“Sometimes Fun, Sometimes Crazy, Always Interesting”: Getting to Know Former Orlando Sentinel Reporter Erin Ailworth

By Travis Puterbaugh, Curator of Collections From recollections from folks who lived in Central Florida decades ago to the reflections of people making history today, the oral histories in the Orange County Regional History Center’s collection reveal the rich diversity of our region. Here’s a look at an oral history

Continue reading article “Sometimes Fun, Sometimes Crazy, Always Interesting”: Getting to Know Former Orlando Sentinel Reporter Erin Ailworth

Get your genealogical research started with the library’s “Finding Your Roots Series”

Orange County Library System Genealogy Events – September 2023 OCLS’s West Oaks Branch and Genealogy Center offers events that cover a range of basic and beginning genealogy research techniques, including how to interpret DNA results, census records, vital statistics, land records, probate records, and immigration records. As part of our

Continue reading article Get your genealogical research started with the library’s “Finding Your Roots Series”

Casks and Cabinets: A History of Rocky’s Replay

Images courtesy of PinballNews.com. By Kelly D’Ambrosio, Digital Archivist, Orange County Regional History Center Tapping buttons, machine-generated bleeps, and distorted voice-overs emanating from arcade cabinets lining carpeted rooms. Layered between the machine sounds are the chatter and cheers of people enjoying themselves. To many, arcades are a place of after-school

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Q & A with author Jaquira Díaz

By Cheyenne Stastyshyn, Public Programming Coordinator This month our Reading Through History book club selection is Ordinary Girls, a fearless 2019 memoir by Jaquira Díaz that received many literary honors. It won a prestigious Whiting Award and a Florida Book Awards Gold Medal and was a Lambda Literary Awards finalist,

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The Presidents Hall of Fame: Clermont’s Roadside Treasure

By Jeremy Hileman, Assistant Curator With numerous world-class tourist destinations located throughout Central Florida, it may be easy to forget that visitors flocked to the area prior to the emergence of the theme parks that so many associate with the region today. A number of notable attractions predated the opening

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The library can teach you how to find those hard-to-find ancestors

Orange County Library System Genealogy Events – August 2023 The History Center regularly collaborates with the Orange County Library System, a natural partnership particularly since its main location is next door. With that in mind, we are pleased to keep you informed about history-related events offered at OCLS. OCLS’s West

Continue reading article The library can teach you how to find those hard-to-find ancestors

This July, explore your family history with the Orange County Library System

Orange County Library System Genealogy Events – July 2023 The History Center regularly collaborates with the Orange County Library System, a natural partnership particularly since its main location is next door. With that in mind, we are pleased to keep you informed about history-related events offered at OCLS. OCLS’s West

Continue reading article This July, explore your family history with the Orange County Library System

On the Trail of the Orlando Bicycle Club

A Long-Ago Photo Sparks Intrigue 200 Miles from Home By Vanessa Sardon, from the Spring 2022 edition of Reflections Magazine Stacks of framed art and abandoned photographs lined the shelves of a Fort Lauderdale thrift store – among them, a captivating black-and-white photo in a simple black frame. It features

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Orlando’s Round Building: An Architectural Circle of Life

By Kelly Bresnowitz Adapted from the “The Way We Were” feature, Community Paper, August 22, 2022 In 1963, an architectural marvel was unveiled in downtown Orlando. Designed by architect Robert Murphy, the circular home of American Federal Savings and Loan brought a distinguished touch of midcentury-modern design to the growing

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Places for Performance: Downtown Orlando’s Music Venues through the Years

From the Spring 2023 edition of Reflections of Central Florida Our Figurehead: Music & Mayhem in Orlando’s Underground exhibition shines a light on a period in the City Beautiful’s history when a new generation frequented downtown venues for the communal experience of enjoying live music. Downtown Orlando has a long

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