New Additions: First Unitarian Church of Orlando Collection 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…

New additions to the Orlando Gay Chorus Collection! The Orlando Gay Chorus is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts and humanitarian organization part of GALA 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…

New Collection: First Unitarian Church of Orlando 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…

Located in the Parramore/Lorna Doone neighborhood of downtown Orlando, Jones High School – OCPS 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…

The OGC allowed RICHES to digitize their concert programs going all the way back to their very first performance! Follow the link below to browse through some of the earlier programs and check back soon for more additions! https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/collections/show/206

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. Visit our Hillcrest Elementary Collection: https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/collections/show/212

Happy Holidays from all of us at RICHES! Check out this Army Air Forces menu created for Christmas of 1943, from the private collection of Thomas Cook. The cover shows Santa Claus piloting an airplane over an airbase. There are illustrations of a decorated Christmas tree, a palm tree and what appears to be orange…

From its construction onward, the Downtown Orlando Post Office has been a physical symbol of the growing and evolving city that surrounds it. Opened in 1941, the post office experienced many changes that reflected national and local social and economic transformations. Demographic shifts, wars, economic booms and downturns, and social conflicts were reflected in the…

Bordered on the east by Division Street and on the west by Orange Blossom Trail (OBT), the Parramore began as an agricultural community. Parramore was historically a segregated African-American community and now comprises three separate downtown neighborhoods: Lake Dot, Callahan, and Holden-Parramore. Once an economically thriving area and the home of many prominent black businesses…

Historic artifacts from an exhibit created by Orlando Remembered at the Orlando City Hall, located at 400 South Orange Avenue in Downtown Orlando, Florida. This exhibit houses objects relating to Orlando’s municipal government. The current building opened in July of 1991. The former city hall was located directly in front of current building and was…

Originally called the Westinghouse Electric Company, George Westinghouse (1846-1914) founded his manufacturing company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on January 8, 1886. In 1889, he renamed his business the The Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company. Westinghouse’s primary products include turbines, generators, motors and switchgear related to the generation, transmission, and use of electricity. The company changed its…

The Rock Collection explores the history of rock music in Central Florida. Items in this collection were curated by UCF graduate Geoffrey Cravero and include photographs, newspaper articles, ticket stubs, and videos. These new items were donated to RICHES from the private collection of professional photographer Alicia Lyman and features the following local bands and artists: Beeb$ and Her…

Collection of digital images and oral histories related to the former Recruit Training Center Orlando (RTC Orlando) for the United States Navy. The training center transformed raw recruits into highly effective sailors. This process took place over an intensive eight-week training period, commonly referred to as “boot camp.” RTC Orlando occupied roughly one half of…

Collection of digital images, postcards, documents, and other records from the private collection of Thomas Cook. Series descriptions are based on special topics, the majority of which students focused their metadata entries around. To view the collection on the interactive map, click here.