The Stetson Mansion: More Than a Home for Hats
By Kara Kovalev, Registrar, Orange County Regional History Center John B. Stetson is best known for his design of the modern cowboy hat. What’s less well known is the impact he had on the town of DeLand, home of Stetson University. His Gilded Age mansion on Camphor Lane stands as
“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
The Citrus Wizard: Lue Gim Gong
In his most influential innovation, Lue Gim Gong crossed the Hart’s Late Valencia with Mediterranean Sweet varieties to produce an orange that bears his name, a juicy and hardy fruit that could take the cold better than most oranges of the day.
A Thin Veil Among the Scrub: Spiritualism and Cassadaga
Begun in the late 19th century, Cassadaga is a small, unincorporated community in Volusia County. In the years since Cassadaga’s 1920s boom, the Cassadaga Spiritualist Camp persisted as a mainstay of spiritualist life and practice, though the community has aged significantly.
Mary McLeod Bethune: Educator & Activist
Known during her lifetime as the “First Lady of Negro America,” Mary McLeod Bethune is remembered for her contributions as an educator and civil rights activist. Although the founding of Bethune-Cookman University is probably her most well-known accomplishment, it is one of many.