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
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
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,
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
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
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
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
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
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
Rosa Lee Jones: The Mother of Cocoa
By Marissa Bellenger, HERstory: Women in History Intern at the History Center for fall 2022 The Space Coast certainly has its share of significant history, including notable women, but you may not have heard of one of the most remarkable: Rosa Lee Jones. Her life was dedicated to activism and