It was in 1961 the church felt the need to expand further. The two-story home/property of Elton T. Moughton, which adjoined the original church property on the east, was purchased and used as classrooms.
The year 1964 was a busy year for the church as the old parsonage on the corner of Magnolia and Seventh Street was sold and a new parsonage at 1818 Paloma was started. That same year, the Moughton house was razed and in early 1965, “Operation Youth Wing” began. In addition to the new 2- story building, the budget included funds to renovate and redesign McKinley Hall to use the space more effectively. Estimated total cost: $225,000.00.
During 1965, the church purchased the Dr. Gardner property on the east side of Magnolia Avenue and the north side to Fifth Street. This property has been used as a playground and a parking lot.
Happening in Sanford:
In early March 1946, Jackie Robinson and John Wright arrived in Sanford as a part of the Montreal Royals, the farm team for the Brooklyn Dodgers. “Segregation wouldn’t let the players join their prospective teammates in Sanford’s white-only hotels. So, Wright, Robinson, and his new bride, Rachel, bunked with D.C. Brock, a black businessman, at his home on Sanford Avenue.”¹
Wright and Robinson were in Sanford for two days, but were quickly removed from the city after threats of violence were made towards the two black players. Robinson went on to play his first minor league game in Daytona Beach with thousands in attendance to witness the historic event. Later in the season, Robinson and the Royals returned again to Sanford to what is now Memorial Stadium on the corner of Mellonville and Celery Ave.
“The Royals put Robinson in the starting lineup and he beat out an infield single in the first inning, then stole second base. But in the bottom of the second inning, the Sanford police chief walked onto the field and ordered Royals manager Clay Hopper to remove Robinson and Wright from the stadium.”² In 1997, then Sanford mayor Larry Dale apologized for the city’s “regrettable actions” against Robinson. 1997 was also the year that the Major League Baseball organization retired Robinson’s number 42 jersey across the entire league. Robinson’s number is the only number to have ever received this honor.
In 1961, Seminole High School moved from its former location on 17=92 (currently the site of Sanford Middle School) and moved to its current location on Ridgewood Ave.
In 1963, “the City of Sanford authorized a $1.3 million construction program to renovate the Sanford Naval Air Station and to create a new military academy. The Bernard McFadden Foundation, the directors of the school, purchased the Mayfair Inn as the location for the newly established Sanford Naval Academy. The Foundation significantly altered the building to accommodate the students and staff, including constructing a gymnasium and dormitory building on the property.”³ This building would later be sold to New Tribes Mission in the 1970s.
Happening in the world:
1949- The first Emmy Awards are presented, at the Hollywood Athletic Club.
1951- Walt Disney’s 13th animated film, Alice in Wonderland, premieres in London, United Kingdom.
1954- The first Burger King opens in Miami, Florida.
1956- The submarine transatlantic telephone cable opens.
1958- The plastic hula hoop is first marketed in the United States.
1961- “Barbie” gets a boyfriend when the “Ken” doll is introduced in the United States.
1963- Martin Luther King Jr. delivers his “I Have a Dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to an audience of at least 250,000, during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. It is, at that point, the single largest protest in American history.
2. https://historynewsnetwork.org/article/152607
Sanford HS photo:
https://www.facebook.com/HistoricSanfordFlorida/photos/a.470851292976124/2938454312882464
Naval Academy photo:
https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/exhibits/show/new_tribes_mission/sanford_naval_academy