Florida.
Indian River Citrus Museum, Downtown Vero Beach, Florida
Harry T. & Harriette V. Moore Cultural Complex, Mims, Florida
Museum of Seminole County History, Sanford, Florida
Lake Mary Historical Museum, Lake Mary, Florida
A History of Central Florida, Episode 4: Celts
Episode 4 of the second season of A History of Central Florida: Celts. RICHES Podcast Documentaries are short form narrative documentaries that explore Central Florida history and are locally produced. These podcasts can involve the participation or cooperation of local area partners. Episode 4 features a discussion of celts, a pre-Columbian tool used by Native Americans in Central Florida. This podcast also includes interviews with Dr. Jon Endonino of the University of Florida, George Long of the University of Central Florida, and Dr. Jerald T. Milanich of the University of Florida.
Original 10-minute and 56-second podcast by Robert Cassanello, November 19, 2013: "A History of Central Florida, Episode 4: Celts." RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Orlando, Florida.
Silver River Museum and Environmental Education Center
Orange County Regional History Center
Silver River Museum and Environmental Education Center, Ocala, Florida
Florida’s Purge: The Johns Committee Witch Hunt
Florida’s Purge: The Johns Committee Witch Hunt, known colloquially as The Committee, is a short film about the Florida Legislative Investigation Committee's investigation of communism and homosexuality amongst students and faculty at Florida colleges and universities. Commonly known as the Johns Committee, the committee was led by state senator and former governor Charley Eugene Johns (1905-1990). The committee was established in 1956 and originally focused on the investigation of the Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, an historically African-American university, for its faculty's and staff's involvement of the Tallahassee Bus Boycott (1956-1957). However, as the committee expanded its McCarthy era anti-communist witch hunt, it came to focus on the homosexual lifestyles of many faculty members and students at colleges and universities. After growing public critique of the committee's activities, it was eventually disbanded on July 1, 1965. The Committee centers on the anti-homosexual investigations of the Johns Committee. The film was produced and directed by University of Central Florida professor Dr. Robert Cassanello and Dr. Lisa Mills. Other producers include Slyvana Fernández and Logan Kriete, and Monica Monticello serves as associate producer. The screenplay was written by Monica Monticello, Kathryn Paulson, and Amy Simpson, with research conducted by Alex Boyce and Shay Cambre. Ben Taylor and Alex Wood were the cinematographers and the arts and graphics were created by Patrick Fenelon and Adrien Mills. The film was edited by Aaron Hosé, with the aid of assistant editors Chelsea Echols and David Mariutto. The Committee includes interviews with Ruth Jense-Forbell, a lesbian student interrogated by the Florida State University Police Department in 1964-1965; Chuck Woods, a homosexual student interrogated by the University of Florida Police Department while attending the university from 1959 to 1965; John Tileston, Sr., a UF police officer who investigated various faculty members and students, including Woods; Dr. Karen Graves, a professor of education at Denison University and the author of And They Were Wonderful Teachers: Florida’s Purge of Gay and Lesbian Teachers; Dr. Judith Poucher, a professor at Florida State College at Jacksonville; Bob Graham, a graduate of UF, the 38th Governor of Florida (1979-1987), and former U.S. Senator for Florida (1987-2005); and Dr. Fred Fejes, a professor of multimedia studies at Florida Atlantic University. Florida’s Purge: The Johns Committee Witch Hunt won various awards and accolades, including an Emmy Award.
Original 23-minute and 58-second motion picture produced by Dr. Robert Cassanello, Dr. Lisa Mills, Slyvana Fernández, and Logan Kriete: Florida's Purge: The Johns Committee Witch Hunt, RICHES of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, 2013.
Florida Legislative Investigation Committee, Tallahassee, Florida
Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida
University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
Florida State College at Jacksonville, Jacksonville, Florida
Stonewall Inn, Greenwich Village, New York City, New York
Florida Historical Quarterly, Episode 9: Vol. 89, No. 4, Spring 2011
This podcast is about a special issue devoted to literature in Florida. Dr. Connie Lester, Editor of The Florida Historical Quarterly, interviewed Rebecca Sharpless, Associate Professor of History at Texas Christian University, about her article titled "The Servants and Mrs. Rawlings: Martha Mickens and African American Life at Cross Creek."
Original 16-minute and 34-second audio podcast by Connie Lester and Robert Cassanello, 2011: The Florida Historical Quarterly, Florida Historical Society, Cocoa, Florida.
The Florida Historical Quarterly
Florida Historical Society
University of Central Florida, Department of History
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park, Cross Creek, Florida
Florida Historical Quarterly, Episode 13: Vol. 90, No. 4, Spring 2012
This podcast features an interview with Professor David Jackson, Jr. from Florida A&M University, about This article "'Industrious, Thrifty and Ambitious': Jacksonville’s African American Businesspeople during the Jim Crow Era," which appeared in this issue of The Florida Historical Quarterly. This article is about the business class of Jacksonville during the Jim Crow Era. We also interviewed Tina Bucuvalas, who was the 2012 Jillian Prescott Memorial Keynote Speaker at the Florida Historical Society Meeting and Symposium in Tampa.
Original 15-minute and 38-second audio podcast by Robert Cassanello and Daniel S. Murphree, 2012: The Florida Historical Quarterly, Florida Historical Society, Cocoa, Florida.
RICHES Podcast Documentaries, RICHES Podcast Update
Update of RICHES Podcast Documentaries' Episode 2: The Legacy of the Ocoee Riot. RICHES Podcast Documentaries are short form narrative documentaries that explore Central Florida history and are locally produced. These podcasts can involve the participation or cooperation of local area partners. This update for Episode 2 centers on Ocoee's Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Parade in January 2012. In this podcast, Dr. Robert Cassanello interviews parade organizer Mill Maxwell, city mayor Scott Vandergrift, and Beth Vandergrift, who edited Nancy Maguire's book on the history of Ocoee, Florida.
Original 8-minute and 39-second podcast by Robert Cassanello, March 20, 2012: "RICHES Podcast Documentaries, RICHES Podcast Update." RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Orlando, Florida.
Dr. Starke Wins Chase Senior Citizen Award
This newspaper clipping concerns the awarding of the Chase Senior Citizen Award to Dr. George H. Starke (1898-1978). The precise newspaper is unknown, but it is presumed to be The Sanford Herald. The year the award was given is believed to be 1974. Dr. Starke was a practicing medical doctor who opened his practice in Sanford, Florida, on September 15, 1927. Shortly thereafter, Dr. Starke became one of only four African-American physicians to be accepted by Harvard University for residency at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. He practiced for several years in Boston and then returned to Sanford in 1933 and continued to practice medicine until his death at age 80. For many years, Dr. Starke was the only African-American doctor in Sanford. Dr. Starke was also the first African-American doctor to acquire membership in the Florida Medical Association and the Seminole County Medical Association, as well as the second to join the American Medical Association. In 1971, the City of Sanford named George Starke Park, located at 1501 West Third Street, in his honor.
Original newspaper article by Jane Casselberry: "Dr. Starke Wins Chase Senior Citizen Award," The Sanford Herald: Dr. George H. Starke Folder, General Henry S. Sanford Memorial Library, Sanford Museum, Sanford Florida.
The Sanford Herald
Memorandum from E. J. Cattabiani to W. Kostyshyn, R. A. Thomas, A. C. Sekerka, P. Messina, R. Baker, D. R. Bennett, W. Dollard, M. D. Gill, S. Howell, J. P. Daley, V. Andersen, J. Micka, A. Axt, D. Webb, and E. Dubois (October 19, 1984)
A memorandum from E. J. Cattabiani to W. Kostyshyn, R. A. Thomas, A. C. Sekerka, P. Messina, R. Baker, D. R. Bennett, W. Dollard, M. D. Gill, S. Howell, J. P. Daley, V. Andersen, J. Micka, A. Axt, D. Webb, and E. Dubois, regarding the retirement of General Manager of the Steam Turbine Generator Division (STGD), Dr. Stan Quick. In 1983, the Westinghouse power generation business operation, starting with the Steam Turbine Generator Division, was taking shape in its new Orlando headquarters under the management team led by General Manager Dr. Stan Quick (under E. J. "Gene" Cattabiani, Vice President of the Power Generation Group). This series of letters, memoranda, and charts documents the changes in management leadership at the Orlando site from 1983 through 1998, when the Westinghouse Power Genration Business was acquired by Siemens. Following the announcement of the retirement of Dr. Quick in 1984, the management was led by the team of Bob Ractcliffe and Howard Pierce. In 1987, Tom Campbell was appointed General Manager of the Power Generation Technology Systems Division under Nat Woodsen and Jim Moore, Vice Presidents of the Power Systems Business Unit. In 1988, the Power Generation Business Unit (PGBU) was formed under Frank R. Bakos, Vice President and General Manager (under Executive Vice President Ted Stern), and, in 1995, Randy H. Zwirn took the helm as Vice President and General Manager of the PGBU. He remained at the executive level for 20 years, through the PGBU acquisition by Siemens in 1998 and beyond to 2016. Originally called the Westinghouse Electric Company, George Westinghouse (1846-1914) founded his manufacturing company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on January 8, 1886. In 1889, he renamed his business The Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company. Westinghouse's primary products include turbines, generators, motors and switchgear related to the generation, transmission, and use of electricity. The company changed its name to Westinghouse Electric Corporation in 1945. In 1981, the company began to relocate its division headquarters for the Steam-Turbine Generator Divisions from Pennsylvania (turbines from Lester and generators from Pittsburgh) to Orlando. The PGBU building was located in The Quadrangle, at 4400 Alafaya Trail.
Original 1-page typed memorandum from E. J. Cattabiani to W. Kostyshyn, R. A. Thomas, A. C. Sekerka, P. Messina, R. Baker, D. R. Bennett, W. Dollard, M. D. Gill, S. Howell, J. P. Daley, V. Andersen, J. Micka, A. Axt, D. Webb, and E. Dubois, October 19, 1984: Private Collection of Harry L. Jaeger.
Polishing-Machine for Floors Patent Drawing
The patent drawing for a polishing machine for floors by Ercole Cavicchi. The application was filed on November 22, 1915, and it was patented on February 18, 1919. Ercole's son, Henry Francis Cavicchi (1896-1991), is one of the featured veterans in the Veterans Legacy Program project. Born on September 4, 1896 in Quincey, Massachusetts, Henry Francis Cavicchi was a first generation Italian-American. His father moved from Italy to the United States in the 1880s, where he married a Canadian immigrant and settled in New York. Shortly after Henry’s birth, the family moved to Massachusetts. After working for the family business, Cavicchi Polishing Machine Co., Henry briefly joined the United States Navy in June 1918, where he served during the First World War. When he left the Navy in 1919, Cavicchi returned to Massachusetts, where he married his wife, Emily A. Essex, in 1922. He continued working at Cavicchi Polishing Machine Co. with his father and brothers until his retirement in the 1980s. Cavicchi died on July 30, 1991, and is buried in the Florida National Cemetery. In 2017, the University of Central Florida was one of three universities selected to launch the National Cemetery Administration’s Veterans Legacy Program. The program engaged a team of scholars to make the life stories of veterans buried in the Florida National Cemetery available to the public. The project engages UCF students in research and writing and fosters collaboration between students, faculty and local Central Florida schools to produce interactive curriculum for k-12 students. The corresponding website exhibit uses RICHES Mosaic Interface to create a digital archive of related data. The public can use the project-developed augmented-reality app at more than 100 gravesites at the Florida National Cemetery, where they can access the UCF student-authored biographies of veterans.
Digital reproduction of original patent drawing.
United States Patent and Trademark Office
Quincey City, Norfolk County, Massachusetts
Lake Monroe (Seminole County and Volusia County, Fla.)
Sanford's riverfront canal and port, which is the largest in Central Florida, on Lake Monroe in Sanford, Florida. Lake Monroe is a lake that is part of the St. Johns River system in Florida and is also the eigth largest lake in the Orlando metropolitan area. Sanford is located on its northern shore and DeBary and Deltona are located along its northern shore. Two major roadways, State Road 415 and Interstate, run near the lake. Lake Monroe also formes the border of Seminole County and Volusia County.
Original 4 x 6 inch color postcard by Central Florida Distributors: Postcard Collection, call number PC5641, Florida Photographic Collection, State Library and Archives of Florida, Tallahassee, Florida.
State Library and Archives of Florida
The New Tribes Mission, located at 1000 East First Street in Sanford, Florida, in 2011. Originally named after the Sanford Mayor and president of Seminole County Bank, construction of the Forrest Lake Hotel began in 1916. Local architect Elton J. Moughton designed the hotel. In 1925, Hotel Forrest Lake opened and became a popular destination for tourists visiting Sanford. By 1929, the hotel closed after the stock market crash and the downfall of Florida's tourism and real estate boom. William E. Kirchhoff leased the building in 1934 and the hotel reopened in 1935 with the new name Mayfair Hotel. Under Kirchhoff's ownership, the Mayfair Hotel became known as one of the finest hotels in the South. Kirchhoff sold the hotel in 1948 to Horace Stoneham, owner of the New York Giants. Stoneham then sold the building to the Bernard McFadden Foundation. After the Naval Air Station Sanford acquired $1.3 million to fund the construction of a naval academy in 1963, the Foundation made significant alterations to the building to house students from the Sanford Naval Academy. The foundation later sold the building to the New Tribes Mission in 1977. The New Tribes Mission's goal is to reach tribes who have no access to the Gospel through translated publications and missionary work.
Original color digital images by Laura Cepero, June 10, 2011.
The chapel at the New Tribes Mission, located at 1000 East First Street in Sanford, Florida. This room was formerly a hotel ballroom for the Mayfair Inn. Originally named after the Sanford Mayor and president of Seminole County Bank, construction of the Forrest Lake Hotel began in 1916. Local architect Elton J. Moughton designed the hotel. In 1925, Hotel Forrest Lake opened and became a popular destination for tourists visiting Sanford. By 1929, the hotel closed after the stock market crash and the downfall of Florida's tourism and real estate boom. William E. Kirchhoff leased the building in 1934 and the hotel reopened in 1935 with the new name Mayfair Hotel. Under Kirchhoff's ownership, the Mayfair Hotel became known as one of the finest hotels in the South. Kirchhoff sold the hotel in 1948 to Horace Stoneham, owner of the New York Giants. Stoneham then sold the building to the Bernard McFadden Foundation. After the Naval Air Station Sanford acquired $1.3 million to fund the construction of a naval academy in 1963, the Foundation made significant alterations to the building to house students from the Sanford Naval Academy. The Foundation later sold the building to the New Tribes Mission in 1977. The New Tribes Mission's goal is to reach tribes who have no access to the Gospel through translated publications and missionary work.
Original color digital image by Laura Cepero, June 10, 2011.
Communications Facility at New Tribes Mission
The communications facility at the New Tribes Mission, located at 1000 East First Street in Sanford, Florida. Originally named after the Sanford Mayor and president of Seminole County Bank, construction of the Forrest Lake Hotel began in 1916. Local architect Elton J. Moughton designed the hotel. In 1925, Hotel Forrest Lake opened and became a popular destination for tourists visiting Sanford. By 1929, the hotel closed after the stock market crash and the downfall of Florida's tourism and real estate boom. William E. Kirchhoff leased the building in 1934 and the hotel reopened in 1935 with the new name Mayfair Hotel. Under Kirchhoff's ownership, the Mayfair Hotel became known as one of the finest hotels in the South. Kirchhoff sold the hotel in 1948 to Horace Stoneham, owner of the New York Giants. Stoneham then sold the building to the Bernard McFadden Foundation in 1963 and the new owner significantly altered the building to house students from the Sanford Naval Academy. After the Naval Air Station Sanford acquired $1.3 million to fund the construction of a naval academy in 1963, the Foundation made significant alterations to the building to house students from the Sanford Naval Academy. In 1967, the Bernard McFadden Gymnasium was constructed on the property. The New Tribes Mission purchased the building and property in 1977 and converted the gymnasium into a communications facility. The New Tribes Mission's goal is to reach tribes who have no access to the Gospel through translated publications and missionary work.
Guest facilities at the New Tribes Mission. This particular building was formerly a classroom building for the Sanford Naval Academy. The New Tribes Mission, located at 1000 East First Street in Sanford, Florida. Originally named after the Sanford Mayor and president of Seminole County Bank, construction of the Forrest Lake Hotel began in 1916. Local architect Elton J. Moughton designed the hotel. In 1925, Hotel Forrest Lake opened and became a popular destination for tourists visiting Sanford. By 1929, the hotel closed after the stock market crash and the downfall of Florida's tourism and real estate boom. William E. Kirchhoff leased the building in 1934 and the hotel reopened in 1935 with the new name Mayfair Hotel. Under Kirchhoff's ownership, the Mayfair Hotel became known as one of the finest hotels in the South. Kirchhoff sold the hotel in 1948 to Horace Stoneham, owner of the New York Giants. Stoneham then sold the building to the Bernard McFadden Foundation in 1963. After the Naval Air Station Sanford acquired $1.3 million to fund the construction of a naval academy in 1963, the Foundation made significant alterations to the building to house students from the Sanford Naval Academy. The Foundation later sold the building to the New Tribes Mission in 1977. The New Tribes Mission's goal is to reach tribes who have no access to the Gospel through translated publications and missionary work.
The lobby of the New Tribes Mission, located at 1000 East First Street in Sanford, Florida, in 2011. Originally named after the Sanford Mayor and president of Seminole County Bank, construction of the Forrest Lake Hotel began in 1916. Local architect Elton J. Moughton designed the hotel. In 1925, Hotel Forrest Lake opened and became a popular destination for tourists visiting Sanford. By 1929, the hotel closed after the stock market crash and the downfall of Florida's tourism and real estate boom. William E. Kirchhoff leased the building in 1934 and the hotel reopened in 1935 with the new name Mayfair Hotel. Under Kirchhoff's ownership, the Mayfair Hotel became known as one of the finest hotels in the South. Kirchhoff sold the hotel in 1948 to Horace Stoneham, owner of the New York Giants. Stoneham then sold the building to the Bernard McFadden Foundation in 1963. After the Naval Air Station Sanford acquired $1.3 million to fund the construction of a naval academy in 1963, the Foundation made significant alterations to the building to house students from the Sanford Naval Academy. The Foundation later sold the building to the New Tribes Mission in 1977. The New Tribes Mission's goal is to reach tribes who have no access to the Gospel through translated publications and missionary work.
The swimming pool at New Tribes Mission, located at 1000 East First Street in Sanford, Florida, in 2011. The pool was installed by William E. Kirchhoff, Jr.'s agricultural crew and became Sanford's first swimming pool. The pool overlooked Lake Monroe. Originally named after the Sanford Mayor and president of Seminole County Bank, construction of the Forrest Lake Hotel began in 1916. Local architect Elton J. Moughton designed the hotel. In 1925, Hotel Forrest Lake opened and became a popular destination for tourists visiting Sanford. By 1929, the hotel closed after the stock market crash and the downfall of Florida's tourism and real estate boom. William E. Kirchhoff leased the building in 1934 and the hotel reopened in 1935 with the new name Mayfair Hotel. Under Kirchhoff's ownership, the Mayfair Hotel became known as one of the finest hotels in the South. Kirchhoff sold the hotel in 1948 to Horace Stoneham, owner of the New York Giants. Stoneham then sold the building to the Bernard McFadden Foundation in 1963. After the Naval Air Station Sanford acquired $1.3 million to fund the construction of a naval academy in 1963, the Foundation made significant alterations to the building to house students from the Sanford Naval Academy. The Foundation later sold the building to the New Tribes Mission in 1977. The New Tribes Mission's goal is to reach tribes who have no access to the Gospel through translated publications and missionary work.
Former Crystal Ice Company and Sanford Public Service Building
The former Crystal Ice Company building, which was located at 110 South Park Avenue in Sanford, Florida. The Crystal Ice Company was located here in 1915, and the Sanford Public Service ice house moved in by 1917. By 1922, the building became an ice storage shop. At the time that this photograph was taken in July 2011, the building was vacant. By the beginning of the twentieth century, most ice houses consisted of two stories with the first floor used as food storage and the second floor used to store the ice. Ice houses provided blocks of ice for home ice boxes and allowed agricultural businesses to transport their fruits and vegetables in refrigerated vehicles.
Original color digital image by Laura Cepero, July 28, 2011.
Former Hunter Ice & Fuel Company building, located at 700 West Thirteenth Street in Sanford, Florida, in 2011. Prior to starting an ice manufacturing business in Sanford, owner Duval W. Hunter, Sr., operated an ice house in North Carolina which supplied ice for in-home use. In 1952, the Hunter moved his ice manufacturing business to Sanford because of the higher demand to cool and preserve agricultural goods. At the time that this photograph was taken in June 2011, the building was vacant. Prior to ice manufacturing, states along the east coast of the United States relied on harvested ice from frozen lakes and ponds shipped from New England. Many southern states during the 1860s began relying on ice manufacturing once the shipment of harvested ice from the northern states ceased. During the late-1800s, individual ice factories were comprised of a machine room, boiler room, ice store, loading platforms, and other office space. Large cans were used to mold the ice. When ice was needed, workers would operate a crane system to carry the ice block into a warm water bath where the ice could be removed from the reusable can manufacturing states along the east coast of the United States relied on harvested ice from frozen lakes and ponds shipped from New England. Many southern states during the 1860s began relying on ice manufacturing once the shipment of harvested ice from the northern states ceased. During the late-1800s, individual ice factories were comprised of a machine room, boiler room, ice store, loading platforms, and other office space. Large cans were used to mold the ice. When ice was needed, workers would operate a crane system to carry the ice block into a warm water bath where the ice could be removed from the reusable can.
Original color digital image by Laura Cepero, July 9, 2011.
Chart representing the various ice plants and houses located in Sanford, Florida. These ice houses include: Crystal Ice Company, 110 South Park Avenue; Hunter Ice & Fuel Company, 700 West Thirteenth Street; New Ice Company; Rand Yard Ice House, Rand Yard Road; Sanford Ice and Cold Storage, 403 South Sanford Avenue; Sanford Ice and Water Company, 702 South French Avenue; Sanford Ice Company, 320 South Park Avenue; Sanford Ice, Light, and Power, 218 East First Street; Sanford Public Service, 110 South Park Avenue and 1501 West First Street; Southern Utilities, 112 South Park Avenue; and Thomas Ice Company, 702 South French Avenue. Ice manufacturing became a prominent industry in the United States by the beginning of the twentieth century. Most ice houses consisted of two stories with the first floor used as food storage and the second floor used to store the ice. Ice houses provided blocks of ice for home ice boxes and allowed agricultural businesses to transport their fruits and vegetables in refrigerated vehicles.
Original chart created by Laura Cepero, July 22, 2011.
Hunter Ice and Fuel Company, Sanford, Florida
Sanford Ice and Cold Storage, Sanford, Florida
Sanford Ice and Water Company, Sanford, Florida
Sanford Ice, Light, and Power, Sanford, Florida
Sanford Public Service, Sanford, Florida
Former Sanford Ice and Cold Storage Building
Sanford Ice and Cold Storage, founded in 1887, was located at 401 South Sanford Avenue in Sanford, Florida. This four-unit building, located on the corner of South Sanford Avenue and East First Street in the historic African-American neighborhood called Georgetown, was later occupied by the House of Bread Bakery in the 1920s. On March 7, 2012, Jason Turner's application for a Façade Improvement Grant was approved by the Sanford Community Redevelopment Agency for $20,000. Ice manufacturing became a prominent industry in the United States by the beginning of the twentieth century. Most ice houses consisted of two stories with the first floor used as food storage and the second floor used to store the ice. Ice houses provided blocks of ice for home ice boxes and allowed agricultural businesses to transport their fruits and vegetables in refrigerated vehicles.
Original color digital images by Laura Cepero, July 9, 2011.
The former building of Sanford Ice Company, which was located at 320 South Park Avenue in Sanford, Florida in 1887. Ice houses provided blocks of ice for home ice boxes prior to the invention and widespread use of modern refrigeration. At the time that this photograph was taken in 2011, the building was home of the First Presbyterian Church of Sanford.
Former Sanford Ice, Light, and Power Building
The former building of Sanford Ice, Light, and Power built in 1924. Ice manufacturing became a prominent industry in the United States by the beginning of the twentieth century. Most ice houses consisted of two stories with the first floor used as food storage and the second floor used to store the ice. Ice houses provided blocks of ice for home ice boxes and allowed agricultural businesses to transport their fruits and vegetables in refrigerated vehicles. It is now the location of Antiques and Dustibles.
Former Sanford Public Service Company Building
The former building of the Sanford Public Service Company, located at 1501 West First Street in Sanford, Florida, in 2011. When the building first opened in 1922, it operated as an ice house. Ice houses provided blocks of ice for home ice boxes and allowed agricultural businesses to transport their fruits and vegetables in refrigerated boxcars. Ice houses also provided cold storage for produce, meat, and other food goods for better food preservation.
Former Southern Utilities Company Building
The former building of the Southern Utilities Company, located at 112 South Park Avenue in Sanford, Florida, in 2011. When the building first opened in 1924, it operated as an ice house. Ice houses provided blocks of ice for home ice boxes and allowed agricultural businesses to transport their fruits and vegetables in refrigerated boxcars. Ice houses also provided cold storage for produce, meat, and other food goods for better food preservation. The most recent business that took over the building is a bar known as the Wet Spot.
Original color digital image by Laura Cepero, July 3, 2011.
Audience Seating Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center
The theater at the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center in 2011. Originally the Milane Theatre, the building was constructed at 203 South Magnolia Avenue, the former location of the Star Theatre, an abandoned movie house. Scroggs and Ewing, architects from Georgia, prepared the plans for the Milane. The name of the new theater was derived from the combination of the presidents of the Milane Amusement Company president and vice president: Frank L. Miller and Edward F. Lane. The Milane opened in July of 1923 and seated 823 patrons. In 1933, the Milane was sold to Frank and Stella Evans, investors from Lake Mary, Florida. The new owners renamed their business the Ritz Theater and held the property until the 1990s. However, the Ritz struggled financially in the 1960s and closed in 1978 due to failure to compete with the new multiplex theaters. The building remained vacant until 1984, when it reopened as the Showtime Cantina. The Showtime Cantina closed in 1988 and remained vacant and in decay. In the mid-1990s, Ritz Community Theater Projects, Inc. acquired the property and began rehabilitation in 1998. On May 6, 2000, the theater reopened as the Helen Stairs Theatre in honor of the citizen who led the restoration project, Helen Stairs. The following year, the location was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2008, additional renovations were completed at the theater was renamed the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center in honor of the Wayne Densch Charitable Trust Fund for contributing to the renovations fund.
Original color digital images by Laura Cepero, June 9, 2011.
Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center, Sanford, Florida
Stage Entrance at the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center
The current stage entrance of the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center, which was formerly the segregated colored entrance at the Milane Theatre and later the Ritz Theater. Originally the Milane Theatre, the building was constructed at 203 South Magnolia Avenue in Sanford, the former location of the Star Theatre, an abandoned movie house. Scroggs and Ewing, architects from Georgia, prepared the plans for the Milane. The name of the new theater was derived from the combination of the presidents of the Milane Amusement Company president and vice president: Frank L. Miller and Edward F. Lane. The Milane opened in July of 1923 and seated 823 patrons. In 1933, the Milane was sold to Frank and Stella Evans, investors from Lake Mary, Florida. The new owners renamed their business the Ritz Theatre and held the property until the 1990s. However, the Ritz struggled financially in the 1960s and closed in 1978 due to failure to compete with the new multiplex theaters. The building remained vacant until 1984, when it reopened as the Showtime Cantina. The Showtime Cantina closed in 1988 and remained vacant and in decay. In the mid-1990s, Ritz Community Theater Projects, Inc. acquired the property and began rehabilitation in 1998. On May 6, 2000, the theater reopened as the Helen Stairs Theatre in honor of the citizen who led the restoration project, Helen Stairs. The following year, the location was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2008, additional renovations were completed at the theater was renamed the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center in honor of the Wayne Densch Charitable Trust Fund for contributing to the renovations fund.
Original color digital image by Laura Cepero, June 9, 2011.
Balcony at the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center
The theater balcony at the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center in 2011. Originally the Milane Theatre, the building was constructed at 203 South Magnolia Avenue in Sanford, the former location of the Star Theatre, an abandoned movie house. Scroggs and Ewing, architects from Georgia, prepared the plans for the Milane. The name of the new theater was derived from the combination of the presidents of the Milane Amusement Company president and vice president: Frank L. Miller and Edward F. Lane. The Milane opened in July of 1923 and seated 823 patrons. In 1933, the Milane was sold to Frank and Stella Evans, investors from Lake Mary, Florida. The new owners renamed their business the Ritz Theatre and held the property until the 1990s. However, the Ritz struggled financially in the 1960s and closed in 1978 due to failure to compete with the new multiplex theaters. The building remained vacant until 1984, when it reopened as the Showtime Cantina. The Showtime Cantina closed in 1988 and remained vacant and in decay. In the mid-1990s, Ritz Community Theater Projects, Inc. acquired the property and began rehabilitation in 1998. On May 6, 2000, the theater reopened as the Helen Stairs Theatre in honor of the citizen who led the restoration project, Helen Stairs. The following year, the location was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2008, additional renovations were completed at the theater was renamed the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center in honor of the Wayne Densch Charitable Trust Fund for contributing to the renovations fund.
Historic Preservation Award for the Helen Stairs Theatre
Historic sites--Conservation and restoration--Florida
The Sanford Historic Trust's Historic Preservation Award presented to the Helen Stairs Theatre in 2000. Originally the Milane Theatre, the building was constructed at 203 South Magnolia Avenue in Sanford, the former location of the Star Theatre, an abandoned movie house. Scroggs and Ewing, architects from Georgia, prepared the plans for the Milane. The name of the new theater was derived from the combination of the presidents of the Milane Amusement Company president and vice president: Frank L. Miller and Edward F. Lane. The Milane opened in July of 1923 and seated 823 patrons. In 1933, the Milane was sold to Frank and Stella Evans, investors from Lake Mary, Florida. The new owners renamed their business the Ritz Theatre and held the property until the 1990s. However, the Ritz struggled financially in the 1960s and closed in 1978 due to failure to compete with the new multiplex theaters. The building remained vacant until 1984, when it reopened as the Showtime Cantina. The Showtime Cantina closed in 1988 and remained vacant and in decay. In the mid-1990s, Ritz Community Theater Projects, Inc. acquired the property and began rehabilitation in 1998. On May 6, 2000, the theater reopened as the Helen Stairs Theatre in honor of the citizen who led the restoration project, Helen Stairs. The following year, the location was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2008, additional renovations were completed at the theater was renamed the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center in honor of the Wayne Densch Charitable Trust Fund for contributing to the renovations fund.
Original cornerstonefor the Milane Theatre, which was constructed at 203 South Magnolia Avenue, the former location of the Star Theatre, an abandoned movie house. Scroggs and Ewing, architects from Georgia, prepared the plans for the Milane. The name of the new theater was derived from the combination of the presidents of the Milane Amusement Company president and vice president: Frank L. Miller and Edward F. Lane. The Milane opened in July of 1923 and seated 823 patrons. In 1933, the Milane was sold to Frank and Stella Evans, investors from Lake Mary, Florida. The new owners renamed their business the Ritz Theater and held the property until the 1990s. However, the Ritz struggled financially in the 1960s and closed in 1978 due to failure to compete with the new multiplex theaters. The building remained vacant until 1984, when it reopened as the Showtime Cantina. The Showtime Cantina closed in 1988 and remained vacant and in decay. In the mid-1990s, Ritz Community Theater Projects, Inc. acquired the property and began rehabilitation in 1998. On May 6, 2000, the theater reopened as the Helen Stairs Theatre in honor of the citizen who led the restoration project, Helen Stairs. The following year, the location was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2008, additional renovations were completed at the theater was renamed the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center in honor of the Wayne Densch Charitable Trust Fund for contributing to the renovations fund.
Original Ladder at the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center
An original ladder backstage at the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center in 2011. Originally the Milane Theatre, the building was constructed at 203 South Magnolia Avenue in Sanford, the former location of the Star Theatre, an abandoned movie house. Scroggs and Ewing, architects from Georgia, prepared the plans for the Milane. The name of the new theater was derived from the combination of the presidents of the Milane Amusement Company president and vice president: Frank L. Miller and Edward F. Lane. The Milane opened in July of 1923 and seated 823 patrons. In 1933, the Milane was sold to Frank and Stella Evans, investors from Lake Mary, Florida. The new owners renamed their business the Ritz Theatre and held the property until the 1990s. However, the Ritz struggled financially in the 1960s and closed in 1978 due to failure to compete with the new multiplex theaters. The building remained vacant until 1984, when it reopened as the Showtime Cantina. The Showtime Cantina closed in 1988 and remained vacant and in decay. In the mid-1990s, Ritz Community Theater Projects, Inc. acquired the property and began rehabilitation in 1998. On May 6, 2000, the theater reopened as the Helen Stairs Theatre in honor of the citizen who led the restoration project, Helen Stairs. The following year, the location was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2008, additional renovations were completed at the theater was renamed the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center in honor of the Wayne Densch Charitable Trust Fund for contributing to the renovations fund.
An original engraving at the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center in 2011. Originally the Milane Theatre, the building was constructed at 203 South Magnolia Avenue in Sanford, the former location of the Star Theatre, an abandoned movie house. Scroggs and Ewing, architects from Georgia, prepared the plans for the Milane. The name of the new theater was derived from the combination of the presidents of the Milane Amusement Company president and vice president: Frank L. Miller and Edward F. Lane. The Milane opened in July of 1923 and seated 823 patrons. In 1933, the Milane was sold to Frank and Stella Evans, investors from Lake Mary, Florida. The new owners renamed their business the Ritz Theatre and held the property until the 1990s. However, the Ritz struggled financially in the 1960s and closed in 1978 due to failure to compete with the new multiplex theaters. The building remained vacant until 1984, when it reopened as the Showtime Cantina. The Showtime Cantina closed in 1988 and remained vacant and in decay. In the mid-1990s, Ritz Community Theater Projects, Inc. acquired the property and began rehabilitation in 1998. On May 6, 2000, the theater reopened as the Helen Stairs Theatre in honor of the citizen who led the restoration project, Helen Stairs. The following year, the location was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2008, additional renovations were completed at the theater was renamed the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center in honor of the Wayne Densch Charitable Trust Fund for contributing to the renovations fund.
Stage Curtain at the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center
The stage curtain at the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center in 2011. Originally the Milane Theatre, the building was constructed at 203 South Magnolia Avenue in Sanford, the former location of the Star Theatre, an abandoned movie house. Scroggs and Ewing, architects from Georgia, prepared the plans for the Milane. The name of the new theater was derived from the combination of the presidents of the Milane Amusement Company president and vice president: Frank L. Miller and Edward F. Lane. The Milane opened in July of 1923 and seated 823 patrons. In 1933, the Milane was sold to Frank and Stella Evans, investors from Lake Mary, Florida. The new owners renamed their business the Ritz Theatre and held the property until the 1990s. However, the Ritz struggled financially in the 1960s and closed in 1978 due to failure to compete with the new multiplex theaters. The building remained vacant until 1984, when it reopened as the Showtime Cantina. The Showtime Cantina closed in 1988 and remained vacant and in decay. In the mid-1990s, Ritz Community Theater Projects, Inc. acquired the property and began rehabilitation in 1998. On May 6, 2000, the theater reopened as the Helen Stairs Theatre in honor of the citizen who led the restoration project, Helen Stairs. The following year, the location was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2008, additional renovations were completed at the theater was renamed the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center in honor of the Wayne Densch Charitable Trust Fund for contributing to the renovations fund.
Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center, 2011
The Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center, located at 203 South Magnolia Avenue in Downtown Sanford, Florida in 2011. Originally the Milane Theatre, the building was constructed at 203 South Magnolia Avenue in Sanford, the former location of the Star Theatre, an abandoned movie house. Scroggs and Ewing, architects from Georgia, prepared the plans for the Milane. The name of the new theater was derived from the combination of the presidents of the Milane Amusement Company president and vice president: Frank L. Miller and Edward F. Lane. The Milane opened in July of 1923 and seated 823 patrons. In 1933, the Milane was sold to Frank and Stella Evans, investors from Lake Mary, Florida. The new owners renamed their business the Ritz Theatre and held the property until the 1990s. However, the Ritz struggled financially in the 1960s and closed in 1978 due to failure to compete with the new multiplex theaters. The building remained vacant until 1984, when it reopened as the Showtime Cantina. The Showtime Cantina closed in 1988 and remained vacant and in decay. In the mid-1990s, Ritz Community Theater Projects, Inc. acquired the property and began rehabilitation in 1998. On May 6, 2000, the theater reopened as the Helen Stairs Theatre in honor of the citizen who led the restoration project, Helen Stairs. The following year, the location was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2008, additional renovations were completed at the theater was renamed the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center in honor of the Wayne Densch Charitable Trust Fund for contributing to the renovations fund.
Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center Lobby
The lobby of the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center in 2011. Originally the Milane Theatre, the building was constructed at 203 South Magnolia Avenue in Sanford, the former location of the Star Theatre, an abandoned movie house. Scroggs and Ewing, architects from Georgia, prepared the plans for the Milane. The name of the new theater was derived from the combination of the presidents of the Milane Amusement Company president and vice president: Frank L. Miller and Edward F. Lane. The Milane opened in July of 1923 and seated 823 patrons. In 1933, the Milane was sold to Frank and Stella Evans, investors from Lake Mary, Florida. The new owners renamed their business the Ritz Theatre and held the property until the 1990s. However, the Ritz struggled financially in the 1960s and closed in 1978 due to failure to compete with the new multiplex theaters. The building remained vacant until 1984, when it reopened as the Showtime Cantina. The Showtime Cantina closed in 1988 and remained vacant and in decay. In the mid-1990s, Ritz Community Theater Projects, Inc. acquired the property and began rehabilitation in 1998. On May 6, 2000, the theater reopened as the Helen Stairs Theatre in honor of the citizen who led the restoration project, Helen Stairs. The following year, the location was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2008, additional renovations were completed at the theater was renamed the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center in honor of the Wayne Densch Charitable Trust Fund for contributing to the renovations fund.
Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center Stage
The theater stage of the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center in 2011. Originally the Milane Theatre, the building was constructed at 203 South Magnolia Avenue in Sanford, the former location of the Star Theatre, an abandoned movie house. Scroggs and Ewing, architects from Georgia, prepared the plans for the Milane. The name of the new theater was derived from the combination of the presidents of the Milane Amusement Company president and vice president: Frank L. Miller and Edward F. Lane. The Milane opened in July of 1923 and seated 823 patrons. In 1933, the Milane was sold to Frank and Stella Evans, investors from Lake Mary, Florida. The new owners renamed their business the Ritz Theatre and held the property until the 1990s. However, the Ritz struggled financially in the 1960s and closed in 1978 due to failure to compete with the new multiplex theaters. The building remained vacant until 1984, when it reopened as the Showtime Cantina. The Showtime Cantina closed in 1988 and remained vacant and in decay. In the mid-1990s, Ritz Community Theater Projects, Inc. acquired the property and began rehabilitation in 1998. On May 6, 2000, the theater reopened as the Helen Stairs Theatre in honor of the citizen who led the restoration project, Helen Stairs. The following year, the location was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2008, additional renovations were completed at the theater was renamed the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center in honor of the Wayne Densch Charitable Trust Fund for contributing to the renovations fund.
Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center Ticket Booth
The ticket booth at the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center in 2011. Originally the Milane Theatre, the building was constructed at 203 South Magnolia Avenue in Sanford, the former location of the Star Theatre, an abandoned movie house. Scroggs and Ewing, architects from Georgia, prepared the plans for the Milane. The name of the new theater was derived from the combination of the presidents of the Milane Amusement Company president and vice president: Frank L. Miller and Edward F. Lane. The Milane opened in July of 1923 and seated 823 patrons. In 1933, the Milane was sold to Frank and Stella Evans, investors from Lake Mary, Florida. The new owners renamed their business the Ritz Theatre and held the property until the 1990s. However, the Ritz struggled financially in the 1960s and closed in 1978 due to failure to compete with the new multiplex theaters. The building remained vacant until 1984, when it reopened as the Showtime Cantina. The Showtime Cantina closed in 1988 and remained vacant and in decay. In the mid-1990s, Ritz Community Theater Projects, Inc. acquired the property and began rehabilitation in 1998. On May 6, 2000, the theater reopened as the Helen Stairs Theatre in honor of the citizen who led the restoration project, Helen Stairs. The following year, the location was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2008, additional renovations were completed at the theater was renamed the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center in honor of the Wayne Densch Charitable Trust Fund for contributing to the renovations fund.
Sanford State Farmers' Market Retail Facility
The Sanford State Farmers' Market retail facility in 2011. The Sanford State Farmers' Market, located at 1300 South French Avenue, was founded in 1934 in order to provide a central location in which farmers would sell their produce directly to consumers. The idea for the Sanford State Farmers' Market was devised by Fred Dorner and Gus Schmach, both members of the Seminole Agricultural Club. 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 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.
Sanford State Farmers' Market, Sanford, Florida
Sanford State Farmers' Market Restaurant
The Sanford State Farmers' Market restaurant in 2011. The Sanford State Farmers' Market, located at 1300 South French Avenue, was founded in 1934 in order to provide a central location in which farmers would sell their produce directly to consumers. The idea for the Sanford State Farmers' Market was devised by Fred Dorner and Gus Schmach, both members of the Seminole Agricultural Club. Sanford Chamber of Commerce president Harry M. 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 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.
The lot of a former cigar manufacturer that was located on South Oak Avenue, in Sanford, Florida, in 1924. The cigar industry was first brought to Florida by Cuban immigrants in the 1830s and became one of the most important industries in the Southeast by the last quarter of the 19th century, with Tampa serving as the cigar manufacturing center in the state. In the late 1800s, cigar factories began to appear in various other Florida cities, such as Jacksonville and Tallahassee. Cigar manufacturing first appeared in Sanford sometime between 1909 and 1912. The Florida cigar industry came to its peak in the first quarter of the 20th century, but then declined during the Great Depression and World War II, due to the accumulation of labor union conflicts over the years, the mechanization of production, and changing consumer demands. The industry was revitalized during the 1950s as production soared, despite the decline of the number of workers. Following the Cuban Revolution of the late 1950s and the U.S. embargo on Cuban products in 1962, the Florida cigar industry again declined. The Cuban embargo included tobacco, thus forcing American cigar rollers to begin using Dominican tobacco.
Original digital color image by Laura Cepero, July 3, 2011.
Former Location of the John J. Mauser Cigar Shop
The former location of a John J. Mauser cigar shop at 120 North Park Avenue in Sanford, Florida. The cigar shop occupied the space approximately between 1910 and 1922. John J. Mauser manufactured Lucky Sanford, Banker's Choice, and Clear Havana cigars. As of 2011, this building was occupied by St. Johns Realty Company, led by A. Bart Peterson. The cigar industry was first brought to Florida by Cuban immigrants in the 1830s and became one of the most important industries in the Southeast by the last quarter of the 19th century, with Tampa serving as the cigar manufacturing center in the state. In the late 1800s, cigar factories began to appear in various other Florida cities, such as Jacksonville and Tallahassee. Cigar manufacturing first appeared in Sanford sometime between 1909 and 1912. The Florida cigar industry came to its peak in the first quarter of the 20th century, but then declined during the Great Depression and World War II, due to the accumulation of labor union conflicts over the years, the mechanization of production, and changing consumer demands. The industry was revitalized during the 1950s as production soared, despite the decline of the number of workers. Following the Cuban Revolution of the late 1950s and the U.S. embargo on Cuban products in 1962, the Florida cigar industry again declined. The Cuban embargo included tobacco, thus forcing American cigar rollers to begin using Dominican tobacco.
Original digital color image by Laura Cepero, July 9, 2011.
John J. Mauser Cigar Shop, Downtown Sanford, Florida
St. Johns Realty Company, Downtown Sanford, Florida