Programs

History and Heritage Trail

The Polk County History Center Heritage Trail and Citrus Crate Label Tour is open for those who are interested in traveling into Polk County’s rich history. The Heritage Trail will help you navigate Polk County to explore more than 150 years of Polk history and culture. Stops along the brochure’s guided tour include historic homes, vintage hotels, museums and much more. From the architecture of Gene Leedy and Frank Lloyd Wright to Civil War battles, this tour has it all.

Polk County Citrus Label Tour Map
Polk County History and Heritage Trail Guide

Polk County Citrus Label Tour

Historically, Polk County is the epicenter to one of Florida’s largest agricultural industries – citrus. Today, a new driving tour allows visitors to explore our citrus legacy through the sometimes whimsical labels used to market fresh fruit shipped from our region.

What started in the 1500s, with Spanish explorers successfully introducing the fruit to Florida soil, blossomed into an industry worth billions of dollars. The heritage created by this culture is embedded in Polk County’s history.

The Citrus Label Tour of Polk County is a driving experience that explores part of the historic marketing portion of citrus through the artistic labels that once adorned the old wooden crates used to ship the fresh fruit off to northern markets in the 1900s. For more information visit

Polk Pioneers

The Polk Pioneer program features longform PGTV interviews with local residents who are at least 75-years-old and who have lived in Polk County for at least 50 years. It is the signature activity of the Polk County Historical Association (PCHA). The PCHA has encouraged and supported the collection of the oral histories of Polk County residents since 1975, giving residents an opportunity to document their lives and their contributions to Polk County’s history. More than 350 Polk Pioneer interviews have been completed.

Polk County is currently changing host sites for videos, including our Polk Pioneer interviews. The History Center maintains the original files in our library archives. Please call (863) 534-4380 to schedule an appointment to watch one or more of these videos at the History Center. We apologize for the inconvenience and will have the Polk Pioneer interviews available again through our website as soon as possible.