Orange County Regional History Center

10/14/2026

It’s , and we’re inviting you to get curious about everything that goes on behind the scenes!

From collecting pieces of history to preserving them for future generations, there’s so much happening in our archives. Now’s your chance to ask our very own archivist, Katie Marra, all those questions you’ve thought about but never asked.

Leave your questions, big or small, in the comments below, and Katie will share her answers and give you a closer look at the exciting work that happens here at the History Center.

10/13/2026

In 1982, a backhoe operator uncovered ancient human remains while working on a shallow pond in Brevard County. Three field seasons of excavation in the peat followed, revealing something extraordinary: the largest, most demographically diverse skeletal discovery from this time period in the New World – 168 individuals ranging from newborns to over age 65, intentionally buried in the pond by Early Archaic people.

The peat created an oxygen-free environment that preserved what almost never survives: brain tissue, stomach contents, and fragile organic artifacts. Also discovered at the site were the oldest bottle gourd ever found north of Mexico, a rare collection of early New World textiles woven from plant fibers, and a pollen record stretching from the end of the Pleistocene into recent times.

Because of Windover, we know much more about what these early Floridians ate, the textiles they made, and how they buried their dead thousands of years ago.

Learn more in this blog on our website: https://bit.ly/47lbLcv

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Photo courtesy of the Florida Historical Society

10/12/2026

10/10/2026

In honor of Fire Prevention Week, we’re highlighting the 1915 American LaFrance fire engine on display at the Fire Museum in Loch Haven Park.

Known as “No. 1,” the engine arrived in Orlando on March 16, 1915, and became the city’s first horseless fire engine. Upon arrival, it was equipped with 1,500 feet of hose and expected to encounter “fair” and “very sandy” street conditions throughout the city.

No. 1 remained in service with the Orlando Fire Department until 1948, when it was sold to Ocoee for one dollar. From there, it passed through several owners, crossed state lines, and underwent a number of restoration projects.

The old fire engine finally found its way back to Orlando in 1984, when the Orange County Historical Society purchased it and added it to its permanent collection. No. 1 is currently on loan for public viewing at the Fire Museum, housed in the former Orlando Fire Department Station No. 3, which was moved from College Park to Loch Haven Park in 1978 and opened as a museum in 1984.

10/09/2026

Sunday, October 18, 2026, Noon – 4 p.m.

Step into our annual Halloween Sensory Sunday, a sensory-friendly version of the History Center’s Trick or Treat Safe Zone. Themed activities and free trick-or-treating will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Costumes are encouraged, and trick-or-treat bags will be provided.

Admission for Sensory Sundays is free through the support of Orlando Health Children’s.

More details in the comments below.

10/09/2026

in 1863, Edward William Bok was born to a wealthy family in the Netherlands. After suffering financial hardships, the family immigrated to the United States when Bok was 6 years old. He began working at a young age to help support his family and had his first full-time job at 13. After taking night classes, he found his way into the publishing business, eventually becoming editor of the Ladies’ Home Journal. In 1896, he married Mary Louise Curtis, daughter of the magazine’s publisher.

After Bok’s retirement in 1919, the couple wintered in Lake Wales, where he created Bok Tower and its gardens, originally called the Mountain Lake Sanctuary and Singing Tower. The tower was dedicated by President Calvin Coolidge on Feb. 1, 1929.

Bok’s motto, “Make you the world a bit better or more beautiful because you have lived in it,” can be seen in the beautiful gardens surrounding Bok Tower and in philanthropic projects championed by Mary, including support for J. André Smith’s Research Studio, now the Maitland Art Center, and the Annie Russell Theatre at Rollins College in Winter Park.

10/07/2026

The Orlando Opera Committee for Hispanic Arts (OROCHA) was founded in the autumn of 1987 by a group of volunteers to encourage support for Spanish arts events, especially performances not generally available to the public.

On April 21, 1988, Madrid’s Antología de la Zarzuela troupe brought classical Spanish zarzuela to Orlando. The Sentinel described it as a “hearty mixture of singing and dancing” that stayed close to vibrant Iberian folk music. The art form dates to the 17th-century court of Spain’s Philip IV and competed with Italian opera for popularity.

The production at Orlando’s Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre featured 100 performers, hundreds of costumes, and a selection of excerpts from different zarzuelas.

10/06/2026

On , we remember Robert “Bob” Cluggish, whose long career with Orlando students is commemorated in a historic downtown gymnasium that still bears his name.

Before becoming a coach, Cluggish played basketball at the University of Kentucky and spent the 1946–47 season with the New York Knicks. He later devoted 35 years to Orlando’s Howard Junior High School as a teacher, football and basketball coach, and athletic director.

The gym at Howard’s historic campus was built in the late 1930s, when the school was Orlando High School. In 1984, upon Cluggish’s retirement, it was named the Robert Cluggish Memorial Gymnasium in recognition of his years of service. The distinctive letters that spell "Gymnasium" date from its beginnings as Orlando High.

Today, Howard Middle School, which recently underwent a major renovation, continues to use the historic campus at 800 E. Robinson St. in Orlando.
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Image courtesy Joy Wallace Dickinson

10/05/2026

Start your week with a visit to our newest exhibit, “By Heart and By Hand.”

This powerful celebration of artistry, heritage, and community showcases the work of Black craft artists across our Central Florida community. From quilting and embroidery to woodcarving, soft sculpture, and traditional instrument making, the exhibit invites visitors to experience craft as a living expression of identity and cultural memory.

Complete your visit with a stop in our History Center store and take home one-of-a-kind pieces created by some of the artists featured in the exhibit.

Purchase general admission tickets using the link in the comments below.

10/04/2026

Today on , we take a trip into Lake County for a round at the historic Mission Resort + Club, home to one of Florida’s oldest golf courses. It’s in Howey-in-the-Hills, a town named for citrus magnate and founder William J. Howey. To attract investors and entertain guests at his new development, Howey hired golf course architect George O’Neil to design and build a course that opened in 1917 and was later known as the Chain-O’-Lakes Golf Course.

The resort features two courses, the original El Campeón and the 1992 addition Las Colinas. Both have hosted high school and NCAA golf regionals and championships, U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur qualifiers, qualifying tournaments for the Latin America and Canadian tours, and professional events.
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Image courtesy of the Orlando Sentinel Collection