Hannibal Square Heritage Center

Hannibal Square Heritage Center The Hannibal Square Heritage Center was established in 2007 by Crealdé School of Art.

Our mission is to pay tribute to the past, present, and future contributions of Winter Park’s African-American community. The Hannibal Square Heritage Center hosts the nationally recognized "The Heritage Collection: Photographs and Oral Histories of West Winter Park," a permanent, museum-quality exhibition of more than 100 framed, archival pieces that capture the lives of Winter Park’s African-Ame

rican community spanning the 20th century, and "The Hannibal Square Timeline" that documents significant local and national events in African-American history since the Emancipation Proclamation. The center also offers a rotating Visiting Exhibition Series, community-created public art installations, as well as educational programs and that explore the African American experience, black heritage, cultural preservation, and southern folklore.

We were honored to gather at the Hannibal Square Heritage Center for the dedication of a new bench celebrating the life ...
08/29/2026

We were honored to gather at the Hannibal Square Heritage Center for the dedication of a new bench celebrating the life and legacy of Reginald Jerome “RJ” Johnson.

The Heritage Center’s mission is rooted in preserving the stories, people and history of Winter Park’s historic African American community. This dedication continues that mission by connecting memory, place and legacy while honoring a beloved everyday hero whose life touched so many.

The celebration was made even more meaningful by City of Orlando Poet Laureate Shawn Welcome, who performed his poem about Hannibal Square, surrounded by RJ’s family, friends, classmates, community partners and honored guests.

We are grateful to everyone who joined us in celebrating RJ and who continues to support the work of the Hannibal Square Heritage Center.

To support Crealdé’s work in preserving and sharing the history of the Hannibal Square community through the Heritage Center, visit the link in our bio.

Crealde

We were honored to gather at the Hannibal Square Heritage Center for the dedication of a new bench celebrating the life ...
08/29/2026

We were honored to gather at the Hannibal Square Heritage Center for the dedication of a new bench celebrating the life and legacy of Reginald Jerome “RJ” Johnson.

The Heritage Center’s mission is rooted in preserving the stories, people and history of Winter Park’s historic African American community. This dedication continues that mission by connecting memory, place and legacy while honoring a beloved everyday hero whose life touched so many.

The celebration was made even more meaningful by City of Orlando Poet Laureate Shawn Welcome, who performed his poem about Hannibal Square, surrounded by RJ’s family, friends, classmates, community partners and honored guests.

We are grateful to everyone who joined us in celebrating RJ and who continues to support the work of the Hannibal Square Heritage Center.

To support Crealdé’s work in preserving and sharing the history of the Hannibal Square community through the Heritage Center, visit the link in our bio.

From the Heritage Collection:"This is my father, Rev. Leroy J. Jefferson. This photo was taken at Rollins College where ...
08/12/2026

From the Heritage Collection:
"This is my father, Rev. Leroy J. Jefferson. This photo was taken at Rollins College where he worked for almost forty years. He enjoyed his work. Can you see the smile on his face? He also pastored at Warner Chapel Community Baptist Church for approximately twenty five years before he died in June of 1970.

My parents, Leroy and Amanda Jefferson, came to Winter Park from Tallahassee, via Sanford, in around 1929. I was born in late 1928, and I was either six or eight months old when we came. They came during the Depression. People were so good to each other during that time. If you had something you shared it with your neighbor. There were so many times that our parents took off our table to give to people who were in greater need than we.

My parents were very humble and hard-working parents. They had thirteen children. I was the seventh child. My father was a very strict person. You had to abide by the rules, a loving force. He had that soft voice, but you knew that he meant business."

– Mrs. Roberta Jefferson Fayson, Mrs. Amanda Jefferson Gilyard | Longtime West Winter Park Residents & Mrs. Ruth Jefferson | Sister-in-Law

The Hannibal Square Heritage Center, a program of Crealdé School of Art, presents Sacred Vessels: Healing and Memory in ...
08/10/2026

The Hannibal Square Heritage Center, a program of Crealdé School of Art, presents Sacred Vessels: Healing and Memory in the Black Diaspora, a major solo exhibition by acclaimed Orlando multidisciplinary artist Tasanee Durrett.

Join us for the opening reception on Friday, September 4, from 7–9 PM at the Hannibal Square Heritage Center!

Through this exhibition, Durrett examines the intersection of healing, identity, and ancestral memory within the Black Diaspora.
Centered on the head and neck as sacred vessels of memory, Sacred Vessels invites viewers to consider how ancestral wisdom can guide contemporary healing. Each piece advocates for a return to ancestral knowledge as a pathway to restoration, self-discovery, and collective healing.

Free & open to the public.
Sacred Vessels will remain on view through December 12, 2026.

From the Heritage Collection:"That’s my cousin, Eddie Terrell Jr., at the Welbourne Nursery and Kindergarten, one of the...
08/06/2026

From the Heritage Collection:
"That’s my cousin, Eddie Terrell Jr., at the Welbourne Nursery and Kindergarten, one of the oldest institutions in the community for kids. The Day Nursery has been there…my brother is sixty-two, maybe, and he attended school there.
This photograph was taken in the late 1960’s, maybe. Eddie today would be in his thirties. They had a fair at the nursery, and he was all dressed up as a cowboy that day. Eddie was approximately two or three years old."

–Mrs. Hazel Walker | Lifelong West Winter Park Resident

The Hannibal Square Heritage Center will be closed July 3–5.There will be no access to the galleries at this time. The H...
07/03/2026

The Hannibal Square Heritage Center will be closed July 3–5.

There will be no access to the galleries at this time. The Heritage Center will reopen on Tuesday, July 7.

Happy Independence Day!

From the Heritage Collection:"A love of cars runs in the family. I have my dad, Robert R. Hall’s, car, a 1968 Chevy. I s...
07/01/2026

From the Heritage Collection:
"A love of cars runs in the family. I have my dad, Robert R. Hall’s, car, a 1968 Chevy. I still drive it, in fact I drove it today. My brother has three kids, and they know to hang on to this car, because it is part of the family heritage. My family came to Winter Park from Georgia in 1924.

This is a photograph of just the brothers, Clyde, Willis, and me, and it was taken in 1938 in front of our home and in front of a 1935 Chevrolet. In 1939, we drove this particular car to the World’s Fair in New York. The trip took several days, but we had relatives in North Carolina and in New Jersey. The thing I remember most about the World’s Fair is that I had never seen pizza before!

This family portrait was taken in front of the same Chevrolet and in front of the family home at 790 Swoope Avenue. This was actually taken the same year, 1938, but when I was in boarding school in Eatonville. Mom, Dad, Willis, and Clyde. Mom’s got her hat and my brothers are dressed in their suits, and they are either going to church or coming back. The last photograph, taken in 1928, is of a Rollins car. They only made these cars for about three years. The Packard Division made them, and they were experimental. This was taken at 790 Swoope Avenue, but the address is now 796 Swoope, and the house is still standing.

You know, my brother and I used to sit over on Park Avenue and count cars. One afternoon, we counted six. Six! And there were very few people. Everybody knew everybody. And they knew where you were supposed to be!"

Mr. Richard Robert Hall, Jr. | Retired Chief Master Sergeant, United States Air Force |February 16, 2002

Take another look at our Juneteenth celebration 📸We had a wonderful time hosting our 11th Annual Juneteenth event, and w...
06/24/2026

Take another look at our Juneteenth celebration 📸

We had a wonderful time hosting our 11th Annual Juneteenth event, and we extend a special thank you to everyone who participated, volunteered, and worked with us to make this celebration a success.

Shout out to for hosting a fun and engaging quilt-making workshop for our guests!
And thank you to each of our panelists for sharing their unique perspectives and histories surrounding genealogy, storytelling, and preservation.

Make your next visit to the Heritage Center soon!

From the Heritage Collection:"This happy looking young lady is Sue Mons Thomas, baby sister of Claudia Mons Rountree. In...
06/23/2026

From the Heritage Collection:
"This happy looking young lady is Sue Mons Thomas, baby sister of Claudia Mons Rountree. In this photograph from the 1940s, Ms. Thomas is posing in her military uniform down by the Winter Park railroad tracks. She was very proud to serve her country as a WAC, or army nurse."
–Juanita Rountree | Life-Long Winter Park Resident

06/16/2026

Thank you to everyone who came out in support of our 11th Annual Juneteenth celebration!

Special shoutout to Form 2 Fashion® for hosting our community arts workshop. It was very engaging and we cannot wait to hang up the community quilt our guests created!

Our deepest appreciation to our featured panelists, Keidra Daniels Navaroli, Phyllis Biffle Elmore, Janice Gilyard, and Dr. Denice Evans-Sheppard.

Address

642 W New England Avenue
Winter Park, FL
32789

Opening Hours

Tuesday 12pm - 4pm
Wednesday 12pm - 4pm
Thursday 12pm - 4pm
Friday 12pm - 5pm
Saturday 10am - 2pm

Telephone

(407) 539-2680

Website

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