February 21 – May 24, 2026

Discover the remarkable story of educator, author, and historian Altermese Smith Bentley in this inspiring pocket exhibit celebrating her lifelong commitment to preserving Black history in Central Florida. From her family’s roots in Sanford’s historic Georgetown community to her decades-long career in education, Bentley dedicated herself to documenting and safeguarding the stories of Seminole County’s African American community. Bentley’s legacy lives on not only in her writings but in the community institutions she helped preserve and the elementary school that bears her name. This pocket exhibit honors a woman whose scholarship and advocacy ensured that local Black history would be preserved, protected, and shared for generations to come.

Pocket exhibits are small displays that use small spaces in the museum outside of traditional exhibition space and usually have a short run. They are a great way to showcase recent acquisitions and topics that might not fit into a major exhibition but still tell an interesting story of Central Florida’s history.