Haunted DeLand and the Ghosts of West Volusia County
9781596295261
Regular price
$21.99
Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
Author and Haunted DeLand tour guide Dusty Smith recounts a century of ghostly history in the bustling historic community of DeLand, the Athens of Florida. Specters include those of Jeannette Barnhill, whose ghost drove her real estate mogul widower mad by standing behind him to keep a constant watch on his accounting books, and of the guest killed in the 1917 Putnam Hotel fire who leaves the smell of burnt wood and flesh in the air. Forlorn lovers Ruby and Joshua, a freed slave and a plantation foreman, and Suzanna Brown, who jumped to her death with unrequited love for a Stetson professor, are included, as well as the ghostly horse-drawn hearse that has been seen parked alongside what was once the Old Casket Company. From steamboat captains to Spiritualist camp residents, DeLand's ghosts are sure to delight visitors and residents alike in this stirring account of the area's historic haunts.
Sport Lauderdale
9781596291454
Regular price
$21.99
Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
Broward County, Florida's location, its climate and the facilities it offers athletes make it a natural training ground for winners in a variety of sports. Broward County is a hotbed for athletic activity. From serious sluggers to hard-charging halfbacks, Fort Lauderdale and the surrounding area have produced superstars in a wide variety of sports—even ice skating and hockey. Featuring over thirty photographs of phenomenal area athletes, this fun, accessible history details the story of nearly every sport to touch the field, court, and ice of Broward County, covering youth and high school teams, NCAA and NJCAA, as well as professional teams. Golf pros, tennis aces, super swimmers and even the stars of soapbox derby all share some time in the sun in Sport Lauderdale.
A History of Little Havana
9781626196476
Regular price
$21.99
Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
In the heart of Miami, Little Havana is a neighborhood buzzing with culture. Still imagined as primarily a Cuban extension of the city, it has been a sanctuary to refugees since the 1959 revolution and has experienced fascinating changes to become what it is today. Find out how a location associated with old Cubans playing dominos has become a vibrant, multi-ethnic community and a birthplace of Miami's most exciting arts and music movements. Learn why Little Havana has continued to serve as a political stage for thousands of Cubans demonstrating on its streets, like the famous Calle Ocho. Authors Guillermo Grenier and Corinna Moebius trace the history and growth of this Latino epicenter in the first in-depth portrait of a world-renowned neighborhood.
Orlando, FL
9781439600641
Regular price
$11.99
Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
Do you know... HOW Orlando helps animals as it treats much of its waste water? (Hint: Think Home Sweet Home!) WHAT destroyed most of the citrus crop around Orlando in the late 1800s? (Hint: It was a surprise from Mother Nature!) Find these answers and more in Cool Stuff Every Kid Should Know--an interesting little book about a very special place on the planet! Arcadia Kids is a new series of fun, colorful, easy-to-read books for children ages 7-11 featuring attention-grabbing cover art, inviting conversational style content, and vivid full-color images of landmarks and geography. Parents, grandparents, and savvy shoppers will appreciate the feel good factor of purchasing books that are both fun AND educational.
Around Mulberry
9780738553702
Regular price
$24.99
Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
In the 1840s, pioneers settled on the picturesque lands surrounding the Alafia River. With glistening waters that gave life to plush foliage and citrus trees gracing its banks, the Alafia stretched westward before flowing into the Gulf of Mexico. Forty years later, phosphate was discovered in the Bone Valley area, and miners began arriving in what is now Mulberry, Florida. The industrial activity of the town encouraged economic growth and soon demanded the need for a railroad to accommodate Mulberry's expanding lumber and mining trade. In 1901, the town was officially incorporated, bringing a respected identity and well-deserved peace to the people of the area. Named for a lone tree that served as a local mail drop, the town of Mulberry was born.
Volusia County's West Side
9781596295629
Regular price
$21.99
Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
This collection of popular Sense of Place columns by Daytona Beach News-Journal award-winning writer Ronald Williamson chronicles the sleepy streams, poignant passages and timeless traditions of the hilly western side of Volusia County—a place quite different from the hustle and bustle of the Daytona Beach area. Majestic St. Johns River steamboats replace speeding racecars, and subdued séances at an old spiritualist camp replace brash biker bashes and spring break revelry. From slavery and segregation to Madame Clarissa Zaraza and mayhaw jelly from swampy creeks, these stories are a moving account from a master storyteller.
Tarpon Springs, Florida
9780738515977
Regular price
$24.99
Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
African Americans originally came to Tarpon Springs in the mid-1880s to work in the lumber mills. In the 1890s, a number of sponge divers arrived from the Bahamas and Key West to harvest and prepare the wealth of sponges found in the Gulf of Mexico at the mouth of the Anclote River. Devoutly religious, these pioneers founded the African American Episcopal Church in 1887 and the Baptist Church in 1892. Union Academy School, the first African-American school in Tarpon Springs, was established in the early 1900s. The dedicated work ethic of early African-American settlers continues today. Many of their descendants serve as educators, politicians, and ministers.
Legendary Locals of Fort Lauderdale
9781467102209
Regular price
$24.99
Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
From the first settlers, the Lewis family in the 1790s, to the New River Settlement led by William Cooley in the 1830s, to the arrival of Frank Stranahan in 1893, Fort Lauderdale is an "old" young town. Named for the Second Seminole War fort commanded by Major Lauderdale, the town incorporated in 1911. The land boom of the 1910s-1920s brought an influx of people including publicist Commodore Brook, architect Francis Abreu, developer Charles Rodes, and businessmen Moe and Mack Katz. Following the economic downturn after the 1926 hurricane, the postwar boom transformed the sleepy town into the tropical paradise and tourist destination that it is today. Hotelier Bob Gill, developer James Hunt, "Crazy Gregg" Newell, and entrepreneur Wayne Huizenga led that charge. Legendary Locals of Fort Lauderdale also tells the story of groundbreaking civil servants such as Easter Lily Gates and Andrew DeGraffenreidt, civil rights activists Eula Johnson and Dean Trantalis, educators Mae McMillan and Sister Marie Schramko, and sports stars Katherine Rawls, Chris Evert, and Ryan Hunter-Reay.
College Park
9781467113359
Regular price
$24.99
Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
College Park has the look and feel of small-town America, with its central business district and tree-lined residential streets, schools and churches, and strong sense of community. College Park, though, was never a town; it developed as a neighborhood within the city of Orlando. The name originated not with a college but instead with a developer, who gave the streets in his new subdivision college names in 1921. In 1925, another developer named the first of several subdivisions College Park. The name caught on and became official with the naming of the College Park Post Office in 1954. Images of America: College Park commemorates 90 years of its history and community. From the 19th-century citrus groves, to new subdivisions in the 1920s, to tract housing in the 1940s and 1950s, College Park evolved as a desirable place for families.
Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, The:
9780738554426
Regular price
$24.99
Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
In September 1968, the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale opened its doors on the beach where Las Olas Boulevard meets the Atlantic Ocean. With an enrollment of 55 students, the school offered three diploma programs: commercial art, fashion illustration, and interior design. The year 2008 marked the school's 40th anniversary, and today more than 3,000 students are enrolled in 17 different programs awarding bachelor's and associate's degrees and diplomas. Having moved to its new location on Seventeenth Street near the Intracoastal Waterway in 1986, the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale is currently one of the largest and most respected institutions of its kind. The school is owned and operated by the Education Management Corporation, headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which has opened more than 42 schools across the United States and Canada.
The Cedar Keys Hurricane of 1896
9781596296121
Regular price
$21.99
Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
Families watched in horror as walls of water swept away homes and businesses, and men held onto saplings for their lives while the winds howled.
The destruction was beyond belief. Buildings on Atsena Otie were swept away so completely that only cracked stone foundations remained, and the forests of red cedar that gave the islands their name and livelihood were flattened. Resulting in dozens of deaths and millions of dollars in damage, Hurricane Number 4 in 1896 changed the Cedar Keys forever and set the city on a path to the present. Historian Alvin F. Oickle, drawing on firsthand accounts and extensive archival research, tells the story of ordinary Floridians who were faced, like so many before and so many since, with nature's fury.
North Florida Folk Music
9781626195806
Regular price
$21.99
Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
North Florida's proud folk music heritage reaches back more than half a century. The region claims many talented artists and song writers, including Frank Thomas, Bob Patterson and Charlie Robertson, while hundreds of solo, duo and group performers regularly inspire audiences at local venues. The Stephen Foster State Park in White Springs is the home of the Florida Folk Festival, the longest continuous state-sponsored folk festival in the country, held every year on the banks of the Suwannee River. Join author and folk musician Ron Johnson as he shares some of the stories and insights into the folk music of North Florida and those who define the tradition.
Florida's First Big League Baseball Players
9781596291164
Regular price
$21.99
Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
In recent years, Florida's playgrounds have produced an abundance of exceptional professional baseball players: Alex Rodriguez, Gary Sheffield, Luis Gonzales and Tino Martinez, to name only a few. Before 1950, however, only twenty-six Florida boys made it to the pros got their shot in the big leagues. Players like Tampa's Al Lopez, a Hall of Fame member and baseball's first Hispanic manager, and Pensacola native Russ Scarritt, who set the Boston Red Sox record for most triples in a season his rookie year, blazed a trail that has opened the door for many of today's baseball superstars. Florida's First Big League Baseball Players, by baseball historian and enthusiast Wes Singletary, is a narrative journey into the early days of baseball in Florida before 1950. When this project was undertaken only eight of the original twenty-six players were still living. Written from hours of interviews and presented in a narrative form that is engaging and informative, this collection allows the reader to journey back to a time when the game was more innocent and the heart of the men playing, a little bigger.
Florida Flashpoints
9781467155830
Regular price
$24.99
Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
Huge Moments in Florida History
When Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de León landed in Florida in 1513, the world was changed forever. Florida has been an influential center for many important historic events, including clashes of European empires, Indian wars, civil rights struggles and the Cold War–era space race to the moon. Other remarkable, lesser-known historic episodes include the Matanzas Massacre, the Land Boom and Bust of the 1920s and several major election issues. These incidents not only shaped the state, they also influenced the development and helped structure the identity of the entire nation. Author Randy Jaye leads readers through an exciting journey spanning more than five hundred years of Florida’s history.
Tamarac
9780738599816
Regular price
$24.99
Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
Kenneth E. Behring created Tamarac in 1963 and, through his vision, built a city with all the maintenance and recreational facilities included. The promise of the best weather, affordable single-family homes, and the opportunity to be part of a growing area was exciting to all. The first development, Tamarac Lakes, consisting of 250 homes and a clubhouse, became the model of what was to come. Go west, young man, quoting American author Horace Greely, can be aptly applied to Behring's drive to expand westward. Stymied because the only direct access west was through a stock tunnel, Behring convinced the State of Florida to build an overpass crossing the Sunshine State Parkway for access. The next project was to create the Vista Villas (the Woodlands), an upscale private golf club community. It offered larger houses built with the more affluent in mind, which included Behring's own home. Tamarac continued to grow west with the purchase of 5,000 acres, more than doubling the city's acreage. With growth came roads, businesses, and political infrastructure that continues to attract cultural diversity, making Tamarac the City For Your Life.
Vintage Tampa Storefronts and Scenes
9780738591766
Regular price
$24.99
Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
In Petula Clark's 1964 smash hit Downtown, the singer describes a place where all troubles are forgotten and all cares are left behind with the glamour of bright lights, movie shows, and flashy neon signs that light up the city streets. During the 1940s and 1950s, downtown Tampa was a shining model of the American landscape. On every street corner, customers packed their shopping bags with the best to offer from dress shops, hat shops, shoe stores, and of course those beloved department stores of a bygone era, including Kress, Woolworth's, and Grant's. Locally owned stores and shops fueled by the entrepreneurial spirit of Tampa families also dotted the streets of downtown and flourished during Tampa's postwar population expansion, offering an endless bounty of possibilities for success. These historic storefront photographs, compiled from private collections and local library archives, present a walking tour of downtown Tampa and other popular neighborhoods during a simpler time that is so well-loved and remembered.
Oakland Park
9780738567617
Regular price
$24.99
Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
Oakland Park was named for the massive stand of trees that lined the Middle River. Our first permanent settlers were the Whidby family, who came from Georgia to South Florida in 1901, when the area was known as Colahatchee. By 1918, other farming families had moved into the area, and bean and pepper fields were abundant. In 1923, a Miami development company initiated the Oakland Park subdivision with one of the biggest barbecues ever held in Broward County, with an estimated attendance of 5,000 people from Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties. The city was incorporated first as Floranada in early 1925 by the American-British Improvement Company, a group of international investors. Plans for the resort included two 18-hole golf courses, a polo field, an aviation field, tennis courts, and a yacht club. It was intended to rival Palm Beach, but this vision was carried away with hurricane winds on September 18, 1926. Bankruptcy and devastating damage brought the development to an end. Despite offers from Fort Lauderdale and Pompano Beach, the citizens of Oakland Park agreed that the community could be run more efficiently as an independent city. The city was reorganized and reincorporated as Oakland Park on July 1, 1929.
Paradise for Sale
9781596298446
Regular price
$21.99
Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
Internationally publicized as the happiest place on earth decades before Disney arrived, the Sunshine State experienced a brief and wondrous economic boom in the mid-1920s. Entrepreneurs and real estate developers became overnight millionaires as they created luxury seaside resorts, golfing communities and country clubs. Greats, near greats, the famous, the infamous, movie stars, politicians, athletes, ne'er-do-wells, preachers, foreign royalty, con artists, educators, labor leaders, union members, every element of American and world society flocked to the Pleasure Paradise of the World.� Florida was a perpetual motion machine, destined to go on forever. But in 1926, small bank failures led to panic, the new federal income tax law led to bankruptcy and a series of hurricanes decimated the tourist trade. Florida's great boom had gone bust, not to recover until World War II. However, Floridians remained optimistic that the sun of prosperity would rise again.
Winter Park
9781467113403
Regular price
$24.99
Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
Winter Park is a unique community in central Florida. Its old-world charm and walkable downtown have drawn visitors from around the country and the world since the town's foundation in the 1880s. Residents and visitors alike enjoy the city's world-class cultural offerings, including the largest collection of Tiffany glass in the Morse Museum, the music of the Bach Festival Society, and theatrical performances at the Annie Russell Theatre. Winter Park citizens have been actively involved in world events, serving in wars, protesting wars, and sending relief to those in need. The wealth of the community, in conjunction with the presence of Rollins College, has attracted visits from many prominent people, from Spiro Agnew to Maya Angelou.
Gulfport
9781596290181
Regular price
$26.99
Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
In today's Florida of strip malls and mega attractions, there is little perception of the state as part of the American frontier, but the hardy folks who settled Gulfport were truly pioneers. Moving away from lives disturbed or destroyed by the Civil War and its aftermath, these early families made homes on an isolated bluff surrounded by tidal flats and bayous, filled with virgin pine and palmetto scrub. From these modest beginnings, a small but thriving fishing village emerged.
As the years passed and the Florida boom took hold, Gulfport began to know a new kind of prosperity: tourism. Fancy hotels, shops, and restaurants were built and entertained a steady flow of visitors. A popular winter destination for wealthy Northerners following the Depression era, Gulfport became an interesting study in contrasts. Vacationing gentlemen fished on piers alongside the rugged local seamen; well-dressed tourists played bridge on manicured lawns across the street from rowdy taverns. The middle of the century saw rapid residential expansion as returning servicemen needed homes for their young families and retirees flocked to the area for its mild climate and economical living.
Sarasota's Asolo
9781609491208
Regular price
$21.99
Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
In the Sarasota summer heat of 1960, Florida State University students began an acting company that is now known as the Asolo Repertory Theatre. Performances were held in the Historic Asolo Theater, relocated from its home in Italy in 1950. Over the past fifty years, the Asolo Repertory Theatre has become a renowned fixture in the Sarasota community, thriving thanks to a remarkable collaboration between FSU, the State of Florida, the Ringling Museum and the Asolo's regional supporters. Follow retired Asolo actor and director Brad Wallace as he relives the magnificent history of this beloved institution.
Haunted Sumter County, Florida
9781467144209
Regular price
$21.99
Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
Sumter County’s serene beauty is cloaked by mystery—a Seminole sage’s timeless spell, a lurking swamp monster, a family’s spirited legacy and the ghostly cries of brokenhearted souls. Floridian bad boys, mobsters and bank robbers line the pages of Sumter County’s criminal past. Murder, mayhem and mystery are embedded in our cultural timeline, from the indigenous eradication to the present-day retirement utopia. Step into the paranormal possibilities swirling inside the historic Baker House in Wildwood. Sense the residual energy that sways from Sumter County’s courthouse front steps. Feel the county’s macabre history come alive as Deborah Carr Hollingsworth churns up chilling tales from our mysterious past.
Orlando
9780738524429
Regular price
$24.99
Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
Emerging as Florida's largest inland city, Orlando in its infancy more resembled the Old West than the Old South-a frontier town born in the days of the Seminole Wars. The free-spirited early years of cattle ranching and cowboys on the palmetto prairie gave way to a series of booms throughout the city's history. Whether it was railroads, real estate, citrus, or tourism, Orlando has been a community able to cultivate growth through big dreams and an ambitious attitude.
Remembering Lee County
9781596291027
Regular price
$21.99
Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
In this charming retrospective, Lee County native Prudy Taylor Board writes with love, respect, and wry humor as she reveals the true history of Lee County, its communities and some of its most intriguing and prominent pioneers. For example: In 1884, Fort Myers comprised 139 acres at the original site of the town that was platted into a working community. But the burgeoning town that had grown to include about 50 families did not have a newspaper. So when the opportunity to ?kidnap? an editor and his press presented itself, Henry L. Roan, captain of the schooner Lily White, wasted no time. Although a paradise for tourists today, Sanibel was originally noted for its prolific agriculture. By 1896, farmers were shipping a thousand crates of tomatoes a week during their growing season. A few years later, crops included eggplant, beets, squash, green peppers, cucumbers and beans. Unfortunately, the torrential tides of salt water accompanying a disastrous hurricane in 1921 destroyed the groves and arid farms that marked the finish to Sanibel's agricultural prominence. With these delightful historical vignettes, Board presents an interesting and fascinating history of the three cities that presently make up Lee County, Florida. Locals, visitors and newcomers alike are sure to enjoy Board's witty and causal style, and will view the area with a renewed appreciation for its rich past.
Legends and Tales
9781596290600
Regular price
$21.99
Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
The city of St. Augustine, Florida has the special designation as one of the oldest cities in North America, dating back well over four hundred years. Throughout St. Augustine's history, it has been home and host to an array of colorful and exceptional individuals, who have all helped to make the city what it is today. Legends and Tales: Anecdotal Histories of St. Augustine, Florida is a collection of oral histories by writer and St. Augustine resident Karen Harvey. As the reader will discover, these memories reveal that the history of St. Augustine is not always found in recorded facts, but rather in the hearts and minds of the local citizens who have made their home in this fascinating city. From stories about the early days of baseball and St. Augustine's strongest man, to the history of the area's African American population and the Civil Rights Movement, Legends and Tales offers insight from a unique, often-overlooked perspective.
Cohen Brothers
9781609498542
Regular price
$21.99
Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
Once known as the Wanamaker of the South, Cohen Brothers department store captured the hearts of thousands of Jacksonville residents. Metro Jacksonville writers Ennis Davis and Sarah Gojekian take a wonderful trip through the store, from its beginnings as a dry goods enterprise in a small log cabin to its growth into a trend-setting retail institution and the final poignant closing of its doors. Davis and Gojekian brilliantly combine interviews with former employees, stories from the vibrant atmosphere the store created and memories from longtime residents to bring readers back to the bright glow and elegance of one of the South's most distinctive enterprises.
Plant City
9780738587486
Regular price
$24.99
Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
Named for railroad magnate Henry B. Plant, Plant City was incorporated in 1885. Rich in history and the flavor of strawberries, it is known as the Winter Strawberry Capital of the World. Images featured are from the Quintilla Geer Bruton Archives Center and the East Hillsborough Historical Society. Shelby Jean Roberson Bender, an eighth-generation Floridian, and Roberta Donaldson Jordan, a native of Pennsylvania, have devoted many years to historical and genealogical research, publications, and instruction.
Legends and Lore of Fort Lauderdale's New River
9781467148221
Regular price
$21.99
Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
The New River winds its way through a mysterious and tumultuous history, from the whirlpools of a legendary birth to banks stained with the blood of a massacre. Long-lost tribes flourished on the bounty of fish from its crystal-clear water and game from its wooded shores, only to succumb to European weapons and disease. They were replaced by Seminoles and runaway slaves, with a few white pioneers seeking opportunity in the new southern frontier. After the Civil War, a trickle of immigrants became a flood of Confederate refugees and northern opportunists. South Florida's destiny was changed forever when inshore transportation evolved from foot and hoof to inland waterway and steel rails. Schemes to "drain the Everglades" turned swamp to subdivisions with the New River at its core. Trace the storied arc of Fort Lauderdale's ancient waterway with author Donn R. Colee Jr.
St. Petersburg's Maritime Service Training Station
9780738542508
Regular price
$24.99
Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
During World War II, the U.S. Merchant Marines suffered the highest percentage of casualties, although it was the second smallest service. The young maritime servicemen knew these realities because they were trained to survive an enemy attack and keep their ships moving regardless of the cargo. For 25,000 merchant seamen, the journey began in St. Petersburg, Florida, selected as a training site for its comfortable climate and strong relationship with the U.S. Coast Guard. The U.S. Maritime Training Station was an economic shot in the arm that saved St. Petersburg from the extended hardships of the Great Depression's later years. Local merchants such as Bell Bakeries, the Swift and Company, and the Frazier Brothers routinely delivered bread, vegetables, and fruits to the station; as World War II reached a fever pitch, local hotels, such as the Vinoy and the Soreno, served as boarding houses for the maritime service.
Black Beauties
9781467144827
Regular price
$23.99
Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
In 1984, Vanessa Williams broke the race barrier to become Miss America, but she was not the first Black woman to wear a pageant crown.
Black beauty pageants created a distinctive and celebrated cultural tradition during some of the most dismal times in the country's racial history. With the rise of the civil rights and Black Pride movements, pageantry also represented a component of social activism. Professor Kimberly Pellum explores this glamourous and profound history with contributions by dozens of former contestants who share their personal experiences.
