The stories of Hannibal Square elders and community leaders are not found in most textbooks, but can be found through portraits and oral history shared at new exhibitions that focus historically on the black community.
The ongoing collection of documentaries, Sage Project is releasing its third article featuring 10 portraits at the Hannibal Square Heritage Center, founded in a partnership with Crealeldé Schoolof Art. Edited by historians Fairlin Livingston and Mary Daniels, the interview adds important context and history to portraits shot in a medium-sized film by Peter Schleier.
“We’ve always been respected and we respect all the elders. That’s how we shared our history. It was sitting on the front porch with our grandparents and parents,” Livingston said. “That’s how we maintain and share it with other generations.”
Since 2012, historians have worked with Schleier, former executive director of Clerde, to maintain the lives and legacy of the 40 Hannibal Square residents appointed as wise men.
“It’s a beautiful term. I understand that it means being wise, a place, a memory, a contribution. It covers everything we want to express through portraits,” he said. “If they didn’t do this, then their stories and contributions to the community would not be written down anywhere. They are also not in the great medium of photography.”
The latest photo set shows Livingston and Daniels featured in their own portraits, each of which has their own unique history to share. Viewers will be able to see separate portraits of Ernest Manning and Ernest Tin Manning Ingram, the oldest living participants in the project, in the mid-90s.
Other wise men include Marsabliant Hall, Albert Anderson, who was born and raised in Winter Park, and Phyllis Moore, the first manager of the Hannibal Square Heritage Center. As part of the project, each person photographed will receive a framed archive print to maintain.
The last wise man is the late Minnie B. Davis, the second principal of Hannibal Square Elementary School. Her historical portrait dates back to the 1950s and was previously on display at the Community Center. The exhibit includes a restored version of the photographs in that hand colour.
Historians hope to continue to highlight Hannibal Square’s story as the west side of Winter Park is violating development and an influx of people moving from outside the community.
“It’s more important than ever to live out our history and our heritage. At these points, they’re trying to erase it from the map so that we never exist again,” Livingston said. “It’s very important to us that we keep stories and history alive.”
Crealdé executive director and CEO Emily Bourmas-Fry said he hopes the project serves as a model to preserve the history of other communities.
“This project invites the community to see history not through textbooks but through the real-life experiences of the people who built the Westside community, the neighbourhood and shaped that culture,” she said. “It’s storytelling that has the power to connect for generations. It encourages us to look at our own history and see that that storytelling is passed down.”
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Other Autumn Art Events
“60–69: Celebration of the 1960s!” Seeing a definitive decade in American history, there are group exhibitions presented by art in every space. The work of 30 artists will transport visitors in time and will be on display at 39 S. Magnolia Avenue in Orlando until October 12th. Details: Facebook.com’s “To Catch a Dream” is the title of the 54th annual exhibition of the Florida Watercolor Association, featuring 100 watercolor works by members of the association. The exhibition will be on display at 2416 N. Mills Avenue in Orlando until January 4th, 2026. Details: Omart.org’s “Collective Heritage: Honronsing The Past the Future” is at the 2025 Hispanic Heritage Month Exhibition at the Terrace Gallery in Orlando, held at the Terrace Gallery in Orlando. The show will run until November 2nd. Working as a photographer at an exhibition. Paintings by independent artists at Mills Gallery are at 6:30pm on October 2nd
If you’re going
“Sage Project Phase III: The Elders of Hannibal Square Tell Their Story” opens on September 19th at a free community reception at Winter Park, 642 W. New England Avenue, from 7 to 9pm. The exhibition will be on display until January 24th, 2026. More information: hannibalsquareheritagecenter.org
