Lakeland History Room

Hours: 

Mon - Thurs. - 9 am - 7 pm
Fri - Sat: 9 am - 5 pm
Sun: 1:30 pm - 5 pm

Lakeland History Room Service Desk: 863.834.4284

Lakeland History Room Librarian Supervisor: LuAnn Mims
Ph: 863.834.4269
Email: luann.mims@lakelandgov.net

Image from the Greetings from Lakeland postcard collection

• Using the Lakeland History Room

  Services: 

  • Research assistance with local history 
  • House/property records research 
  • Family Genealogy, Newspapers and Obituaries — please contact LuAnn Mims at 863.834.4269 or email LuAnn.Mims@lakelandgov.net
  • DIY Digitize Lab — guided assistance by appointment only to reformat analog materials to digital formats (excluding film). Please contact Rebecca Whalon to schedule an appointment in the DIY workspace at 863.834.4212 or email Rebecca.Whalon@lakelandgov.net

   

• Digital Collections

  The Lakeland History Room collection features a variety of materials—documents, photographs, maps, building plans, audio/visual media, and scrapbooks with specialty items like citrus crate labels, artwork, yearbooks, posters, and postcards. There are also 8000+ images viewable online via our Digital Collection on CONTENTdm.

  Click on the icons below to explore digital collections, photo albums, and story maps of Lakeland history:

                      

                        

   

• In-Person Classes and Self-Paced Learning

  In-Person Classes 

  Genealogy:

  • Generators – meets the first Monday of each month @6pm- is an ad hoc group that discusses genealogical topics of interest
  • Beginning Genealogy – offered twice a year – basic introduction to researching your family history
  • Get Started with Ancestry.com – offered twice a year – guided tour through the premier genealogical database
  • Focus on Family Search – offered twice a year – step by step look at this FREE family history resources

  Archival:

  • Photograph Preservation instruction offered in person twice a year to introduce reformatting from analog to digital concepts

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  Self-Paced Learning: Organizing and Preserving Your Materials

  Trying to get your personal memorabilia better organized?  Start with the Personal Archiving at Home video series. These short videos give detailed instruction on how to take care of your treasured memorabilia – photographs, slides, negatives, papers, audio and video tapes and more. Topics include preservation, storage, digitization, standard formatting, organization tips and adding to your family archives.

  Part I: Historic Preservation
  Part II: Organization & Maintenance
  Part III: Digitization

   

• History Tours

  Lakeland History Room Staff host historical walking tours for the public featuring Lakeland history, as well as providing curated exhibit tours of the Lakeland History and Culture Center.

  • Stories and Stones – Saturdays (check dates/registration) monthly walk and talk biographical tours of Lakeland’s oldest cemeteries – Roselawn, Tigers Flowers and Lake View
  • Green Hat and White Gloves – Second Tuesdays monthly (check dates and registration) walking tour of Lake Mirror with “Serena Bailey” Lakeland’s first librarian (1929-1959)
  • From the Groves — Lakeland's Citrus Story – curated exhibit tour available by appointment

   

  For more information contact, LuAnn Mims: 863.834.4269, LuAnn.Mims@lakelandgov.net 

• Lakeland History & Culture Center

  Opened on September 8, 2022, the Lakeland History and Culture Center features a 1400 square foot exhibit space dedicated to telling the many stories of our community.

  The inaugural exhibit, Ties That Bind: 1880-1925, Lakeland's Formative Years, showcased the early days of Lakeland's founding and the role of the railroads in helping to develop the area.

  Explore the current exhibit, From the Groves — Lakeland’s Citrus Story, to discover how the citrus industry impacted Lakeland’s economy, why Lakeland was formerly called the “World Citrus Center,” the location of early groves, who helped to market the products, and what defines the local citrus industry today, as well as hear reflections through oral histories from people historically connected to citrus.

  This free, self-guided, interactive exhibit is open:

  Monday-Thursday  9am-7pm
  Friday-Saturday 9am-5pm
  Sunday 1:30pm-5pm

  For information about curated tours, call LuAnn Mims at 863.834.4269

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  Learn more about the Lakeland History & Culture Center.

Popular at the Lakeland History Room

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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)

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  Digital Photo Collection Feature: Munn Park Historic District

  Explore Lakeland’s History through Photos! 

  In 1980, a seven member Historic Preservation Board was appointed by the Lakeland City Commission by authorization of City Ordinance No. 2175. Its function included developing a historic preservation program for the City, recommending boundaries of the first historic district to be created, and designating historic landmarks to be preserved. The first district created was in the center of town surrounding Munn Park. Munn Park was named after the founder of Lakeland, Abraham Munn. The historic district covers the main business area of Lakeland and includes many original buildings dating from as early as 1902.

  What is now the Munn Park Historic District evolved from Louisville, Kentucky businessman Abraham Munn’s purchase of 80 acres of land which now constitutes the heart of Lakeland’s downtown business district.  Unlike the city’s six other historic districts which are residential or mix of residential and commercial, the Munn Park Historic District is almost exclusively commercial.  It contains some of the oldest structures in the city, as well as the first open space in the city, Munn Park. The district is bound by Florida Avenue to the west, Bay Street to the north, Lemon Street to the south, and extends around Lake Mirror to the east. Its most notable structure is the Lake Mirror Promenade designed by noted landscape architect Charles W.  Leavitt, which provides a grand entrance to the district.  The mix of structures reflects more than a century of commercial growth and development for Lakeland.

  A survey of the proposed Munn Park Historic District was conducted in the spring of 1982 by the City of Lakeland’s Community Development Department and what are known as site survey forms were completed for approximately 100 structures which met the standard of being 50 years old or more.  The site survey forms contain a wide variety of information about each structure, including location, date of construction (if known), architectural style, original owner (if known), and specific construction details such as materials used, type of foundation, and roofing and siding materials.  Some of the information may be outdated since the forms were completed more than 30 years ago. 
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  Vanished Lakeland

  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 Digital Collection through Flickr.   

  Check out our featured album:

  Vanished Lakeland

  "Out of sight, out of mind."

  Enjoy this "Vanished Lakeland" photographic stroll through buildings formerly standing in Lakeland but now demolished, removed, or changed in such as way that they are now vanished.

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  Lakeland Stories Feature: Lovely Lakes of Lakeland

  Discover more about Lakeland’s History through Stories! 

  Lakeland, Florida is home to thirty-eight named lakes and a host of many smaller, un-named ones. Many of the names tell part of the city's history as related to early pioneer settlers.  

  These prominent geographical features vary in sizes with Lake Parker being the largest within the city limits. A large portion of the lakes are natural while others are man-made. People enjoy their beauty, fish in the waters and play on their shores. They also serve as geographic landmarks to navigate through the city.

  These lakes are also home to many birds, reptiles, fish, amphibians and other wildlife. Lake preservation and conservation efforts are led by the City of Lakeland Public Works Department. Not only do they manage the approximately 45,000 acres of fresh water, but also educate citizens about ways they can help.

  Find out more about the history of twelve Lovely Lakes of Lakeland.

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.