A pair of shoes worn by Edwin White when he was a baby growing up in Oviedo, Florida, during the 1930s.
Original color digital images: Private Collection of Edwin White and Carolyn White.
Baby's Record of Birth for Charmion Le'Antwinetta Holt
Certificate for the birth of Charmion Le'Antwinetta Holt (1974- ), the daughter of Patricia Ann Black (1956- ) and her first husband Clint Holt (1955-). Charmion was delivered by Dr. Robert Smith on January 5, 1974, at Seminole Memorial Hospital in Sanford, Florida, which was located at the corner of East First Street and Mellonville Avenue. Her mother, Patricia, was 18 years old at the time that Charmion was born. At present, Holt is employed at the Miller Orlando Ale House, located at 50 Towne Center Circle in Sanford, Florida. She also owns a catering business called Charm's Catering.
Original birth certificate, 1974: Seminole Memorial Hospital, Sanford, Florida: Private Collection of Patricia Ann Black.
Seminole Memorial Hospital , Sanford, Florida
Steamboats--Florida--Saint Johns River--History
Backside of Steamship Osceola, which was built in 1913 at Jacksonville's Merill Stevens Shipyard for the Clyde Line Steamboat Company. The ship was captained by T.W. Lund and ran between Jacksonville and Sanford (a 140 mile trip) and could carry 60 passengers plus cargo. The ship was unusual in its design, with a recessed stern wheel that was enclosed within the hull of the ship. It was tied to an abandoned wharf and left to rot on the Northbank of Jacksonville in 1928.
Original 3 x 5 inch black and white photograph by Chase & Company: Chase Collection (MS 14), box 211, folder 3.30A, item CC 104, Special and Area Studies Collections, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.
Back to the Future DeLorean DMC-12 at Universal Studios Florida, 1991
David Cepero (b. 1978) and Alicia Lynn Cepero (b. 1975) in front of the Back to the Future DeLorean DMC-12 at Universal Studios Florida, located at 6000 Universal Boulevard in Orlando, Florida, in 1991. Also seen in the photograph is the entrance of the Phantom of the Opera Horror Make-Up Show. Universal Studios Florida, a movie- and television-themed amusement park, opened on June 7,1990. Design began in 1982, with plans to include a working studio. However, the project was put on hold until 1986. The park originally featured several themed areas: "In Production" (Front Lot and Production Central), "Now Shooting" (New York), "On Location" (San Francisco and Amity), and "The World of CineMagic Center" (Expo Center). In 1998, Universal began expanding its property to include Islands of Adventure.
Original color photograph, 1991: Private Collection of Nancy Lynn Cepero.
Universal Studios Florida, Orlando, Florida
Back to the Future DeLorean DMC-12 at Universal Studios Florida, 1994
Dennis Cepero in front of the Back to the Future DeLorean DMC-12 at Universal Studios Florida, located at 6000 Universal Boulevard in Orlando, Florida, in 1994. Universal Studios Florida, a movie and television-theme amusement park, opened on June 7,1990. Design began in 1982, with plans to include a working studio. However, the project was put on hold until 1986. The park originally featured several themed areas: "In Production" (Front Lot and Production Central), "Now Shooting" (New York), "On Location" (San Francisco and Amity), and "The World of CineMagic Center" (Expo Center). In 1998, Universal began expanding its property to include Islands of Adventure.
Original color photograph, 1994: Private Collection of Nancy Lynn Cepero.
The backyard of Paul Mikler, a history teacher and coach from Oviedo, Florida. Mikler was born on July 8, 1916, and was raised in Slavia, an unincorporated community that was once part of Oviedo. He taught at Oviedo High School (OHS), where he was seminal in shaping the school's baseball program, from 1946 to 1970. Mikler passed away on April 12, 2000.
Original color photograph, 2003: Private Collection of Bettye Reagan.
Baggs' Produce Cart from "Remade - Not Bought"
the Baggs' Produce cart prop used in several scenes for Remade - Not Bought to symbolize the Baggs' grocery store. This store was part of the community for decades and has served as a de facto meeting place for residents of Sanford, Florida. Remade - Not Bought was a Celery Soup: Florida's Folk Life Play and Creative Sanford, Inc. play performed from October 18 through November 3, 2013. The play was written by Peter Newman, Brian Casey, Trish Thompson, Annye Refoe, and Laura Donaldson. Remade - Not Bought was directed by Nicholas Murphy, the artistic director of Cornerstone Theatre in Orlando, and includes original music by Ruth King. The play features stories real-life stories based on oral histories of Sanford residents.
Original color digital image by Autumn Reisz, October 11, 2013.
Creative Sanford, Inc., Sanford, Florida
A newspaper article published by The Lion's Tale, Oviedo High School's student newspaper, in February of 1984. This article is about OHS honor student Belinda Bakalla, who was designated a Tusculum Scholar. Tusculum College in Greenville, Tennessee, awards each Tusculum Scholar a scholarship that covers tuition in full. Oviedo High School is a Seminole County Public School located in Oviedo, Florida. Originally called the Oviedo School, the institution was first established in 1922 as a K-12 school. In 1948, the secondary grades separated from the elementary school. The upper grade levels formed Oviedo High School and moved to the campus at 601 King Street. Oviedo High School is notable for The Lion's Tale, the award-winning school newspaper recognized by various national and state scholastic press associations; its high ratings from the Governor's A+ Plan for Education; and its successful athletics programs.
Original newspaper article: "Bakalla Designated Tusculum Scholar." The Lion's Tale, Vol. XIII, No. 5, February 1984: Private Collection of Dan Beistel.
The Lion's Tale
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.
Original color digital image by Laura Cepero, June 9, 2011.
RICHES of Central Florida
Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center, Sanford, Florida
A newspaper article about the upcoming performance of the Southern Ballet Theatre's (SBT) comedy ballet titled Coppélia. According to the article, Kurt Putzig, formerly of the American Ballet Theatre, was slated to play Franz in on May 25 and 26, 1990. The ballet was to be held at the Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre, located at 401 West Livingston Street in Orlando, Florida, and the Florida Symphony Orchestra was to provide live music for the performance.
Original newspaper article: "Ballet Has Guest Artist," May 1990: Private Collection of Beatrice Gestrich.
Oviedo Woman's Club
Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre, Downtown Orlando, Florida
Baltimore Gas and Electric Company's Westinghouse 501AA EconoPac Gas Turbines
The installation of four of the Westinghouse 501AA (W501AA) EconoPac gas turbine units at Baltimore Gas and Electric Company's ​​​​​​​Perryman Generating Station in Aberdeen, Maryland, which began operations in 1972. Originally called the Westinghouse Electric Company, George Westinghouse (1846-1914) founded his manufacturing company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on January 8, 1886. In 1889, he renamed his business The Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company. Westinghouse's primary products include turbines, generators, motors and switchgear related to the generation, transmission, and use of electricity. The company changed its name to Westinghouse Electric Corporation in 1945. In 1981, the company began to relocate its division headquarters for the Steam-Turbine Generator Divisions from Pennsylvania (turbines from Lester and generators from Pittsburgh) to Orlando, Florida. The Power Generation Business Unit (PGBU) building was located in The Quadrangle, at 4400 Alafaya Trail. Originally, Westinghouse had purchased a large plot of land for future development that extended westward from Alafaya Trail to Rouse Road. The original headquarters was located on several acres of that land parcel close to Alafaya Trail. As the PGBU grew in size, other buildings were rented and then, after PGBU was sold to Siemens Corporation, additional buildings were added to the complex. In 1994, after a major corporate management shuffling and commitment to change from an industrial manufacturing company to primarily a broadcasting/communications company, Westinghouse bought the CBS Network and changed its name to the CBS Corporation. As the PGBU grew in size, other buildings were rented and then, after PGBU was sold to Siemens Corporation in 1998, additional buildings were added to the Quadrangle.
Original color photograph: Private Collection of Harry L. Jaeger.
​​​​​​​Perryman Generating Station, Aberdeen, Maryland
Lake Monroe (Seminole County and Volusia County, Fla.)
The bandshell on Lake Monroe at Veterans Memorial Park in Sanford, Florida in 1949. The bandshell is part of the original park design and construction that was completed in 1925. By 1927, a flagpole and fountain were dedicated in memory of World War I veterans. The park was renamed Veterans Memorial Park in 1973 when it was rededicated to the memory of veterans of all American wars.
Florida Department of Commerce
Original 4 x 5 inch black and white photoprint by the Florida Department of Commerce, 1949: Department of Commerce Collection, call number C012100, Florida Photographic Collection, State Library and Archives of Florida, Tallahassee, Florida.
State Library and Archives of Florida
Postcard showing Lake Eola Park and its bandstand in Orlando, Florida. The bandstand is on the west side of the park. Lake Eola and its surrounding park are one of the unusual features that sets Orlando apart from other cities. From its earliest days, Downtown Orlando was situated on the west side of the lake. As the town grew into a city, Lake Eola continued to be a focal point for the inhabitants, who used the lake for bathing, swimming and fishing, and its shores picnicking, listening to concerts, and participating in religious services. Much of the land around Lake Eola was donated to Orlando by Jacob Summerlin who designated that it be a public park. It has remained one ever since. The rest of the park land was donated by the Musselwhite Family and Mayor Frank Sperry.
Original 5.5 x 3.5 inch color postcard: E. C. Kropp Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
Bandshell on Lake Monroe - Sanford, Fla.
The Veterans Memorial Park bandshell on Lake Monroe during the 1950s. Veterans Memorial Park, located at 110 East Seminole Boulevard in Sanford, Florida, was built in 1925 and included a bandshell. A flagpole and fountain were dedicated in memory of World War I veterans in 1927.
Original black and white photograph: The Seminole Herald, Sanford, Florida.
Veterans Memorial Park, Sanford, Florida
Bank Check from Isaac Vanderpool to A. D. Starbird (January 20, 1893)
A bank check from Isaac Vanderpool to A. D. Starbird, likely for the payment of lumber supplies, dated January 20, 1893. The Vanderpools were one of the original families in Maitland, Florida, with Isaac Vanderpool, the patriarch of the family, buying 160 acres of land in the year 1870. In 1876, after facing a large financial loss and disaster in New York, Isaac and his wife, Harriet Vanderpool, permanently moved to the Maitland area. At the time of their arrival, the area only had about four or five family homesteads and orange groves. Vanderpool was part of the first committee to help incorporate the town of Lake Maitland. The committee included Vanderpool, Henry S. Kedney, George Packwood, and Richard Packwood. The Vanderpool family was also heavily involved in civic affairs, which included the establishment of the town of Eatonville by Vanderpool and Josiah C. Eaton. The Vanderpools were paricipants in the creation of the Florida Audubon Society and the organization of the Maitland Public Library. Harriet Vanderpool, along with Bishop Henry C. Whipple, founded the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd, and, in 1927, she wrote the "Maitland Song," which the chamber of commerce adopted as the official song for the city. In 1887, Vanderpool became Mayor of Maitland and during this time, acquired land for the city first cemetery. In 1892, he built the first packinghouse in Maitland, which was featured in The Gate City Chronicle as the state most modern and best packinghouse.
Original 2.75 x 8 inch bank check from Isaac Vanderpool to A. D. Starbird, January 20, 1893: Vanderpool Collection, accession number 2014.002.004V, room 2, case 2, shelf 10, box GV, Maitland Historical Museum, Art & History Museums - Maitland, Maitland, Florida.
The Bank of Winter Garden, located on the corner of Main Street and Plant Street in Winter Garden, Florida, in the early 1900s. In 1908, James Lafayette Dillard (1858-1943) founded the Bank of Winter Garden. He would later become the Director and Vice President of the bank. During the 1912 fire, the bank survived even though Strozier Merchandise (seen on the left) and the Orange Hotel (seen on the right) were both destroyed. The Bank of Winter Garden closed in the 1929 crash and the building, enlarged with the addition of a second floor and expanded the west wall, became a department store, and later, a drug store and professional offices. In 1960, the bank was destroyed by a fire. In the picture, G. T. Smith, a bank cashier, is standing in the door of the bank.
Original black and white photograph: Up From the Ashes Exhibit, Winter Garden Heritage Foundation, Winter Garden, Florida.
Bank of Winter Garden, Winter Garden, Florida
A Fourth of July barbecue at Sweetwater Park, located at 201 East Magnolia Street in Oviedo, Florida. Theodore Luqueer Mead and his wife, Edith Katharine Antill Edwards Mead, donated five acres of wooded hammock land to be used for the park. The Oviedo Woman's Club (OWC) Originally spent a number of years trying to develop the park, but ultimately deferred the project to the Town of Oviedo. The OWC later donated benches to the park in 1950. The event was hosted by American Legion Post 243 to raise funds for a chlorinator for the town swimming pool. Post 243 is currently located at A491 West Broadway Street. The American Legion is a social veterans' organization for former and current members of the United States Armed Forces. The organization was chartered by the United States Congress on September 16, 1919, following World War I. The American Legion has been active in influencing political and social change, such as the founding of the U.S. Veterans Bureau, which was the forerunner of the Veterans Administration and later the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA); efforts to pass a constitutional amendment prohibiting the physical desecration of the American flag; the creation of the American Legion Baseball program; the passing of the Servicemen's Readjustment Act, commonly known as the GI Bill of Rights; contributing to the launch of the National Association for Mental Health; sponsorship of an independent study on the effects of the exposure of Agent Orange, a herbicidal weapon, on veterans of the Vietnam War; as well as many other activities and achievements.
Original black and white photograph: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
An etching of the Barnett Plaza and the adjacent CNA Tower, built in 1962. The plaza and the tower were constructed on the block surrounded by South Orange Avenue, East Church Street, South Magnolia Avenue (formerly South Main Street), and East Jackson Street in Downtown Orlando, Florida. The lot now includes the Downtown Orlando Information Center and the BB& T Bank building. The center is located at 400 South Orange Avenue.
Original black and white etching: Orlando Remembered Exhibit, Downtown Orlando Information Center, Orlando, Florida.
Downtown Orlando Information Center, Downtown Orlando, Florida
A t-shirt for the band Barrage. Barrage was a hard rock band formed in Orlando, Florida, in 1988. The original lineup consisted of Jamie Barker on keyboard and background vocals, Jeffrey Alan Bonenfant on drums and percussion, Andy McKinney on bass and backing vocals, Steve Tedesco on lead vocals and guitar, and Tony Visconti on background vocals and guitar. The group won Best Band in Jam Magazine's Jammy Awards in 1991 and were nominated for Entertainer of the Year in 1995. The released a self-produced album, Constant Pounding, in 1991, which contained lead and background vocalist, David Hayes, and an album for Signature/Barrage Productions, Barrage, in 1994. Barrage disbanded in 1994, and Tedesco and Visconti eventually reunited in the band, Black Canvas, in 2012.
Original color digital images: Private Collection of Mick Dolan.
A postcard depicting Barton Avenue in Rockledge, Florida. Barton Avenue is the site of the first residential subdivision in Rockledge. The Barton Avenue Residential District, which was designated on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1992, runs from 11 to 59 Barton Avenue. This historic district has 26 structures, mostly in the Frame Vernacular architectural style with elements of Folk Victorian architecture, built in the late 1800s.
Original 9 x 14 centimeter color postcard by Tichnor Bros., Inc.: Private Collection of Bob Van Horn.
A photograph of men, possibly students, playing baseball in front of the Oviedo School, located at 601 King Street in Oviedo, Florida, around 1950 or 1951. The school was first established in 1932 as a K-12 school. In 1948, the secondary grades separated from the elementary school. The upper grade levels formed Oviedo High School and moved to the campus at 601 King Street. Oviedo High School is notable for The Lion's Tale, the award-winning school newspaper recognized by various national and state scholastic press associations; its high ratings from the Governor's A+ Plan for Education; and its successful athletics programs.
Original black and white photograph: Private Collection of Bettye Reagan.
Oviedo School
Bataan-Corregidor Memorial at Lakefront Park
The Bataan-Corregidor Memorial, located on the corner of East Monument Avenue and Lakeshore Boulevard in Lakefront Park, is the result of the combined efforts of the Filipino-American community and the City of Kissimmee. It began in the late 1980s when resident and a former Filipino diplomat, Menandro M. de Mesa, recognized the lack of recognition received for those who fought and perished during the fall of Bataan and Corregidor and the subsequent Death March in World War II. At an annual conference, de Mesa befriended City Commissioner Richard Herring, who also shared the same sentiments towards the victims and veterans of the events. Together, the two founded the nonprofit Bataan-Corregidor Memorial Foundation. In 1991, using his influence as City Commissioner, Richard Herring was able to persuade the City of Kissimmee to donate a piece of land in Lakefront Park for a future Bataan-Corregidor memorial. Groundbreaking for the memorial took place in 1994, and in 1995, the memorial was unveiled. The memorial features several benches, a stone dedication, an American flag, a Filipino flag, and the centerpiece: a statue depicting an American G.I. and a Filipino soldier being offered water by a Filipino woman during the Death March. Since its dedication, the memorial has become the site of annual meetings of WWII veterans who survived the infamous Death March. It has also come to be the site of annual gatherings of Filipinos and Americans celebrating Filipino-American Friendship Day on April 9th. The Battle of Bataan lasted from January 7 to April 9, 1942, and marked the most vital phase of the Empire of Japan's invasion of the Philippines during World War II. The United States defended the Commonwealth of the Philippines, but ultimately the battle resulted in the largest surrender in both American and Filipino military history. The forced transfer of 60,000-80,000 Filipino and American prisoners of war (POWs), known as the Bataan Death March, began on April 9. The POWs were subjected to physical abuse and murder. An estimated 2,500 to 10,000 POWs died before reaching Camp O'Donnell. After Bataan fell, organized opposition against Imperial Japan in the Philippines became decimated. The Battle of Corregidor was waged on May 5 and 6 and resulted in another American-Filipino defeat. This event marked the fall of both the Philippines and Asia to Imperial Japan. American and Filipino forces were able to recapture the island in 1945 and the Bataan Death March was declared a war crime following the end of World War II.
Original color digital images by Kyle Messamore, October 10, 2013.
Bataan-Corregidor Memorial, Lakefront Park, Kissimmee, Florida
Mariveles, Bataan, Central Luzon, Philippines
Camp O'Donnell, Capas, Tarlac, Philippines
Battle Groups Can't Halt 7th: French at Gap
A newspaper article from 45th Division News, a publication for the U.S. Army's 45th Infantry Division of the 157th Infantry Regiment. The article discusses a battle for the Seventh United States Army in the Vosges mountains. According to the article, American battle groups had forced the German Army to retreat. In the south, the French Army had reached the Belfort Gap but had made little progress. The 45th Infantry Division was part of the Oklahoma Army National Guard, with its members fighting in World War II and the Korean War. The division took part in the Allied invasion of Sicily and the attack on Salerno in the Italian Campaign in 1943, followed by the Battle of Anzio and the Battle of Monte Cassino in 1944. During Operation Dragoon, the 45th Division landed in southern France in latter half of 1944. In 1945, the 45th joined other forces for the Western Allied invasion of Germany, ending the European Theatre of World War II when Germany surrendered in May.
Digital reproduction of original newspaper article: "Battle Groups Can't Halt 7th: French at Gap." 45th Division News, Vol. V, No. 10, October 4, 1944: 45th Infantry Division Museum, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Battle of the Bulge Memorial at Lake Eola
The Battle of the Bulge Memorial in Lake Eola Park in Downtown Orlando, Florida. This six-foot, bronze statue of an American G.I. sits on a bronze-outlined, white star set into a 34-foot diameter concrete base. The statue was sculpted by Chris Scala, a local artist from Orlando, and dedicated on December 16, 1999, the 55th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge. American, Belgian, and Luxembourger flags fly in a semi-circle behind the statue. Scala also duplicated the monument for a memorial in Clervaux, Luxembourg. The Battle of the Bulge was a major offensive campaign launched by German forces between December 16, 1944, and January 25, 1945. The battle was waged in the Ardennes region of France, Luxembourg, and Belgium's Wallonia region and involved armies from the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Belgium, France, and the Luxembourgish resistance. The German attack was unexpected, causing the Allies, especially the United States, to lose a significant number of casualties. The goal of the offensive was to separate the British and American Allied forces in half, capture the Belgian city of Antwerp, and then surround the four Allied armies. While the Germans had the benefit of surprise and initially poor weather conditions that grounded the Allies' air forces, the Allied Forces were ultimately able to win the battle thanks to defensible terrain and improved weather conditions that allowed the use of air attacks. The battle is also known as Unternehmen Wacht am Rhein ("Operation Watch on the Rhine") to the Germans, Bataille des Ardennes ("Battle of the Ardennes") to the French, and the Ardennes Counteroffensive to the Allies as a whole. The Battle of the Bulge was the largest and bloodiest battle fought by the United States in World War II.
Original digital color image by Cody Schuppe, August 24, 2013.
Battle of the Bulge Memorial, Lake Eola Park, Downtown Orlando, Florida
A postcard depicting the Sheraton Plaza, located at 13 South Atlantic Avenue in Daytona Beach, Florida. The park is now known as Breakers Sheraton Plaza and Environmental Learning Center. Daytona Beach was originally inhabited by the Timucua before the arrival of Spaniards in 1513. After the Timucua were virtually exterminated following contact with Europeans, the area was frequented by Seminoles from Georgia and Alabama, up until the Second Seminole War. During British occupation of Florida (1763-1783), King's Road was built, extending from St. Augustine, passing through Daytona, and ending in New Smyrna Beach. After the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), Spain regained Florida, and, in 1804, Samuel Williams was granted 3,000 acres of land in Daytona from the Spanish Crown. Williams established a cotton, rice, and sugarcane plantation. During the Second Seminole War, Seminoles razed the plantation, while Williams' son, Samuel Hill Williams, fled. In 1871, Mathias Day, Jr., a migrant from Mansfield, Ohio, purchased a large tract of land along the west bank of the Halifax River, which included the former Williams Plantation. With the construction of Day's hotel, today's Daytona Beach Historic District was created. In 1876, residents named the city "Daytona," in honor of Day, when the area was incorporated as a town. Growth continued in 1886 when the St. Johns & Halifax River Railway extended to Daytona. In 1926, the towns of Daytona, Daytona Beach, Kingston, and Seabreeze merged together as Daytona Beach, in an effort led by J. B. Kahn. By this time, the beach had been nicknamed "The World's Most Famous Beach." Automobile and motorcycle races began in 1902, due to the smooth, compacted sand that covered the beach. Daytona Beach became the site of various land speed record attempts. On March 8, 1836, the first stock car race was held at the Daytona Beach Road Course, which is located in present-day Ponce Inlet. William France, Sr. and the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) established the Daytona International Speedway in 1958 to replace the beach course.
Original 9 x 14 centimeter color postcard by Curt Teich and Company: Private Collection of Bob Van Horn.
The Beacham, located at 46 North Orange Avenue, in 2001. The was originally built as a jail for Orange County in 1884. Braxton Beacham Sr. bought the building in 1917 and opened it as the Beacham Theatre in 1921. As of 2013, The Beacham operates as a nightclub.
Original color digital image by Thomas Cook, 2001.
A postcard depicting a steamboat on Bear Creek near Lynn Haven, Florida. 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.
Beautiful Colonial Lake Showing the Baker Sanitorium in Background Postcard
A postcard depicting a view of the Baker Sanitorium from across Colonial Lake in Charleston, South Carolina. Colonial Lake is a tidal lake, with its surrounding park reserved for common use since 1768. The Baker-Craig Sanatorium, seen from across the lake, was founded in 1912, became the site of the Baker Memorial Hospital in 1963, and was converted into a condominium complex in 1981. This postcard is part of a collection of postcards kept by Lucile Campbell, a schoolteacher in Sanford, Florida, for 30 years. In 1931, she took advantage of a special rate for teachers and sailed to Europe, where she traveled for several months and is thought to have acquired many of these postcards. During the 1940-1941 school year, Campbell taught at Sanford Grammar School. Before her retirement in 1970, she taught at many other area schools, including the Oviedo School, Westside Grammar School, and Pinecrest Elementary School. Campbell used these postcards as aids in her classrooms to teach advanced subjects, such as Shakespearean drama. The collection, along with her other teaching aids, papers, and photographs, was later found at Sanford Grammar School after it became the University of Central Florida's Public History Center. Campbell's postcard collection and photographs provide insight into the life of a respected Florida educator.
Original 3 x 5 inch color postcard: ACC# SM-00-243, file folder 1 (U.S. blanks), box 10A, Lucile (Mary Lucile) Campbell Collection, UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida.
Colonial Lake, Charleston, South Carolina
Baker-Craig Sanatorium, Charleston, South Carolina
Beautiful Spring Bayou "The Venice of the South" Postcard
A postcard depicting cars along the Spring Bayou in Tarpon Springs, Florida. The earliest Americans settlers to Tarpon came following the American Civil War. The town was first promoted by Hamilton Disston (1844-1896) as a town for relaxation and health. In early 1987, Tarpon Springs became the first city to be incorporated on the Pinellas Peninsula. The Orange Belt Railway first arrived in 1887 and sponge harvesting became a prime industry in the area. Tarpon Springs thrived during the Florida land boom of the 1920s and collapsed when the rest of the state bust in 1926, which also saw the devastation of a major hurricane. Despite the land bust and the Great Depression, the sponge industry continued to thrive until 1938, when a blight infested the sponge beds. Instead, the city turned to tourism, capitalizing on its rich Greek culture. This postcard is part of a collection of postcards kept by Lucile Campbell, a schoolteacher in Sanford, Florida, for 30 years. In 1931, she took advantage of a special rate for teachers and sailed to Europe, where she traveled for several months and is thought to have acquired many of these postcards. During the 1940-1941 school year, Campbell taught at Sanford Grammar School. Before her retirement in 1970, she taught at many other area schools, including the Oviedo School, Westside Grammar School, and Pinecrest Elementary School. Campbell used these postcards as aids in her classrooms to teach advanced subjects, such as Shakespearean drama. The collection, along with her other teaching aids, papers, and photographs, was later found at Sanford Grammar School after it became the University of Central Florida's Public History Center. Campbell's postcard collection and photographs provide insight into the life of a respected Florida educator.
Gulf Stream Card and Distributing Company
Original 4 x 6 inch color postcard by the Gulf Stream Card and Distributing Company: ACC# SM-00-243, file folder 1 (U.S. blanks), box 10A, Lucile (Mary Lucile) Campbell Collection, UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida.
A postcard depicting a view down the Suwannee River, a federally designated "wild river." The Suwannee is almost 266 miles long, running from the Okefenokee Swamp in southern Georgia to the Gulf of Mexico in Florida, making it the only unspoiled waterway in the Southeast. This postcard is part of a collection of postcards kept by Lucile Campbell, a schoolteacher in Sanford, Florida, for 30 years. In 1931, she took advantage of a special rate for teachers and sailed to Europe, where she traveled for several months and is thought to have acquired many of these postcards. During the 1940-1941 school year, Campbell taught at Sanford Grammar School. Before her retirement in 1970, she taught at many other area schools, including the Oviedo School, Westside Grammar School, and Pinecrest Elementary School. Campbell used these postcards as aids in her classrooms to teach advanced subjects, such as Shakespearean drama. The collection, along with her other teaching aids, papers, and photographs, was later found at Sanford Grammar School after it became the University of Central Florida's Public History Center. Campbell's postcard collection and photographs provide insight into the life of a respected Florida educator.
A postcard depicting Magnolia Plantation and Gardens near Charleston, South Carolina. Magnolia Gardens, which introduced hundreds of varieties of the plant to the United States, has an extensive collection of camellia plants, and continues to organize and implement a worldwide search for Ancient Camellias which are in threat of extinction. This postcard is part of a collection of postcards kept by Lucile Campbell, a schoolteacher in Sanford, Florida, for 30 years. In 1931, she took advantage of a special rate for teachers and sailed to Europe, where she traveled for several months and is thought to have acquired many of these postcards. During the 1940-1941 school year, Campbell taught at Sanford Grammar School. Before her retirement in 1970, she taught at many other area schools, including the Oviedo School, Westside Grammar School, and Pinecrest Elementary School. Campbell used these postcards as aids in her classrooms to teach advanced subjects, such as Shakespearean drama. The collection, along with her other teaching aids, papers, and photographs, was later found at Sanford Grammar School after it became the University of Central Florida's Public History Center. Campbell's postcard collection and photographs provide insight into the life of a respected Florida educator.
An engineering report for the planned construction of Florida State Road 528 (SR 528), also called the Martin Andersen Bee Line Expressway, published in November of 1964. This report include details regarding the original phase of the project, along with a summary of future extensions, site plans, maps, and bridge plans. Now known as the Martin Andersen Beachline Expressway, SR 528 is a Central Florida Toll Road that connects Orlando, Florida, at Interstate 4 (I-4) with Cocoa Beach at Florida State Road A1A (SR A1A). The highway operates under the joint guidance of the Central Florida Expressway Authority (CFX) and the Florida's Turnpike Enterprise (FTE). The first segment of the 41 mile road was opened on July 14, 1968. Martin Anderson, the influential owner of the Orlando Sentinel newspaper, proposed the road to connect Orlando to the Florida State Road 520 (SR 520) exchange that ran to Cocoa Beach.
Original 52-page report: Pine Castle Historical Society, Pine Castle, Florida.
Orange County Expressway Authority
Reynolds, Smith &amp
Howard, Needles, Tammen &amp
Florida State Road 528, Orlando, Florida
Florida State Road 528, Christmas, Florida
Interstate 4-Florida State Road 528 Crossroad, Orlando, Florida
Sunshine State Parkway-Florida State Road 528 Crossroad, Orlando, Florida
An aerial photograph showing the Bee Line Mall and its surrounding areas in 1966. The photograph is annotated to show the surrounding roadways, Sky Lake, Oak Ridge, Candlelight Park, the Gold Key Inn, Piccadilly Restaurant, and Travelodge. Sky Lake is a residential community and unincorporated area in Orange County, Florida. It is located approximately seven miles south of Downtown Orlando between Lancaster Road and Sand Lake Road. The community was developed in late 1950s and 1960s by Hymen Lake. Houses originally sold in the range of $10,000 to $15,000. In the 1970s, Sky Lake became one of the first housing developments to be racially integrated. The community was originally proposed to include one thousand homes within the middle of the square mile block and a ring of commercial developments along the perimeter.
Original 8.5 x 11 inch black and white photograph, 1966: Pine Castle Historical Society, Pine Castle, Florida.
Beeb$ and Her Money Makers at E.L.L.A. Music Fest, 2012
Beeb$ and Her Money Makers (Musical group)
Michelle Beebs performing live with Beeb$ and Her Money Makers at E.L.L.A. Music Fest at H2O Live!, located at 100 West Livingston Street in Downtown Orlando, Florida, on November 3, 2012. The E.L.L.A. Music Festival, which stands for Elevate.Listen.Love.Appreciate, was created in 2007 by Orlando musician, promoter, and producer Robert Johnson to celebrate the heart, talent, and contributions that Florida female artists give to their communities. In its fifth year in 2012, the female-centric festival added spoken word artists, visual artists and local vendors to the stacked musical lineup. Led by Michelle Beebs, this Orlando-based band combines ska, rock, funk, and soul, gaining notoriety through their high-energy performances and unapologetically ridiculous media content. The group consists of Beebs of kazoo and vocals, Jeremy Lovelady on guitar, Levon White on bass, Paul Brisske on drums, Bunky Garrabrant on trumpet, and Eric Christian on saxophone and flute. The band was discovered by legendary promoter Kevin Lyman and asked to join the Vans Warped Tour in 2013. They were filmed for the second season of the show Warped Roadies on the FUSE Network, and returned to the Warped Tour in 2014, performing on a larger stage. The band has since toured with notable bands such as Reel Big Fish, Goldfinger, Suburban Legends, Five Iron Frenzy, Beautiful Bodies, and This Magnificent, and has shared the stage with Willie Nelson, Donovan Frankenreiter, Dirty Heads, Pepper, Cypress Hill, The Original Wailers, Zach Deputy, Keller Williams, The Lee Boys, BadFish, Dumpstaphunk, 100 Monkeys, Bobby Lee Rodgers, Big Bad VooDoo Daddy, and Perpetual Groove. Reel Big Fish's Aaron Barrett also produced their EP and their full length album. They were also featured on an episode of Travel Channel's RV Kings.
Original color photograph by Alicia Lyman, November 3, 2012: Archive: Concerts Archive, Alicia Lyman.
Beeb$ and Her Money Makers at Hard Rock Live Orlando, 2011
Beeb$ and Her Money Makers performing live at Hard Rock Live Orlando in Orlando, Florida, on April 1, 2011. The first photograph features bassist Levon White and kazoo player and vocalist Michelle Beebs and the second photographs shows saxophonist Eric Christian Led by Beebs, this Orlando-based band combines ska, rock, funk, and soul, gaining notoriety through their high-energy performances and unapologetically ridiculous media content. The group consists of Beebs of kazoo and vocals, Jeremy Lovelady on guitar, Levon White on bass, Paul Brisske on drums, Bunky Garrabrant on trumpet, and Eric Christian on saxophone and flute. The band was discovered by legendary promoter Kevin Lyman and asked to join the Vans Warped Tour in 2013. They were filmed for the second season of the show Warped Roadies on the FUSE Network, and returned to the Warped Tour in 2014, performing on a larger stage. The band has since toured with notable bands such as Reel Big Fish, Goldfinger, Suburban Legends, Five Iron Frenzy, Beautiful Bodies, and This Magnificent, and has shared the stage with Willie Nelson, Donovan Frankenreiter, Dirty Heads, Pepper, Cypress Hill, The Original Wailers, Zach Deputy, Keller Williams, The Lee Boys, BadFish, Dumpstaphunk, 100 Monkeys, Bobby Lee Rodgers, Big Bad VooDoo Daddy, and Perpetual Groove. Reel Big Fish's Aaron Barrett also produced their EP and their full length album. They were also featured on an episode of Travel Channel's RV Kings.
Original color photographs by Alicia Lyman, April 1, 2011: Archive: Concerts Archive, Alicia Lyman.
Hard Rock Live Orlando, Orlando, Florida
Beeb$ and Her Money Makers at The Beacham Theater, 2013
Beeb$ and Her Money Makers at the group's CD release party at The Beacham Theater in Downtown Orlando, Florida, on . The first two photographs feature kazoo player and vocalist Michelle Beebs and the third photographs shows bassist Levon White. Led by Beebs, this Orlando-based band combines ska, rock, funk, and soul, gaining notoriety through their high-energy performances and unapologetically ridiculous media content. The group consists of Beebs of kazoo and vocals, Jeremy Lovelady on guitar, Levon White on bass, Paul Brisske on drums, Bunky Garrabrant on trumpet, and Eric Christian on saxophone and flute. The band was discovered by legendary promoter Kevin Lyman and asked to join the Vans Warped Tour in 2013. They were filmed for the second season of the show Warped Roadies on the FUSE Network, and returned to the Warped Tour in 2014, performing on a larger stage. The band has since toured with notable bands such as Reel Big Fish, Goldfinger, Suburban Legends, Five Iron Frenzy, Beautiful Bodies, and This Magnificent, and has shared the stage with Willie Nelson, Donovan Frankenreiter, Dirty Heads, Pepper, Cypress Hill, The Original Wailers, Zach Deputy, Keller Williams, The Lee Boys, BadFish, Dumpstaphunk, 100 Monkeys, Bobby Lee Rodgers, Big Bad VooDoo Daddy, and Perpetual Groove. Reel Big Fish's Aaron Barrett also produced their EP and their full length album. They were also featured on an episode of Travel Channel's RV Kings.
Original color photographs by Alicia Lyman, May 30, 2013: Archive: Concerts Archive, Alicia Lyman.
The Beacham Theater, Downtown Orlando, Florida
Beeb$ and Her Money Makers at The Xfinity Center, 2014
Beeb$ and Her Money Makers performing live at Vans Warped Tour at The Xfinity Center in Mansfield, Massachusetts, on July 13, 2014. From left to right, the photograph features saxophonist Eric Christian, an unidentified person dressed in a hot dog costume, kazoo player and vocalist Michelle Beebs, bassist Levon White, and guitarist Jeremy Lovelady. Led by Beebs, this Orlando-based band combines ska, rock, funk, and soul, gaining notoriety through their high-energy performances and unapologetically ridiculous media content. The group consists of Beebs of kazoo and vocals, Jeremy Lovelady on guitar, Levon White on bass, Paul Brisske on drums, Bunky Garrabrant on trumpet, and Eric Christian on saxophone and flute. The band was discovered by legendary promoter Kevin Lyman and asked to join the Vans Warped Tour in 2013. They were filmed for the second season of the show Warped Roadies on the FUSE Network, and returned to the Warped Tour in 2014, performing on a larger stage. The band has since toured with notable bands such as Reel Big Fish, Goldfinger, Suburban Legends, Five Iron Frenzy, Beautiful Bodies, and This Magnificent, and has shared the stage with Willie Nelson, Donovan Frankenreiter, Dirty Heads, Pepper, Cypress Hill, The Original Wailers, Zach Deputy, Keller Williams, The Lee Boys, BadFish, Dumpstaphunk, 100 Monkeys, Bobby Lee Rodgers, Big Bad VooDoo Daddy, and Perpetual Groove. Reel Big Fish's Aaron Barrett also produced their EP and their full length album. They were also featured on an episode of Travel Channel's RV Kings.
Original color photograph by Alicia Lyman, July 13, 2014: Archive: Concerts Archive, Alicia Lyman.
The Xfinity Center, Mansfield, Massachusetts
architectural drawings showing two proposed layouts for Sky Lake Plaza, later named Skyview Plaza and sometimes referred to as the BeeLine Mall. Hymen Lake designed the plaza as regional shopping center, featuring a Publix supermarket and other mixed-goods stores in Sky Lake, a residential community and unincorporated area in Orange County, Florida. Skyview Plaza was constructed in 1964 and is located on the northeast corner of U.S. Route 441 (US 441), also known as Orange Blossom Trail (OBT) and Sand Lake Road. The developers dubbed this area the "Triangle of Success," formed by the City of Orlando, the Martin Company, and McCoy Air Force Base.
Original 24 x 12.5 inch architectural drawings, October 24, 1966: Pine Castle Historical Society, Pine Castle, Florida.
Milton, Carlisle, Harry and Associates
Beginning of the New Jersey Turnpike at the Delaware River Postcard
A postcard depicting the beginning of the New Jersey Turnpike (NJTP) at the Delaware River in Pennsville Township, New Jersey. The turnpike opened in 1951 and was intended to be the world's model highway. It is still the most heavily traveled tollway in the United States. This postcard is part of a collection of postcards kept by Lucile Campbell, a schoolteacher in Sanford, Florida, for 30 years. In 1931, she took advantage of a special rate for teachers and sailed to Europe, where she traveled for several months and is thought to have acquired many of these postcards. During the 1940-1941 school year, Campbell taught at Sanford Grammar School. Before her retirement in 1970, she taught at many other area schools, including the Oviedo School, Westside Grammar School, and Pinecrest Elementary School. Campbell used these postcards as aids in her classrooms to teach advanced subjects, such as Shakespearean drama. The collection, along with her other teaching aids, papers, and photographs, was later found at Sanford Grammar School after it became the University of Central Florida's Public History Center. Campbell's postcard collection and photographs provide insight into the life of a respected Florida educator.
New Jersey Turnpike, Pennsville Township, New Jersey
A poster for the Orlando Gay Chorus concert, “Behind Closed Doors”. The event was held at the Bob Carr Auditorium, located at 401 West Livingston Street in Orlando, Florida, on July 5, 1996. The show was a joint performance with the San Diego Men's Chorus and the Berlin Männer-Minne Chorus. Tickets were $16-$21, available through Ticketmaster. The poster has a bright red background with an image of a door on either side and an off-white center panel containing important text. A dark blue box at the top contains the title behind a red circle-backslash. The Orlando Gay Chorus is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts and humanitarian organization part of GALA Choruses. Founded on Valentines Day 1990, OGC is not only one of the largest mixed gay choirs in the United States at over 100 members, but they also boast four smaller ensembles that perform annual concerts, cabarets, and a whole host of community events like Come Out With Pride, Orlando Museum of Art’s Festival of Trees, and World Aids Day memorial services. In 2017, the group performed at over 105 events, including 15 performances for the first anniversary of the Pulse Nightclub tragedy. Members come from all walks of life and all sexual and gender orientations, including straight allies. OGC lives by the motto “Singing the World to a Better Place” and strives to use music to change attitudes and build a stronger community.
Orlando Gay Chorus
Original color poster: University of Central Florida Special Collections, Orlando, Florida.
A program for the Orlando Gay Chorus' concert, "Behind Closed Doors", on July 5, 1996, at the Bob Carr Auditorium in Orlando, Florida. The program includes short biographies on the Music Director Aubrey Connelly, the San Diego Men's Chorus conductor Christopher Allen, and Accompanists Christopher M. Fecteau and Glenn Ward, program notes, an outline of the show's itinerary, a list of chorus members and contributors, and a brief history of GALA Choruses. It also contains a short history of the Männer-Minne and the San Diego Men's Choruses. The Orlando Gay Chorus (OGC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts and humanitarian organization, and part of the Gay and Lesbian Association (GALA) of Choruses. Founded on Valentines Day 1990, OGC is not only one of the largest mixed gay choirs in the United States at over 100 members, but they also boast four smaller ensembles that perform annual concerts, cabarets, and a host of community events, such as Come Out With Pride, Orlando Museum of Art’s Festival of Trees, and World AIDS Day memorial services. In 2017, the group performed at over 105 events, including 15 performances for the first anniversary of the Pulse Nightclub tragedy. Members come from all walks of life and all sexual and gender orientations, including straight allies. OGC lives by the motto “Singing the World to a Better Place” and strives to use music to change attitudes and build a stronger community.
Original 24-page black and white program with a colored front and back cover, Special Collections and University Archives, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida
Belair Grove after the Freeze of 1894-1895.In 1870, Henry Shelton Sanford purchased 12,547.15 square acres of land known as the Sanford Grant. The acreage included an experiment station called Belair Grove, located just three miles southwest of the city named after Sanford. By 1889, Sanford extended his land purchase to 145 acres and contained mainly orange and lemon trees. In Belair alone, Sanford introduced over 140 varieties of citrus plants. All were tested to determine if Florida citrus growers could introduce new varieties into the growing citrus market. Sanford also grew exotic plants acquired from Central and South America, many of which survived the 1886 freeze. Sanford mainly used Belair as his own experiment station, but ultimately the findings and reports would be used by other citrus growers throughout Florida. Eventually, following Sanford's death in 1891, his wife, Gertrude Sanford, sold Belair to Sydney and Joshua Chase. In 1894 and 1895, Central Florida was hit by several freezes and most of the citrus crop was destroyed. In many cases, frozen oranges fell off the trees because the weakened branches could not support the heavier fruit. Chase & Company did not grow citrus crops again until 1904 when Joshua came back from an extended stay in California.
Original black and white photograph by Chase & Company, January 10, 1895: Chase Collection (MS 14), box 211, folder 3.3A, item CC92, Special and Area Studies Collections, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.
Sanford, Henry S. (Henry Shelton), 1823-1891
The Belair home of Henry Sanford and family sometime before 1925. In 1870, Henry Shelton Sanford purchased 23 square acres of land known as the Sanford Grant. The acreage included an experiment station called Belair located just three miles southwest of the city named after Sanford. By 1889, Sanford extended his land purchase to 145 acres and contained mainly orange and lemon trees. In Belair alone, Sanford introduced over 140 varieties of citrus plants. All were tested to determine if Florida citrus growers could introduce new varieties into the growing citrus market. Sanford also grew exotic plants acquired from Central and South America, many of which survived the 1886 freeze. Sanford mainly used Belair as his own experiment station, but ultimately the findings and reports would be used by other citrus growers throughout Florida. Eventually, Sanford handed over the operations of Belair to Sydney and Joshua Chase. By 1912, the brothers established the Chase Investment Company. The lodge located at Belair was built in 1888 and was destroyed in a fire in 1925.
Original black and white photograph by Chase & Company: Chase Collection (MS 14), box 211, folder 3.3A, Special and Area Studies Collections, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.
Believe It or Not—Quail Hatches Out Hen Egg in Oviedo
A newspaper article published by The Central Florida Press on June 20, 1930. The article describes a "freak happening" in which a quail hatched a hen egg in Oviedo, Florida. The quail was owned by Max Leinhart, who appeared on the radio program Ripley's Believe It or Not!. The radio show premiered on April 14, 1930 and was hosted by its founder, Robert Ripley, and ran until 1948, when Ripley began to convert the show to a television program.
Original newspaper article: "Believe It or Not—Quail Hatches Out Hen Egg in Oviedo." The Central Florida Press, Vol. 1, No. 9, June 20, 1930, page 1: Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida.
Jenkins, Bill (William Sterling), 1909-1996
Bell Towers, an oil painting created by William "Bill" Sterling Jenkins in 1941. The painting depicts the small town of Taxco de Alarcón in Mexico. Jenkins received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1934 from the University of Florida and was awarded a postgraduate scholarship to study art at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Florence, Italy. He spent several intensive years traveling through Europe by rail and bicycle, creating figure and landscape paintings. Upon his return, he established an art school in Columbus, Georgia. In 1942, he married Alice Moberg after meeting her in Mexico, where he studied silversmithing. Following a brief stint in the U.S. Army, Jenkins received an honorable discharge after contracting pneumonia and was sent to the Veterans Administration hospital in Orlando, Florida, to recuperate. He then worked for the VA and pioneered a program of rehabilitative art therapy classes for veterans. After earning his master’s degree in psychology from Florida State University in 1950, he settled in Winter Park and established Jenkins Construction Company, building many residential communities and shopping centers. In 1975, Jenkins established Crealdé School of Art, donating the organization and the property to the community in 1990. He also established the Jenkins Chair at the University of Central Florida, and donated the majority of his paintings to the UCF Art Gallery.
Original 26.5 x 18.5 inch oil painting: Jenkins, Bill. Bell Towers, 1941: Private Collection of the Jenkins Family.
The Bellingham Energy Center in Bellingham, Massachusetts. Built in 1991, the facility is now owned and operated by NextEra Energy. A slip stream of exhaust gas is exported to a carbon dioxide-recovery unit to achieve QF status, as required by the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA), and thereby, exempting it from the Fuel Use Act of 1978 (FUA). This was the first major project sold by Westinghouse Electric after the relocation of its Power Generation Business Unit (PGBU) to Orlando, Florida, in 1987. Originally called the Westinghouse Electric Company, George Westinghouse (1846-1914) founded his manufacturing company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on January 8, 1886. In 1889, he renamed his business The Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company. Westinghouse's primary products include turbines, generators, motors and switchgear related to the generation, transmission, and use of electricity. The company changed its name to Westinghouse Electric Corporation in 1945. In 1981, the company began to relocate its division headquarters for the Steam-Turbine Generator Divisions from Pennsylvania (turbines from Lester and generators from Pittsburgh) to Orlando, Florida. The Power Generation Business Unit (PGBU) building was located in The Quadrangle, at 4400 Alafaya Trail. Originally, Westinghouse had purchased a large plot of land for future development that extended westward from Alafaya Trail to Rouse Road. The original headquarters was located on several acres of that land parcel close to Alafaya Trail. As the PGBU grew in size, other buildings were rented and then, after PGBU was sold to Siemens Corporation, additional buildings were added to the complex. In 1994, after a major corporate management shuffling and commitment to change from an industrial manufacturing company to primarily a broadcasting/communications company, Westinghouse bought the CBS Network and changed its name to the CBS Corporation. As the PGBU grew in size, other buildings were rented and then, after PGBU was sold to Siemens Corporation in 1998, additional buildings were added to the Quadrangle.
Digital reproduction of original color photograph, 1998: NextEra Energy, Juno Beach, Florida.
NextEra Energy
Bellingham Energy Center, Bellingham, Massachusetts
Ben Ward, Jr. at the Mead Manor subdivision in Downtown Oviedo, Florida. This photograph from a newspaper article about the history of Mead Manor and Ward, a real estate developer, and his involvement in the project, as well as other ongoing development projects, such as Grove Hill. Named for horticulturalist Dr. Theodore Luqueer Mead, Mead Manor was developed by the Oviedo Land Company, which was formed by B. F. Wheeler, John Evans, Bill Martin, Ben Ward, Rex Clonts, Robert Lee, Bernie Blackwood, and Bob Williams. With the advent of Florida Technological University (present-day University of Central Florida) during the 1960s, development began in order to take advantage of the arrival of faculty and staff from the university. Mead Manor is credited with beginning the land development boom in Oviedo, leading to other residential subdivisions, such as Alafaya Woods and Grove Hill.
Photocopy of original 4 x 3 inch black and white newspaper photograph: Private Collection of Colene Ward.
A page from the Benjamin Franklin High School Yearbook in Rochester, New York, in 1940. The page contains images of the students with their names, home addresses, and clubs and organizations they participated in. A notable student listed is Richard H. Vaisey (1924-1996). Born on October 18, 1924, in Rochester, New York, Vaisey completed three years of high school before enlisting in the United States Army at the age of eighteen in November 1942. Vaisey served on a mortar squadron in the Southwest Pacific Ocean during World War II. He was discharged on January 11, 1946, and returned home to Rochester, where he worked as a lineman for Rochester Gas and Electric. He retired to Venice, Florida, where he passed away on December 28, 1996. He is memorialized at 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.
Benjamin Franklin High School
Digital reproduction of original yearbook page.
Benjamin Franklin High School, Rochester, New York
Benjamin Franklin Wheeler, Sr. and George Lee Wheeler
Husband and wife, Benjamin Franklin Wheeler, Sr. (1878-1954) and George Lee Wheeler (1884-1980), at their home, located at 340 South Lake Jessup Avenue in Oviedo, Florida, on February 15, 1942. Frank Wheeler was born in Dade City on January 2, 1878. After his father passed away in 1889, his family relocated to his mother's hometown in Oviedo. At age 16, Wheeler began working as a telegraph operator for the Atlantic Coast Line (ACL) Railroad. In 1898, he purchased a seedling citrus grove that had been abandoned during the Freeze of 1894-1985. Wheeler soon became a successful citrus grower and celery cultivator. Wheeler married George Lee in 1908 and the couple later had three children: Clara Lee Wheeler Evans (1917-2010); Benjamin Franklin Wheeler, Jr. (1920-2006); and Miriam Louise Wheeler (b. 1922). In 1908, Wheeler partnered with C .F. Brannon and Steen Nelson to operate the Nelson Brothers packinghouse. In 1923, Wheeler purchased the company and renamed it Nelson & Company, Inc. Wheeler also served on the Seminole County Commission and the Oviedo City Council. He was also seminal in organizing the Seminole County Chamber of Commerce, the Florida Citrus Mutual, and the Citizens Bank of Oviedo.
Original 5 x 3 inch black and white photographic print, February 15, 1942: Private Collection of Vicki Clonts.
Home of Benjamin Franklin Wheeler, Sr., Oviedo, Florida
Benjamin Jenkins, the son of Dedra Jenkins, playing with his pet cat, Sir Boots, in the yard of his home in the Parramore neighborhood of Downtown Orlando, Florida, in 1992. Bordered on the east by Division Street and on the west by Orange Blossom Trail (OBT), the Parramore began as an agricultural community. Parramore was historically a segregated African-American community and now comprises three separate downtown neighborhoods: Lake Dot, Callahan, and Holden-Parramore. Once an economically thriving area and the home of many prominent black businesses and institutions, including the Wells’ Built Hotel, South Street Casino, and Wallace’s Beauty Mill, Parramore suffered under Jim Crow segregation, and has lost 65 percent of its population in the last 50 years. It is now one of Orlando’s poorest neighborhoods, with an unemployment rate of 23.8 percent in 2015. However, neighborhood institutions like the Well's Built Museum of African American History and Culture, housed in the historic Wells’ Built Hotel, have worked to preserve memorabilia from Orlando’s African-American community and the local civil rights movement. Current plans to revitalize the Parramore area focus on maintaining its black heritage and culture while building new businesses, schools, and improved housing.
Original 3 x 4 inch color photograph by Dedra Jenkins, 1992: Private Collection of Dedra Jenkins.
Bwerani House, Holden-Parramore, Downtown Orlando, Florida
Bettye Jean Aulin Reagan and James Phelps Richardson Visiting Mary Alice Powell Aulin at the Winter Park Hospital
Mary Alice Powell Aulin (1904-1993) at the Winter Park Hospital in Winter Park, Florida, as she is being visited by her daughter, Bettye Jean Aulin Reagan (1923-), and her great grandson, James Phelps Richardson (1987-). Alice Aulin was born in Sanford, Florida, to parents Charles Powell and Mary Maude Rabun Powell. Aulin arrived in Oviedo in 1921 to work as a switchboard operator and a seamstress. She married Andrew Aulin, Jr. (1893-1964), the son of Oviedo's first postmaster, Andrew Aulin, Sr. (1843-1918). Together, the couple had five children: Mary Lenora Aulin (b. 1924), Alice Kathryn Aulin (b. 1926), Charles Warren Aulin (1927-1964), Bettye Jean Aulin, and Andrew Aulin, Jr. (b. 1936). Richardson was the son of Reagan's daughter, Julie Karin Reagan (1959-), and Barry Phelps Richardson (1953-).
Original color photograph: Private Collection of Bettye Reagan.
A pamphlet about Bettye Jean Aulin Reagan (b. 1934), a pastel painter based in Lake Mary, Florida. Born on January 27, 1934, Reagan is the granddaughter of Andrew Aulin, Sr. (1843-1918), who is credited with naming Oviedo. Reagan married Joel Edwin McGill in 1952 and the couple had two children together: Daniel Lee McGill (1953-) and Kathleen Ann McGill (1955-). After McGill's death, Reagan married Donald Thomas Reagan (1923-) in 1956. Together, the couple had four children: Debbie Lynn Reagan (b. 1958), Julie Karin Reagan (1959-), Andrew Scott Reagan (1961-), and Patrick Kelley Reagan (1962-1986).
Original pamphlet: Private Collection of Bettye Reagan.
A resume for Bettye Reagan (b. 1934), a pastel painter based in Lake Mary, Florida. Born on January 27, 1934, Reagan is the granddaughter of Andrew Aulin, Sr. (1843-1918), who is credited with naming Oviedo. Reagan married Joel Edwin McGill in 1952 and the couple had two children together: Daniel Lee McGill (1953-) and Kathleen Ann McGill (1955-). After McGill's death, Reagan married Donald Thomas Reagan (1923-) in 1956. Together, the couple had four children: Debbie Lynn Reagan (1958-), Julie Karin Reagan (1959-), Andrew Scott Reagan (1961-), and Patrick Kelley Reagan (1962-1986).
Original resume, 2009: Private Collection of Bettye Reagan.
Between the Celery Stalks: Theodore Mead Sure Left His Mark on Oviedo
A newspaper column in The Oviedo Outlook entitled "Between the Celery Stalks." Here, local residents could submit interesting stories or tidbits for inclusion in the newspaper. This particular column, written by Janet Foley, was about horticulturalist local Oviedoan, Theodore "Teddy" Luqueer Mead and his housing development called Mead Manor. Originally from New York, Mead's long interest in biology and botany brought him to Florida during the late 19th century, when he settled first in Eustis, then later Oviedo on Lake Charm, with the intent of growing oranges. Mead and his wife would become integral members of the social fabtic of the Oveido community.
Original newspaper article: Foley, Janet. "Between the Celery Stalks: Theodore Mead Sure Left His Mark on Oviedo." The Oviedo Outlook: Private Collection of Sue Blackwood.
Bible study notes written by an anonymous author in Apopka, Florida. These notes reference the Book of Job, Habakkuk 3:3, and Psalms 11:4 from the Bible.
Original note: series I, box 1, folder 15, African American Legacy: The Carol Mundy Collection, Special Collections & University Archives, University of Central Florida Libraries, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
Bicentennial Edition of Weeki Wachee Springs' Trifold Brochure, Featuring Mermaid Rebecca Young
Mermaids--Florida--Weeki Wachee--History
Bicentennial edition of Weeki Wachee Springs' trifold brochure, c. 1976. The mermaid mock playing the flute is Rebecca Young (previously Stahlhut). This photoshoot is the one she is most proud of from her time as a Weeki Wachee Mermaid. The photoshoot took several hours just to this this one picture, as everyone's hair, costumes, and the flag had to be in correct positions. The inside of the brochure lists the attractions and mentions the special "salute to the Bicentennial, 'Happy Birthday America!'" Along with a group of investors, Newton Perry opened Weeki Wachee Springs to the public in October of 1947. At the time, roadside attractions were becoming popular stops along Florida roadways. The attraction consisted of an amalgamation of vendors, an orchid garden, a river boat tour, as well as the star attraction: a mermaid show that took place in an underwater theater. Eventually, the May Museum of the Tropics, an "abandoned Seminole village", a show called “Birds of Prey”, and a petting zoo were added. After peaking in the 1950s and 1960s, attendance began to decline as theme parks and highways changed the dynamics of Florida's tourism. The State of Florida took over the attraction as a state park in 2008. Since then, the park has focused on appealing to a modern audience while preserving its history.
Original color Weeki Wachee Springs trifold, Bicentennial Edition, c. 1976: Private Collection of Rebecca Young.
RICHES
Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, Spring Hill, Florida
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.
Big Tree Park, the Oldest and Largest Cypress Tree in U.S.A. Postcard
A photographic postcard featuring The Senator, the giant bald cypress tree that was once the oldest and largest cypress tree in the country. At the time that the photograph was taken, The Senator was 3,500 yers old, 126 feet and 3 inches tall, and 47 feet in circumference. As early as the late 1800s, this centuries-old tree was considered a tourist attraction, but it wasn't until 1927 that a park was established around the tree. Senator Moses O. Overstreet donated six acres of land, which included the tree, to Seminole County to establish a park with the stipulation that a road would be built to take visitors into the park. The generosity of Sen. Overstreet inspired residents to name the giant cypress tree "The Senator." Located at 761 General Hutchinson Parkway in present-day Longwood, Florida, the new park was named the Seminole Big Tree Park in honor of the main attraction. In 1929, President Calvin Coolidge (1872-1933) dedicated a bronze plaque at the site of the tree. The plaque was stolen in 1945, which would place this photograph sometime between 1940 and 1945. Based on a core sample taken by the American Forestry Association, The Senator was estimated to be 3500 years old in 1946. The Big Tree Park also features another giant cypress estimated to be 2000 years old. In 2005, local elementary students named the tree Lady Liberty. It was considered to be the companion tree to The Senator, as they were only 40 feet apart. The Senator continued to be a tourist attraction and local landmark until January 16, 2012, when it was lost in a fire.
Original 14 x 9 centimeter black and white photographic postcard: "Big Tree Park." Special Collections & University Archives, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
Seminole Big Tree Park, Longwood, Florida
Bill Clinton Speaking at the University of Central Florida, 2012
Former President Bill Clinton (b. 1946) speaking at a political rally at the University of Central Florida (UCF) in Orlando, Florida, on October 29, 2012. The rally was hosted by the UCF College Democrats and held on behalf of President Barack Obama (b. 1961), who was campaigning for his re-election bid in the Presidential Election of 2012. President Obama was originally scheduled to speak at the rally, but had to cancel due to emergency relief needs for Hurricane Sandy in the northeast. Former Florida Governor Charlie Crist (b. 1956) and Democratic Senator Bill Nelson (b. 1942) also spoke at the rally and can be seen on stage in several of these photographs. President Obama went on to win re-election, defeating his Republican opponent, former Governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney (b. 1947). President Clinton served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He is married to Hillary Clinton (b. 1847), who served as New York Senator from 2001 to 2009 and as U.S. Secretary of State from 2009 to 2013. Before his presidency, President Clinton served as the 50th Attorney General of Arkansas from 1977 to 1979 and as the 40th and 42nd Governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and from 1983 to 1992, respectively. As president, he presided over the longest period of peacetime economic expansion in American history. His presidency is also known for passing welfare reform, his sex scandal with White House intern Monica Lewinsky (b. 1973), his impeachment for perjury and obstruction of justice in regard to the Lewinsky affair, and his achievement of a budget surplus during the last three years of his administration. Following his presidency, he founded the William J. Clinton Foundation to address various international humanitarian causes.
Original color digital images by Laura Lynn Cepero, October 29, 2012: Private Collection of Laura Lynn Cepero.
Memory Mall, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida
Bill Martin at a Downtown Sanford Filling Station
Bill Martin, a navy sailor, at a filling station in Downtown Sanford towards the End of World War II. Many of the men who were stationed at Naval Air Station (NAS) Sanford during the Second World War came from other parts of the United States. Navy sailors, pilots, and other personnel were known to visit the local businesses in Sanford, and as a result stimulated the local economy.
Original 11 x 17 inch black and white photograph by Galen W. Zern: NAS Collection, Book 1, "The Beginning-NAS Sanford 1942," Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
Sanford Museum
Bill Nelson Speaking at the University of Central Florida, 2012
Bill Nelson (b. 1942) speaking at a political rally at the University of Central Florida (UCF) in Orlando, Florida, on October 29, 2012. The rally was hosted by the UCF College Democrats and held on behalf of President Barack Obama (b. 1961), who was campaigning for his re-election bid in the Presidential Election of 2012. President Obama was originally scheduled to speak at the rally, but had to cancel due to emergency relief needs for Hurricane Sandy in the northeast. Former President Bill Clinton (b. 1946) and former Florida Governor Charlie Crist (b. 1956) also spoke at the rally. President Obama went on to win re-election, defeating his Republican opponent, former Governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney (b. 1947). At the time that this photograph was taken, Senator Nelson was a Democratic Senator in the U.S. Senate, representing the State of Florida since 2001. Nelson originally began his political career in the Florida House of Representatives, serving from 1973 to 1979. From 1979 to 1991, he served in the U.S. House of Representatives. In January of 1986, Nelson flew on the Space Shuttle Columbia, becoming the second sitting member of the U.S. Congress to fly in space. In 1990, he retired from Congress to run for Governor of Florida, but was defeated by Lawton Chiles (1930-1998). He then served as the Florida State Treasurer, Insurance Commissioner, and Fire Marshal from 1995 to 2001, when he was elected to the U.S. Senate.
Artists Bill Orr and Maury Hurt. Both painters were instrumental in leading the movement to save the Maitland Art Center in Maitland, Florida, from developers in the 1960s. Bill Orr (1925-), photographed on the left, grew up in Michigan, where he worked breaking in mustang ponies. When World War II broke out, Orr joined the U.S. Army and was a member of the cavalry regiment. Later seeing action on Okinawa in the Pacific Theater, he was among the first servicemen to serve in Japan after the war. Orr found his way to the Research Studio in 1961 after applying for a position through a newspaper advertisement. As an artist, Orr made a living doing life-size portraits of horses. He would go on to establish himself as a leading equine artist, a tribute to his lifetime love of horses. Orlando native Maury Hurt (1934-2013), photographed on the right, graduated from the University of Florida with a design degree in 1956. After serving a short tour in the U.S. Army, Hurt continued to work in the graphic arts fields for several years before abandoning the profession to become a full-time painter. From a studio at the Art & History Museums' Maitland Art Center, Hurt’s work centered on primitive and archaic themes often focusing on the relationship of humans, animals, and early prehistoric life. Hurst's legacy lies in his masterful work and is mentorship of artists across Central Florida.
Original color photograph by Rob Bartlett: Orlando Weekly, Orlando, Florida.
Orlando Weekly
Bird Gardens at Busch Gardens Tampa, 2010
The Bird Gardens of Busch Gardens Tampa, a theme park located in Tampa, Florida, in 2010. Garden Gate Cafcan bee seen to the left of the photograph, and Gwazi, a roller coaster that opened in 1999, can be seen in the distance. Busch Gardens opened as a hospitality facility for Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. on March 31, 1959. The park originally hosted a brewery with beer tastings, but it was closed in 1995 and the roller coaster Gwazi was constructed in its place. In 1965, Serengeti Plains, inhabited by African wildlife, opened. In 1971, the Serengeti Express Railway, a two-mile railroad surrounding the park, was opened. The Stanleyville section opened, including the Stanley Falls Flume in 1973. In 1976, the Congo area opened, featuring Busch Gardens' first roller coaster, Python. Various theme areas and attractions have been added to the park over the years. From 1976 through the 1990s, the theme park was called Busch Gardens: The Dark Continent, but was renamed Busch Gardens Tampa Bay during that same decade. From 2006 to 2008, the park was renamed Busch Gardens Africa. In 2008, it returned to its original name. The park is currently owned by SeaWorld Entertainment and the Blackstone Groups. Busch Gardens includes several themed areas in addition to the Edge of Africa: Morocco, Stanleyville, Congo, Jungala, Pantopia, Nairobi, Crown Colony Plaza, and Egypt.
Original color digital image by Ray Cepero, March 10, 2010: Private Collection of Ray Cepero.
Bird Gardens, Busch Gardens Tampa, Tampa, Florida
Garden Gate Café, Busch Gardens Tampa, Tampa, Florida
Gwazi, Morocco, Busch Gardens Tampa, Tampa, Florida
Sanford riverfront around 1907. The present-day Sanford area was originally inhabited by the Mayaca/Joroco natives by the time Europeans arrived. The tribe was decimated by war and disease by 1760 and was replaced by the Seminole Indians. In 1821, the United States acquired Florida from Spain and Americans began to settled in the state. Camp Monroe was established in the mid-1830s to defend the area against Seminoles during the Seminole Wars. In 1836, the United States Army built a road (present-day Mellonville Avenue) to a location called Camp Monroe during the Second Seminole War. Following an attack on February 8, 1837, the camp was renamed Fort Mellon in honor of the battle's only American casualty, Captain Charles Mellon. The town of Mellonville was founded nearby in 1842 by Daniel Stewart. When Florida became a state three years later, Mellonville became the county seat or Orange County, which was originally a portion of Mosquito County. Citrus was the first cash crop in the area and the first fruit packing plant was constructed in 1869. In 1870, a lawyer from Connecticut by the name of Henry Sanford purchased 12,548 acres of open land west of Mellonville. His vision was to make this new land a major port city, both railway and by water. Sitting on Lake Monroe, and the head of the St. Johns River, the city of Sanford earned the nickname of “The Gate City of South Florida.” Sanford became not only a transportation hub, but a leading citrus industry in Florida, and eventually globally. The Great Fire of 1887 devastated the city, which also suffered from a statewide epidemic of yellow fever the following year. The citrus industry flourished until the Great Freezes of 1894 and 1895, causing planters to begin growing celery in 1896 as an alternative. Celery replaced citrus as the city's cash crop and Sanford was nicknamed "Celery City." In 1913, Sanford became the county seat of Seminole County, once part of Orange County. Agriculture dominated the region until Walt Disney World opened in October of 1971, effectively shifting the Central Florida economy towards tourism and residential development.
Original 5 x 10 inch black and white photoprint: Reference Collection, call number RC12559, Florida Photographic Collection, State Library and Archives of Florida, Tallahassee, Florida.
Bird's Eye View of Orange Avenue Postcard
Postcard showing a bird's eye view of Orange Avenue looking north. The cross street in the foreground is Church Street. On the west side of Orange Avenue, at the corner of Church, is the White House Candy Palace at 140 South Orange Avenue. The Candy Palace was built circa 1908 and demolished circa 1928. The building replaced an earlier one that was destroyed by fire in 1907. The original building was white, which is how the White House Candy Palace got its name. The Candy Palace was replaced by the First National Bank Building in 2011. On the east side of the street is the Guernsey Hardware building, formerly located at 135-141 South Orange Avenue. The hardware store was constructed circa 1881 and demolished in 1924. Guernsey Hardware as originally the Cassius A. Boone Hardware Store. Boone operated his hardware store along with his partner William A. Patrick. In 1895, the building and the stock was purchased by Joseph L. Guernsey. Boone chose to go into the citrus industry instead of running a store. Guernsey Hardware operated in the store until 1922 when the Woolworth Company obtained a 99-year lease and in 1924 built a new building that stood until 2004 when it was replaced with part of The Plaza office complex.
Original 5.5 x 3.5 inch color postcard: C. T. American Art: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
An elevated view of Orlando, Florida, in 1884. The lithograph focused on Sinclair's Real Estate Agency, located on the corner of Pine Street and South Orange Avenue. Other sites highlighted in the lithograph include the home of J. G. Sinclair, the home of N. L. Mills, the new Orange County Jail, and Orange County Courthouse, the opera house, the Orlando Masonic Hall, the South Florida Seminary, the Charleston House, and the Summerlin House. The lithograph also marks various manufactories, mills, churches, and the South Florida Railroad Depot. The Orlando area was originally occupied by the Creek and Seminole tribes. In 1838, Fort Gatlin was erected on the shores of Lake Gatlin, just a few miles south of present-day Downtown Orlando. Centered around Church Street, Orlando became a city in 1884, the year that this lithograph was created Originally a cattle town, Orlando grew into a major citrus growing center by the 1920s. The city continued to grow during the Great Depression with aid from the Work Progress Administration (WPA). During World War II, Orlando became a major military center as well, with the development of the McCoy Air Force Base and Pinecastle Air Force Base, and with the addition of the Naval Training Center (NTC) Orlando in 1968. Downtown Orlando declined in the 1960s and 1970s. Redevelopment began in the 1970s and continued into the 1980s, with projects such as the Church Street Station entertainment complex. In 1998, a building boom began and continued through the 2000s.
Original black and white lithograph by Adam Beck and Clemens J. Pauli, 1884: Private Collection of Texann Ivy Buck.
Sinclair's Real Estate Agency, Orlando, Florida
Bird's Eye View Showing Elks Club, Court House and Eola Lake Postcard
Elks, Benevolent and Protective Order of
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 80-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.
Bird's-Eye View of Tropical Lake Eola Park and Band Shell Postcard
Postcard showing Lake Eola Park and its Bandstand in Orlando, Florida. The bandstand is on the west side of the park. Lake Eola and its surrounding park are one of the unusual features that sets Orlando apart from other cities. From its earliest days, Downtown Orlando was situated on the west side of the lake. As the town grew into a city, Lake Eola continued to be a focal point for the inhabitants, who used the lake for bathing, swimming and fishing, and its shores picnicking, listening to concerts, and participating in religious services. Much of the land around Lake Eola was donated to Orlando by Jacob Summerlin who designated that it be a public park. It has remained one ever since. The rest of the park land was donated by the Musselwhite Family and Mayor Frank Sperry.
Original 5.5 x 3.5 inch color postcard by Genuine Curteich-Chicago: Orange News Company, Orlando, Florida: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
Birth Certificate for Vivian Louise Black
Certificate of birth for Vivian Louise Black (1940-), the daughter of Pilgrim Black (1905-2002) and Lula Mae Haynes Black (1917-2007), who got married in 1937. According to this document, Vivin was born at the Fernald-Laughton Memorial Hospital in Sanford, Florida. She was delivered by Dr. George H. Starke on October 11, 1940. Vivian is also the oldest sister of Lula Yvonne Black (1942-); Charles Samuel Black (1945-); Pilgrim Black, Jr. (ca. 1947-); and Patricia Ann Black (1956- ); as well as the half-sister of David Harry Black (1929-2012). Vivian graduated from Crooms High School around 1958. She married Benjamin Moore Hawkins in the 1960s and moved to Rochester, New York. The couple had two children together: Benjamin Moore, Jr. (1960-) and Fejetta Michelle Hawkins (1972-). Vivian worked for several years in a factory until she suffered a stroke at age 35, when the left side of her body became completely paralyzed. She moved back to Sanford, Florida, after her stroke.
Original birth certificate, 1940: Fernald-Laughton Memorial Hospital, Sanford, Florida: Private Collection of Patricia Ann Black.
The birth records for Watertown, Massachusetts for 1895. The records include date of record, name and surname of the child, color of the child if other than White, sex and condition (such as twins, illegitimate, etc.), place of birth, names of parents, residence of parents, occupation of father, place of birth of father, and place of birth of mother.
A notable person listed in the birth records is Mary Sutherland. Born in Watertown, Massachusetts on November 1, 1895, Sutherland and her siblings were first-generation Irish-Americans. She joined the United States Navy on September 3, 1918. After her service, she moved to Seattle, Washington and then to Palm Bay, Florida. She married and had three children. Sutherland died on September 28, 1988, and is buried at 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. 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.
Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Digital reproduction of original birth records.
Birthday Plate from Father Fox to Lucille Fair
This plate was given to Lucille Fair as a birthday present from Father Michael J. Fox at St. Joseph's Catholic Church. For her birthday, Father Fox presented her with this plate along with a piece of cake as a birthday present. She continued to use it as her birthday cake plate for the next 90 years. She soon decided to donate the plate to St. Joseph's Parish in honor of Father Fox for all of the memories that she had received from it and to pass it on as a tribute to him. Fair grew up on Church Street in Downtown Orlando and continued to take part in the cities events. Father Fox was the first full-time pastor of St. James Church, which was connected to the parish of St. Joseph' Academy.
Original color digital images, September 2015: Orlando Remembered Exhibit, Downtown Orlando Post Office, Downtown Orlando, Florida.
St. Joseph's Academy, Downtown Orlando, Florida
The Black Building, located at 101-121 West Plant Street in Winter Garden, Florida. This two-story brick Masonry Vernacular commercial building was constructed in 1921 by a businessman and citrus grower from Clermont named Robert E. Black. It initially contained apartments on the second story and a series of stores on the first. Several physicians maintained offices on the second floor. As a result, it was often referred to as the Clinic Building. During the 1930s, the building accommodated the office of the Florida Public Service Company and the post office. Arnold's and later McCord's Feed Store occupied space on the first floor. Raymond Dickson operated a plumbing and electric business in this building for more than 25 years. The neon sign advertising his business is still present. Today, the building houses several local businesses.
Original color digital image by Katherine Bowers, July 2014: Winter Garden Heritage Foundation, Winter Garden, Florida.
Florida Public Service Company, Winter Garden, Florida
Winter Garden Post Office, Winter Garden, Florida
The one-story home built by Maggie Benjamin Black (ca. 1870-ca. 1934) that became the home of her son, Pilgrim Black (1905-2002). An old-fashioned washing machine is pictured next to the back porch, which required the use of a metal tub and a washboard. Later additions have been added to the porch. Also pictured on the left side of the photograph is a Ford Falcon station wagon owned by Pilgrim, a fan of Ford cars. As of 2015, this house is owned by Pilgrim's five children. His daughter, Patricia Ann Black (1956-) is residing in and restoring the home. Maggie and her husband Harry Black (d. 1911) were the parents of Leckward Black, Mustar Black, Malachi Black, Leatha Black Walker (1889-1976), Pilgrim Black, Margaret Black Jones (1889-1976), and Harriett Black Lawson. They were also the grandparents of David Harry Black (1929-2012); Vivian Louise Black (1940- ); Lula Yvonne Black (1942- ); Charles Samuel Black (1945- ); Pilgrim Black, Jr. (ca.1947- ); and Patricia Ann Black (1956- ). The Black family migrated from South Carolina during the 19th century. In 1911, Harry owned a grocery store at 206 South Sanford Avenue. One day, he came home from work with pneumonia and passed away shortly thereafter. Pilgrim was nine years old when his father passed away. Maggie Benjamin was the daughter of former slaves, Isaac and Roseanna Benjamin. Harry and Maggie had their wood house built in the 1880s or 1890s at the corner of East 25th Street and South Sanford Avenue. Their house served as a meeting place for many of the elite members of the African-American community in Sanford. At one point, a business had asked to purchase the six acres of land that the Black family owned. Maggie agreed to sell the land under the condition that the lumber be reused to build houses on East Tenth Street. Maggie built a two-story home for herself and her children and several three-room houses to rent out. She later gave the houses to Pilgrim and two of her grandsons, Israel Black and Charles Black, who made several additions to convert them into seven- and eight-room houses.
Original black and white photograph: Private Collection of Patricia Ann Black.
A deed for the property owned by Pilgrim Black (1905-2002) and his wife, Lula Mae Haynes Black (1917-2007). The property is one of the homes built and owned by Maggie Benjamin Black (ca. 1870-ca. 1934) in the 1800s. Maggie and her husband Harry Black (d. 1911) were the parents of parents of Leckward Black, Mustar Black, Malachi Black, Leatha Black Walker (1889-1976), Pilgrim Black, Margaret Black Jones (1889-1976), and Harriett Black Lawson. In 1911, Harry owned a grocery store at 206 South Sanford Avenue. One day, he came home from work with pneumonia and passed away shortly thereafter. Pilgrim was nine years old when his father passed away. Maggie was the daughter of former slaves, Isaac and Roseanna Benjamin, and the sister of Nathan Benjamin, Pledge Benjamin, Sam Benjamin, Loui Benjamin, Chainey Benjamin, Lara Benjamin, Melvina Benjamin, and Katie Benjamin. Pilgrim had to quit school at age 11 in order to provide for his mother, originally working in a mill house until he was 18 years old. After declining a management position, he traveled to Wayne County to pick cherries, apples, pears, and other crops. He broke a bone after falling from an apple tree his first year and decided to try farm labor on a potato farm in Red Creek, New York, instead. Don Holdridge, the farmer who owned the land, noted Pilgrim's high rate of productivity and offered him a management position supervising up to thirty workers at once, which he accepted. While in Sanford, Pilgrim also worked as a foreman in Sanford for Chase & Company for over 30 years. He married Lula in 1937 and they had several children together, including Vivian Louise Black (1940-); Lula Yvonne Black (1942-); Charles Samuel Black (1945-); Pilgrim Black, Jr. (ca. 1947-), and Patricia Ann Black (1956-).
Original property deed, June 21, 1946: Florida Internal Improvement Fund: Private Collection of Patricia Ann Black.
Three African-American farm workers on a celery field in Oviedo's Black Hammock. Oviedo's earliest settlers grew citrus and celery on the area's mucky, rich topsoil. While citrus was the dominant crop for some time, celery took the lead after the Great Freeze of 1894-1895, which destroyed many citrus groves in the Central Florida area. Oviedo's celery industry flourished, especially during World War II, and thus contributed to Central Florida's unprecedented growth and development during that period.
Black Hammock Drainage District Orange Co. Fla., Nov. 1, 1912
A map of the Black Hammock drainage district of Orange County, Florida, from November 1, 1912, and a description of cross sections of canals and ditches. The map shows the location of canals and ditches. The elevation of the surface of ground is shown along main ditches. The engineer was Fred T. Williams.
Original map and description: Private collection of Nelson and Company.
Black Hammock Drainage District, Oviedo, Florida
The Black Hammock Trailhead around 2002. The Black Hammock Wilderness Area is a 700-acre property jointly owned by Seminole County and the St. Johns River Water Management District. The area is part of an effort to preserve the habitat along the shores of Lake Jesup in Seminole County, Florida. The trailhead is part of the Cross Seminole Trail, which was created from the former railroad line of the Sanford & Indian River Railroad, running between Sanford and Oviedo. In the early 1900s, a spur was added to the line, running north and east in order to allow farmers of Black Hammock a way to ship their produce to Sanford and Winter Park. The spur was later abandoned due to the advent of automobiles and the decline of the agricultural industry in Black Hammock. The tracks remained until they were purchased by the State of Florida for the Cross Seminole Trail.
Original color photograph: Private Collection of Nancy Lynn Cepero.
Black Hammock Trailhead, Lake County, Florida
A blank bank check from Isaac Vanderpool. The Vanderpools were one of the original families in Maitland, Florida, with Isaac Vanderpool, the patriarch of the family, buying 160 acres of land in the year 1870. In 1876, after facing a large financial loss and disaster in New York, Isaac and his wife, Harriet Vanderpool, permanently moved to the Maitland area. At the time of their arrival, the area only had about four or five family homesteads and orange groves. Vanderpool was part of the first committee to help incorporate the town of Lake Maitland. The committee included Vanderpool, Henry S. Kedney, George Packwood, and Richard Packwood. The Vanderpool family was also heavily involved in civic affairs, which included the establishment of the town of Eatonville by Vanderpool and Josiah C. Eaton. The Vanderpools were paricipants in the creation of the Florida Audubon Society and the organization of the Maitland Public Library. Harriet Vanderpool, along with Bishop Henry C. Whipple, founded the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd, and, in 1927, she wrote the "Maitland Song," which the chamber of commerce adopted as the official song for the city. In 1887, Vanderpool became Mayor of Maitland and during this time, acquired land for the city first cemetery. In 1892, he built the first packinghouse in Maitland, which was featured in TheGate City Chronicle as the state most modern and best packinghouse.
Original 2.75 x 7.75 inch bank check from Isaac Vanderpool: Vanderpool Collection, accession number 2014.002.019V, room 2, case 2, shelf 10, box GV, Maitland Historical Museum, Art & History Museums - Maitland, Maitland, Florida.
Blue Star Memorial Highway Historic Marker, 2003
The Blue Star Memorial Highway historic marker, located on Conway Road near Lake Margaret Road in Conway in Orlando, Florida, in 2003. Blue Star Memorial Highways are marked to pay homage to the United States Armed Forces. The National Garden Clubs, Inc., now the National Council of State Garden Clubs, began the program to dedicate highways in 1945. In 1947, the Florida State Legislature designed U.S. Route 1 as the first Blue Star Memorial Highway in Florida. The marker in Orlando is sponsored by the Conway Garden Club in cooperation with the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs and the Florida Department of Transportation.
Original color digital image by Thomas Cook, 2003: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
Blue Star Memorial Highway Historic Marker, Conway, Orlando, Florida
A black oval patch with "Bluebird Citrus" embroidered in yellow. Bluebird brand citrus juices were manufactured and distributed by Southern Fruit Distributors, Inc., a company founded by Philip Caruso. The Bluebird juice company is currently part of Florida's Natural Food Service.
Southern Fruit Distributors, Inc., Orlando, Florida
Bluebird Florida Citrus Juices Matchbook
A matchbook from Southern Fruit Distributors, Inc. in Orlando, Florida. The logo of Bluebird Florida Citrus Juices appears on both the front and back of the book. It is noted that the juice is packed under continuous inspection of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Bluebird brand citrus juices were manufactured and distributed by Southern Fruit Distributors, Inc., a company founded by Philip Caruso. The Bluebird juice company is currently part of Florida's Natural Food Service.
Original color matchbook: Private Collection of Judith LaRue
A label for Bluebird Grapefruit Sections. The labels include an illustration featuring the fruit sections in the container. Bluebird brand citrus juices were manufactured and distributed by Southern Fruit Distributors, Inc., a company founded by Philip Caruso. The Bluebird juice company is currently part of Florida's Natural Food Service.
Original color label: Private Collection of Judith LaRue
Bluebird Halves Yellow Freestone Peaches in Heavy Syrup
A label for Bluebird Halves Yellow Freestone Peaches in Heavy Syrup. The labels include an illustration featuring the fruit sections in the container. Bluebird brand citrus juices were manufactured and distributed by Southern Fruit Distributors, Inc., a company founded by Philip Caruso. The Bluebird juice company is currently part of Florida's Natural Food Service.
Three color promotional advertisements for Bluebird Citrus Products line of orange and grape fruit juice. The advertisements display a variety of juices of various sizes in glass bottles and cans. Bluebird brand citrus juices were manufactured and distributed by Southern Fruit Distributors, Inc., a company founded by Philip Caruso. The Bluebird juice company is currently part of Florida's Natural Food Service.
3 original color promotional advertisements: Private Collection of Judith LaRue
Bluebird News, Vol. 1, No. 1, February-March, 1982
An issue of Bluebird News, which was an employee-produced newsletter for Southern Fruit Distributors, Inc. The inaugural issue covered February and March of 1982, featuring stories on the crop freeze of the 1981-82 season, telephone operator Kriss Woollens, the "Shirley Says..." column, and profiles of long-term employees. It also includes a recipe for orange bread. Bluebird brand citrus juices were manufactured and distributed by Southern Fruit Distributors, Inc., a company founded by Philip Caruso. The Bluebird juice company is currently part of Florida's Natural Food Service.
Original 4-page black and white newsletter: Private Collection of Judith LaRue
An issue of Bluebird News, which was an employee-produced newsletter for Southern Fruit Distributors, Inc. The issue covered May of 1982, featuring stories on Bluebird employees and a new 3-year contract with the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (R. W. D. S. U.). Other staples of the newsletter are present, like the "Shirley Says..." column and recipes using the company's juices. Bluebird brand citrus juices were manufactured and distributed by Southern Fruit Distributors, Inc., a company founded by Philip Caruso. The Bluebird juice company is currently part of Florida's Natural Food Service.
Bluebird News, Vol. 2, No. 2, April 1983
An issue of Bluebird News, which was an employee-produced newsletter for Southern Fruit Distributors, Inc. The issue covered April of 1983, featuring stories on Bluebird employees, an article on the "Broker of the Year" Award, and freeze tunnels for juice concentrate. Bluebird brand citrus juices were manufactured and distributed by Southern Fruit Distributors, Inc., a company founded by Philip Caruso. The Bluebird juice company is currently part of Florida's Natural Food Service.
Boat dock near Sanford, Florida. By the mid-1880s, Sanford had become a major distribution center due to the city's strategic location along Lake Monroe and the St. Johns River. Even before Florida obtained statehood, steamboats frequented the St. Johns River carrying U.S. Army soldiers to Fort Mellon, located on the shores of Lake Monroe, to defend the area against Native Americans during the Seminole Wars. Steamboats were used at the fort and during the Battle of Camp Monroe to relocate Seminoles, explore the St. Johns River, and to distribute military forces. During the second half of the 1830s, steamboats were used to tow barges from the river to Lake Monroe in order to stimulate trade. The first commercial steamboat was developed as the Brock Line in the early 1850s. As trade grew, various wharves and docks were built in locations such as Mellonville Avenue, Palmetto Avenue, Oak Street, and Sanford Avenue. The Debary-Baya Merchant Line began transporting passengers in 1883, which further developed the steamboat industry. The line was purchased by the Clyde Line in 1886 and remained open until 1933. The growth of railroads was the primary cause of the decline of the steamboat industry.
Original 3 x 5 inch black and white photograph: Chase Collection (MS 14), box 211, folder 3.30A, item CC 98, Special and Area Studies Collections, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.
Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band Ticket Stub
A ticket stub for Rock Super Bowl V, featuring Jimmy Buffett (b. 1946) and The Coral Reefer Band, The Steve Miller Band, The Little River Band, Randy Meisner (b. 1946), and South Paw, at the Tangerine Bowl in Orlando, Florida. The concert took place on August 5, 1978, and was presented by the Beach Club. The ticket price was $10, including tax. From 1977 to 1983 the Tangerine Bowl hosted a series of music festivals known as "Rock Super Bowls." The Tangerine Bowl has also been known as Orlando Stadium, the Citrus Bowl, Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium, and is currently known as Orlando Citrus Bowl Stadium. It opened in 1936 and has been home to numerous sporting and entertainment events throughout its existence. The Tangerine Bowl is located at 1 Citrus Bowl Place in Orlando.
Original ticket stub: Private Collection of Julie Wahl.
A ticket stub for a concert featuring the Bob Seger System at the Orlando Sports Stadium, which was also known as the Eddie Graham Sports Complex. A member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Bob Seger is an American rock musician from Michigan who has been performing since the 1960s and is known for his gruff, powerful voice. Some of his hits include "Old Time Rock and Roll," "Night Moves," "Turn the Page," "Like a Rock," and "Against the Wind." The concert took place on Saturday, December 19, 1970, at 8 PM and cost $3. Once host to some of the top names in sports and music, the Orlando Sports Complex was demolished by the Orange County Building Department in 1995 due to code violations.
Original ticket: Private Collection of Carl Knickerbocker.
Orlando Sports Stadium, Orlando, Florida
Boeing 747 Transporting the Space Shuttle Columbia
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (U.S.)
The Space Shuttle Columbia, the first operational Space Shuttle, landing at the Shuttle Landing Facility of John F. Kennedy Space Center in Merritt Island, Florida, atop a Boeing 747 transport airplane. The Space Shuttle was meant as a reusable alternative to the traditional ballistic rockets used to launch manned spacecraft in the 1960s and 1970s. From 1981 to 2011, when the fleet was retired, five shuttles were flown over 130 times. It was the first space launch system that was mostly reusable, as the shuttles themselves and the solid rocket boosters were reused multiple times. Space shuttles were launched from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) and Launch Complex 39B (LC-39B) at John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Merritt Island, Florida. Columbia launched for the first time on April 12, 1981, and completed 27 missions before disintegrating during re-entry at the end of STS-107, its 28th mission, on February 1, 2003. Known as the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, the accident resulted in the death of all seven crew members: Mission Commander Rick Husband (1957-2003), Pilot William C. McCool (1961-2003), and Mission Specialists David M. Brown (1956-2003), Kalpana Chawla (1962-2003), Michael P. Anderson (1959-2003), Laurel Clark (1961-2003), and Ilan Ramon (1954-2003).
Original color photographic prints: Leonard Pugh Collection.
Chronopoints
John F. Kennedy Space Center, Merritt Island, Florida
Bok Tower, located at 1151 Tower Boulevard in Lake Wales, Florida. These images were taken by Russell Moore in 2010. Edward Bok (1863-1930) retired to the town of Lake Wales, located south of Orlando. Bok set out a plan to establish a natural garden and bird sanctuary where people to visit to quietly enjoy nature. He engaged Frederick Law Olmstead, Jr. (1870-1957) to design the grounds and asked architect Milton Bennett Medary (1874-1929) to design and build a carillon tower. Lee Lawrie (1877-1963), a noted sculptor from New York, designed the elaborate marble sculpture that adorns the tower. Work was completed in 1928 and on February 1, 1929, President Calvin Coolidge dedicated the Sanctuary. Bok died less than a year later in 1930 and was buried at the foot of the tower. The tower and the carillon housed inside is Bok Tower Gardens' most distinctive feature. The carillon consists of 60 bells, ranging in size from 16 pounds to just under 12 tons. The bells are played like an organ with the keys connected to the clappers of each bell. Bok Tower has had only three regular carillonneurs in its more than 70 years. The Sanctuary's first carillonneur was Anton Brees, serving as the only carillonneur from 1928 until 1967. Milford Myhre has been the resident carillonneur since 1968. William De Turk has been the assistant carillonneur since 1993. De Turk is also the librarian of the Anton Brees Carillon Library, which is reportedly the largest and most comprehensive carillon library in the world.
Original color digital images by Russell Moore, March 7, 2010: Private Collection of Russell Moore.
Bok Tower Gardens, located at 1151 Tower Boulevard in Lake Wales, Florida. These images were taken by Russell Moore in 2010. Edward Bok (1863-1930) retired to the town of Lake Wales, located south of Orlando. Bok set out a plan to establish a natural garden and bird sanctuary where people to visit to quietly enjoy nature. He engaged Frederick Law Olmstead, Jr. (1870-1957) to design the grounds and asked architect Milton Bennett Medary (1874-1929) to design and build a carillon tower. Lee Lawrie (1877-1963), a noted sculptor from New York, designed the elaborate marble sculpture that adorns the tower. Work was completed in 1928 and on February 1, 1929, President Calvin Coolidge dedicated the Sanctuary. Bok died less than a year later in 1930 and was buried at the foot of the tower. The tower and the carillon housed inside is Bok Tower Gardens' most distinctive feature. The carillon consists of 60 bells, ranging in size from 16 pounds to just under 12 tons. The bells are played like an organ with the keys connected to the clappers of each bell. Bok Tower has had only three regular carillonneurs in its more than 70 years. The Sanctuary's first carillonneur was Anton Brees, serving as the only carillonneur from 1928 until 1967. Milford Myhre has been the resident carillonneur since 1968. William De Turk has been the assistant carillonneur since 1993. De Turk is also the librarian of the Anton Brees Carillon Library, which is reportedly the largest and most comprehensive carillon library in the world.
The Visitor Center at Bok Tower Gardens, located at 1151 Tower Boulevard in Lake Wales, Florida. These images were taken by Russell Moore in 2010. Edward Bok (1863-1930) retired to the town of Lake Wales, located south of Orlando. Bok set out a plan to establish a natural garden and bird sanctuary where people to visit to quietly enjoy nature. He engaged Frederick Law Olmstead, Jr. (1870-1957) to design the grounds and asked architect Milton Bennett Medary (1874-1929) to design and build a carillon tower. Lee Lawrie (1877-1963), a noted sculptor from New York, designed the elaborate marble sculpture that adorns the tower. Work was completed in 1928 and on February 1, 1929, President Calvin Coolidge dedicated the Sanctuary. Bok died less than a year later in 1930 and was buried at the foot of the tower. The tower and the carillon housed inside is Bok Tower Gardens' most distinctive feature. The carillon consists of 60 bells, ranging in size from 16 pounds to just under 12 tons. The bells are played like an organ with the keys connected to the clappers of each bell. Bok Tower has had only three regular carillonneurs in its more than 70 years. The Sanctuary's first carillonneur was Anton Brees, serving as the only carillonneur from 1928 until 1967. Milford Myhre has been the resident carillonneur since 1968. William De Turk has been the assistant carillonneur since 1993. De Turk is also the librarian of the Anton Brees Carillon Library, which is reportedly the largest and most comprehensive carillon library in the world.
Visitor Center, Bok Tower Gardens, Lake Wales, Florida
Postcard sent in 1938 showing the Magnificent Singing Tower at the Bok Tower Gardens, located at 1151 Tower Boulevard in Lake Wales, Florida. Edward Bok retired to the town of Lake Wales, located south of Orlando. Bok set out a plan to establish a natural garden and bird sanctuary where people to visit to quietly enjoy nature. He engaged Frederick Law Olmstead, Jr. to design the grounds and asked architect Milton B. Medary to design and build a carillon tower. Lee Lawrie, a noted sculptor from New York, designed the elaborate marble sculpture that adorns the tower. Work was completed in 1928, and on February 1, 1929, President Calvin Coolidge dedicated the Sanctuary. Edward Bok died less than a year later in 1930 and was buried at the foot of the tower. The tower and the carillon housed inside is Bok Tower Gardens' most distinctive feature.The carillon consists of sixty bells, ranging in size from sixteen pounds to just under twelve tons. The bells are played like an organ with the keys connected to the clappers of each bell. Bok Tower has had only three regular carillonneurs in its more than seventy years. The Sanctuary's first carillonneur was Anton Brees, serving as the only carillonneur from 1928 until 1967. Milford Myhre has been the resident carillonneur since 1968. William De Turk has been the assistant carillonneur since 1993. De Turk is also the librarian of the Anton Brees Carillon Library, which is reportedly the largest and most comprehensive carillon library in the world.
Original 3.5 x 5.5 inch color postcard by E. G. Barnhill and C. T. Curt Teich & Company, Inc., 1938: Florida Post Card Company, Jacksonville, Florida: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
A postcard depicting the front gate of Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Reims, or Our Lady of Reims, during the years in which it was bombarded by the German Army in World War I. Originally the site of the coronation of the French kings, photographs of the destruction of cathedral were used as propaganda images by the French against the Germans. This photographs shows rubble from the bombardments near the principal entrance to the cathedral. This postcard is part of a collection of postcards kept by Lucile Campbell, a schoolteacher in Sanford, Florida, for 30 years. In 1931, she took advantage of a special rate for teachers and sailed to Europe, where she traveled for several months and is thought to have acquired many of these postcards. During the 1940-1941 school year, Campbell taught at Sanford Grammar School. Before her retirement in 1970, she taught at many other area schools, including the Oviedo School, Westside Grammar School, and Pinecrest Elementary School. Campbell used these postcards as aids in her classrooms to teach advanced subjects, such as Shakespearean drama. The collection, along with her other teaching aids, papers, and photographs, was later found at Sanford Grammar School after it became the University of Central Florida's Public History Center. Campbell's postcard collection and photographs provide insight into the life of a respected Florida educator.
Original 3 x 5 inch black and white photographic postcard: ACC# SM-00-243, file folder 1A (non-U.S. blanks), box 10A, Lucile (Mary Lucile) Campbell Collection, UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida.
Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Reims, Reims, Champagne-Ardenne, France
A postcard depicting the lateral side of the North Tower of Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Reims, or Our Lady of Reims, after it was burned and bombarded by the German Army in August 1914 during World War I. Originally the site of the coronation of the French kings, photographs of the destruction of cathedral, like this one, were used as propaganda images by the French against the Germans. Wooden scaffolding on the north side of the cathedral caught fire during the bombing, contributing to the extent of the damage. This postcard is part of a collection of postcards kept by Lucile Campbell, a schoolteacher in Sanford, Florida, for 30 years. In 1931, she took advantage of a special rate for teachers and sailed to Europe, where she traveled for several months and is thought to have acquired many of these postcards. During the 1940-1941 school year, Campbell taught at Sanford Grammar School. Before her retirement in 1970, she taught at many other area schools, including the Oviedo School, Westside Grammar School, and Pinecrest Elementary School. Campbell used these postcards as aids in her classrooms to teach advanced subjects, such as Shakespearean drama. The collection, along with her other teaching aids, papers, and photographs, was later found at Sanford Grammar School after it became the University of Central Florida's Public History Center. Campbell's postcard collection and photographs provide insight into the life of a respected Florida educator.
Original 5 x 3 inch black and white photographic postcard: ACC# SM-00-243, file folder 1A (non-U.S. blanks), box 10A, Lucile (Mary Lucile) Campbell Collection, UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida.
Bonnie Georgiadis assisting an archeological dig of a Native American burial mound at Weeki Wachee Springs in July of 1970. She is using archeological tools to uncover a vase. The dig was conducted by the University of Florida. Along with a group of investors, Newton Perry opened Weeki Wachee Springs to the public in October of 1947. At the time, roadside attractions were becoming popular stops along Florida roadways. The attraction consisted of an amalgamation of vendors, an orchid garden, a river boat tour, as well as the star attraction: a mermaid show that took place in an underwater theater. Eventually, the May Museum of the Tropics, an "abandoned Seminole village", a show called “Birds of Prey”, and a petting zoo were added. After peaking in the 1950s and 1960s, attendance began to decline as theme parks and highways changed the dynamics of Florida's tourism. The State of Florida took over the attraction as a state park in 2008. Since then, the park has focused on appealing to a modern audience while preserving its history.
Original color photograph by Elmer "Sparky" Schumacher: Weeki Wachee Springs State Park Weeki Wachee, Florida.
Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, Weeki Wachee, Florida
Bonnie Georgiadis and Weeki Wachee Mermaids
Bonnie Georgiadis and three other Weeki Wachee mermaids training for future performances by practicing a pose. Bonnie Georgiadis was a mermaid from 1950 to 1968. After retiring from underwater theater, she took on other responsibilities at the park, working a total of 37 years. Along with a group of investors, Newton Perry opened Weeki Wachee Springs to the public in October of 1947. At the time, roadside attractions were becoming popular stops along Florida roadways. The attraction consisted of an amalgamation of vendors, an orchid garden, a river boat tour, as well as the star attraction: a mermaid show that took place in an underwater theater. Eventually, the May Museum of the Tropics, an "abandoned Seminole village", a show called “Birds of Prey”, and a petting zoo were added. After peaking in the 1950s and 1960s, attendance began to decline as theme parks and highways changed the dynamics of Florida's tourism. The State of Florida took over the attraction as a state park in 2008. Since then, the park has focused on appealing to a modern audience while preserving its history.
Original black and white photograph by Elmer "Sparky" Schumacher: Weeki Wachee Springs State Park Weeki Wachee, Florida.
Bonnie Georgiadis at an Archeological dig at Weeki Wachee Springs, July, 1970.
Original color photograph by Sparky Schumacher, July,1970: Private Collection of Weeki Wachee Springs State Park.