George Collins Jr. was a WWII Army veteran and patriarch of the Collins Family, a local family with deep roots and history in Winter Park’s Hannibal Square. He was also an amateur photographer, and his works have just been added to the permanent collection at the Center, where a selection of Collins’ photographs will be on display from July 22 to September 3, 2016.
The opening reception for the exhibit is on Friday, July 22 from 7-9 p.m. at the Hannibal Square Heritage Center [GMap], there is no cover charge.
The following is taken from a press release issued by Crealde School of Art (Facebook | Website), which oversees the programming at the Hannibal Square Heritage Center (Facebook | Website).
This addition to the Hannibal Square Heritage Center’s permanent collection of documentary photography and oral histories marks the first time that a new phase to the collection has been dedicated to one family’s archive. Sincere appreciation is extended to all members of The Collins Family for generously sharing their family’s prized photographs as well as their memories, which are now documented in our permanent collection.
We are particularly appreciative of the fact that the patriarch of the family, George Leon Collins Jr., a WWII Army veteran, was an amateur photographer. George and his daughter Hazel enrolled in a class in the 1970s at what is now Winter Park Tech, so they could learn how to develop photographs. He added a darkroom to the Webster Avenue home, and the family knew when the red light was on, they were not allowed in.
Phase VIII: The Collins Family represents the collective work of the Heritage Team, Collins family members as well as community members who helped with the historic research.
This exhibition is funded in part by a Diversity & Inclusion Award from Citizens for Florida Arts in partnership with the State of Florida Division of Cultural Affairs and by Orange County Government through the Arts & Cultural Affairs Program.
[Baseball fans on cars image] Baseball was a favorite Sunday afternoon pastime – after church, fans headed to the games. In this 1940s photograph, four stylishly dressed women are socializing and enjoying soft drinks in the backfield. The young woman standing at left is our cousin Shirley Mitchell Jackson. The baseball team sold soft drinks, peanuts and other snacks during the games to raise money for equipment and uniforms. The playing field was in a swampy area on the current site of Winter Park Village, along Webster and Denning avenues. Peggy Collins Hall, Native of Winter Park, March 5, 2016[Cowboys & Cowgirl image] Following the trend of 1950s TV Westerns and movies, no Christmas was complete without your cap gun six-shooter, holster, cowboy boots and hat. My grandmother, Mama Ruth Jones Bernard, brought these Western outfits for my uncle Thomas “Tommy” Stanley, sister Arndra Collins Whitted and brothers George Leon Collins III and Herbert Collins. She snapped this photograph of the bike-riding urban cowboys and cowgirl across the street from her home at 221 Rear Street (now Hannibal Square East). Peggy Collins Hall, Native of Winter Park, March 5, 2016[Indian Motorcyle image] This is my maternal uncle Samuel “Sam” Jones, the proud owner of an “Indian Head” motorcycle. His granddaughter Gwendolyn Banks Beauford is standing by, perhaps waiting for a ride. This circa 1950s photograph was taken in the front yard of his daughter and son-in- law’s home, Otelia H. Jones and Napoleon Banks Sr., 831 Canton Avenue. Uncle Sam loved to ride with his friends Israel Sheridan Richardson Jr., Roscoe Brown and Robert Cambric. Parked in the right-of- way is the family’s 1940s Dodge. Annette Taylor Collins, Native of Winter Park, March 5, 2016[Beach image] This is my Great Grandma Mag in the 1950s at Bethune Beach in New Smyrna Beach, Volusia County, dipping her feet into the water. She loved to fish but only went into water just over her feet. Bethune Beach was the only beach close to Winter Park that Negroes could use. Ward Chapel AME Church chartered buses and offered annual trips to the beach to members of the church and community. Families packed lunches of fried chicken, potato salad, baked beans, pound cakes and soft drinks to share at the beach. Peggy Collins, Hall Native of Winter Park, March 5, 2016
![[Baseball fans on cars image] Baseball was a favorite Sunday afternoon pastime – after church, fans headed to the games. In this 1940s photograph, four stylishly dressed women are socializing and enjoying soft drinks in the backfield. The young woman standing at left is our cousin Shirley Mitchell Jackson. The baseball team sold soft drinks, peanuts and other snacks during the games to raise money for equipment and uniforms. The playing field was in a swampy area on the current site of Winter Park Village, along Webster and Denning avenues. Peggy Collins Hall Native of Winter Park March 5, 2016](http://i0.wp.com/bungalower.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/PhaseVIII_Collins_Family_women_on_cars.jpg?resize=640%2C412)
