Name Change Sought to Honor Buffalo Soldiers

Jul 11, 2019 at 9:22 am

Buffalo Soldiers historical marker

Freedom Park

The cavalry troops known as buffalo soldiers who camped on the shore of Lake Wire in 1898 are remembered by a historic marker on the Peachtree Street side of the lake. But buffalo soldier re-enactor Richard Wilder wants a more significant commemoration. On Monday, he will ask city commissioners to change the name of nearby Freedom Park — a grass field along Florida Avenue near Lawton Chiles Middle School — to Buffalo Soldiers Park. The buffalo soldiers were a U.S. Army horseback regiment made up of African-American soldiers who had served in western states.
ALSO: Bay News 9 coverage | Video: buffalo soldier re-enactment

History/ Neighborhoods

Lake Morton Century Homes Project Celebrates History

Jun 25, 2019 at 3:13 pm

In neighborhoods near Lake Morton, houses with broad front porches, striking columns, latticed crawl spaces and jutting windows have settled into the Earth for more than 100 years, standing despite hurricanes, gnawing termites, technical advances and human desire for change.

Michael Maguire, a South Lake Morton neighborhood resident, wanted to recognize these old homes. He created the Lake Morton Century Homes project to identify these structures and is hosting a picnic celebration for the homeowners and neighborhood residents Thursday on the lawn of the Lakeland Public Library. More

History

Lakeland Population Grew 13.6% From 2010 to 2018

Jun 20, 2019 at 9:38 am

Latest Census Bureau population estimates show Lakeland at 110,516 last July, up 13.6 percent from April 2010. That puts us 133rd fastest-growing in the U.S. and 19th in Florida.
Source: https://t.co/M0wfysGyxF #lkld pic.twitter.com/s0fDOYDZVB

— Lkld Now (@LkldNow) June 20, 2019

History/ Neighborhoods

Tony Golf Community Was Once a Mining Town

Apr 10, 2019 at 11:01 pm

Diners gazing out the large picture windows at the rear of the the Grasslands Clubhouse would be forgiven if they can’t imagine the manicured golf course in front of them and lakeside houses off to the right were once the site of a phosphate plant and a small mining community called San Gully.

The community was built just over a century ago by the Lakeland Phosphate Co., and its residents mined the land until 1945 under a succession of owners. More

History

Checking Out Lakeland’s Historic Churches

Feb 11, 2019 at 8:48 am LALtoday

LALtoday takes a look at six congregations in greater Lakeland that have been around for more than a century and the evolution of the buildings where they’ve worshipped. A seventh is a new congregation that raises song in a historic building.

History

Lakelandist Explores/Concocts Christmas Parade History

Dec 5, 2018 at 9:33 am The Lakelandist podcast

The Lakelandist goes audio, looking into the origins of the Lakeland Christmas Parade in its first podcast.

Did the Lakeland Christmas Parade replace the earlier Miss Succulent Orange Pageant and Parade? The Lakelandist fills us in on improbable #lkld history in its in-augural podcast. https://t.co/KuLzdAYUdq pic.twitter.com/ltmuJTzwmU

— Lkld Now (@LkldNow) December 5, 2018

Activism/ History

Publix Tile Mural Re-created at a Former Publix Store

Nov 26, 2018 at 11:39 pm

A tile mural created for a Publix store in Fort Lauderdale has been re-created by artist Tim Pitzen, right, and unveiled today at a former Publix store that now houses the Lakeland office of the Polk County Tax Collector. Standing alongside the artist is Gregory Fancelli, who spearheaded the project.

The original creamic-tile mural, titled “The Goddess,” was created during the 1960s by John Garth and was destroyed when the store was demolished during the 1980s. More

History

Author: Without Disney, Orlando Would Be Like Lakeland

Jul 23, 2018 at 4:43 pm

Lakeland got a shoutout of sorts when a Florida history author explained why Walt Disney was chosen the second-most-influential person in the state’s history. “Without his influence, we believe that Orlando would look a lot more like Lakeland does — which is a perfectly nice place; we like Lakeland,” freelance journalist Laura Mize said. “But it doesn’t have, you know, world influences; it’s not a place that people come to from all over the world.” More

History/ Neighborhoods

A Look Inside ‘The Compound’ on Frank L. Wright Way

Sep 1, 2017 at 5:15 pm

Photographer David Dickey Jr. had an opportunity today to tour “The Compound,” a sprawling and decaying residence at Frank Lloyd Wright Way and Jefferson Avenue that’s been bought by Florida Southern College, which plans to demolish it. Scroll down to check his photos. More

Business/ History

Catapult 2.0: Old Front Comes Down

Jun 29, 2017 at 2:08 pm

Crews today demolished the false front on the building overlooking Lake Mirror that will become the Catapult 2.0 small business incubator. The facade, added more than a quarter century after the structure was built in 1924, will be replaced with a dramatic steel-and-glass entryway. Next steps in the renovation project will be interior work to replace the concrete floors, according to Steve Scruggs, president of the Lakeland Economic Development Council, Catapult’s parent organization.