By Rachel Williams from the Spring 2025 Edition of Reflections Magazine “The one-stop shopping center of tomorrow that’s here today” – that was the tagline in the Orlando Sentinel when Colonial Plaza officially opened on Jan. 31, 1956. What might seem like an ordinary shopping center to 21st-century residents was

By Justine Truc, 2024 University of South Carolina Oral History Fellow The metro Orlando area is often recognized for its theme parks and sunny weather, but it’s also a rich cultural melting pot. In an oral history with the Orange County Regional History Center, Mimi Chan offered a fascinating glimpse

By Mandy Kimmer from the Fall 2024 edition of Reflections Magazine In the century since 1924, what began with a family’s gift of 8 acres has blossomed  into 113 parks and trails, boat ramps, recreation centers, and sport facilities  that serve 13 million residents and visitors each year. The 1920

By Tana Mosier Porter from the Fall 2024 edition of Reflections Magazine In 1924, developers officially kicked off and named the Orlando neighborhood that soon manifested the look and feel of a small town. One hundred years ago the Cooper-Atha-Barr Real Estate and Mortgage Company broke ground for a new

By Paul Trembly from the Fall 2024 edition of Reflections Magazine The year was 1872, and Washington Kilmer was dying. In poor health, barely able to walk and suffering a general physical breakdown, he was given, at most, a year to live. As he departed his physician’s office, he took