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The tracks that originally divided the city also provided employment for Westside residents. A position with the railroad meant prestige and financial security.

A woman living in the neighborhood remembers that, as an eight-year-old, she had…

The Westside Library Building initially was the Library of Hannibal School. The building was later used as a Westside annex of the Winter Park Public Library. In recent years the building has been incorporated into the Winter Park Community Center.…

Reverend M.L. Hawkins and Mrs. Allie Johnson are standing in front of Warner Chapel, located at 734 West Comstock Avenue. Mrs. Johnson's father was instrumental in the building of the wooden church in the early 1930s. She has worshiped and…

The A.M.E. Church was founded in 1893 and remodeled in 1930. Reverend R.G. Heastie is pastor of the
159 South Pennsylvania Avenue church.

The oldest building in Hannibal Square, "The Sands," is the only remaining Westside hotel or boarding house. These establishments once played an important role as a temporary home for seasonal workers coming to Winter Park.

The 271 Capen Avenue church was constructed in 1935 and rebuilt in 1953. Reverend John Phillips tended to one of Winter Park's smaller congregations at the time this image was taken.

The church was organized in 1887 by Reverend and Mrs. Charles Ambrose. The building was erected at the corner of Pennsylvania and Lyman Avenues in 1892. With close to 400 active parishioners, Mt. Moriah represents the oldest and one of the largest…

The church was organized in 1887 by Reverend and Mrs. Charles Ambrose. The building was erected at the corner of Pennsylvania and Lyman Avenues in 1892. With close to 400 active parishioners, Mt. Moriah represents the oldest and one of the largest…

Mrs. Willie Smith photographed with part of her large family: her daughter Allie, with her husband, Joe Burns, and granddaughter.

In 1995, Mrs. Smith was ninety years old and a resident of DePugh Nursing Home. She moved to Winter Park in 1932 with her husband and four children. Her husband worked for the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad and the young family lived in the "section…

The president of the Ideal Woman's Club was also a member of Ward Chapel in 1995. Prior to its closing in the mid 1980s, Mrs. Ingram worked for 27 years as a sales person at Leedy's Dress Shop on Park Avenue South in downtown Winter Park. A lifelong…

The secretary of the Ideal Woman's Club in 1994, Mrs. Blue is also the sister of Ernestine Ingram.

Born in Winter Park, she recently retired from 36 years of service as a public school teacher. Except for her college years and a brief teaching position in Sarasota, she has lived in the same Winter Park neighborhood all of her life. Growing up in…

At the time this photo was taken, Mrs. Johnson lived half-a-block from Warner Chapel on Comstock Avenue. The two story home was built by her father after moving to Winter Park in the late 1920s from North Florida. When Mrs. Johnson was a child she…

Mr. and Mrs. Lawson operated the first Westside funeral home. Originally they served the community out of what is now the DePugh Nursing Home. The current tow story Pennsylvania Avenue building, which served both as a business and a residence, was…

Like many other communities across America, Winter Park celebrates January 16th as a memorial and tribute to the famous civil rights leader. City officials, pastors and community groups march each year through the Westside neighborhood. The…

In the backyard of the Pennsylvania Avenue building rests a 1960s Cadillac Hearse. This was the first new professional vehicle purchased by the funeral home. Mrs. Lawson's response to a question about the car: "The Hearse has always been part of the…

Located on 425 West Welbourne Avenue, the Church was first organized in 1911 by Reverend C.J. Smith. The current pastor is Reverend L.H. Hendrix, who has served his congregation for nearly 30 years.

Formerly the parsonage of the First Congregational Church, the building was given to the Ideal Woman's Club and moved. This building was torn down in 1996.

For over a hundred years the Square has been the center of black-owned businesses in Winter Park. Today, only a few community owned businesses survive. Renewed efforts and the establishment of a historic district are being discussed by neighborhood…

An important part of neighborhood revival is represented by the high number of Habitat homes.