The Book of Isaiah by
Isaiah David Hart founded the city of Jacksonville, Florida. He made his wealth by stealing slaves and reselling them in other states. Later he treated a slave as wife and left her a share of his will. His thoughts on God and religion bordered on paganism. He built himself a 35 foot tall tomb. His son Ossian became the 10th governor of Florida and sought to redeem Florida from the Confederacy.
In Search of Eartha White, Storehouse for the People by
(PRINT) Eartha White lived in the Mission she founded on LaVilla's West Ashley Street. She lived with the poor she helped, ate from the food she shared, and clothed herself from the donations she offered. Though she met with business leaders, mayors, governors, and presidents, she never separated herself from the poor it was her life's purpose to help.
Sharecropper's Son - the Story of Doc Garland Granger by
[PRINT] "Doc Granger's biography is a fascinating series of stories that chronicle a life well-lived. Doc is the kind of strong, savvy, spiritual man who has helped make the American Dream a reality." - Susan D. Brandenburg, Author of Sharecropper's Son The Story of Doc Garland Granger "Doc's competitive nature inspires me. He is someone with great vision, and he gambles to get what he wants he'll go right to the edge! He's not afraid of anything, and he loves to build something from nothing. He builds people as well or better than he builds businesses. He saw more in me than I saw in myself. Without him, I wouldn't be where I am today." - Nadine Gramling "Doc just sits there and talks quietly to people until they see things his way." - Eddie Sparks "He gave us a boat called The Foxy Lady! Imagine that . . . the Baptist Church and The Foxy Lady! That was a lot of fun! With Doc's help, the church was able to sell The Foxy Lady for $60,000, but for a while, it certainly caused a few waves!" -Dr. O. R. Rice SHARECROPPER'S SON The Story of Doc Garland Granger His mother named him Doc, and though she never did say why, the name has served Doc Garland Granger very well for 94 years. Born in a sharecropper's shack, Doc spent his childhood laboring in the cotton fields and tobacco patches of Robeson County, North Carolina. When, at age 17, he left the farm and set out to make his fortune, Doc carried with him enduring faith in God, indomitable entrepreneurial spirit and innate "tobacco patch wisdom." With only a 4th grade education, the tall, handsome, sinewy son of a sharecropper was destined to become an icon of the steel industry, a successful hotelier, restaurateur, and real estate developer, a highly respected member of the Masonic Temple, a yachtsman, philanthropist and philosopher. Sharecropper's Son is the inspiring story of a man who achieved success despite facing insurmountable challenges. Doc Granger is a man whose legacy of love is laced with laughter; whose homespun intelligence is like money in the bank; and whose heart has always been big enough to forgive, forge ahead and live life to the fullest.
Devil in the Baptist Church: Bob Gray's Unholy Trinity by
Bob Gray built Trinity Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Florida from a minuscule congregation to what once was the largest Baptist church in Florida. As he became a national leader of Baptist fundamentalism, he also sexually abused children for more than 50 years. This book tells the story of the rise of Southern fundamentalism and the lengths to which one church went to cover up for its pastor's crimes.
Stalking Ottis Toole: a Southern Gothic by
(PRINT) Ottis Toole was either one of the worst serial killers in history or a dimwitted arsonist who never meant to kill anyone. Or someone somewhere between. It's hard to tell if Ottis Toole himself knew which Ottis was Ottis.
Marjorie Harris Carr by
[PRINT] "An intimate look at a complex and brilliant woman who had to battle against stereotypes and, in so doing, invented a new form of scientifically based environmentalism. This is a must-read for anyone who truly cares about the 'real Florida.'"--Lee Irby, author of 7,000 Clams "Through a meticulous and beautifully illustrated study of Carr's childhood, education, career ambitions, marriage, and family life, Macdonald shows how Carr overcame numerous obstacles to emerge as one of the leading environmental activists in Florida."--Frederick Rowe Davis, author of The Man Who Saved Sea Turtles "Carr's unprecedented four-decade campaign stands today as a model for all future environmental movements. This is an enthralling account of one woman's tireless efforts to prevent ecological disaster."--Kathleen Kaska, author of The Man Who Saved the Whooping Crane "This insightful biography portrays Carr as scientist, activist, enlightened woman, and one of twentieth-century America's premier earthkeepers."--Jack E. Davis, author of An Everglades Providence Marjorie Harris Carr (1915-1997) is best known for leading the fight against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Cross Florida Barge Canal. In this first full-length biography, Peggy Macdonald corrects many long-held misapprehensions about the self-described "housewife from Micanopy," who in reality struggled to balance career and family with her husband, Archie Carr, a pioneering conservation biologist. Born in Boston, Carr grew up in southwest Florida, exploring marshes and waterways and observing firsthand the impact of unchecked development on the state's flora and fauna. Macdonald's work depicts a determined woman and Phi Beta Kappa scholar who earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in zoology only to see her career thwarted by institutionalized gender discrimination. Carr launched her conservation career in the 1950s while raising five children and eventually became one of the century's leading environmental activists. A series of ecological catastrophes in the 1960s placed Florida in the vanguard of the burgeoning environmental revolution as the nation's developing eco-consciousness ushered in a wave of revolutionary legislation. Carr served as one of the most effective leaders of a powerful contingent of citizen activists who opposed dredging a canal across the state because it threatened an ecologically rich river valley. Under her leadership, "Free the Ocklawaha" became a rallying cry for environmentalists throughout the country. Marjorie Harris Carr is an intimate look at this remarkable woman who dedicated her life to conserving Florida's wildlife and wild places. It is also a revelation of how the grassroots battle to save a small but vitally important river in central Florida transformed the modern environmental movement.
In Search of Eartha White, Storehouse for the People by
(PRINT) Eartha White lived in the Mission she founded on LaVilla's West Ashley Street. She lived with the poor she helped, ate from the food she shared, and clothed herself from the donations she offered. Though she met with business leaders, mayors, governors, and presidents, she never separated herself from the poor it was her life's purpose to help.
Anna Madgigine Jai Kingsley by
Florida Historical Society Charlton Tebeau Award In this revised and expanded edition of Anna Kingsley?s remarkable life story, Daniel Schafer draws on new discoveries to prove true the longstanding rumors that Anna Madgigine Jai was originally a princess from the royal family of Jolof in Senegal. Captured from her homeland in 1806, she became first an American slave, later a slaveowner, and eventually a central figure in a free black community. Anna Kingsley?s story adds a dramatic chapter to the history of the South, the state of Florida, and the African diaspora.
Harriet Beecher Stowe in Florida, 1867 to 1884 by
(PRINT) Harriet Beecher Stowe was certainly a pioneer of her time, as an abolitionist and as a woman, when she wrote the famous antislavery novel Uncle Tom's Cabin. In 1867, Stowe relocated to Mandarin, Florida, to escape the pressures of her antislavery writing and to deal with personal issues. In Florida, she immersed herself in programs to educate former slaves and black children, and supervised the organization of an Espicopalian church. The author centers his work on Stowe's time in Florida from 1867 to 1884 and what emerges is a view of a lesser-known side of Harriet Beecher Stowe. Such questions as why she moved to Florida, how she was received in the South after the Civil War, and what attracted her to Florida are discussed, as well as her role as an early activist for environmental protection.
Zora Hurston and the Strange Case of Ruby Mccollum
In 1952, Zora Neale Hurston traveled to Live Oak, Florida, to cover the trial of a black woman accused of murdering the town's only doctor, a white man. Drawing on Hurston's newspaper coverage, Ellis recounts the sensational trial.
Palmetto-Leaves by
(PRINT) Written by the author of Uncle Tom's Cabin, this work describes life in Florida in the latter half of the 19th century. Through simple stories of events and people, Stowe portrays an idyllic life of picnicking, sailing and river touring expeditions.
They Dared to Dream by
[PRINT] "Well-crafted and in-depth, They Dared to Dream has moved women, their experiences, and their contributions to the forefront of Florida''s history and heritage. This is a long-overdue and much-needed turning point in understanding our state''s past and present."--Canter Brown Jr., coeditor of The Varieties of Women''s Experiences "Represents a leap forward in the study of Florida history. Weatherford has done an outstanding job of researching and writing about Florida women, from paupers to queens, elevating their status to a level of equality within the overall story of Florida."--Rodney Kite-Powell, Saunders Foundation Curator of History at the Tampa Bay History Center and editor of Tampa Bay History "Exhaustively researched, well written, and engaging, They Dared to Dream breaks new ground in the study of Florida. Doris Weatherford''s ambitious history of women in Florida will be widely read and discussed. From Princess Ulele to Alex Sink, from the role of criollas in Colonial St. Augustine to the struggles of women in the twenty-first century, Weatherford chronicles their lives in the Sunshine State."--Gary Mormino, author of Land of Sunshine, State of Dreams In this extensive portrayal of Florida''s guiding matriarchs, Doris Weatherford highlights the myriad contributions women have made throughout Florida''s history. From the select few who traveled with Ponce de Leon to the state''s first female mayor Marion H. O''Brien, Weatherford sheds light on the roles these pioneering women played in the shaping of the Sunshine State. They Dared to Dream reveals the lifestyles and achievements of women throughout landmark moments in history, including Native civilizations before the arrival of European colonists; early Spanish, British, and French exploration, the Civil War era, Reconstruction, the early twentieth century, and the population explosions post-World War II. Featuring often-celebrated personalities--including Mary Martha Reid, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton--alongside the lesser-known lives of Princess Murat, lighthouse keeper Barbara Mabrity, Florida Memorial College founder Sarah Ann Blocker, and others--this pivotal examination of Florida''s female agents of change draws attention to women''s instrumental roles in the historical events that defined the Sunshine State. From prehistoric times to the space age, the female half of the population has made giant, but too often unacknowledged, contributions to Florida history. Countless women have overcome great obstacles and yet are often left out of historical accounts. They Dared to Dream aims to fill in some of these gaps by celebrating the many successes women have made. Because without women, there is no history--nor any future. Doris Weatherford is the author of A History of the American Suffragist Movement and other reference guides on American women''s history. The Florida Commission on the Status of Women Foundation, Inc., is dedicated to empowering women and girls in our state by supporting educational, entrepreneurial and self sufficiency programs and initiatives through grants, mentoring, and other opportunities. The FCSW Foundation supports the work and programs of the Florida Commission on the Status of Women, including the Florida Women''s Hall of Fame. The Florida Commission on the Status of Women Foundation, Inc. dedicates this book to: the women of the past who struggled to achieve gender equality and showed the path, the women of the present who continue with the same goal, and the women of the future who will carry the baton and make us proud.--Dr. Mona Jain Acknowledgments, by the Florida Commission on the Status of Women Foundation, Inc The Florida women''s history book project could not have been completed without the cooperation and support of many people. To thank all of them who made it possible would be nearly impossible. We would, however, like to express our sincere appreciation to those who have helped take this endeavor "from dream to reality." First and foremost, we are indebted forever to our nine founding members as well as to the generous donors to the History Book Project. Next, our thanks go to the charter members: Nancy Acevedo, Claudia Kirk Barto, Susanne Hebert, Laura McLeod, Dr. Jeanne O''Kon, Laurie Pizzo, Blanca Bichara, Dr. Mona Jain, Carrie Lee, and Kathleen Passidomo, Esq., who freely gave their time and talents. Our heartfelt thanks to Kelly Sciba and Michele Manning, who spent many, many hours of their own time to see that the project was moving forward smoothly. Special mention is also made here for the assistance given by Kimberly Mehr and Veronica Vasquez. We gratefully acknowledge Doris Weatherford for writing this comprehensive Florida women''s history book. We are also grateful to the University Press of Florida for publishing the book as well as for valuable editorial help and comments. Our special thanks to each and every one who played a part in discovering the stories behind the women that makes them unique and trailblazers. These notable women have created history. We are also thankful to many women and men for their well wishes and encouragement in order to fill a void in the history of the Sunshine State. Together we empower each other. Last but not least the foundation members offer our deepest sense of appreciation to our families for believing in us as well as for their unwavering moral support. To all others we have omitted inadvertently, please accept our sincere apologies and thanks. According to the old saying, "To err is human and to forgive is divine." Florida Commission on the Status of Women Foundation, Inc. Founding Members, "Visionaries" Blanca C. Bichara, Miami Cheryl Holley, Tampa Dr. Anila Jain, Bradenton-Sarasota Dr. Mona Jain, Bradenton-Sarasota Carrie E. Lee, Gainesville Marie Flore Lindor-Latortue, Miami Janet Mabry, Gulf Breeze Representative Kathleen Passidomo, Esq., Naples Debbie Sembler, Pinellas Park Donors, from "Vision" to "Reality" This Florida Women''s History Book Project has been made possible due to the generosity of the following: Hawa Allarakhia, Bradenton Blanca C. and Ricardo Bichara, Miami Eugenia Price Joyce Blackburn Foundation Brighthouse Networks of Manatee County for Rose Carlson, Bradenton Leah Brown, Bradenton Betty Chambliss, Bradenton LaDonna Cloud, Sarasota Community Foundation of Tampa Bay for Alex Sink, CFO Representative Faye Culp, Tampa Lynn and Dr. Arthur Guilford, Sarasota Gini Hyman, Sarasota Dr. Mona and Kailash Jain, Bradenton-Sarasota Kappa Delta Foundation, Inc. for Dr. Anila Jain, Chair, Bradenton-Sarasota Carrie E. and Dennis Lee, Gainesville Manatee and Sarasota Commissions on the Status of Women Miami-Dade Commission for Women Dorothy Middleton, Bradenton JoAnn Morgan, Melbourne Representative Kathleen Passidomo, Esq., Naples Mary Runnells, Bradenton Linda Simmons, Tampa St. Petersburg Times Fund (Lynda Keever) Mariamma and Dr. George Thomas, Bradenton University of South Florida for Dr. Judy Genshaft, President Amy VanDell, Bradenton Anne Voss, Tampa Renee Warmak, Tampa Senator Marlene Woodson-Howard, Bradenton
Zora Neale Hurston by
A landmark collection of more than five hundred letters written by a woman at the heart of the Harlem Renaissanc--an author who remains one of the most intriguing people in American cultural history. Alice Walker’s 1975Ms.magazine article "Looking for Zora" reintroduced Zora Neale Hurston to the American literary landscape, and ushered in a virtual renaissance for a writer who was a bestselling author at her peak in the 1930s, but died penniless and in obscurity some three decades later. Since that rediscovery of novelist, anthropologist, playwright, folklorist, essayist, and poet Zora Neale Hurston, her books--from the classic love storyTheir Eyes Were Watching Godto her controversial autobiography,Dust Tracks on the Road--have sold millions of copies. Hurston is now taught in American, African American, and women's studies courses in high schools and universities from coast to coast. Now, inZora Neale Hurston: A Life in Letters, the fascinating life of one of the most enigmatic literary figures of the twentieth century comes alive. Through letters to Harlem Renaissance friends Langston Hughes, Alain Locke, Dorothy West, and Carl Van Vechten, and to bestselling author Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings and Fannie Hurst, among others, readers experience the exuberance and trials of Hurston’s life. Her letters to her patron, Mrs. Charlotte "Godmother" Osgood Mason, are laced with equal amounts of cynicism and reverence, and offer a fascinating glimpse of the perilously thin line Hurston tread to maintain vital monetary support as she pursued her art and avant-garde lifestyle (which included crossing the country collecting folklore, and a job as story editor at Paramount Pictures in the 1940s). Meticulously edited and annotated, this landmark collection of letters will provide her fans, as well as those discovering Hurston for the first time, with a penetrating and profound portrait into the life, writings (four novels, a play, an autobiography, and countless essays), and impressive imagination of one of the most amazing characters to grace American letters.
Osceola's Legacy by
[PRINT] A bestselling, up-to-date evaluation of a legendary Indian leader.*Named Outstanding Book by the Gustavus Myers Center for the Study of Human Rights*A Dan Josselyn Memorial publication"
Native Americans in Florida by
[PRINT] -- Long before the first European explorers set foot on Florida soil, numerous Native American tribes hunted, honored their gods, built burial mounds, and coexisted with one another in pockets of settlements across the state -- Explores the importance of archaeology in preserving the past for future generations, how archaeologists do their work, and even how young people can gain hands-on experience on a real dig -- The different types of Indian mounds -- burial mounds, shell middens, and platform mounds -- and their uses are explained, as well as Indian languages and reservations -- Provides detailed descriptions of 185 sites on the Native American Heritage Trail that mark important historical events, as well as a calendar of important dates that highlights the history, culture, setbacks, and successes of Florida's Native Americans -- A clearly written narrative for anyone interested in Native American studies -- For classroom use: one free teacher's manual with the purchase of three books
The Florida Wars by The Seminoles of Florida by
The history of the Seminole Indians in Florida embodies a vital part of the tragic history of native and white American conflict throughout the entire United States. Drawing on widely scattered scholarship, including the oldest documents and recently discovered material, Covington gives us a complete account of the Florida Seminoles from their entrance into the state almost three hundred years ago, through the great chiefdoms of Micanopy, Osceola, and Billy Bowlegs, to the current political reality of democratic elections. (In fact one woman, Betty Mae Jumper, was elected tribal chairperson in both 1967 and 1969.)
The Black Seminoles by
[PRINT] "A blockbuster . . . [and] a vibrant and exciting history of John Horse and his followers. From the swamps and savannas of Florida to the Indian territory, on to Mexico and finally Texas, these people stood tall in their fight for freedom and dignity. This is a story that has long needed to be told, written in a thought-provoking and sympathetic manner."--Edwin C. Bearss, Historian Emeritus, National Park Service "Reveals, as fully as is likely possible, the meaningful history of the Black Seminole people. . . . A simple narrative, buttressed by solid analysis and innovative research. . . . Will appeal to buff and professional historians alike. . . . African Americans, in particular, will draw inspiration and use from it."--James Irving Fenton, historian, Lubbock, Texas This story of a remarkable people, the Black Seminoles, and their charismatic leader, Chief John Horse, chronicles their heroic struggle for freedom. Beginning with the early 1800s, small groups of fugitive slaves living in Florida joined the Seminole Indians (an association that thrived for decades on reciprocal respect and affection). Kenneth Porter traces their fortunes and exploits as they moved across the country and attempted to live first beyond the law, then as loyal servants of it. He examines the Black Seminole role in the bloody Second Seminole War, when John Horse and his men distinguished themselves as fierce warriors, and their forced removal to the Oklahoma Indian Territory in the 1840s, where John's leadership ability emerged. The account includes the Black Seminole exodus in the 1850s to Mexico, their service as border troops for the Mexican government, and their return to Texas in the 1870s, where many of the men scouted for the U.S. Army. Members of their combat-tested unit, never numbering more than 50 men at a time, were awarded four of the sixteen Medals of Honor received by the several thousand Indian scouts in the West. Porter's interviews with John Horse's descendants and acquaintances in the 1940s and 1950s provide eyewitness accounts. When Alcione Amos and Thomas Senter took up the project in the 1980s, they incorporated new information that had since come to light about John Horse and his people. A powerful and stirring story, The Black Seminoles will appeal especially to readers interested in black history, Indian history, Florida history, and U.S. military history. Kenneth W. Porter was professor of history at the University of Oregon. Alcione M. Amos is librarian at the World Bank in Washington, D.C. She has done extensive work on African-American military history and has published on the subject of the Black Seminoles in the Florida Historical Quarterly. Thomas P. Senter is a practicing physician in Anchorage, Alaska, who considers Brackettville, Texas, his second home.
Florida Indians and the Invasion from Europe by
[PRINT] "An authoritative overview of the development of Florida's aboriginal peoples . . . blended with accounts of the European invasions and the dire consequences for the natives of their contacts with the newcomers. . . . Particularly valuable for its use of archaeological and historical data."--John H. Hann, San Luis Archaeological and Historic Site, Tallahassee "An exciting book that brings together for all of Florida the earliest historic records of indigenous peoples and Old World invaders alike, combining archaeology and history to reconstruct events and lifeways of ethnic groups so quickly devastated by the European presence."--Nancy White, University of South Florida When the conquistadors arrived in Florida in the early sixteenth century, as many as 350,000 native Americans lived in the territory. For more than twelve centuries their ancestors had resided here, fishing, hunting, gathering wild plants, and sometimes cultivating crops. Two and a half centuries later, Florida's Indians were gone. Focusing on those native peoples and their interactions with Spanish and French explorers and colonists, Jerald Milanich delineates this massive cultural change. Using information gathered from archaeological excavations and from the interpretation of historical documents left behind by the colonial powers, he explains where the native groups came from, where they lived, and what happened to them. He closes with the tragic disappearance of the original inhabitants in the eighteenth century and the first appearance of the ancestors of Florida's present Native Americans. With maps, photographs, drawings, and a vivid writing style, Milanich creates a sense of history and place--an opportunity to correlate modern towns to colonial events and sixteenth-century trails to twentieth-century highways--that will illuminate history for residents and tourists of Florida as well as for archaeologists and historians.
The Swamp by
The Everglades was once reviled as a liquid wasteland, and Americans dreamed of draining it. Now it is revered as a national treasure, and Americans have launched the largest environmental project in history to try to save it. The Swamp is the stunning story of the destruction and possible resurrection of the Everglades, the saga of man's abuse of nature in southern Florida and his unprecedented efforts to make amends. Michael Grunwald, a prize-winning national reporter for The Washington Post, takes readers on a riveting journey from the Ice Ages to the present, illuminating the natural, social and political history of one of America's most beguiling but least understood patches of land. The Everglades was America's last frontier, a wild country long after the West was won. Grunwald chronicles how a series of visionaries tried to drain and "reclaim" it, and how Mother Nature refused to bend to their will; in the most harrowing tale, a 1928 hurricane drowned 2,500 people in the Everglades. But the Army Corps of Engineers finally tamed the beast with levees and canals, converting half the Everglades into sprawling suburbs and sugar plantations. And though the southern Everglades was preserved as a national park, it soon deteriorated into an ecological mess. The River of Grass stopped flowing, and 90 percent of its wading birds vanished. Now America wants its swamp back. Grunwald shows how a new breed of visionaries transformed Everglades politics, producing the $8 billion rescue plan. That plan is already the blueprint for a new worldwide era of ecosystem restoration. And this book is a cautionary tale for that era. Through gripping narrative and dogged reporting, Grunwald shows how the Everglades is still threatened by the same hubris, greed and well-intentioned folly that led to its decline.
Osceola and the Great Seminole War by
At the time of his death in 1838, Seminole warrior Osceola was the most famous and respected Native American in the world. Born a Creek, young Osceola was driven from his home by General Andrew Jackson to Spanish Florida, where he joined the Seminole tribe. Years later, President Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act, which was not only intended to relocate the Seminoles to hostile lands in the West but would force the return of runaway slaves who had joined that tribe. Osceola--outraged at the potential loss of his people and homeland--did not hesitate to declare war on the United States. Osceola and the Great Seminole War vividly recounts how one warrior with courage and cunning unequaled by any Native American leader before or after would mastermind battle strategies that would embarrass the best officers in the United States Army. Employing daring guerilla tactics, Osceola initiated and orchestrated the longest, most expensive, and deadliest war ever fought by the United States against Native Americans. With each victory by his outnumbered and undersupplied warriors, Osceola's reputation grew among his people and captured the imagination of the citizens of the United States. At the time, many cheered his quixotic quest for justice and freedom, and since then many more have considered his betrayal on the battlefield to be one the darkest hours in U.S. Army history. Insightful, meticulously researched, and thrillingly told, award-winning author Thom Hatch's account of the Second Seminole War is an extraordinarily accomplished work of American history that finally does justice to one of the greatest Native American warriors.
The Seminole Wars by
[PRINT] "In this insightful book the conflicts known as the Seminole Wars are placed in the larger context of American history. Twenty-first-century Seminole Indians and all other Floridians have been shaped in part by those nineteenth-century events."--Jerald T. Milanich, Florida Museum of Natural History The Seminole Wars were the longest, bloodiest, and most costly of all the Indian wars fought by this nation. Written for a popular audience, this illustrated history is the first book to provide a comprehensive overview of all three wars. John and Mary Lou Missall examine not only the wars that were fought between 1817 and 1858 but also the events leading up to them and their place in American history. In particular it sheds new light on the relationship between the wars, the issue of slavery, and the prevailing attitudes toward Native Americans. While fought in Florida, the Seminole Wars were a major concern to the nation as a whole. In addition to the issue of slavery, a culture of national arrogance and religious fervor fostered an attitude that allowed the conflicts to happen. The first war, led by General Andrew Jackson, was part of an attempt to wrest Florida from Spain and had international repercussions that led to a lengthy congressional investigation. The second, which lasted seven years, took the lives of more than 1,500 soldiers and resulted in the forced removal of more than 3,000 Seminole Indians from Florida and the deaths of countless others. During 1836 and 1837 it was the predominant story in national newspapers, and public support for the war was fueled in part by fear among slaveholders that black Seminoles might inspire a general slave uprising. The third war, fought on the eve of the Civil War, was an attempt to remove the final remnants of the Seminole Nation from their homes in the Everglades. The authors describe the wars as both a military and a moral embarrassment--a sad chapter in American history that has been overshadowed by the Civil War and by Indian wars fought west of the Mississippi. The conflicts were the nation's first guerrilla wars. They offered the country its first opportunity for aggressive territorial expansion and highlighted the dangers of an inflexible government policy. Analyzing events of the wars against larger issues, the authors observe: "It often seems as if the Seminole Nation was the nail being pounded by the hammer of American policy. What interested us most was why the hammer was swung in the first place." Based on original research that makes use of diaries, military reports, and archival newspapers, this work will be of interest to general readers as well as historians of Florida and Native American life and to those who study the antebellum South and the early American Republic. John and Mary Lou Missall serve on the board of directors of the Seminole Wars Historic Foundation, Inc.
Pedro Menéndez de Avilés and the Conquest of Florida by
Pedro Menéndez de Avilés (1519-1574) founded St. Augustine in 1565. His expedition was documented by his brother-in-law, Gonzalo Solís de Merás, who left a detailed and passionate account of the events leading to the establishment of America's oldest city. Until recently, the only extant version of Solís de Merás's record was one single manuscript that Eugenio Ruidíaz y Caravia transcribed in 1893, and subsequent editions and translations have always followed Ruidíaz's text. In 2012, David Arbesú discovered a more complete record: a manuscript including folios lost for centuries and, more important, excluding portions of the 1893 publication based on retellings rather than the original document. In the resulting volume, Pedro Menéndez de Avilés and the Conquest of Florida, Arbesú sheds light on principal events missing from the story of St. Augustine's founding. By consulting the original chronicle, Arbesú provides readers with the definitive bilingual edition of this seminal text.
Three Voyages by
This translation of an eyewitness account by a major participant offers valuable information about all three attempts to establish a French colony on the south Atlantic coast of North America. Rene Laudonniere's account of the three attempts by France to colonize what is now the United States is uniquely valuable because he played a major role in each of the ventures—first, in 1562, as second in command during the founding of the ill-fated Charlesport, then as commander for the establishment of Fort Caroline on Florida's St. Johns River in 1564, and finally as the one to welcome French reinforcements the following year. It was also Laudonniere's destiny to witness the tragic fall of Fort Caroline to Spanish claims one month later. Laudonniere wrote his chronicle, L'histoire Notable de la Floride, in 1565 following the fall of Fort Caroline as he recuperated in England. Much more than an account of his feelings and adventures, Laudonniere's history reveals him to be an exceedingly able and accurate geographer with a highly developed interest in anthropology. The first English translation was published by Richard Hakluyt in 1587. Charles E. Bennett's graceful and accurate rendering in modern English was first published in 1975 by the University Press of Florida. Besides the account, thoroughly annotated and with present-day names identifying sites visited by the Frenchman, this volume includes a valuable introductory essay. The appendices to the volume are four noteworthy documents, the last of which—a guide to plants of 16th-century Florida—will be of exceptional interest to naturalists, gardeners, and students of folklore. The account itself will fascinate professional historians and anthropologists as well as general readers interested in the exciting and often moving events of early European settlement in the New World. Rene Laudonniere was a French adventurer and explorer of the 16th century who wrote L'histoire Notable de la Floride. Charles E. Bennett is a historian and former Florida congressman. He was coauthor of the Moss-Bennett legislation and was instrumental in the establishment of the Fort Caroline National Memorial and the Timucuan Ecological and Historical Preserve. Jerald T. Milanich is Curator in Archaeology at the Florida Museum of Natural History.
Juan Ponce de Leon and the Spanish Discovery of Puerto Rico and Florida by
Juan Ponce de León was an important figure in the history of the Spanish colonisation of what are today Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, and the south-eastern United States. While many people are familiar with the name Ponce de León, only a handful know the historical truth of what Ponce did -- and did not -- do! This is the most extensive biography to date of this important but misrepresented figure in the early colonial history of America. Written by one of America's foremost experts on 15th and 16th century exploration and discovery, this book dispels the myths about Ponce de León and credits him with discoveries for which he previously has not been credited. The author assembles the most extensive collection ever of facts, reasoned inference, translations of critical documents, original maps, historical illustrations, and photographs bearing upon the life and legacy of this important figure. Ponce's life and legacy are examined in the context of Spain's ambitions in the New World during the 16th century.
Finding the Fountain of Youth by
[PRINT] "Just seeing the nostalgic advertisements, postcards, and photos is enough to make readers reclaim their own youth, no matter how far removed from it they may be."--Tim Hollis, author of Selling the Sunshine State "Tells the story of how a myth became so pervasive in Florida culture--to the point that Fountains of Youth sprang up all over."--Lu Vickers, author of Weeki Wachee Mermaids Juan Ponce de León reached the shores of Florida on April 2, 1513. Although historians have long debunked the myth of the conquistador's search for the Fountain of Youth, his fabled quest remains inextricably tied to the image of the Sunshine State. Even today, Florida's mythical, magical waters--some reputed to have healing powers--remain a potent part of the state's appeal for tourists and residents alike. Featuring reproductions of eye-catching postcards, vintage advertisements, vibrant photos, and other "Ponceabilia," Finding the Fountain of Youth reveals how Florida itself has been transformed into a veritable Fountain of Youth, a paradisiacal playground, a utopia of rejuvenating springs and beautiful mermaids. More than a collection of nostalgic kitsch, however, the book also addresses the very real problem of protecting Florida's fragile springs. These pristine waters--numbering more than 700--were once revered by the Timucua and Calusa and celebrated by a variety of writers, including William Bartram and Harriet Beecher Stowe. In time, some became known as Panacea Springs or Epiritu Santo Springs, new names meant to extol their sacred nature to visitors in polka-dotted bathing suits and Panama hats. Today, world-famous sites such as Silver Springs, known for crystal-clear underwater photographs and iconic glass-bottomed boats, are cloudy; others are on the verge of disappearing altogether as new housing developments and businesses draw down the underlying aquifer. Through five hundred years of history, the search for water has defined Florida. That is no less true for today's residents as it was for mid-twentieth-century tourists or even Ponce de León himself. Finding the Fountain of Youth is a delightful reminder of journeys past--and a peek at those to come.
The Voyages of Ponce de Leon : Scholarly Perspectives by
The voyages of Juan Ponce de Leon and his expeditions in Florida have long held a romantic and mythic place in American history. Speculation about his first landing in Florida, about the legend of the Fountain of Youth, and about Ponce de Leon's reasons for setting sail to Florida have engaged chroniclers, historians, and even sailing masters for five centuries. In this volume, the Florida Historical Society has assembled articles by leading scholars who offer their perspectives on the voyages and trace changing views on Ponce de Leon as historians discover new information and reevaluate older works. This collection includes both new work and articles previously published in the FHS academic journal the Florida Historical Quarterly. The contributors include Eugene Lyon with Brandon Josef Sqinavel. J. Michael Francis. Jerald Milanich. Nara Milanich. T. Frederick Davis, Douglas T. Peck, and Amanda J. Snyder.
Account of the First Discovery and Natural History of Florida by
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First Encounters : Spanish Explorations in the Caribbean and the United States 1492-1570 by
[PRINT] "An excellent paradigm of what historical archaeology and history have to offer in illuminating out past. Skillfully edited...Milanich and Milbrath have impressively skimmed the cream of the past decade of research."--Bruce D. Smith, Smithsonian Institution Drawing on the most recent historical and archaeological research, First Encounters describes the period of early Spanish contact with New World peoples. This series of highly readable essays reports original research and investigations mounted over the last ten years, a decade of remarkable breakthroughs in our knowledge about significant events in the first decades after 1492. In nontechnical language the authors invite us to play Watson to their Sherlockian investigations. We are made privy to the modus operandi of anthropologists, archaeologists, and historians as they assemble clues from historic documents, topographic features, and excavated artifacts to map out the neighborhood boundaries of Puerto Real, Hispaniola, abandoned in 1578, or to establish which sites in the southeast United States can legitimately claim that "de Soto slept here." We learn how Columbus's ship Niña must have smelled on her 1498 voyage, how the discovery of a pig mandible helped nail down the site of Anhaica, de Soto's 1539-1540 winter camp. Over 150 illustrations of rare artifacts and an extensive bibliography enrich this entertaining and informative volume, which introduces the Columbus Quincentenary Series, a scholarly celebration of the 500th anniversary of Columbus's voyages. Jerald T. Milanich is curator and Susan Milbrath assistant curator at the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville.
Discovering Florida : First-contact Narratives from Spanish Expeditions ... by
[PRINT] "Gives voice to a period in U.S. history that remains virtually unknown, even to specialists in the field."--J. Michael Francis, coauthor of Murder and Martyrdom in Spanish Florida "With these transcriptions and translations, Worth provides an important service to ethnohistorians, archaeologists, and others who share an interest in the Spanish colonial explorations of the greater Southeast."--Mariah F. Wade, author of Missions, Missionaries, and Native Americans "A model for how to handle important primary sources. The historical introduction is a treasure in its own right."--Amy Turner Bushnell, author of Situado and Sabana: Spain's Support System for the Presidio and Mission provinces of Florida Florida's lower gulf coast was a key region in the early European exploration of North America, with an extraordinary number of first-time interactions between Spaniards and Florida's indigenous cultures. Discovering Florida compiles all the major writings of Spanish explorers in the area between 1513 and 1566. Including transcriptions of the original Spanish documents as well as English translations, this volume presents--in their own words--the experiences and reactions of Spaniards who came to Florida with Juan Ponce de León, Pánfilo de Narváez, Hernando de Soto, and Pedro Menéndez de Avilés. These accounts, which have never before appeared together in print, provide an astonishing glimpse into a world of indigenous cultures that did not survive colonization. With introductions to the primary sources, extensive notes, and a historical overview of Spanish exploration in the region, this book offers an unprecedented firsthand view of La Florida in the earliest stages of European conquest.
The African American Heritage of Florida by
(PRINT) These 12 essays examine the rich and substantial African American heritage of Florida, documenting African American contributions to the state's history from the colonial era to the late 20th century.
Black Miami in the Twentieth Century by
[PRINT] "A necessity for every African American who has ever lived in Dade County, or South Florida for that matter."--Garth Reeves, publisher emeritus, Miami Times "A very ambitious project, and therein lies its great contribution: no one before has written a comprehensive history of Greater Miami's unique black community."--Paul S. George, Miami Dade Community College The first book devoted to the history of African Americans in south Florida and their pivotal role in the growth and development of Miami, Black Miami in the Twentieth Century traces their triumphs, drudgery, horrors, and courage during the first 100 years of the city's history. Firsthand accounts and over 130 photographs, many of them never published before, bring to life the proud heritage of Miami's black community. Beginning with the legendary presence of black pirates on Biscayne Bay, Marvin Dunn sketches the streams of migration by which blacks came to account for nearly half the city's voters at the turn of the century. From the birth of a new neighborhood known as "Colored Town," Dunn traces the blossoming of black businesses, churches, civic groups, and fraternal societies that made up the black community. He recounts the heyday of "Little Broadway" along Second Avenue, with photos and individual recollections that capture the richness and vitality of black Miami's golden age between the wars. A substantial portion of the book is devoted to the Miami civil rights movement, and Dunn traces the evolution of Colored Town to Overtown and the subsequent growth of Liberty City. He profiles voting rights, housing and school desegregation, and civil disturbances like the McDuffie and Lozano incidents, and analyzes the issues and leadership that molded an increasingly diverse community through decades of strife and violence. In concluding chapters, he assesses the current position of the community--its socioeconomic status, education issues, residential patterns, and business development--and considers the effect of recent waves of immigration from Latin America and the Caribbean. Dunn combines exhaustive research in regional media and archives with personal interviews of pioneer citizens and longtime residents in a work that documents as never before the life of one of the most important black communities in the United States.
Go Sound the Trumpet! by
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Remembering Paradise Park by
[PRINT] "A strange and unsettling glimpse of the land of sun and surf in the waning moments of segregation in the South."--Gilbert King, author of Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America "A testament to the efforts of a black community determined to provide wholesome recreation for their families in a segregated society. This masterpiece of local history changes the way we think about the history of tourism and civil rights."--Susan Sessions Rugh, author of Are We There Yet?: The Golden Age of American Family Vacations "The story of Florida tourism has been told in many ways, but this book gives a perspective that has been missing from most of them. Vickers and Wilson-Graham finally open the gates to Paradise Park so that all are welcome to sample its wonders."--Tim Hollis, author of Selling the Sunshine State: A Celebration of Florida Tourism Advertising "An invaluable time capsule. This bittersweet book vividly describes the joys of Paradise Park, while acceptance and endurance of racist practices are also remembered and voiced."--Marsha Dean Phelts, author of An American Beach for African Americans Paradise Park was the "colored only" counterpart to Silver Springs, a central Florida tourist attraction famous for its crystal-clear water and glass bottom boats. Together the two parks comprised one of the biggest recreational facilities in the country before Disney World. From 1949 to 1969, boats passed each other on the Silver River--blacks on one side, whites on the other. Though the patrons of both parks shared the same river, they seldom crossed the invisible line in the water. Full of vivid photographs, vintage advertisements, and interviews with employees and patrons, Remembering Paradise Park portrays a place of delight and leisure during the painful era of Jim Crow. Racial violence was at its height in Florida--the famous Groveland rape case happened right as Paradise Park opened--and many African Americans saw the park as a safe place for families. It was a popular vacation spot for the area's black community, one of the most cohesive and prosperous in the South. Tracing the color line through Florida's most famous spring, this book compares the park to other tourist destinations set aside for African Americans in the state and across the country. Though Silver Springs was Florida's only attraction to operate a parallel facility for African Americans, Paradise Park has been just a whisper in the story of Florida tourism until now.
Africa in Florida by
[PRINT] "An inspiring, original, and significant work that takes our notions of 'diaspora' to exciting places and offers new and thoughtful data on the presence and impact of 'Africa' in Florida history, lives, and objects. Africa in Florida is an important contribution to American history and to the continuing and transforming histories of African diasporas and Africa itself."--Henry John Drewal, editor of Sacred Waters nbsp; "Fascinating. Indispensable. With contributions by excellent scholars in the field of African and African diaspora studies and cultural studies, the volume provides diverse meanings and interpretations of contacts among Africans from the continent, Europeans, and indigenous people of Florida that resulted in works of creative arts, language, music, and food."--Jacob K. Olupona, author of City of 201 Gods nbsp; Over the course of centuries, immigrants from numerous countries in contemporary Africa have influenced the Sunshine State's history and culture. Through a critical evaluation of the influences and effects of the numerous African and African-influenced cultures that have been a part of the state's history, this collection of essays and art explores how Florida both shapes and is shaped by the multiple African diasporas that move through it. Africa in Florida challenges the way American history and southern studies have characterized African contributions to the development of the United States by showing how Africans, both free and enslaved, asserted themselves as explorers, farmers, slave owners, artists, and more. nbsp; nbsp;
Zephaniah Kingsley Jr. and the Atlantic World by
[PRINT] "An original and important contribution to the scholarship of Florida, the British Empire, the Caribbean, Africa, slavery and emancipation, the colonial United States, and the Atlantic world. Kingsley was a figure who moved through many worlds, and this meticulously researched work follows his many trails. It is the definitive biography on this fascinating character."--Jane Landers, author of Atlantic Creoles in the Age of Revolutions "The story is fascinating and shows the interconnections of the Atlantic world in all its complexities. Kingsley's philosophy challenged the usual views of slavery, race relations, and the murky ground between freedom and dependency."--Paul E. Lovejoy, author of Transformations in Slavery A controversial figure for his views on manumission and his unorthodox marital arrangements, Zephaniah Kingsley Jr. (1765-1843) is mostly known today for his Fort George Island plantation in Duval County, Florida, now a National Park Service site, and for his 1828 pamphlet, A Treatise on the Patriarchal System of Society, that advocated just and humane treatment of slaves, liberal emancipation policies, and granting rights to free persons of color. Paradoxically, his fortune came from the purchase, sale, and labor of enslaved Africans. In this penetrating biography, Daniel Schafer vividly chronicles Kingsley's evolving thoughts on race and slavery, exploring his business practices and his private life. Kingsley fathered children by several enslaved women, then freed and lived with them in a unique mixed-race family. One of the women--the only one he acknowledged as his "wife" though they were never formally married--was Anta Madgigine Ndiaye (Anna Kingsley), a member of the Senegalese royal family, who was captured in a slave raid and purchased by Kingsley in Havana, Cuba. A ship captain, Caribbean merchant, and Atlantic slave trader during the perilous years of international warfare following the French Revolution, Kingsley sought protection under neutral flags, changing allegiance from Britain to the United States, Denmark, and Spain. Later, when the American acquisition of Florida brought rigid race and slavery policies that endangered the freedom of Kingsley's mixed-race family, he responded by moving his "wives" and children to a vast agricultural settlement in Haiti that he established for free persons of color. Kingsley's assertion that color should not be a "badge of degradation" made him unusual in the early Republic. His unique life is revealed in this fascinating reminder of the deep connections between Europe, the Caribbean, and the young United States.
Slavery in Florida by
Winner of: * The Black Caucus of the American Library Association Nonfiction Book Award * The Tampa Bay Historical Society's D. B. McKay Award * The Florida Historical Society's Rembert Patrick Award for Best Book in Florida History "A thoroughly researched and balanced account of the slave experience in Florida."--Journal of American History "The greater social and economic freedom born of Spanish influence and close relationships between rebellious blacks and Seminoles set the stage for the largest slave rebellion in U.S. history. A fascinating account of a variant experience of an institution too often viewed from a single perspective."--Booklist "Rivers takes a very close look at slave society from various angles, as he evaluates not only slave life but the interaction of whites, blacks, and Indians. . . . Makes for a rich and multi-layered history."--Southern Historian "Shows how slavery differed dramatically in different regions of the state and how, in fact, it evolved over the years in those areas."--Tallahassee Democrat "Addresses how Florida's history and geography produced conditions unlike those elsewhere in the American South."--Journal of Southern History
Anna Madgigine Jai Kingsley by
[PRINT] "Undoubtedly the best documented record of a slave born in Africa,who married her owner in East Florida, operated a plantation after her husband's death, and ruled as matriarch over an extended family until the Civil War. Schafer has reconstructed Anna Madgigine Jai Kingsley's story in a remarkable way."--Bruce L. Mouser, editor, A Slaving Voyage to Africa and Jamaica: The Log of the Sandown, 1793-1794 "Provides an unexpectedly thorough account that traces the life of a woman from a Wolof village in Senegal, across the Atlantic via the middle passage, to a Florida community of African slaves and white slave owners."--Southern Historian "An absorbing account of Anna Madgigine Jai Kingsley, an African woman who was enslaved, forcibly transported to Florida, held in bondage, freed, and married to her white master; she bore several of his children and then rose to prominence as a slaveholder. . . . Brings a wider understanding to the lives of enslaved and free women in the nineteenth century South."--Journal of American History "Contributes to a growing literature on the possibilities for slave women's emancipation, especially in Spanish territory, and for propertied women's social and economic power in the Old South."--Journal of Southern History "Reminds the reader of the variations of the slave experience, the possibilities of forging racial bonds, and the debilitating effects of the racial divide in American society."--Georgia Historical Quarterly "Fosters understanding of the differences and similarities in the institution of slavery, in the distinction between free and enslaved, and in attitudes of racial prejudice between Spanish Florida and the United States."--North Carolina Historical Review Anna Kingsley's life story adds a dramatic chapter to histories of the South, the state of Florida, and the African diaspora. Working from surprisingly extensive records, including information and photographs from extended-family members and descendants, Daniel Shafer reconstructs and documents one slave's remarkable story. Both an American slave and a slaveowner--and possibly an African princess--Anna was a teenager when she was captured in her homeland of Senegal in 1806 and sold into slavery. Zephaniah Kingsley, Jr., a planter and slave trader from Spanish East Florida, bought her in Havana, Cuba, and took her to his St. Johns River plantation in northeast Florida, where she soon became his household manager, his wife, and eventually the mother of four of his children. Her husband formally emancipated her in 1811, and she became the owner of her own farm and twelve slaves the following year. For 25 years, life on her farm and at the Kingsley plantation on Fort George Island was relatively tranquil. But when Florida passed from Spanish to American control, and racism and discrimination increased in the American territories, Anna Kingsley and her children migrated to a colony in Haiti established by her husband as a refuge for free blacks. Amid the spiraling racial tensions of the antebellum period, Anna returned to north Florida, where she bought and sold land, sued white people in the courts, and became a central figure in a free black community. Such accomplishments by a woman in a patriarchal society are fascinating in themselves. To have achieved them as a woman of color is remarkable. Daniel L. Schafer is professor emeritus of history at the University of North Florida, Jacksonville.
St. Augustine and the Civil War by
When Florida seceded from the Union in 1861, St. Augustine followed much of the South and widely supported the Confederacy. Many residents rushed to join the Confederate army. Union forces, however, quickly seized the lightly protected town and used it as a rest area for battle-weary troops. Seven Union regiments called the city home during the war. While no major engagement took place in St. Augustine, the city is filled with Civil War history, from supporting the Confederacy to accepting Union generals as respected residents. Join author Robert Redd as he details St. Augustine's rich history during the Civil War and in the
On This Day in Florida Civil War History by
The most southern state has more than its share of Civil War stories. In January 1861, Florida militia forces captured the old Spanish Castillo de San Marcos, then known as Fort Marion, from the single Union soldier who guarded it. In 1862, Union forces recaptured it without a single shot fired. Union general Edward Moody McCook--later minister to Hawaii--accepted the surrender of Tallahassee on May 10, 1865. On May 13, he read the Emancipation Proclamation to an assembled crowd of white Floridians and former slaves on the steps of the Knott House in the city. Authors Nick Wynne and Joe Knetsch detail a Civil War moment for each date on the calendar. Learn a lesson a day or a month at a time.
Jackson's Sword by
Jackson's Sword is the initial volume in a monumental two-volume work that provides a sweeping panoramic view of the U.S. Army and its officer corps from the War of 1812 to the War with Mexico, the first such study in more than forty years. Watson's chronicle shows how the officer corps played a crucial role in stabilizing the frontiers of a rapidly expanding nation, while gradually moving away from military adventurism toward a professionalism subordinate to civilian authority. Jackson's Sword explores problems of institutional instability, multiple loyalties, and insubordination as it demonstrates how the officer corps often undermined-and sometimes supplanted-civilian authority with regard to war-making and diplomacy on the frontier. Watson shows that army officers were often motivated by regionalism and sectionalism, as well as antagonism toward Indians, Spaniards, and Britons. The resulting belligerence incited them to invade Spanish Florida and Texas without authorization and to pursue military solutions to complex intercultural and international dilemmas. Watson focuses on the years when Andrew Jackson led the Division of the South—often contrary to orders from his civilian superiors—examining his decade-long quasi-war with Spaniards and Indians along the northern border of Florida. Watson explores differences between army attitudes toward the Texas and Florida borders to explain why Spain ceded Florida but not Texas to the United States. He then examines the army's shift to the western frontier of white settlement by focusing on expeditions to advance U.S. power up the Missouri River and drive British influence from the Louisiana Purchase. More than merely recounting campaigns and operations, Watson explores civil-military relations, officer socialization, commissioning, resignations, and assignments, and sets these in the context of social, political, economic, technological, military, and cultural changes during the early republic and the Age of Jackson. He portrays officers as identifying with frontiersmen and southern farmers and lacking respect for civilian authority and constitutional processes—but having little sympathy for civilian adventurers-and delves deeply into primary sources that reveal what they thought, wrote, and did on the frontier. As Watson shows, the army's work in the borderlands underscored divisions within as well as between nations. Jackson's Sword captures an era on the eve of military professionalism to shed new light on the military's role in the early republic.
Andrew Jackson, Southerner by
Many Americans view Andrew Jackson as a frontiersman who fought duels, killed Indians, and stole another man's wife. Historians have traditionally presented Jackson as a man who struggled to overcome the obstacles of his backwoods upbringing and helped create a more democratic United States. In his compelling new biography of Jackson, Mark R. Cheathem argues for a reassessment of these long-held views, suggesting that in fact "Old Hickory" lived as an elite southern gentleman. Jackson grew up along the border between North Carolina and South Carolina, a district tied to Charleston, where the city's gentry engaged in the transatlantic marketplace. Jackson then moved to North Carolina, where he joined various political and kinship networks that provided him with entr?e into society. In fact, Cheathem contends, Jackson had already started to assume the characteristics of a southern gentleman by the time he arrived in Middle Tennessee in 1788. After moving to Nashville, Jackson further ensconced himself in an exclusive social order by marrying the daughter of one of the city's cofounders, engaging in land speculation, and leading the state militia. Cheathem notes that through these ventures Jackson grew to own multiple plantations and cultivated them with the labor of almost two hundred slaves. His status also enabled him to build a military career focused on eradicating the nation's enemies, including Indians residing on land desired by white southerners. Jackson's military success eventually propelled him onto the national political stage in the 1820s, where he won two terms as president. Jackson's years as chief executive demonstrated the complexity of the expectations of elite white southern men, as he earned the approval of many white southerners by continuing to pursue Manifest Destiny and opposing the spread of abolitionism, yet earned their ire because of his efforts to fight nullification and the Second Bank of the United States. By emphasizing Jackson's southern identity -- characterized by violence, honor, kinship, slavery, and Manifest Destiny -- Cheathem's narrative offers a bold new perspective on one of the nineteenth century's most renowned and controversial presidents.
Andrew Jackson and His Indian Wars by
The expulsion of Native Americans from the eastern half of the continent to the Indian Territory beyond the Mississippi River is one of the most notorious events in U.S. history and the single most controversial aspect of Andrew Jackson's presidency. Preeminent Jacksonian scholar Robert Remini now provides a thoughtful analysis of the entire story of Jackson's wars against the Indians, from his first battles with the Cherokees and Creeks to his presidential years, when he helped establish the Indian Territory in Oklahoma and, as a result, the Trail of Tears. This is at once an exuberant work of American history and a sobering reminder of the violence and darkness at the heart of our nation's past. "Vividly written and often harrowing . . . Remini recounts Jackson's exploits . . . with riveting narrative prose." (Michael Holt, Chicago Tribune) "When it comes to Jackson . . . there are few who have such a masterly command of the sources as Mr. Remini [who] kept me up late at night reading and causing me to wonder why, with narrative history such as this, anyone bothers to read historical novels." (Roger D. McGrath, The Wall Street Journal)
Mr. Flagler's St. Augustine by
[PRINT] "From the tall spires of the Ponce de Leon Hotel and the Cathedral of St. Augustine to street pavers on the ground, Graham offers us a detailed account of Henry Flagler's impact on St. Augustine in this genially written book."--Susan Parker, director, St. Augustine Historical Society nbsp; "With verve and wit, Graham makes St. Augustine and a whole cast of historic characters come alive."--Susan R. Braden, author of The Architecture of Leisure nbsp; "You can smell the orange blossoms, twirl around the ballroom floors, envy the gowns at the charity balls, revel in the gossip about the rich and famous, suffer with the poor and the disenfranchised, and thrill to the first blaze of electrical lights, the first automobiles and 'hard' roads, and the new sport of golf."--Elsbeth K. Gordon, author of Heart and Soul of Florida nbsp; nbsp; In the late 1800s, Henry Morrison Flagler walked away from Standard Oil, leaving the enormously successful company in the hands of John D. Rockefeller while he headed to Florida to pursue other interests. Flagler's new venture would lead him to completely restructure the sleepy town of St. Augustine and transform Florida's entire east coast. This monumental biography tells the story of how one of the wealthiest men in America spared no expense to turn the country's "Oldest City" into a highly desirable vacation destination for the rich. Upon arrival, Flagler found accommodations in St. Augustine to be inferior, so he set out to build the opulent Ponce de Leon Hotel, and thus began his endeavor to attract wealthy travelers to the small southern city. He funded hospitals and churches and improved streets and parks. He constructed railroads in remote areas where men feared to tread and erected palatial hotels on swampland. The rich and famous flocked to Flagler's invented paradise. And he had the vision to stretch his new railroad southward, establishing hotels and accommodations along the way. In tracing Flagler's second career, Thomas Graham reveals much about the inner life of the former oil magnate and the demons that drove him to expand a coastal empire that eventually encompassed Palm Beach, Miami, Key West, and finally Nassau. Graham also gives voice to the individuals that history has forgotten: the women who wrote tourist books, the artists who decorated the hotels, the black servants who waited tables, and the journalists who penned society columns for the newspapers. Arguably no man did more to make over a city--or a state--than Flagler. Almost single-handedly, he transformed Florida from a remote frontier into the winter playground of America's elite. Filled with fascinating details that bring the Gilded Age to life, Mr. Flagler's St. Augustine provides an authoritative look at an intriguing man and a captivating time in American history.
Last Train to Paradise by Henry Flagler, Visionary of the Gilded Age by 
The Architecture of Leisure by
[PRINT] "A major contribution to Florida and American architectural history. . . . Braden's exhaustive research and excellent writing have brought the story of Flagler and Plant's hotel empires to vivid life."--Donald Curl, Florida Atlantic University "Through an impressive blending of images, architectural analysis, and cultural perspective, Braden uncovers the multi-layered meaning of the Florida resort hotel."--Carroll Van West, Center for Historic Preservation As the rail barons who transformed Florida pushed their lines southward, they also created a string of resort hotels to attract wealthy northerners with an appetite for balmy climates and luxurious accommodations. Susan Braden tells the story of the magnificent pleasure palaces created by Plant and Flagler and the impact of their conspicuous scale and opulence on the Florida wilderness. Braden traces the enterprises that brought Plant and Flagler to Florida and then examines each of their hotels, describing the architecture, how they physically functioned, and what they offered their guests in the way of recreation and leisure. From the Spanish Renaissance of St. Augustine's Ponce de Leon, to Georgian Revival in Palm Beach's Royal Poinciana, to the Islamic Revival of the Tampa Bay Hotel and the Alpine ambience of the nearby Belleview, her individual profiles of each hotel show how the builders mixed recognizable style with physical and functional independence, and then capped both with an aura of blatant luxury on a scale previously unknown in Florida. The hotels' creators, by catering to the newly realized needs and demands of their affluent patrons, brought civilization to the frontier and established the legacy of tropical fantasy and escape that endures in Florida to this day. Braden's research draws upon architectural plans and archival resources, as well as memoirs and accounts written by Gilded Age visitors and employees, to re-create the experience of Florida's winter resorts. Floor plans and abundant illustrations--many never before published--make this book a richly visual documentation that will appeal to architectural historians, preservationists, and general readers curious about Florida's pioneering tradition of exotic escape and the resplendent structures in which it was born. Susan R. Braden is assistant professor of art history at Auburn University.
Flagler by
From reviews of the first edition: "A succinct and informed account of [Flagler's] leadership in transforming Florida's economy."--American Historical Review "An important contribution to the understanding of Standard Oil's extended partnership and how the personal desire of Flagler led to the early development of Florida's Atlantic Coast."--The Historian Henry M. Flagler (1830-1913), the ambitious Gilded Age tycoon who designed and built much of Florida's fashionable east coast, rode to success on the rails. As John D. Rockefeller's closest adviser in the 1870s, Flagler helped assemble the Standard Oil empire. In this thoroughly researched biography, Akin shows that Flagler understood early in his career that cheap freight rates determined industrial profits. Portraying Flagler as an aggressive entrepreneur, Akin documents his shrewd negotiations to obtain reduced rates, rebates, and drawbacks from the railroads, thus assuring Standard Oil's national domination over oil transportation costs. Flagler drove himself as hard as he drove a bargain, obsessed with the desire to create a monument to himself that he called "my domain." His legacy was no less than modern Florida. In 1885, at the age of fifty-five, he turned his attention away from Standard Oil and began construction of the Ponce de León luxury hotel in St. Augustine, the city where he had honeymooned with his second wife. Realizing he could never fill its rooms unless better transportation with the North was available, he embarked on the second railroad venture of his lifetime, creation of the Florida East Coast Railway. Flagler's resort empire eventually included The Breakers in Palm Beach and the Royal Palm in Miami; his Atlantic coast railroad extended all the way to Key West, an engineering achievement that was called the "eighth wonder of the world." By the beginning of the twentieth century, Flagler dominated not just the resort and railroad industries in Florida but steamship and agricultural operations, too. Florida politicians gave his projects preferential treatment, even changing the state's divorce law so he could marry for a third time. Woven into this biography are details about Flagler's family, personality, three marriages, alienation from his only son, and devotion to the Presbyterian church--copy that fueled society gossip columns from New York to Palm Beach for decades. Edward N. Akin, author of Mississippi: An Illustrated History and other works on southern history, taught at Mississippi College in Clinton. His biography of Henry Flagler won the 1985 Phi Alpha Theta manuscript prize.
A Journey into Florida Railroad History by
Traces the development of Florida railroads, from the first, tentative lines in the 1830s, through the boom of the 1880s, to the maturity of the railroad system in the 1920s. This title examines the decline of the industry, as the automobile rose to prominence in American culture and lines were abandoned or sold for hiking trails and green spaces.
Papa by
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Papa Hemingway by
Between 1948 and 1961, Ernest Hemingway and A. E. Hotchner traveled together from New York to Paris to Spain, fished the waters off Cuba, hunted in Idaho, ran with the bulls in Pamplona--and once Hotchner even masqueraded as a matador and Hemingway’s manager in an actual bullfight. Everywhere they went, they talked. For fourteen years, Hotchner and Hemingway shared their thoughts and as Hemingway reminisced about his childhood, recalled the Paris literary scene of the twenties, and recounted the real events that lay behind his fiction, Hotchner took it all down. His notes on the many occasions he spent with his friend Papa--in Venice and Rome, in Key West, on the Riviera, and in Ketchum, Idaho, where Hemingway died by his own hand in 1961--provide the material for this utterly profound, and truthfully compassionate best-selling memoir about the Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning author. With a new introduction by the author and with never before published photographs from his personal collection,Papa Hemingway is a mesmerizing portrait.
Florida Soul by
When recalling the roots of soul music, most people are likely to name Memphis, Detroit, New Orleans, Muscle Shoals, or Macon. But Florida also has a rich soul music history--an important cultural legacy that has often gone unrecognized. Florida Soul celebrates great artists of the Sunshine State who produced some of the most electric, emotive soul music America has ever heard. This book tells the story of Ray Charles's musical upbringing in Florida, where he wrote his first songs and made his first recordings. It highlights the careers of Pensacola singers James and Bobby Purify and their producer, Papa Don Schroeder. Florida Soul reveals how Hank Ballard created his international hit song "The Twist" after seeing the dance in Tampa and profiles Gainesville singer Linda Lyndell ("What a Man"). Miami's Overtown and Liberty City neighborhoods produced Sam Moore of the legendary duo Sam and Dave, Willie Clarke and Johnny Pearsall of Deep City Records, and singer Helene Smith. Miami was also the longtime headquarters of Henry Stone, whose influential company T.K. Productions put out hits by Timmy Thomas, Latimore, Betty Wright, and KC and the Sunshine Band. Stone's artists and distribution deals influenced charts and radio airplay across the world. Born in the era of segregation with origins in gospel, rhythm and blues, and jazz and reaching maturity during the civil rights movement, soul music is still enjoyed today, still very much a part of our collective culture. John Capouya draws on extensive interviews with surviving musicians to re-create the excitement and honor the achievements of soul's golden age, establishing Florida as one of the great soul music capitals of the United States.
Music Everywhere by
When the Beatles launched into fame in 1963, they inspired a generation to pick up an instrument and start a band. Rock and roll took the world by storm, but one small town in particular seemed to pump out prominent musicians and popular bands at factory pace. Many American college towns have their own story to tell when it comes to their rock and roll roots, but the story of Gainesville, Florida, is unique: dozens of resident musicians launched into national prominence, eight inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and a steady stream of major acts rolled through on a regular basis. From Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers to Stephen Stills and the Eagles' Don Felder and Bernie Leadon, Gainesville cultivated some of the most celebrated musicians and songwriters of the time. Marty Jourard--a member of the chart-topping band the Motels--delves into the individual stories of the musicians, businesses, and promoters that helped foster innovative, professional music and a vibrant creative atmosphere during the mid-sixties and seventies. The laid-back southern town was also host to a clash of cultures. It was home to intellectuals and rednecks, liberals and conservatives, racists and civil rights activists, farmers, businessmen, students, and hippies. Although sometimes violent and chaotic, these diverse forces brought wild rock and roll energy to the music scene and nourished it with an abundance of musical fare that included folk, gospel, soul, country, blues, and Top Forty hits. Gainesville musicians developed a sound all their own and a music scene that, decades later, is still launching musicians to the top of the charts. Music Everywhere brings to light a key chapter in the history of American rock and roll--a time when music was a way of life and bands popped up by the dozen, some falling by the wayside but others leaving an indelible mark. Here is the story of the people, the town, and a culture that nurtured a wellspring of talent.
Ringling by
[PRINT] "The writer's familiarity with his subject brings Ringling to the reader's doorstep . . . [including the] early influences on John Ringling's life, the family's success, Sarasota in its early decades, Ringling's impact on boomtime Sarasota, his museum collection, the last years of his life, and the litigious period following his death."--Paul George, University of Miami "As a circus promoter, an inveterate patron of the arts, a self-styled art critic and connoisseur, and a real estate developer, [Ringling] sought to bridge the often disparate worlds of popular and high culture. . . . "Based on a decade of research and writing, Ringling: The Florida Years is a carefully crafted analysis of both the public and private life of one of American history's most colorful and influential culture brokers. . . . "The triumphs and the tragedies, the genius and the decadence, the generosity and the self-indulgence--David Weeks recaptures it all in this even-handed and compelling biography."--From the Foreword by Raymond Arsenault, University of South Florida John Nicholas Ringling's years in Sarasota spanned the final quarter-century of his life. On Florida's west coast, as the Ringling's Circus became "the greatest show on earth," he collected Baroque paintings, European decorative art, and Italian statuary, built the ostentatious mansion Ca'd'Zan, developed and marketed most of the barrier islands around Sarasota Bay, and became the focus of a confusing pastiche of acclaim, misconception, and suspicion. Sarasota's Ringling Museum is his priceless cultural legacy to the people of Florida and the world of art--an inheritance at risk for the ten years that Ringling's estate was in probate. The author of this first intensive look at Ringling's presence in Sarasota sets the man against the backdrop of Florida from World War I through the land boom and the turbulent twenties into the depression years and Ringling's lapse into obscurity. Illustrated with nearly fifty black-and-white photographs, many never before published, this is the chronicle of a man, as the foreword claims, "who was not afraid to think or live on a grand scale, who knew what he wanted from life, and from art." David C. Weeks, occasional lecturer in Imperial studies at the Royal Empire Society and adjunct professor at the American University Center for Technology and Administration, Washington, D.C., is a docent at the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, Florida.
The Pain and the Promise by
While Florida is rarely considered a traditional southern state, its history of race relations reveals otherwise. This study of the civil rights movement in Florida’s capital during the 1950s and ’60s shows that Tallahassee was a key player in the South in that era, hosting the region’s most successful bus boycott in 1956 and protest activities by the Congress for Racial Equality that were among that organization’s first in the Deep South. Drawing on eyewitness accounts and local newspaper coverage, Glenda Alice Rabby chronicles events from the murder of an NAACP official in 1951 to the final integration of public schools in 1970. She analyzes the shifting goals of the civil rights movement, the complex relations between civil rights organizations, and the activism of Florida A&M students. She also tells how the bus boycott provided national exposure for its spokesman Charles Kenzie Steele and documents for the first time the extraordinary leadership of women, notably Patricia and Priscilla Stephens. The Pain and the Promise describes an important chapter in civil rights history that establishes Florida’s rightful place in that story.
Painter in a Savage Land by
In this vibrantly told, meticulously researched book, Miles Harvey reveals one of the most fascinating and overlooked lives in American history. LikeThe Island of Lost Maps,his bestselling book about a legendary map thief,Painter in a Savage Landis a compelling search into the mysteries of the past. This is the thrilling story of Jacques Le Moyne de Morgues, the first European artist to journey to what is now the continental United States with the express purpose of recording its wonders in pencil and paint. Le Moyne’s images, which survive today in a series of spectacular engravings, provide a rare glimpse of Native American life at the pivotal time of first contact with the Europeans–most of whom arrived with the preconceived notion that the New World was an almost mythical place in which anything was possible. In 1564 Le Moyne and three hundred other French Protestants landed off the coast of Florida, hoping to establish the first permanent European settlement in the sprawling territory that would become the United States. Their quest ended in gruesome violence, but Le Moyne was one of the few colonists to escape, returning across the Atlantic to create dozens of illustrations of the local Native Americans–works of lasting importance to scholars. Today, he is also recognized as an influential early painter of flowers and plants. A Zelig-like persona, Le Moyne worked for some of the most prominent figures of his time, including Sir Walter Raleigh. Harvey’s research, moreover, suggests a fascinating link to the notorious Mary Queen of Scots. Largely forgotten until the twentieth century, Le Moyne’s pieces have become increasingly sought after in the art world–at a 2005 auction, a previously unknown book of his botanical drawings sold for a million dollars. In re-creating the life and legacy of Jacques Le Moyne de Morgues, Miles Harvey weaves a tale of both intellectual intrigue and swashbuckling drama. Replete with shipwrecks, mutinies, religious wars, pirate raids, and Indian attacks,Painter in a Savage Landis truly a tour de force of narrative nonfiction. Praise forPainter in a Savage Land "Inspired, beautiful, and wholly original. Miles Harvey is an archeologist of forgotten stories, a master of finding astounding characters folded into the crevices of withered documents. InPainter in a Savage Land, he has breathed life into a thrilling and unlikely tale that, in the end, connects us all."--Robert Kurson, author ofShadow DiversandCrashing Through "Like some lovable sleuth of the esoteric--a sort of scholarly Columbo--Miles Harvey has a way of stumbling onto intriguing historical tales entirely missed by others. With equal parts rigor and wonder, he has transported us to a surprising dawn-world when a bewildered Europe was making its first contacts with a bizarre and vulnerable continent."--Hampton Sides, author ofBlood and ThunderandGhost Soldiers "A fantastic brew of art, exploration and exploitation. Miles Harvey's story bristles with surprises on every page."--Laurence Bergreen, author ofMarco Polo: From Venice to XanaduandOver the Edge of the World: Magellan's Terrifying Circumnavigation of the Globe "Miles Harvey has outdone himself with this absorbing account of the life and work of a mysterious French artist who was the first European to record visual impressions of North America. Harvey's investigation into the curious life, swashbuckling adventures and enduring legacy of Jacques Le Moyne de Morgues is appealing on a number of compelling levels, adeptly done with style, elegance and a sure sense of story."--Nicholas A. Basbanes, author ofA Gentle Madness, Among the Gently MadandA Splendor of Letters "Insatiable curiosi
The Scent of Scandal by
Some people will do anything for beauty or fame "FANTASTIC. If I did not know most of the main players I would have thought the author had a vivid and twisted imagination.."--Paul Martin Brown, author of Wild Orchids of Florida "A fascinating true story of obsession, greed, and lust for the unobtainable. Reminds me a great deal of The Maltese Falcon. This rare flower is definitely the stuff that dreams are made of."--Ace Atkins, author of Devil's Garden and Infamous "Pittman has captured the extreme competition, unique characters, and general insanity that often typify the orchid world. The Scent of Scandal exemplifies how passion and profit can overrule common sense and the law."--Scott Steward, former associate editor, North American Native Orchid Journal Every year more than 100,000 people visit Sarasota's Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, in large part to see its vast orchid collection, one of the most magnificent in the world. But the most famous orchid in Selby's history--the one hailed as the most significant find in a century--isn't on display. It's the one that led to search warrants, a grand jury investigation, and headlines around the country. Discovered in Peru in 2002, the Phragmipedium kovachii quickly became the most sought-after orchid in the world. Prices soared to $10,000 on the black market and otherwise rational people bent rules and broke laws in their obsessive quest to possess it. Award-winning journalist Craig Pittman covered this fascinating story, as it happened, for the St. Petersburg Times, Florida's largest newspaper. In this enthralling account, he unravels the tangled web of smugglers, scientists, and federal investigators to reveal who the real criminals were in this sordid affair. He also shines a spotlight on flaws in the international treaties governing trade in endangered wildlife--treaties that often protect individual plants and animals in shipping but do little to halt the destruction of whole colonies in the wild. With candid interviews from nearly everyone involved in the case, The Scent of Scandal unspools like a riveting mystery novel, stranger than anything in Susan Orlean's The Orchid Thief or the film Adaptation. Pittman shows how some people can become so obsessed--with beauty, with profit, with fame, with the desire to own a rare flower--that even the possibility of going to prison will not deter their risking everything. Craig Pittman writes about environmental issues for the St. Petersburg Times. He is the coauthor of Paving Paradise: Florida's Vanishing Wetlands and the Failure of No Net Loss and author of Manatee Insanity: Inside the War over Florida's Most Famous Endangered Species.
Cassadaga by
Calling itself a "metaphysical mecca," the small town of Cassadaga, between Orlando and Daytona Beach in central Florida, was established more than a century ago on the principle of continuous life, the idea that spirits of the dead commune with the living. Though the founders of Cassadaga have passed on to the "spirit plane," the quaint Victorian town remains the oldest continuously active Spiritualist center in the South and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991. While the community has often been sensationalized and misrepresented, this is the first serious work to examine its history, people, cultural environment, and religious system.
Florida's Fishing Legends and Pioneers by
nbsp; Inside knowledge from Florida's greats "A tribute to some of the most outstanding fishing personalities of our time. If you have a passion for fishing Florida's waters, you will love this book."--Carlene Fredericka Brennen, champion angler and coeditor of Randy Wayne White's Ultimate Tarpon Book "The famous characters of Florida fishing live again in these pages. Kelly's is the best kind of writing about angling--the kind that you want to take your time to enjoy, that at the same time compels you to go out fishing immediately."--David Conway, managing editor, Florida Sportsman, and author of Fishing Key West and the Lower Keys As one of the most lauded fishing destinations in the United States, boasting world records on varieties of fish, Florida has proven irresistible to the world's top anglers for more than 100 years. Florida's Fishing Legends and Pioneers systematically chronicles the exploits of the most influential men and women of the sport throughout the state. Chosen by Doug Kelly for their contributions to the techniques, equipment, and strategies of fishing--and often radiating colorful personalities--these "hall of fame" legends and pioneers have helped preserve the Sunshine State as a top fishing destination that currently draws nearly five million anglers to its bountiful waters each year. Interviews with such current angling luminaries as Lefty Kreh, Stu Apte, Mark Sosin, Joan Salvato Wulff, Roland Martin, Guy Harvey, Al Pflueger Jr., and a number of other renowned figures are found throughout the book. Organized chronologically, this intelligent and captivating book provides readers a greater and more accurate perspective on how recreational fishing in Florida evolved over more than a century. It also features rare historical information and photographs from past decades. Florida's Fishing Legends and Pioneers is for everyone, from novice to master, who loves fishing! nbsp; nbsp; nbsp;
Dream State by
Part family memoir, part political commentary, part apologia, Dream State is all Floridian, telling the grand and sometimes crazy story of the twenty-seventh state through the eyes of one of its native daughters.Acclaimed journalist and NPR commentator Diane Roberts has many family secrets and she's ready to tell them. Like the time her cousin state Senator Luther Tucker wrapped his Caddy around a tree, allegedly with a jug of moonshine on the seat next to him. Or how cousin Susan Branford was given an African girl for her eighth birthday. Or the time when cousin Enid Broward was made the May Queen of 1907, even though her daddy the governor shocked the state by trying to drain the entire Everglades. Roberts' ancestors helped settle Florida, kill off its pesky Indians, enslave some of its inhabitants, clear its forests, lay its train tracks, and pave its roads, all the time weaving themselves into the very fabric of this dangling chad of a state.With a storyteller's talent for setting great scenes, Roberts lays out the sweeping history of eight geberations of Browards and Bradfords, Tuckers anf Robertses, even as she Forest Gumps them into situations with more historically familiar names. Whether it's the American court of Catherine de Médicis, the Tallahassee court of Katherine Harris, Henry Flagler's boardroom -- not to mention his bedroom -- or Jeb Bush's statehouse, you're likely to find a branch or a root of the Roberts family growing entangled nearby.Starting in the recent past with the botched presidential election of 2000, Roberts introduces the many sides of the debate, coincidentally peopled with cousins both kissing and close. She then goes back to Florida's first inhabitants, showing how this alluring peninsula many called a paradise played a role in the destiny of those who settled there. Following their colorful progress up to the present, she renders them all with a deep, familial affection.Florida has forced itself into the collective American unconscious with its messed-up elections, anthrax scares, shark attacks,boat lifts, snowbirds, and the Bush dynasty. While exposing the real people whom Carl Hiaasen and Elmore Leonard have been fictionalizing for years,Dream Stateultimately reveals the cogs and wheels that make the state tick.
Key West by
Parrotheads, Hemingway aficionados, and sun worshipers view Key West as a tropical paradise, and scores of writers have set tales of mystery and romance on the island. The city's real story--told by Maureen Ogle in this lively and engaging illustrated account--is as fabulous as fiction. In the two centuries since the city's pioneer founders battled Indians, pirates, and deadly disease, Key West has stood at the crossroads of American history. In 1861, Union troops seized control of strategically located Key West. In the early 1890s, Key West Cubans helped José Martí launch the Cuban revolution, and a few years later the battleship Maine steamed out of Key West harbor on its last, tragic voyage. At the turn of the century, a technological marvel--the overseas railroad--was built to connect mainland Florida to Key West, and in the 1920s and 1930s, painters, rumrunners, and writers (including Ernest Hemingway and Robert Frost) discovered Key West. During World War II, the federal government and the military war machine permanently altered the island's landscape, and in the second half of the 20th century, bohemians, hippies, gays, and jet-setters began writing a new chapter in Key West's social history.
A Society of Painters--Flagler's St. Augustine Art Colony by
[PRINT]
Boca Rococo by
The rollicking tale of the artist, adventurer, and visionary whose innovative architecture transformed Palm Beach and whose dramatic rise and fall mirrors the larger-than-life excesses of the 1920s. Addison Mizner’s Mediterranean-style mansions—with their stucco walls, tiled roofs, and Moorish accents—are much-admired Florida icons. InBoca Rococo, renowned author and biographer Caroline Seebohm introduces the flamboyant genius behind these pastel palaces. Mizner was a leading San Francisco society figure in the 1890s, joined the Alaska Gold Rush, traveled to China, and made his way to an exploding turn-of-the-century New York. No formal training but huge natural talent established him as architect of the rich and famous. The getaways he designed made Palm Beach America’s most elegant resort—and fed his dream of developing a “Venice-on-the-Ocean” in nearby Boca Raton. Mizner’s plans ended with the collapse of Florida’s real estate boom. He died in 1933, broken and bankrupt. Drawing on a huge cache of untapped materials—including measured plans and an unpublished autobiography—Seebohm restores Mizner to the pantheon of great architects and flamboyant Americans.
Heart and Soul of Florida by
An exploration of the architectural and archaeological sites in Florida that explore the human spirit.
The First Hollywood by
Jacksonville, Florida was the king of the infant film industry. By 1914, 15 major companies, including Fox and Metro Pictures, had set up shop there. This book uses first-person accounts, filmmaker biographies, newspaper reports, and city and museum archives to present a little-known aspect of film history.
Plot to Steal Florida by 
The Florida Land Boom of The 1920s by
During the Roaring Twenties, millions of Americans moved to the Sunshine State seeking quick riches in real estate. Many made fortunes; others returned home penniless. Within a few years thousands of residential subdivisions, palatial estates, inviting apartment buildings and impressive commercial complexes were built. Opulent theaters and imposing churches opened, along with hundreds of municipal projects. A unique architectural theme emerged, today known as Mediterranean Revival. Railways and highways saw a renaissance. New cities--Boca Raton, Hollywood-by-the-Sea, Venice--were built from scratch and dozens of existing communities like St. Petersburg, Fort Lauderdale and Orlando were forever transformed by the speculative fever.Florida has experienced numerous land booms but none more sweeping than that of the 1920s. This illuminating account details how one of the greatest migration and development episodes in American history began, reached dizzying heights, then rapidly collapsed.
Napoleon Bonaparte Broward by
From reviews of the first edition: "The impact of [Broward's] career upon the Florida political scene is told by Samuel Proctor with a skill that combines suspense and accuracy. . . . A great contribution in the field of Florida history."--Miami Daily News "The first full-dress biography of [a] colorful Florida politician. . . . His name is perpetuated in the county created at the height of the drainage boom for which he was chiefly responsible. But to many Floridians the name of Broward means a daring filibusterer who smuggled guns and guerrillas to Cuba's revolutionaries. That melodramatic chapter of Broward's life is not overlooked by biographer Proctor."-- Miami Herald Now in a new paperback edition, Samuel Proctor's popular biography was first described as "a lusty narrative of a lusty age." Revealing the politics and intrigues of frontier Florida in the period still known as the "Broward Era," Proctor describes the life and liberal administration of Napoleon Bonaparte Broward (1857-1910), elected governor of Florida in 1904. nbsp;nbsp; Hailed as chief of the "wool hat" faction in Florida and as a leader of the populist movement in the South and throughout the country, Broward identified with laborers, farmers, and tradesmen and fought bitterly against the railroad magnates, lumber barons, and land pirates who dominated Florida politics after the Civil War. Under his leadership the legislature passed the progressive Buckman Act, which consolidated seven state colleges into two universities at Gainesville and Tallahassee and unified them under a Board of Control, and enacted tax reforms, child labor restrictions, and regulations to prevent the sale of cigarettes to minors. In an effort to turn acres of rich muck into productive farmland, Broward initiated the Everglades drainage project (with the now infamous slogan "Water will run downhill"). nbsp;nbsp; Through his life passed such figures as Theodore Roosevelt, inspecting newly rebuilt Jacksonville after the 1901 fire; Carry Nation, waving her Prohibition banner; Gentleman Jim Corbett, defending his heavyweight boxing title in Jacksonville; and Cuban patriots boarding Broward's famous river steamer, The Three Friends. nbsp;nbsp; For this work Proctor examined newspaper files and letters and documents held by the Broward family and interviewed several of the governor's political associates and his immediate family, including children, a sister, and his widow (who received the first copy of the book off the press in 1952). Samuel Proctor is distinguished service professor of history at the University of Florida and editor of the Bicentennial Floridiana Facsimile Series (UPF). He is the author of Gator History: A Pictorial History of the University of Florida, Jews of the South: Selected Essays, and Florida a Hundred Years Ago and coeditor of Tacachale: Essays on the Indians of Florida and Southeastern Georgia during the Historic Period. He is also the longtime editor of the Florida Historical Quarterly.
The Circus Kings by
Through the early twentieth century, the Ringling Brothers created a spectacle like no one had ever seen. Yet what most people do not know is that events behind the scenes rivaled the excitement and intrigue of the center ring. This book tells the story behind 'The Greatest Show on Earth'.
Palmetto-Leaves by
(PRINT) Written by the author of Uncle Tom's Cabin, this work describes life in Florida in the latter half of the 19th century. Through simple stories of events and people, Stowe portrays an idyllic life of picnicking, sailing and river touring expeditions.
From the Swamp to the Keys by
[PRINT] "Johnny Molloy's tale of his amazing modern-day paddling adventure is woven with a wealth of interesting information about natural and historic Florida. After I put down the book, I was inspired to pick up my paddle."--Brad Manley, Paddle Florida! Johnny Molloy, author of several best-selling outdoor guides to Florida, is always game for adventure. In his latest, he travels the Sunshine State from north to south along some of its most famous rivers, swamps, salt marshes, and open waters in search of Florida's disappearing history. This personal travelogue of his two-month expedition begins in a canoe at the Okefenokee Swamp, headwaters of Florida's best-known river. Paddling the dark Suwannee, Molloy curves through the scenic and sometimes wild Big Shoals, past sparkling clear springs--Troy and Turtle and Rock Bluff and more--to the Gulf of Mexico, where he transfers his grub, life jacket, and portable computer into a sea kayak. He continues past Tampa Bay into the Everglades and then heads due south, ending his voyage at Long Key and the Atlantic Ocean. Molloy focuses here on the state's history, human and natural, and on the interplay between the land and the water around it. He describes attempts made through the centuries to explore them, conquer them, and, finally, to coexist with and preserve them. He also invites readers to eavesdrop on his conversations with characters along the way, from anglers on the Suwannee River to crabbers off the shore of Everglades City. Best of all, Molloy invites readers to join him on this remarkable excursion -- either from their armchairs, following his references to bridges, highways, and towns along the route and charting his journey on the maps provided, or by taking to the water themselves--to soak up the sunshine and soft Florida air, to listen to the evening frogs and crickets, and to ponder the mystery of what has been lost in Florida and what might yet be saved. Johnny Molloy is the author of 17 books.
A People's History of Florida 1513-1876 by
Howard Zinn, author of A People's History of the United States, predicted that the bottom class perspective of history would eventually gain ground, enveloping the old way of narrating history as told by the powerful. Since then, numerous historical events have been redefined through the outlook of common people that were involved from the bottom-up, forever altering how we understand history. No more romantic diatribes glittered in patriotic myths. No more traditional heroes, standardized viewpoints, unquestionable "facts," or generalized falsehoods. Just plain raw truth that is not afraid to stampede powerful governments with the herd of popular outrage. The People's History of Florida follows the People's History tradition, documenting the active involvement of African-Americans, indigenous people, women, and poor whites in shaping the Sunshine State's history.
George Merrick, Son of the South Wind by
[PRINT] "The reader is left breathless by the whirlwind achievements of master suburban planner and visionary George Merrick, so excellently written and documented. George Merrick, Son of the South Wind takes us on Merrick's journey through pastoral grapefruit groves to a meticulous and innovative Coral Gables and its melancholy conclusion."--Howard Kleinberg, former editor of the Miami News "At once an epic and sweeping story of the making of a place and a profoundly intimate story of a man and his dreams."--Beth Dunlop, editor of Modern Magazine "Parks brings George Merrick to life--his resources and passions, his colleagues and his adversaries. She guides us through the earliest guava groves to the City of Coral Gables we see today, providing insight into its creation and provoking reflection on our responsibility for stewardship."--Joanna Lombard, coauthor of Historic Landscapes of Florida "Parks has written a passionate, compelling biography of George Merrick, one of America's earliest developers of a carefully planned, Mediterranean-styled community."--Paul S. George, author of Along the Miami River and Little Havana The story of developers selling off the Sunshine State is as old as the first railroad tracks laid across the peninsula. But seldom do we hear about the men who actually built a better Florida. In George Merrick, Son of the South Wind, South Florida historian Arva Moore Parks recounts George Merrick's quest to distinguish himself from the legions of developers who sought only profit. Helping to create the land boom of the 1920s, Merrick transformed his family's citrus grove just outside of Miami into one of the finest planned communities: the "master suburb" of Coral Gables. With a team of architects and city planners, he built homes for the growing middle class in the Mediterranean Style using local stone, while investing in public infrastructure by designing and building parks and pools, trolley lines and waterways. He pledged land for a library and the university that would become the University of Miami. Hailed in national publications as a visionary, Merrick was green before green, a New Urbanist before the movement even had a name. As Coral Gables and Merrick prospered, he reinvested in education, affordable housing, and other progressive causes. But the Great Depression ravaged Miami, and Merrick's idealism cost him his fortune. He died with an estate worth less than $400. Ralph Waldo Emerson, whose essays and poems inspired Merrick, wrote, "An institution is the lengthened shadow of one man," and Merrick's legacy is imbued in every stone and every tree of Coral Gables. With unprecedented access to the Merrick family, and mining a treasure trove of Merrick's personal letters, documents, speeches, and manuscripts, Parks presents the remarkable story of George Merrick and the development of one of the nation's most iconic planned cities.
Remembering Paradise Park by
[PRINT] "A strange and unsettling glimpse of the land of sun and surf in the waning moments of segregation in the South."--Gilbert King, author of Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America "A testament to the efforts of a black community determined to provide wholesome recreation for their families in a segregated society. This masterpiece of local history changes the way we think about the history of tourism and civil rights."--Susan Sessions Rugh, author of Are We There Yet?: The Golden Age of American Family Vacations "The story of Florida tourism has been told in many ways, but this book gives a perspective that has been missing from most of them. Vickers and Wilson-Graham finally open the gates to Paradise Park so that all are welcome to sample its wonders."--Tim Hollis, author of Selling the Sunshine State: A Celebration of Florida Tourism Advertising "An invaluable time capsule. This bittersweet book vividly describes the joys of Paradise Park, while acceptance and endurance of racist practices are also remembered and voiced."--Marsha Dean Phelts, author of An American Beach for African Americans Paradise Park was the "colored only" counterpart to Silver Springs, a central Florida tourist attraction famous for its crystal-clear water and glass bottom boats. Together the two parks comprised one of the biggest recreational facilities in the country before Disney World. From 1949 to 1969, boats passed each other on the Silver River--blacks on one side, whites on the other. Though the patrons of both parks shared the same river, they seldom crossed the invisible line in the water. Full of vivid photographs, vintage advertisements, and interviews with employees and patrons, Remembering Paradise Park portrays a place of delight and leisure during the painful era of Jim Crow. Racial violence was at its height in Florida--the famous Groveland rape case happened right as Paradise Park opened--and many African Americans saw the park as a safe place for families. It was a popular vacation spot for the area's black community, one of the most cohesive and prosperous in the South. Tracing the color line through Florida's most famous spring, this book compares the park to other tourist destinations set aside for African Americans in the state and across the country. Though Silver Springs was Florida's only attraction to operate a parallel facility for African Americans, Paradise Park has been just a whisper in the story of Florida tourism until now.
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