The Age of Concrete: The Orlando Public Library
In 1962, the citizens of Orlando passed a Civic Improvements Bond issue that provided a million dollars to replace the Albertson Public Library, a Neoclassical-style structure that opened in 1923. For the new building, the city selected the Connecticut-based architect John Johansen (1916-2012).
The Sky’s the Limit: Remembering Grace the Ace
This is the extraordinary story of an Orange County native who became an aviation pioneer and world-class airshow performer. Grace Ellen Butt graduated from Winter Park High and Rollins College and was a debutante of the Rosalind Club, but to her generation, she was the legendary “Grace the Ace.”
Orlando’s First Hospital and the Rivalry That Transformed a Community
Being sick or injured in early 20th-century Orlando was a much different experience than it is today. If you could not afford to pay a doctor to make a house call, you might have found yourself in a lantern-lit hospital ward, cooled only with fans blowing over crushed ice.
Little Sure Shot’s Snowbird Days: Annie Oakley in Central Florida
Like so many Midwesterners, Annie Oakley wintered in Florida, and despite her fascinating, globe-trotting personal history, two of the most “pivotal events of her life” happened in the Sunshine State. She was a part of our history, as Florida was of her’s.
Inaugural Women’s History Breakfast Honors Mary McLeod Bethune
On March 12, the Orange County Regional History Center presents its inaugural Women’s History Month Breakfast with a program honoring Mary McLeod Bethune (1875-1955), the legendary Daytona Beach educator who is hailed as one of our nation’s most powerful advocates for civil rights and suffrage.
Screening of “Marching Forward” Tells Inspiring Orlando Story
In honor of Black History Month, Mayor Jerry L. Demings and the History Center proudly presents a special showing of the award-winning documentary film “Marching Forward.”
Land of the Lost Attractions
Central Florida has long been a tourism hot spot where roadside attractions that have come and gone. Some, such as Cypress Gardens, loom large in Florida’s history, while others have been largely forgotten. Here’s a photographic look back at just a few.
Orange County Heritage Day Returns January 25
The celebration marks 175 years since Orange County traded in its first name: Mosquito. For the second year, the Orange County Regional History Center celebrates Orange County’s official beginnings with free admission and fun activities for the whole family.
Mary Ann Carroll: “First Lady” of Highwaymen Leaves Rich Legacy
History Center staff members were saddened to learn of the death on Dec. 4, 2019, of Mary Ann Carroll, who was long a stalwart member of the group of Florida Highwaymen artists who have visited the museum for Meet & Greet events twice a year.
Make a difference in the lives of children
Each year the History Center provides top-quality learning experiences to the children of our community. Through programs such as onsite field trips, school teach-ins, and Adventures in History summer camps, young lives are enlightened, and horizons expand.