https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/exhibits/show/greek_life Almost immediately upon its inception as an open and functional university in 1968, Florida Technical University (FTU) saw the emergence of social groups and organizations which added to the sparse and desolate landscape characteristic of all new institutions. Within these organizations, Greek life emerged, with the inception of various fraternity and sorority groups. By…

https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/collections/show/234 Orlando Family Stage is a professional Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA) organization in Orlando, Florida that focuses on producing engaging theatrical experiences for children and families. Since its founding as the Orlando Little Players in December 1925, the company has become one of the oldest continuously operating theatres in the southeastern United States and…

https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/exhibits/show/theater This exhibit explores how and why UCF’s Theater Department arrived at its current standing. From the theater’s first play in 1969 to the 1990’s production involvement, funding, academics, and resources improved because of increased university majors and interest.

https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/…/exhibits/show/publicservice Many people do not realize the effect that public service has had on shaping Orlando’s history. This exhibit explores the contributions of Orlando City Hall and its mayors in accordance with other public sectors.T he early Orlando Police Department (OPD) and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) will also be looked at and how…

A collection of materials from Sumner Hutcheson III, who was a Senior Executive manager with the American Red Cross for over 30 years, a senior administrator at three universities, and Chair of the Peace and Justice Institute. https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/collections/show/231

Parramore Speaks is a collaborative project between the City of Orlando and the University of Central Florida’s RICHES dedicated to preserving the rich, multifaceted histories of the Parramore community. https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/collections/show/229

A collection of postcards from the private collection kept by Roger Hipel of St. Cloud, Florida. https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/collections/show/228

Collection of digital images, documents, and oral histories depicting the life and work of Jesse Cutler. Cutler has spent an illustrious career, beginning at age 12, as a musician, composer, actor, producer, and entrepreneur. Starting in New York City in the 1960s and then in Los Angeles from the early ‘70s through the late ‘90s,…

In 2000, Gloria Godwin and Gracia Muller Miller began talking about a reunion for the Jackson Heights Elementary School, a colored school in Oviedo during segregation. Reunion Historian, Judith Smith, began to look for artifacts from that era and struggled to locate any pictures or other information. She put the word out amongst the former…

The Nelson and Company Packing Plant was originally founded by Steen Nelson and Gus Nelson and called Nelson Brothers. The company changed its name to Nelson and Company after it became a three-way partnership between the brothers and Benjamin Franklin Wheeler. In 1923, Wheeler became sole owner after buying out the company. The 80-acre historic…

Founded in 2017, FPEP is an initiative of the University of Central Florida that seeks to offer a high-quality undergraduate education to people who are incarcerated in Central Florida. https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/collections/show/224

Collection of materials documenting the “COVID era”, which refers to the period between early 2020 and mid-2023. It was a global pandemic that brought unprecedented societal and economic disruptions, shifting much of daily life toward remote work, lockdowns, and widespread public health measures. https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/collections/show/223

Hannibal Square is one of the oldest officially recognized neighborhoods in Winter Park. Along with the western half of the city, this neighborhood is historically the home of Winter Park’s African American community. https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/collections/show/221

A collection of oral history interviews conducted by Jared Muha. https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/collections/show/219

Orlando Unitarian Universalists can follow their roots back to 1912, when Reverend Eleanor Gordon was first minister to a church formed with 21 members. Building Unity Chapel in 1913, the group shared literary and spirited discussions, fostered by transplanted Unitarians from the North. Property in an orange grove east of town was purchased in 1954.…

A collection of materials from Judith LaRue pertaining to Bluebird brand citrus juices and Southern Fruit Distributors, Inc. Bluebird brand citrus juices were manufactured and distributed by Southern Fruit Distributors, Inc., a company founded by Philip Caruso. The Bluebird juice company is currently part of Florida’s Natural Food Service. https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/collections/show/216

The Alliance for Truth and Justice (ATJ) is a volunteer-based organization that engages with the community to promote education concerning the truth of local history and to advocate justice for those who have been harmed by inequities born of prejudice. ATJ builds on the work of Montgomery-based Equal Justice Initiative as well as the local…

Located in the Parramore/Lorna Doone neighborhood of downtown Orlando, Jones High School was the first area public school for African-Americans. The original building was located on the corner of Garland Avenue and Church Street, but the school was renamed the Johnson Academy and moved to a new building on the corner of Chatham Avenue and…

Hillcrest Elementary School is one of Orlando’s oldest schools, opening in 1923. Since the 1980s, it has had a vibrant foreign language component and today it continues that tradition through the Orange County Public Schools Foreign Language Academy. https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/collections/show/212

In 2017, the University of Central Florida was one of three universities selected to launch the National Cemetery Administration’s Veterans Legacy Program Project. The program engaged a team of scholars to make the life stories of veterans buried in the Florida National Cemetery available to the public. The project engages UCF students in research and writing…

The Orlando Gay Chorus (OGC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts and humanitarian organization, and part of the Gay and Lesbian Association (GALA) of Choruses. Founded on Valentines Day 1990, OGC is not only one of the largest mixed gay choirs in the United States at over 100 members, but they also boast four smaller ensembles…

In the early hours of June 12, 2016, an American born security guard named Omar Mir Seddique Mateen shot and killed 49 people and wounded an additional 53 at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida. Mateen, who swore allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), was shot and killed by…

The Seminole Soil and Water Conservation District’s mission is to provide resources, planning, assessment, assisting citizens to apply conservation and preservation technology, and to educate the citizens in these technologies. https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/collections/show/204

Since 1994, The Watermark has been the cornerstone source of LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer/Questioning, and others) centered news for the Central Florida region. Founded by Tom Dyer in Orlando, the publication began generating bi-weekly issues beginning August 31, 1994. Since then, The Watermark has consistently published newspaper style issues every other Thursday. Gaining traction, the publication expanded in…

In 1874, Captain John Rich became the first white settler to arrive in the present-day DeLand, which was then known as Persimmon Hollow. After arriving in 1876, Henry Addison DeLand (1834-1908) began developing the area. The city was officially incorporated in 1882 and became the county seat of Volusia County in 1887. DeLand Academy, the…

Ferndale, Florida, is a census-designated place in Lake County with a population just a couple hundred people. https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/collections/show/201

Sebastian, Florida, was established as a fishing village as early as the 1870s. In the early 1880s, David Peter Gibson and Thomas New became the first non-indigenous settlers in Sebastian. New founded a post office called New Haven and he became the village’s first postmaster. In 1882, Sebastian was officially established as St. Sebastian. In…

Palm Beach was first established in the 1890s when Henry Flagler (1830-1913) purchased land along Lake Worth to establish a resort and expanded his Florida East Coast Railway (FEC) to the area. The hub of the community centered around the Royal Poinciana Hotel and the Breakers Hotel. West Palm Beach was established nearby for hospitality…

Rock Ledge was officially founded in 1887, making it the oldest incorporated municipality in Brevard County, Florida. Early industry depended upon citrus and tourism. In the 20th century, the spelling changed to one word: Rockledge. Wealthy tourists continued to visit Rockledge, causing the town’s population to increased ten times during winters. For much of the…

The first recorded contact of European explorers in present-day Sarasota, Florida, was at Charlotte Harbor in 1513. Following American acquisition of the Florida Territory, the U.S. Army established Fort Armistead along the bay. The first permanent Euro-American settler was William Henry Whitaker (1821-1888), who arrived in the early 1840s. Other pioneer families include the Webbs,…

During the 17th century, various Spanish Catholic missions were established in the indigenous Apalachee Province, where present-day Tallahassee, Florida, is located. During his 1539 expedition, Hernando de Soto (ca. 1500-1542) occupied the Apalachee town of Anhaica, which is now known as Tallhassee. Nearly hree centuries later, in 1824, Tallahassee was selected as the capital of…

Present-day Clearwater was originally inhabited by the Tocobaga. The U.S. Army began construction of Fort Harrison around 1835 to serve as an during the Second Seminole War. The area, which was then known as Clear Water Harbor, experienced significant growth following the passage of the Federal Armed Occupation Act of 1842, which offered land to…

The present-day area of Miami Beach was originally inhabited by the Tequesta. In 1870, Henry Lum and Charles Lum purchased a land grant for the area and set up a coconut venture. After the new business failed, the Lums eventually sold the land to John S. Collins and Thomas Pancoast. In 1913, with money loaned…

Originally inhabited by the Timucua, the area of present-day Jacksonville Beach was not settled by non-indigenous peoples until the late 19th century. The first settles to migrate to the area were William Edward Scull and Eleanor Kennedy Scull in the early 1880s, naming the settlement Ruby. In 1886, the town was renamed Pablo Beach. Developers…

https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/…/show/blackstudentlife The history of the University of Central Florida was initially shaped throughout the 1960s and informed partially by social changes caused by the Civil Rights movement. On June 10, 1963, Governor Farris Bryant signed Legislative Bill 125, an act which sought to bring a new state university to east central Florida.1 A year later,…

An oral history of Octavius Clark. The interview was conducted at the Booker Town Community Center in the Booker Town neighborhood of Sanford, Florida, on May 16, 2026.