Digital Collections
The McKay Digital Archives provides access to several collections in digital formats. More are added periodically so check back often.
Frank Lloyd Wright
Child of the Sun Papers, 1937 to present
One of the most recognizable features of Florida Southern College’s campus is its architecture designed by the famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Over a period of twenty years, Wright and FSC president Dr. Ludd Spivey planned, corresponded, and created a cache of documents. These documents give insight to the creation, form, and history of the Child of the Sun structures, the term coined by Wright for the FSC campus. Digital images have been scanned from a variety of sources in the McKay Archives.
Child of the Sun Photographs, 1937-1957, 2006-2007
This collection was created from a selection of black-and-white and color photographs, negatives, and slides documenting the design and construction of the Frank Lloyd Wright buildings, aka Child of the Sun, on the Florida Southern College campus. Included is the Usonian House built in 2006-2007. Also included are images of blueprints and images of people associated with the building construction.
Florida Southern College History
Florida Southern College Digital Archives
This collection includes images of documents and photographs highlighting the history of the College. Of special note are items from Shirley Jackson Case (1872-1947), noted Christian theologian who taught at FSC in the 1940s and was editor of the journal Religion in the Making (1940-1943).
The Florida Southern College Publications, include pages from: Florida Southern College News (1943), The Citizen (1947), The Southern (1949), Touché (1949), Through Three Decades at Florida Southern College, Lakeland, Florida (1955) and Of Fact and Fancy ... At Florida Southern College (1979) by Dr. Charles T. Thrift, and Florida Southern College: The First 100 Years (1985) by Theodore M. Haggard.
The Southern: Florida Southern College's Student Newspaper
Here is Florida Southern College's student newspaper. Currently, issues from 1919, 1922, and 1933-1979 have been digitized and are available in this collection.
Religion in the Making
This journal published by the Florida School of Religion at Florida Southern College, from 1940-1943, was edited by Shirley Jackson Case.
Florida Southern College Postcards, 1902 to 2010s
This collection chronicles Florida Southern College's early years as Southern College in Sutherland (now Palm Harbor), Clearwater, its 1922 move to Lakeland, and into the 2010s. Images include pictures of buildings, grounds, and students, all depicted in postcards.
Florida Southern College Master's Theses Collection, 1938-1949
Florida Southern College awarded master's degrees requiring a thesis in 1938, 1946, 1947, 1948, and 1949. The theses were submitted either to the Graduate School of Florida Southern College or to the School of Education at Florida Southern College, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degrees Master of Arts, Master of Education, or Master of Arts in Education. Roux Library is the official repository for those theses, and paper copies can be found there.
Florida Southern College Yearbooks, 1912, 1924, 1926-2013
This collection of yearbooks is hosted at The Internet Archive.
Southern College, the early years, 1883-1937
This collection includes photographs and mementos spanning the first 57 years of Florida Southern College from its beginnings in Orlando and Leesburg (1883-1902), through Sutherland and Clearwater (1902-1922) and to its early presence in Lakeland (1922-1937). Images are mainly from former students' scrapbooks but include some photographs and documents. A highlight of this collection is the scrapbook from Cecil Morley scanned in its entirety.
- Orlando and Leesburg (1883-1902)Images include formal group portraits as well as paper memorabilia and documents.
- Sutherland and Clearwater (1902-1922) Taken from early student scrapbooks, images include buildings, students, and events.
- Early Lakeland (1922-1937) Images include people and mementos.
- A Student's Life: Cecil Morley Photographs, two scrapbooks, and an oral history transcript comprise these memories of campus life from Miss Cecil Morley, 1920-1925.
Manuscript Collections
Digital Archives
A. P. "Pat" Bolton (1905-1974), owner of Macasphalt Paving Company, original paver of the Daytona Speedway.
The documents and photographs in these collections are protected by copyright law. No commercial reproduction or distribution of these files is permitted without the written permission of Florida Southern College Archives. Unfair use of these images is prohibited.