Sinkhole City: The Winter Park Sinkhole Swallows the Internet
On social media, history can be remembered, misremembered, and argued over in real time. By Sarah M. Boye On the evening of May 8, 1981, the ground near the corner of West Fairbanks Avenue and South Denning Drive in Winter Park began to collapse. A sycamore tree was suddenly pulled
The British Vision of Florida: The Founding Fathers and the Frontier
By Bennett Lloyd, from the Spring 2026 edition of Reflections Magazine In 1763, the British Empire finally achieved one of its long-standing goals: removal of the rival French from the great North American contest. The French and Indian War concluded in Britain’s favor, leaving it with French cessions from Quebec
From Service to Celebration
By Cheyenne Stastyshyn from the Spring 2026 Edition of Reflections Magazine A veteran, community builder, and keeper of history, Dorothy Turner Johnson exemplified a life shaped by service and sustained by purpose. The year 2026 marks the commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the United States of America. As we
Orlando as America’s Melting Pot
By Sebastian Garcia, from the Spring 2026 edition of Reflections magazine As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary this July, Central Florida may seem an unlikely place to look for insight into the nation’s history. After all, when Americans think about the founding era, they tend to picture Independence
Beyond the Skyline: Black History, Entrepreneurship, and Change in Parramore
By Kylee Encarnacion, from the Fall 2025 edition of Reflections magazine From humble beginnings to its role as a booming tourist center, Orlando encompasses many layers of deep history, connected by its communities and by the way their residents made a living. Beginning in the 1880s, one such community, the
A Slice of Florida History: From Johnston’s Coffee Shop to the “World’s Best Apple Pie”
By Sarah M. Boye Long before diners enjoyed dessert beneath crystal chandeliers in Winter Park, one of Florida’s most famous apple pies got its start in a family-run coffee shop in Daytona Beach. In 1932, Isham and Alice Johnston opened Johnston’s Coffee Shop on Magnolia Avenue in Daytona Beach. Like
Tales from Lake Lucy: Building Silver Star Road
By Peggy Sias Lantz, from the Fall 2020 edition of Reflections Magazine The year was 1915. The small, hand-built house on the shore of a beautiful lake west of Orlando was the home of David Purdy Sias and his family. It was the first house on that lake and only
What Our Interns Discovered This Fall (and What Surprised Them Most!)
By Cheyenne Stastyshyn As the year 2025 draws to a close, we’re taking a moment to celebrate the five interns – Simone DeLuque, Barbara McCall, Shelby Reardon, Lior Wagerer, and Nemiah Wallace – who brought fresh energy, curiosity, and creativity to the Orange County Regional History Center this fall. Working
Crashing into History: The Syrian American Story Orlando Forgot
By Sarah M. Boye from the Fall 2025 Edition of Reflections Magazine In 1917, a Confederate monument placed in downtown Orlando in 1911 was moved to Lake Eola Park, where it stood for decades. In 2017, it would be moved again to Greenwood Cemetery. It’s a good bet many Orlandoans
German Prisoners of War in Leesburg, Florida
By Rachel Williams During the final years of World War II, Florida played host to approximately 10,000 German prisoners of war (POWs), a fact often overlooked in the state’s history. The influx of POWs to the United States stemmed from overcrowded camps in Europe, which held more than 250,000 prisoners