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Ancestry.com
Start your family history search here at the library! Ancestry.com offers free access to all library patrons. (In library only)
Mon - Thurs. - 9 am - 7 pm
Fri - Sat: 9 am - 5 pm
Sun: 1:30 pm - 5 pm
Lakeland History Room Librarian Supervisor: LuAnn Mims
Ph: 863.834.4269
Email: luann.mims@lakelandgov.net
Image from the Greetings from Lakeland postcard collection
Start your family history search here at the library! Ancestry.com offers free access to all library patrons. (In library only)
Our story begins with you...what better way to tell the many stories of Lakeland and its history, than visually by showcasing highlights from our Flickr Digital Collection.
Check out our featured album:
Playgrounds, Parks, Fields, and Gardens
Enjoy this photographic stroll through some of Lakeland's outdoor (and indoor) spaces to enjoy, imagine, reflect, and relax.
Discover more about Lakeland’s History through Stories!
Blinky: the alligator who wanted to live in the city. Dating back to the 1930s, the Lakeland newspaper noted a one-eyed alligator dubbed “One-Eyed Joe” in and around Lake Mirror. By the 1970s, this gator, or possibly another one-eyed alligator – approximately 11- foot long, 400 pounds, would be known as Blinky. He became a legend in the downtown and served as the town’s unofficial mascot due to his somewhat friendly demeanor.
As a convenience and for informational purposes only, the City of Lakeland provides external hyperlinks on its website, directing website users towards certain outside sites; links to these websites do not constitute the City of Lakeland’s endorsement or approval of linked websites, or the information, products or services contained therein. All links the City of Lakeland Provides are consistent with the mission of its website. However, the City of Lakeland exercises no editorial control over the information website users may find on external websites. The City of Lakeland also cannot attest to the accuracy or appropriateness of information provided by external websites and organizations.