Florida

Images in this book include views of early Coral Way and Miracle Mile, Ponce de Leon Boulevard, the Coliseum, beloved restaurants and clubs.

The Venetian Pool, the Biltmore Hotel, Coral Gables High School, the trolleys, the University of Miami, and some of the people who brought Coral Gables to life helped make it the great city it is today. When Solomon Merrick moved his family from New England to a plot of land southwest of Miami in 1898, he had no idea that his son, George, would become the founder of one of America's most fabled cities. When the senior Merrick died in 1911, George, who was working in New York, returned to the Miami area, establishing a major citrus and produce farm on his family's land. Then he entered the booming Miami real estate market of the early 1920s, finally embarking on the building of a city. The story of Coral Gables is also the story of George Merrick, and the photographs in this volume evoke poignant memories of the City Beautiful's storied past.

Fort Myers, Florida, is known throughout the world today for its tropical weather and local attractions but its origins date back to the 1800s wartimes.

Located just 15 miles from the Gulf of Mexico on the wide and beautiful Caloosahatchee River, Fort Myers, the fabled "City of Palms," is dotted today by exotic flowers and shrubbery, which includes a revitalized downtown, inviting neighborhoods, endless shopping, and a breathtaking waterfront. Like many Florida communities, however, the birth of Fort Myers can be traced to the Seminole Indian wars of the 1800s. The fort itself -named for Lt. Col. Abraham Myers - was established in the frontier region to quell uprisings and help in the Indian Removal campaigns. It was later used by Union forces during the Civil War, was abandoned, and then reoccupied by courageous settlers who relied on the cattle business, and citrus and vegetable farming to sustain their families and their new town. As the years passed, Fort Myers grew and began to attract winter visitors, including such famous Americans as Thomas Edison and Henry Ford, both of whom had homes in the area, as well as wealthy sportsmen eager to try their luck at tarpon fishing in nearby Gulf waters. When the railroad finally reached Fort Myers, tourists, transplants, retirees, and many more would discover the irresistible charms of one of Florida's newest gems.

Anna Maria Island was once inhabited by Native Americans, but as the beauty became known to its first homesteader, George L. Bean, the island's destiny was to be a beacon to paradise.

In spite of mangrove forests and throngs of mosquitoes, people came by boat to enjoy the white sand beaches and the turquoise waters of the Gulf of Mexico, with their cool onshore breezes and blazing sunsets. The Islander newspaper of the 1950s heralded, "Where life is good and the fishing is great." Anglers came from afar to test their skills against tarpon, the world's greatest game fish, and to hunt goliath grouper in the depths of Tampa Bay. Two modern bridges connected the island to the mainland in 1957, and with that the seven-mile-long island was on its way to becoming the jewel of Manatee County.

The term "ghost towns" brings to mind communities from the Old West where there were once bustling Boom Towns but today are abandoned and lonely pieces to the puzzles of the past. With this image ingrained into a person's mind, it is challenging to visualize ghost towns with sandy beaches and palm trees swaying in the wind. A little-known fact about Florida is it is home to more than 250 ghost towns, many of which remain the home for the spirits of former inhabitants, civil war deserters, pirates, and more. Haunted Florida Ghost Towns covers the many abandoned locations in the Sunshine State where paranormal entities are known to roam. Take a journey into the world of the supernatural and learn the history behind why Florida has so many ghost towns and the energy that remains to fuel paranormal activity.

This is the story of how the Tampa Bay area became the "Gem of Florida's Gulf Coast.'?

Thanks to the city's natural deep-water port and proximity to the Panama Canal, Tampa attracted residents from all over the world. In the 20th century, the founding blocks of the city we know today were set by visionary pioneers who came together with Henry B. Plant's railroad, the construction of the Tampa Bay Hotel, and Tampa's five "C's'?: climate, cattle, citrus, cigars, and cheap labor. During this same time in Tampa's history, the postcard was an extraordinarily popular means of communication. Postcard photographers traveled the nation snapping photographs of busy street scenes, documenting local landmarks, and assembling crowds of local children only too happy to pose for a photo. These images, printed as postcards and sold in general stores across the country, ignited the nation's passion for the Sunshine State and survive as reminders of an important era in American history.

Journey from the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico through the pulsing heart of historic Key West that is Duval Street!

Duval Street in Key West, Florida, is one of the most legendary avenues in the United States. This iconic thoroughfare has seen everyone from Ulysses S. Grant to Ernest Hemingway. Collecting remarkable archival photographs, Images of America: Key West's Duval Street features famous buildings such as Key West's Oldest House, St. Paul's Church, the Southernmost House, the Strand Theater, the San Carlos Institute, and La Concha Hotel. Fabled bars and restaurants like Sloppy Joe's and the Bull & Whistle also don this iconic stretch. This book celebrates the irrepressible spirit and heritage of a much-beloved American destination.

Florida State University has attracted a wide variety of students over the years. This pictorial history illustrates the history of this university and those who proudly call themselves Seminoles.

After the Florida State Legislature passed an act calling for the creation of two seminaries of learning in 1851, West Florida Seminary was established in Tallahassee. In the 1880s, the seminary's curriculum was reorganized along the lines of a conventional four-year college, and in 1901, the name was changed to Florida State College, better suiting its well-rounded liberal arts education and the traditional college experience offered to its students. With the passage of the Buckman Act in 1905, the school began a new chapter as the Florida Female College. After the name was changed to Florida State College for Women in 1909, it went on to rank as one of the premier women's colleges in the country. In 1947, in part to accommodate the influx of returning GIs, the school resumed its coeducational status as Florida State University. Combining traditional strength in the arts and humanities with recognized leadership in the sciences, Florida State University is one of the country's foremost research institutions today.

Author Beverly Mount-Douds highlight's Florida's Forgotten Coast in her book compiled of historic images collected from Gulf County citizens.

Carved out of Calhoun County on June 6, 1925, Gulf County is one of Florida's youngest counties. The county seat, Port St. Joe, was founded in 1913, and construction of the St. Joe Paper Company's plant in 1937 revitalized the area. The popular fishing site Wewahitchka was the county seat until voters elected to relocate it to Port St. Joe in 1964. Until recently, Port St. Joe was a typical company town, anchored by the paper mill headquarters. The town is near St. Joseph, where Florida's first constitution was drafted in 1838, and which was later destroyed by yellow fever and hurricane surge. Today Gulf County is a thriving, growing area of industrial and recreational resources with nostalgic reminders of a glorious past and a promising future. Port St. Joe and Wewahitchka remain away from the hustle and bustle of large cities.

From a small agricultural community in northern Florida into a thriving city, many people have helped transform Gainesville into what it is today.

After befriending the Timucuan Indians who originally inhabited the region, Spanish colonizers began recruiting other settlers to move to the area. Despite the early foundations set, the people who brought the railroad to Gainesville deserve the most credit for giving the town its start. Soon after tracks were laid throughout the city, small businesses sprouted and opportunities for new industries arose. The city's population expanded along with its economic growth, and more people began to witness the unique potential of Gainesville. In 1905, the city became home to the University of Florida, and a rich educational heritage began. The university brought great attention to the town and subsequently made Gainesville not only one of the most important cities in Florida, but one of the most prominent educational epicenters in the South.

The world's first naval aeronautical station, Naval Air Station Pensacola is a dynamic and active station today.

A sign at the gate of Naval Air Station Pensacola (NASP) welcomes visitors to "The Cradle of Naval Aviation" - and, indeed it is. It came into being when the USS Mississippi (BB-23) arrived in Pensacola on January 20, 1914, with seven aircraft, nine officers, and 23 men. Today, NASP hosts several schools and several branches of the US military. It is also the home of the Navy's Flight Demonstration Squadron, the Blue Angels, as well as the renowned National Naval Aviation Museum (NNAM), which displays more than 100 years of naval aviation, from a replica Curtiss hydroplane to the F-14 Tomcat.

For a city that only incorporated to pass legislation about unruly hogs, Dunedin has experienced more than a century of progress, struggle, and success.

In 1878, when two Scottish merchants were granted a petition to open a post office in their small unincorporated Florida community, they were also given the privilege of naming the area. They called it Dunedin, the Gaelic word for Edinburgh, their Scottish home. The town only incorporated officially in 1899 due to conflicts among residents about hogs roaming the streets. From the ineffective "hog law'? to the development of romantic "Honeymoon Island,'? now preserved as a state park, Dunedin's history is full of interesting stories, people, and images. The beautiful oak-lined streets, the yachting clubs and competitions, and the development of the citrus and fishing industries in Dunedin are all an integral part of the area's rich heritage.

Wander through the pages of this book and meet the mermaids of Weeki Wachee in their magical underwater theater.

Mermaids are like leprechauns: it's very hard to sneak up and catch a glimpse of one. But in a hamlet on the Gulf Coast of Florida, people have been able to do just that since 1947, when Newton Perry opened a small roadside attraction with an underwater theater. For nearly 60 years, live mermaids have been the unique focal point of Weeki Wachee Springs. Mysterious and enchanting, these young performers have done everything from teaching a class to typing a letter underwater. They are carefully trained, completely enthusiastic, and delightful to see.

Florida's Space Coast and its explosion into the 20th century thrust these beach towns into the modern age and paved the way for America's space exploration.

Florida's Space Coast is an area that got its name from one of the most exciting times in United States history. Settlers were living in Brevard County as far back as the 1800s, and even after World War II, it was still a quiet place to live. Cities and beach towns along 74 miles of Atlantic Ocean coastline were thrust into the modern age in the early 1950s, when rockets began lighting up the skies above them. The space race had begun, the nation would set a path to put men on the moon, and Florida would become the backdrop for this thrilling chapter of American history. The area's population surged with over 200,000 new residents, and things would never be the same. It was a time when people risked their lives for space exploration, and a community came together to make it happen.

Join author and Miami native Avi Bash as he exposes the life and activities of Organized Crime in Miami in the 20th century.

While other cities are credited for birthing and honing the legendary crime figures who inevitably influenced and shaped their susceptible surroundings and culture, Miami is where the Mob, like many American citizens, often turned when seeking vacation, vice, or a new beginning. Dating back to the first quarter of the 20th century, resourceful gangsters from across the nation recognized the profitable business opportunities Miami could provide with its booming population, perfect year-round climate, cooperative law enforcement, and mutual understanding among otherwise rival gangs. The promise of an open city, free from familiar encumbrances and restrictions, prompted eager mobsters from around the country to migrate south and trade in their suits and fedoras for swim trunks and flip-flops. Organized Crime in Miami examines the considerable yet heavily underpublicized involvement of the American Mafia in South Florida and its lasting impact on the community through their business activities, both illegal and within the confines of the law.

More than four decades after it occurred, the murder of Athalia Ponsell Lindsley remains notorious… and unsolved.

The only eyewitness said a man attacked Lindsley with a machete in broad daylight on the front steps of her white mansion. Gossip swirled that neighbor Frances Bemis knew who killed Lindsley and would notify authorities. Bemis was later murdered on her nightly walk. Author Elizabeth Randall puts the rumors to rest through research culled from over one thousand pages of depositions, records, official county documentation and interviews.

For more than 50 years, there was no more iconic Florida tourist attraction than Silver Springs.

Its sheer popularity meant that the surrounding area--indeed, the entirety of Marion County--serviced the entertainment, gas, food, and lodging needs of millions of tourists annually. Visitors flocked to places like Ross Allen's Reptile Institute, Tommy Bartlett's Deer Ranch, and natural attractions like Rainbow Springs and Ocala Caverns. Sadly, as Florida tourism moved into the theme park era, scores of smaller attractions and their related businesses were abandoned. Author Tim Hollis revisits these once-thriving tourist spots and what happened when those tourists stopped coming.

From a one-story cabin in the piney woods of the Panhandle to a high-rise condo along the glistening waterways, Cracker cooking in Florida has evolved with our tastes and times.

When supplies were limited and the workday arduous, black coffee with leftover cornbread might serve as breakfast. Today's bounty and life's relative ease bring mornings with lattes and biscotti, biscuits and sausage gravy. What's on the plate has changed, but our heritage infuses who we are. As we follow the path laid out by gastronomic pioneers, this culinary quest, guided by sixth-generation Cracker Joy Sheffield Harris, will whet your appetite with recipes and sumptuous reflections. Pull up a chair and dig in.

This pictorial history of New Smyrna Beach depicts the people, places, and events that have influenced the area's cultural and natural history.

Ponce de Leon is reputed to have entered the inlet now named for him at New Smyrna Beach during his first Florida exploration in 1513. Jonathan Dickenson crossed the inlet to safety with the Spanish in 1696, and Dr. Andrew Turnbull created his short-lived New Smyrna settlement in 1768. Later pirates and plunderers entered through the inlet and wreaked havoc, and American Indian chief Wildcat terrorized the area. Federal navy cannonading destroyed the community in 1863, and the freezes of 1895 and 1896 decimated the orange groves. The people of New Smyrna persevered through it all to make New Smyrna the charming community it is today. This book offers a wide view of this history, mostly through images from the family archives of Zelia Mary Wilson Sweett.

Storyteller Caren Neile, PhD, shares myths, legends and folktales that reflect the diversity of characters and cultures that make Florida such a fascinating place.

Florida boasts mysterious tales that stretch back more than twelve thousand years. Dive into the lives of the proud Wakulla Pocahontas and the Ghost of Bellamy Bridge. Meet local lawbreakers like John Ashley, as well as transplants like Ma Barker and Al Capone. Stalk stumpy gators or Hogzilla as they prowl Florida's swamps and suburbs. Discover the quintessential Cracker cowboy and the Barefoot Mailman, plus the origin of names like Boca Raton and Orlando.

Join author and historian James C. Clark as he chronicles the history of the Sunshine State in this concise and captivating history.

In 1513, Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon first set foot on Florida's east coast. The land he discovered was a geographic anomaly so distinctive that astronaut Neil Armstrong said Florida was the first shape on earth he recognized on his return from a visit to the moon 456 years later. This unique state witnessed momentous events from the 1959 arrival of the first Cuban exiles under Fidel Castro to the 1981 launch of the "Columbia," the first space shuttle.

Step onto the field and bear witness to baseball’s outsized impact on Florida’s Sunshine City.