The History of Florida


Book Description

This is the heralded “definitive history” of Florida. No other book so fully or accurately captures the highs and lows, the grandeur and the craziness, the horrors and the glories of the past 500 years in the Land of Sunshine. Twenty-three leading historians, assembled by renowned scholar Michael Gannon, offer a wealth of perspectives and expertise to create a comprehensive, balanced view of Florida’s sweeping story. The chapters cover such diverse topics as the maritime heritage of Florida, the exploits of the state’s first developers, the astounding population boom of the twentieth century, and the environmental changes that threaten the future of Florida’s beautiful wetlands. Celebrating Florida’s role at the center of important historical movements, from the earliest colonial interactions in North America to the nation’s social and political climate today, The History of Florida is an invaluable resource on the complex past of this dynamic state. Contributors: Charles W. Arnade | Canter Brown Jr. | Amy Turner Bushnell | David R. Colburn | William S. Coker | Amy Mitchell-Cook | Jack E. Davis | Robin F. A. Fabel | Michael Gannon | Thomas Graham | John H. Hann | Dr Della Scott-Ireton | Maxine D. Jones | Jane Landers | Eugene Lyon | John K. Mahon | Jerald T. Milanich | Raymond A. Mohl | Gary R. Mormino | Susan Richbourg Parker | George E. Pozzetta | Samuel Proctor | William W. Rogers | Daniel L. Schafer | Jerrell H. Shofner | Dr. Robert A. Taylor | Brent R. Weisman




Finding Florida


Book Description

Offers a comprehensive look at the history of the state of Florida, from its discovery, exploration, and settlement through its becoming a state, to notable events in the early twenty-first century.




A History Lover's Guide to Florida


Book Description

Explorers and pirates, hurricanes and shipwrecks, movie stars and presidents—a journey through Florida’s history and a guide to the places it happened. More than any other state (except Nevada), Florida is a state of transplants—where a quarter of the population comes from outside the US, and a third comes from other states. Thanks to its famous beaches and tourist attractions, it’s often thought of as more a destination than a home...even for those who live there. In spite of this—or perhaps because of it—the Sunshine State has one of the richest histories in the nation. Decades before the Pilgrims, the Spanish celebrated Thanksgiving in Florida. Centuries before the first St. Patrick’s Day Parade in New York, the holiday was celebrated in St. Augustine, where urban renewal was underway when Jamestown settlers arrived. In this lively guide, James Clark offers a lifetime of places to explore and facts to fascinate, tracing the state’s long and colorful history from Pensacola to the Florida Keys. You’ll find photos, illustrations, and detailed lists of 10 forts, 10 wars, 5 flags that flew over Florida, 40 historic landmarks, 50 museums, and much more.




Land of Sunshine, State of Dreams


Book Description

Florida is a story of astonishing growth, a state swelling from 500,000 residents at the outset of the 20th century to some 16 million at the end. As recently as mid-century, on the eve of Pearl Harbor, Florida was the smallest state in the South. At the dawn of the millennium, it is the fourth largest in the country, a megastate that was among those introducing new words into the American vernacular: space coast, climate control, growth management, retirement community, theme park, edge cities, shopping mall, boomburbs, beach renourishment, Interstate, and Internet. Land of Sunshine, State of Dreams attempts to understand the firestorm of change that erupted into modern Florida by examining the great social, cultural, and economic forces driving its transformation. Gary Mormino ranges far and wide across the landscape and boundaries of a place that is at once America's southernmost state and the northernmost outpost of the Caribbean. From the capital, Tallahassee--a day's walk from the Georgia border--to Miami--a city distant but tantalizingly close to Cuba and Haiti--Mormino traces the themes of Florida's transformation: the echoes of old Dixie and a vanishing Florida; land booms and tourist empires; revolutions in agriculture, technology, and demographics; the seductions of the beach and the dynamics of a graying population; and the enduring but changing meanings of a dreamstate. Beneath the iconography of popular culture is revealed a complex and complicated social framework that reflects a dizzying passage from New Spain to Old South, New South to Sunbelt.




The Great Book of Florida


Book Description

Want to learn more about the state of Florida? Sure, you know it's home to Disney World, but what else do you really know about the Sunshine State? From the strange to the scary, there's so much to learn about Florida that even natives of the state don't know. In this trivia book, you'll learn more about Florida's history, pop culture, folklore, sports, and so much more! In The Great Book of Florida, you'll discover the answers to the following questions: How did Florida get its name? Which former U.S. president helped the country gain control of Florida? Which city in Florida was the only city in America to be founded by a woman? How did spring break get started? What famous pirates buried treasure on and off the coast of Florida? How did Walt Disney keep his plans to build Disney World a secret? Which of the Disney World attractions is said to be haunted? What lighthouse is thought to be one of America's most haunted? And so much more! This book is packed with trivia facts about Florida. Some of the facts are entertaining, some of them will be tragic, and some of them may even scare you a little, but all of them will be interesting! This book is full of everything you've ever wondered about Florida and then some. Whether you're just learning about Florida or you already think you know everything there is to know about the state, you're bound to learn something new in each chapter. Your friends will be amazed at your knowledge during your next trivia night. You'll even impress your history teacher! So, what are you waiting for? Get started to learn all there is to know about Florida!




A Guide to Florida's Historic Architecture


Book Description

This guide to the historical architecture of Florida, a diverse assembly of buildings reflecting the rich heritage of the state, is divided into zones and each zone into counties. Each county is represented with an architectural history, a list of historic sites, and a map locating the sites. The structures were chosen for historic and architectural significance to the area. Each guide entry is identified by a photograph, name, address, and brief description. Only major and easily identifiable features are mentioned.




Guide to Florida


Book Description




A Land Remembered


Book Description

A Land Remembered has become Florida's favorite novel. Now this Student Edition in two volumes makes this rich, rugged story of the American pioneer spirit more accessible to young readers. Patrick Smith tells of three generations of the MacIveys, a Florida family battling the hardships of the frontier. The story opens in 1858, when Tobias and Emma MacIvey arrive in the Florida wilderness with their son, Zech, to start a new life, and ends in 1968 with Solomon MacIvey, who realizes that his wealth has not been worth the cost to the land. Between is a sweeping story rich in Florida history with a cast of memorable characters who battle wild animals, rustlers, Confederate deserters, mosquitoes, starvation, hurricanes, and freezes to carve a kingdom out of the Florida swamp. In this volume, meet young Zech MacIvey, who learns to ride like the wind through the Florida scrub on Ishmael, his marshtackie horse, his dogs, Nip and Tuck, at this side. His parents, Tobias and Emma, scratch a living from the land, gathering wild cows from the swamp and herding them across the state to market. Zech learns the ways of the land from the Seminoles, with whom his life becomes entwined as he grows into manhood. Next in series > > See all of the books in this series




Hidden History of Florida


Book Description

A Florida historian uncovers strange but true tales of The Sunshine State from the 16th century arrival of Spanish ships to the antics of modern politics. From Key West to the Redneck Riviera, Florida has a history as colorful as its landscape and as diverse as its residents. But beneath the famous legends of Florida’s storied past are intriguing tales that don’t appear in the popular guides or history books. In Hidden History of Florida, author James Clark shines a light on some of the most fascinating untold stories of this unique Southern State. Here you will learn about then heartbroken senator who entered a mental institution over unrequited love for an heiress; the thousands of British pilots who trained in flight schools across the state; and the dark, true story of Pocahontas—and how it is linked with America’s "first barbecue."




Florida


Book Description