WPRK: The Best in Basement Radio and the Voice of Rollins

By Wenxian Zhang from the Fall 2022 edition of Reflections magazine Often called “the best in basement radio and the voice of Rollins,” radio station WPRK has been on the air in Central Florida for 70 years. It is not the first station to broadcast from the Winter Park college, however.

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Can’t Stop the Music

By Whitney Barrett, History Center Archivist From the Spring 2022 edition of Reflections From Central Florida Although you might not think of Orlando as a popular music destination, many of the great singers of jazz, blues, and gospel music passed through the city during its history. Big names such as Ray Charles,

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Orlando’s Pioneering Drive-In Movie Theater

By 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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Historic Orlando House Threatened

Today, 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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Downtown Orlando’s Civil Rights Sit-Ins

On 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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“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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Muslim Community Response to the Pulse Nightclub Shooting

Part one of two focusing on religious response to the Pulse nightclub shooting and featuring oral histories from the History Center’s collection.

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Frank Billingsley awarded the 2021 Donald A. Cheney Award

Congratulations to Frank Billingsley, the 2021 recipient of our Donald A. Cheney Award, which each year honors a Central Floridian who embodies a lifelong dedication to preserving the area’s history.

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St. Matthew’s Tavern: Inclusive and Supportive

St. Matthew’s Tavern has undergone multiple transformations throughout the history of the building on North Mills Avenue in Orlando. The building has housed a multitude of gay bars in the past, including the Silver Hammer, Cactus Club, and Paradise.

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Pulse: For the Community

Long before the Pulse nightclub tragedy of June 12, 2016, Pulse had a special place in Orlando’s gay community. The club was hugely beloved. Established in 2004 by Barbara Poma and Ron Legler in memory of Barbara’s brother, Pulse came onto the scene later than the other bars.

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