Collections : [UCF Special Collections]

Collector, Ms. Carol Mundy amassed this collection of monographs, manuscripts, sheet music, pamphlets, journals, newspapers, broadsides, posters, photographs, and rare ephemera focusing on the African American history. While the collection is comprehensive both nationally and internationally, it also contains materials that pertain to the African American experience in central Florida.

The Albin Polasek Collection includes materials on the life and work of Czech sculptor and Winter Park resident Albin Polasek. The Collection consists of scrapbooks, correspondence, business records, certificates, speeches, photographs, pamphlets, programs, invitations, newspaper clippings, and related papers.

The Albin Polasek Museum "Natural Florida" exhibit collection, 2024 contains two copies of the September/October 2024 issue of Artistry featuring Rhapsody in Rose by Joy Postle on the cover and a poster for the "Natural Florida: Art by Emma Sears Marsh & Joy Postle" exhibit hosted at the Albin Polasek Museum and Sculpture Gardens in 2024. These materials provide insight into this exhibition and the breadth of these artist's work. The Albin Polasek Museum & Gardens hosted an exhibition titled ""Natural Florida: Art by Emma Sears Marsh & Joy Postle" from August 27-December 1, 2024 featuring paintings from Emma Sears Marsh and Joy Postle. These 66 paintings document Central Florida's wildlife and plants in the early 20th century. The exhibit was curated by Tamie Diener-Lafferty, curator at the Polasek Museum. The Sears Marsh paintings were on loan from the Lakes and Hills Garden Club and Postle's from the University of Central Florida's Special Collections and University Archives.

The collection contains the Meeting Minutes of Seminole County School District No. 1 Board of Trustees from 1948 to 1950 and 1953. The Minutes, recorded by secretary Alice Rountree, detail the decisions made by Board of Trustees ranging from maintenance of the schools within the district to the appointment of principals. This includes segregated schools in the district during the Jim Crow Era.

The Allene Baus collection, 1989-1995, is comprised of materials taken from two of Baus' albums. It includes documents related to the Orlando chapter of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG), which Baus established in 1988. It also contains captioned and uncaptioned photographs, newspapers, programs, and a ribbon related to PFLAG activities. Allene Baus was born on August 10, 1934. She was an activist in the Central Florida region who established the first Florida chapter of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) in Orlando. According to the LGBTQ History Museum of Central Florida, Baus was inspired to start the Orlando chapter of PFLAG after attending the 1987 March on Washington. Baus returned and wrote to Adele Starr of the national PFLAG chapter, who sent Baus information on starting a chapter. After writing articles for gay and lesbian publications to advertise, Baus was able to begin holding meetings in her home in starting in April 1988. After starting the chapter, Baus continued her activism by attending LGBT rights events. Allene Baus passed away on February 10, 2022.

Al Turner was the founder, president, and chief executive officer of the World Waterpark Association (WWA) until his death in 2001. During his time as president of WWA he kept slides, photographs, brochures, and documents about the various waterparks that his company worked with worldwide. This collection contains the materials that Al Turner collected.

The Apopka and Atlantic Railroad collection, circa 1885-1887 contains a matted photograph of the Apopka and Atlantic Railroad line in the old town of Mayo (current Maitland), and a letter and copies of the "Florida Official Path Finder" explaining the history and location of the photo. The photograph shows a train outside of an engine house with two white engineers on the train and three Black workers posed at the end of the train. This collection is a rare look into the short-lived Apopka and Atlantic Railroad Line. It also provides insight into segregation in the 1880s. This photograph was taken in the old town of Mayo, also known as Woodbridge. Mayo was a white settlement and Woodbridge was settled by Black laborers, the railroad separating the two. The Apopka and Atlantic Railroad was active from 1885-1887 and closed in 1888 due to lack of business. This line connected Mayo (South Florida Railroad) and Forest City (Orange Belt Railroad).

This collection contains the research materials collected by Archimedes L. A. Patti for use in his historical writings. Known for his military career, his work in the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) and his relationship with Ho Chi Minh, Patti was recognized later in life as a respected researcher and historian on Indochina affairs. Notes, manuscripts, ephemera, photographs, maps, books and scrapbooks are held in this collection. Of important note are photographs given to Patti by Ho Chi Minh in 1945.

These materials were in the possession of Betty Pooler Mitchell Nehrling, Henry Nehrling's second wife. Dr. Henry Nehrling was a horticulturist famous for his gardens in Gotha and Naples, Florida. The collection consists of letters, documents, photographs, postcards and monographs which provides insight into the familial and financial affairs of the Nehrling Gardens. It also offers a look at Henry Nehrling during the tumultuous years of Florida's boom and bust, and a glimpse of his failing physical and mental state while he sought refuge in a quiet communal colony in Southwest Florida.

A collection of slides and photographs that belonged to American botanist Dr. Arthur S. Barclay. These images include personal photographs of Dr. Barclay and his family or subjects of Dr. Barclay's research. Most notable are Dr. Barclay's trip to Colombia while a student at Harvard University in 1956, samples of datura plants collected in the Southwestern United States, and the aftermath of automobile accident involving Dr. Barclay's International Harvester B-120 Travelall.