Winter Park Fire Rescue Department

Although originally developed under the shadow of Orlando's fire services, Winter Park's department grew in size and professionalism to become the modern independent fire service we are familiar with today. However, to fully understand how the department evolved, we must look back to its humble beginnings. There were many components that helped mold the department: fire chiefs, new inventions and innovations, as well as American culture itself. To learn about the Winter Park Fire Rescue Department go to http://www.wppl.org/wphistory/Winter%20Park%20Fire%20Department.html

Knowles Public School

Mr. Francis Bangs Knowles was perhaps one of the most important benefactors our city has ever had. In 1889, when he saw the need for a true schoolhouse in Winter Park, he stepped into action. The school was located on the southwest corner of Park and Canton Avenues and it opened in 1890. Go to http://www.wppl.org/wphistory/KnowlesPublicSchool.html to see photographs of the first schoolhouse. Of course, it was named after the man who made it all possible.

The Henkel Family

One of the early residents of our city was Dr. Miller A. Henkel. He was not only a beloved physician, but he was a well-respected advocate for his adopted city . . . Winter Park. In 2007, the archives received a donation of several photographs of the Henkel family, dating back to the mid-1800s. They depict Dr. Henkel's ancestors, as well as his children and grandchildren. Go to http://www.wppl.org/wphistory/HenkelFamily.html to view photographs of this family.

A Wedding! Eda Brewer & Fred Wooley: 1916

The wedding of Miss Eda Brewer and Mr. Fred Wooley on March 28th, 1916 was quite the social event of its time. Miss Brewer was the daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Edward Hill Brewer and their Winter Park estate was named The Palms. That home still sits on the shore of Lake Osceola at 240 Trismen Terrace. The Eda Brewer Wooley Collection also includes family photos, a photo album of her travels, and a gift book that kept track of all of their wedding gifts and their donors. More information about this wedding can be found at: http://www.wppl.org/wphistory/Wedding-EdaBrewerWooley.html

An introduction to the archives

Have you ever wondered what goes on behind those glass doors that separate the Winter Park History & Archives Collection from the rest of the library?

Well, this is the page to turn to in order to see what is currently in progress. There’s always something in the works!

Whether it’s accepting donations to the archives, adding new items to pre-existing collections, discovering new ways to better organize the holdings, arranging new collections, or answering reference questions, the archivist keeps very busy!

Newspapers

The Winter Park History & Archives Collection houses copies of many of Winter Park’s past and current newspapers. Unfortunately, newspapers become discolored, dry, and brittle over time. This extremely fragile state makes it impossible to provide public access to the older papers. However, there’s good news! We have recently taken steps to ensure that these important historical documents remain available to the public by converting them to new formats . . . thus making it possible to now offer them online! Check out The Winter Park Post (1915-1921) & Winter Park Topics (1934-1955) by visiting: Online Collections: Other: Newspapers.

Write about your Winter Park memories here!

This is a space where you can tell other readers about your memories of Winter Park. Perhaps you grew up here and have a lot of experiences to share . . . or, perhaps a photograph on the web page jogged your memory about a person or a place here in town. Whatever it is, we'd love to read about it.