The Orange County Regional History Center celebrates Orlando’s 150th birthday and celebrates an exhibit featuring 150 items that tell the city’s story.
Most of the items “Orlando Collected” come from the museum’s safe.
There are a wide range of artifacts, including seats at Tinkerfield, Ivy’s drugstore signs, and chopsticks from Little Saigon restaurants. The act of the land at Greenwood Cemetery is featured.
Many of the items are selected by what organizers call “Community Curators,” while others are rented to the History Center during the exhibition.
“The name Orlando dates back to the 1850s, but was not officially incorporated as a town until 1875. As such, the exhibition is a contribution from the History Center to this 150th anniversary event.”
It’s an opportunity to showcase some of the items we’ve been caring for throughout the city’s history and display them for the public to enjoy,” Kelly said.
The exhibit items are not presented in chronological order, but are bundled by categories such as art, sports, attractions, and business. Orlando High School is found in the education field with Marshall Nilenberg, a graduate of astronaut John Young and a Nobel Prize-winning biochemist and geneticist.
The number of items is higher than most exhibits. More details about the individual works within Orlando Collected can be found in the Artifact Guide. This is organized to match the expected flow of the exhibition.
The sports section includes golf bags owned by Arnold Palmer, an Orlando Pride Football Jersey, tickets for the first Orlando Magic Game, and postcards from the Dubsdread Country Club.
One of the unexcluded items is a 1926 sheet music written about Orlando, recently recorded by Opera Orlando for use in displays.
“We were really excited to hear that and hear how the song sounds and include it,” Kelly said.
On a more difficult aspect, some of the museum’s artifacts relate to the 1921 incident involving Lena Clark, a postmaster of West Palm Beach, who tried to frame Orlando men for the embezzlement she committed. She eventually shot him at the San Juan Hotel in downtown Orlando, but she complained of insanity and was acquitted. However, she spent time in a mental hospital. The exhibit features Smith & Wesson revolver and Colt Pistol.
“One of them is probably a murder weapon, and we really don’t know because different articles and sources list different types of weapons,” Kelly said.
There is also Clark’s wallet and court ledger from her trial. (The story is complicated and includes the postal worker, empty money bag, Away Confessions, Morphine, Crystal Ball, 12 Past Life, and the New York Times headline “She says she’s a Superwoman.”)
“Orlando Collected” is included in regular admission to the Orange County Regional History Center. A preview night is scheduled for Friday from 7pm to 9pm at the cash bar and entertainment. Tickets available at thehistorycenter.org are $10.
The exhibition will be on display until January 11th.
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Original issue: April 9, 2025, 6:06am EDT
