The 麻豆原创 soon will take a trip into the past 鈥� by way of its first Public History Center, where students and the community will be able to work together to preserve the region鈥檚 history.
A new partnership between 麻豆原创 and Seminole County Public Schools is transforming a 110-year-old Sanford school building into a learning laboratory for education, research and community engagement.
The center at 301 W. 7th St. has been preparing this summer to reopen its doors聽to the public Monday, Aug. 6. The first scheduled activity is 9 a.m. Aug. 13 with Seminole鈥檚 traditional ringing of the tower bell to open the first day of the new school year.
This inaugural event and many additional activities will be planned to fulfill public history鈥檚 goal of engaging the community.
鈥淲e would love to see this become a model for other centers around Central Florida,鈥� said Rosalind Beiler, 麻豆原创鈥檚 director of Public History. 鈥淭he building is a gem. The place has a heart and soul, and anyone who spends time here becomes devoted to it.鈥�
Looking back: The building is one of the few surviving Florida examples of school architecture from the turn of the 20th century. It opened in 1902 as Sanford鈥檚 first high school and became a grammar school in 1911. In 1984 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and became the school district鈥檚 Student Museum and Center for the Social Studies, an interpretive center and a hands-on teaching museum.
Looking ahead: The new Public History Center will schedule classes for 麻豆原创 students, offer community workshops, and promote involvement in historic preservation, while continuing popular programs such as hosting public tours and school field trips. Fourth-grade classes, specifically, schedule visits to the site because of Florida requirements to study state history at that grade level.
麻豆原创 signed a two-year lease for the center in the heart of Sanford鈥檚 residential historic district, whose residents are encouraged to join in the programs and research.
鈥淭he center will enhance the quality of life in our community by bringing to light the history of its most valuable resource: its people,鈥� said Jos茅 Fern谩ndez, dean of the College of Arts & Humanities, which will oversee the center.
Beiler said 麻豆原创 chose Sanford for the Public History Center because the city has a 鈥渞ich documented history鈥� and is committed to historic preservation through the Community Redevelopment Association, Historic Preservation Board, Sanford Historic Trust, and other history-related groups, museums and projects.
鈥淭here are a lot of willing partners in Seminole County,鈥� she said. 鈥淪anford is among the strongest of any Central Florida city for historical preservation.鈥�
To capitalize on that, Ashley Wilt, program coordinator, is focusing a big part of the first semester鈥檚 activities on community outreach, hosting gatherings and enlisting volunteers to assist the center in carrying out projects.
Beginning Aug. 6, the center will open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday through Saturday. In addition to the Aug. 13 bell-ringing ceremony, the staff is planning an evening open house, neighborhood block party, fall pumpkin festival around Halloween, and an old-fashioned Christmas event. They also are reaching out to scouting and other civic groups to hold activities at the center.
Next spring, the staff and university students will start to offer workshops on historical preservation and topics such as how to interview people for oral histories.
鈥淲e are thrilled with this collaborative effort,鈥� said Tina Calderone, chairman of the Seminole County School Board. 鈥淭his will enhance the educational experiences of our students, allow the center to be open more hours, and benefit the community as a whole.鈥�
The center has several themed rooms: a furnished, original 1902 classroom complete with a portrait of then-President Theodore Roosevelt; a Timucua room that represents a 1,200-year-old village; a pioneer room with a log cabin and tools; Grandma鈥檚 Attic with old household items and vintage clothes; Georgetown and Crooms High School exhibits that feature the city鈥檚 African-American community, and other displays.
Behind the museum is a demonstration garden that contains vegetables and flowers grown at the turn of the last century, Florida native plants, antique roses, wildflower meadow, field crops and other horticultural displays.
The city鈥檚 Touhy Park across the street from the museum contains a historic tree grove, which contains about 70 trees that are associated with people, places and events around the country. There are sycamores, magnolias, maples, walnuts and others from Valley Forge, Gettysburg, Mount Vernon, Ellis Island, the Alamo and elsewhere.
City officials also are pleased that the schoolhouse, which was put on the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation鈥檚 list of the state鈥檚 most endangered historic sites in 2009, has been given new life.
鈥淭his building and project are being looked at statewide as a preservation success,鈥� said Christine Dalton, the city鈥檚 historic preservation officer. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e utilizing the building, site, its collections and the gardens 鈥� resulting in a hands-on learning environment for the students. 麻豆原创鈥檚 partnership with the museum is a great benefit to the community, and will have a positive impact on this National Register site and surrounding residential neighborhood.鈥�
City Commissioner Patty Mahany, who is scheduled to speak at the opening-day ceremony, said: 鈥淭his is so significant because it is a great use for the historic building. It is a wonderful marriage and will benefit students with a much higher purpose.鈥�
The聽building is about 20 miles northwest of 麻豆原创’s main campus, which is part of the plan to reach into the community.
鈥淥ur name 鈥� Public History Center 鈥� means just that,鈥� Beiler said. 鈥淚t is a community resource and we invite Central Florida residents to take an active role and join us as this unique collaboration develops.鈥�