The Phanor J. Eder Collection
The Minnie Moore Willson Collection was purchased from the Elizabeth Aultman Cantrell Historical Museum in Kissimmee, Florida. Willson and her husband, James Mallory Willson, a real estate developer, were strong advocates of the Seminole Indians. Their support proved instrumental in the passage of the act by the Florida Legislature in 1913, allocating land in southern Florida for the use of the Seminoles. A long-time resident of Kissimmee, Willson was active in the Audubon Society of Kissimmee, the Kissimmee Women's Club, and the Friends of the Florida Seminoles. She also wrote several books dealing with the Seminoles including The Seminoles of Florida and Osceola: Florida's Seminole War Chieftain.
The 186 maps in this collection are either manuscript or published nineteenth and twentieth century maps covering Florida and the Kissimmee area. Among the collection are "Rand, McNally & Co.'s Florida," Chicago: Rand, McNally & Co., 1883; "A New Sectional Map of Florida," issued by the Department of Agriculture, 1912; and "City of Kissimmee, Fla.," J.M. Willson Jr. Real Estate and Insurance, five-acre farms in Kissimmee Gardens, circa 1909.