Selections from the vast and varied collections of the Historical Society of Central Florida illustrate Central Florida’s fascinating past.
Explore our past
As an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, the History Center presents limited-run exhibitions of great depth and insight.
On display now
Convenient parking options include the Central Boulevard garage across from the Orlando Public Library, the History Center’s neighbor.
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Around the Museum Blog
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20
Jun
Orlando’s Pioneering Drive-In Movie Theater
Read more about Orlando’s Pioneering Drive-In Movie TheaterBy Lesleyanne Drake Across the nation, there is one industry that appears to be flourishing during the pandemic: drive-in movie theaters. Orlando’s first drive-in movie theater opened on February 7, 1940, at 1001 South Orange Blossom Trail. Originally called “The Drive-In Theater” and later renamed the Orlando Drive-In, it was
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23
Mar
Historic Orlando House Threatened
Read more about Historic Orlando House ThreatenedToday, Sam Robinson’s substantial residence, which fronted a vast orange grove in 1885, has become an imposing four-columned mansion on a heavily traveled downtown street.
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23
Mar
Downtown Orlando’s Civil Rights Sit-Ins
Read more about Downtown Orlando’s Civil Rights Sit-InsOn March 9, 1962, eleven Black students were arrested on charges of disorderly conduct for simply refusing to vacate a whites-only lunch counter during a peaceful sit-in demonstration at Stroud’s Rexall Drugstore on Orange Avenue and Church Street.
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03
Jan
“I’m the Gay Pastor of the Gay Church”
Read more about “I’m the Gay Pastor of the Gay Church”Joy MCC is part of the Metropolitan Community Churches across America, congregations that actively promote acceptance and understanding around issues of sexuality, gender, and race, to name a few key initiatives.
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20
Dec
Muslim Community Response to the Pulse Nightclub Shooting
Read more about Muslim Community Response to the Pulse Nightclub ShootingPart one of two focusing on religious response to the Pulse nightclub shooting and featuring oral histories from the History Center’s collection.
