From the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation 10.22.15

Joe Story Burch (1925-2005) and family lived in the Burch House on Oakland Avenue, where they established the custom — continued by current residents — of decorating their property for major holidays. A 1943 graduate of Lakeview High School, Burch was a well-known landscape artist whose paintings and murals are found in many homes and businesses in Central Florida. While much of his work focused on Florida’s scenery, he also painted people and places he visited. Burch’s varied interests ranged from making exotic cheeses in his refrigerator to downhill skiing and Rollerblading.

To find out more about Oakland’s colorful history, join the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation at the Oakland Heritage Festival from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24, in Speer Park.

The Winter Garden Heritage Foundation, which seeks to preserve our heritage and architecture while creating new cultural experiences, is celebrating its third decade with the debut of its new History Research and Education Center.