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Orlando amounted to little more than scattered log cabins in the pine forest when Orange County established it as the county seat in 1857.

One of the earliest buildings was a log hotel, indicating Orlando's future as a tourist destination. After its incorporation in 1875, wood-frame structures replaced the log cabins, and prosperous citizens built large houses around the developing government and business center. By 1900, as Orlando recovered from the economic disaster of the Great Freeze of 1894 and 1895, brick construction replaced wood frame as once pretentious houses close to the central city were torn down to make way for modern business blocks. As residences moved to less congested neighborhoods, schools and churches followed. From its beginning, people arrived in Orlando to prosper and build. Those men and their buildings are gone, but the history of the city is richer because of their presence. Orlando's story can be traced through the continuing cycle of constructing, demolishing, and rebuilding anew.

Ghost stories from America’s oldest city have never been so creepy, fun, and full of mystery!

The haunted history of St. Augustine comes to life—even when the main players are dead. Visit the Castillo de San Marcos to help a headless soldier look for a lost wedding ring. Or spot the ghostly boy dashing among the headstones at Tolomato Cemetery. And if you visit the St. Augustine Lighthouse, beware of the mischievous spirits who have been known to tie visitors’ shoelaces together! Dive into this spooky chapter book for suspenseful tales of bumps in the night, paranormal investigations, and the unexplained; just be sure to keep the light on.

Miami's architecture is world renowned, but many historic treasures have been forgotten to time.

A Cold War missile base lies covered in graffiti. The Richmond Naval Air Station: a former blimp base, destroyed by hurricane in 1945. Homestead's old Aerojet complex: originally used in the testing and construction of experimental rockets, slowly demolished as part of a project to revitalize the Everglades. The Miami Marine Stadium: declared unsafe after Hurricane Andrew in 1992 and stands abandoned today. Author David Bulit, creator of the blog Abandoned Florida, revives the history and secrets of the Magic City's vanishing gems.

Tiny and quiet today, Floral City's past was as a commercial center of the phosphate industry during the boom of the early 20th century.

Established in 1883, Floral City is one of the oldest communities in Citrus County. Today, it is the only surviving town in the county's southeastern quadrant and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Its appearance today is deceiving, however, because this tiny, quiet, laid-back village was once a sprawling, dynamic town. Floral City grew as the main commercial center of Citrus County during the Florida hard-rock phosphate boom of the early 20th century and was known for its beautiful homes, commerce, and state-of-the-art technology, including electricity and telephone service. With a population of nearly 10,000 people in 1914, it was one of the largest towns in Florida until the phosphate industry collapsed as World War I disrupted exports to Europe. Floral City never recovered economically and reverted to its original small-town ambience.

Lakeland offers an entrancing mix of urban, rural, and historic aspects that earn it the title of ""Florida's Best Town.""

Munnville, Rome City, and Redbug were just a few of the suggested names for the small Central Florida community that would come to be known as Lakeland. Not long after its founding, other descriptive monikers-""Lovely City of Lakes"" and ""Highest, Healthiest, Busiest""-would be applied. Recently ranked as the tenth ""Best Place to Live"" of medium-sized cities in the South, Lakeland today offers an entrancing combination of contrasting elements that all work well together. Fields of strawberries and rolling hills covered with citrus groves surround a growing city comprised of a mixture of structures, both new and old, modern and beautifully preserved. Commercial entities join with cultural organizations in mutually beneficial relationships to produce a quality of life that many other cities only hope to attain. Lakeland may well be as it was advertised in 1905-""Florida's Best Town.""

Mention Daytona Beach, and most people would have images of brilliantly painted stock cars roaring over the racetrack at over 200 miles per hour.

Some would envision sun-worshipping beach-goers covering the beaches during spring break. However, the Daytona Beach area has a colorful history that reaches back decades before the town became one the world's key auto racing centers as well as one of the most famous and beautiful beach communities.

Retrace the history of Ybor City from its beginnings in the Cigar Industry to the colorful Latin community it is today.

In 1885, Vicente Martínez Ybor purchased 40 acres of land northeast of Tampa, and there he began the cigar industry that would soon draw thousands of immigrants to Ybor City. The diverse population of the area, known as Tampa's ""Latin Quarter,"" came from Cuba, Spain, Italy, Germany, and Eastern Europe. Some residents worked in the various stages of cigar manufacturing, from picking tobacco to constructing cigar boxes, while others operated the local shops and businesses. A unique culture grew from the intermingling of the various traditions and languages found in Ybor City, and residents proudly proclaimed themselves Los Tampaños (or Tampanian). A strong sense of community has been an ever-present part of Ybor City, through the politically charged years of Cuba's fight for independence as well as the comfortable days of social clubs and dinners.

A gay love triangle, drug deals, and a murder. Just another night in West Palm Beach in 1984?

Jeffrey Heagerty was like most young gay nineteen-year-olds in South Florida in the 1980s, commonly finding himself and his friends at the popular Kevin's Cabaret in West Palm Beach on Saturday nights. On one of those Saturday nights in 1984, Jeff vanished from the club, leaving his friends behind even though he was their ride home. His body was found in a canal the next morning and his car was missing, only to be found a month later, abandoned on the other side of town. Rumors of a love triangle, drug dealings and sexual encounters snarled police efforts at solving the case. The investigation stagnated and the case grew cold until the solution came from two unexpected sources: overlooked details in police photographs of Jeff's car and a mysterious letter from an inmate in the Palm Beach County Jail.

Indian Rocks Beach, Florida has a grand history. Join authors Authors Wayne and Nancy Ayers and Jan Ockunzzi as they uncover its legendary past.

According to legend, Indian Rocks got its name when Tocobaga Indians brought their ailing chief from inland Florida to drink from the area's sulfur springs, prized for their medicinal qualities. Their leader miraculously recovered, as the story goes, and the tribe returned each year to the place where large rocks surrounded the healing spring. The natural beauty of the barrier island that became Indian Rocks Beach was what attracted Harvey Hendrick to establish his homestead here in the mid-1890s. Years later, he recalled, ""I liked the place, I thought it was the most beautiful place on God's green footstool, and I think so yet."" The charm and character of this little seaside community is evident in these historic photographs, from the days when the old swing bridge was the center of activity, to the booming post-World War II era when tourists and residents proclaimed Indian Rocks Beach as their special place.

Bite in to this refreshing history of sweet foods in the Sunshine State!

Sweets and the Sunshine State are a match made in heaven. Centuries ago, native Floridians used honey to sweeten dishes, as well as prickly pears and other wild fruits and berries. Spanish explorers introduced citrus to the area, leading to a major industry. Florida pioneers planted sugar cane and sweet potatoes as basic crops. Cane grinding, taffy pulls and homemade ice cream socials were once beloved community events across the state. The state pie of Florida, the Key lime pie, has been an addition to family affairs and restaurant menus since its inception in the late 1800s. From strawberry festivals to Florida flan, author Joy Sheffield Harris uncovers the state's unique sweets with a taste of sunshine.

Arcadia's University of Central Florida illuminates the history of a major institution of research, culture, education, and professional development that is stitched into the fabric of one of the nation's most dynamic and influential metropolitan areas.

Conceived in 1963, at the height of America's fascination with the space program and less than an hour from Florida's Space Coast, the school began as Florida Technological University, a vast and remote tract of wild palmettos and swampland that held the promise of a cutting-edge "Space University." But 1963 was the same year that Walt Disney made his fateful fly over Central Florida and chose the location for Walt Disney World, a decision that would ultimately transform the entire region. Florida Tech found itself growing along with the surrounding community in size, prominence, and power into a diverse institution that no one in those early years could have envisioned. Renamed the University of Central Florida in 1979 to better reflect its broad curriculum and its strong marriage with the region, the school has blossomed into the prototype for the modern metropolitan university.

With this powerful, evocative new book, St. Petersburg residents Jon Wilson and Rosalie Peck present an informative narrative that explores the history of St. Petersburg, Florida's most vibrant African American neighborhood: 22nd Street South or the deuces.

Throughout the city's history, no other area has personified strength for the African American community like this segregation-era thoroughfare. A haven during the brutal Jim Crow years, 22nd Street South was a place where prominent businessmen and community leaders were the role models and residents and neighbors looked out for one another. The close-knit community encouraged strong, positive values even as its members were treated as second-class citizens in the wider world. Authors Wilson and Peck tell the story of this unique district and how its people and events contributed to and helped to shape the history of St. Petersburg in the context of the greater South and the Civil Rights Movement.

Venice’s remarkable history covers its growth as an agricultural community in the nascent days of the Florida land market expansion with developers and promoters such as Bertha Honoré Palmer and Dr. Fred Albee.

Its growth seemed assured when the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers decided to develop it as a planned community to be a vacation spot and retirement destination. The Great Depression dashed those plans, and the city teetered on the edge of becoming a historical footnote until it was saved by two key occurrences. The Kentucky Military Institute decided to take advantage of its climate and its railroad to use it for its winter quarters. The other was based on the efforts of another local promoter, Finn Caspersen, who in the days before World War II convinced the Army that the local vacant land and year-round flying weather would be perfect for an Army Air Corps training base. These events reinvigorated the area and foretold its growth into the city known today.

Author Margaret Mackle Kapustiak is a local historian, genealogy speaker, and researcher. The images in this book are courtesy of local city and county museums, libraries, archives, and historians. 

A Special Florida Paradise    

“The Gables” is not merely a highly desirable bedroom community or a sprawling city with features of the City Beautiful movement scattered here and there. The brainchild of George Merrick, a visionary congregational minister’s son with a poetic bent, Coral Gables is a planned city, home to of some of the nation’s most valuable real estate, a world-renowned hotel in the Biltmore, headquarters to 120 multinational firms, a major research university and a top-ten botanical garden. The story of how Merrick’s intricate design took shape—while most developments born during the so-called Florida Boom crashed and burned—and the rise of the preservationist movement that maintains it is a testament to the power of a vision. Author Les Standiford details the amazing rise of an iconic place.

Jacksonville has always been a beer city, with its numerous saloons, bars, and taverns from the 1800s into the present-day era where breweries have now become the dominant feature of the local brewing industry. The brewing industry in Jacksonville began to take shape in the early 1900s with the Jax Brewing Company, which was founded in 1913 and brewed the Jax Beer brand. The New Orleans–based Jackson Brewing Company, which also had a Jax Beer brand, acquired the full rights to sell Jax Beer in the southeastern United States, leading to the Jax Brewing Company closing by 1960. Then the establishment of an Anheuser-Busch plant in Jacksonville in the 1960s drove the local brewing industry out of business due to the increase of more popular brands like Budweiser. Anheuser-Busch continued to fill the void that local breweries left until the advent of the microbrewery industry, which began to take shape in the 1990s with River City Brewing Company. In the 2010s, the brewing industry grew substantially in Jacksonville. By 2024, there were more than 20 breweries and still growing. Brewing in Jacksonville chronicles the history of the local brewing industry from its early days to how breweries gradually gave the Bold City its reputation as a top beer city.

Andrew R. Nicholas is a historian and native of North Florida. He graduated from University of North Florida, majoring in history, and is a member of the Jacksonville Historical Society. The photographs used for Brewing in Jacksonville come from the State Archives of Florida, Jacksonville Historical Society, Beaches Museum, and local residents of Jacksonville.

How Busch Gardens Tampa Bay became a hit upon its late 1950s opening and grew into a zoological facility and theme park beloved by millions.

When Busch Gardens Tampa Bay opened in 1959, the Florida park became an immediate hit with locals and tourists alike. Over the decades, Busch Gardens has grown to become an internationally acclaimed and accredited zoological facility and world-renowned theme park. Serving as a sanctuary for thousands of exotic and endangered animals from around the globe and offering up unique thrilling rides and world-class entertainment, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay proudly welcomes millions of guests each year.

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.

Never before seen photographs document the history of Greater Miami's Jewish community in L'Chaim!

The dynamic and never-before-told history of Greater Miami's Jewish community is recounted here for the first time by renowned local historian Seth H. Bramson. Beginning with the arrival of Miami's first Jewish settler, Isidor Cohen, in 1896, Bramson's exciting story takes us through Miami's early days to the present and includes the years of ""restricted clientele, "" as well as the Jewish owned buildings, businesses, stores, clubs, hotels, restaurants, schools, temples and philanthropic organizations. Bramson's unique writing style, coupled with a host of never-before-published photographs and a website of special features, invites the reader to take a historic look at the people and places that have made the Jewish impact and influence on the area such an important part of the fabric of the community.

In addition to the beautiful palmetto lined beaches and the rhythm of the rising and falling tides, one of the major attractions of Melbourne Beach is that, unlike the "space age" communities of concrete block in the surrounding area, the town "had a history." Thomas introduces readers to an array of unique characters, describes the changes that Melbourne Beach has undergone since the turn of the 20th century, and relates his concern about the effects of "progress" on the natural beauty of his adopted home. Learn about the town's excitement over its first stop sign, and how a woman makes a second one for weekends after she becomes the victim of Melbourne's first automobile accident. Meet Orval Gardenour, the town's first real policeman, who finally gained respect by rescuing a loggerhead turtle from the trunk of a poacher's car, and experience the Great Cat Hunt of 1930, in which seventy-four strays met their demise.

During the forty-five years that Frank Thomas has lived in this small community on Florida's eastern coast, he has taken it upon himself to dig into old records and document the oral histories of the "old timers" who made the town what it is today. The result is a witty, poignant account of Melbourne Beach residents' adventures, victories, tragedies, and comedies,

The 1920s was a time of unprecedented growth in the nation's oldest city.

Fueled by a land boom that began in South Florida, St. Augustine was inundated with land speculators and new subdivisions, many only supported by a wing and a prayer. The city floated a million-dollar bond issue to construct the Bridge of Lions, and D.P. Davis filled in an entire marshland to build his magnificent subdivision of Davis Shores. When a new coastal highway linked the town with beached to the north and south and opened up St. Augustine's beautiful shoreline for development, tourists began flocking to the city in droves. All of this activity halted, however, when the land boom collapsed in the late 1920s, along with rest of the U.S. economy at that time.St. Augustine in the Roaring Twentiesdetails the roller-coaster events of the city in this exciting decade.

From farming community to prominent neighborhood, this book gives a unique look at the past of Boca Raton, Florida using vintage images.

Boca Raton, Florida, was a tiny farming community on the southeastern coast of Florida when the state's 1920s real estate boom grew into a national phenomenon. Investors and new residents were drawn to the state from all over the country, a time Floridians referred to as ""the Boom."" In April 1925, well-known Palm Beach society architect Addison Mizner revealed his plans for an ambitious new development in Boca Raton. The plans included a gigantic oceanfront hotel, elegant mansions, golf and polo grounds, and palm-lined boulevards. The popularity of Mizner's projects stimulated many similar developments within the region, increasing the population of the town from 100 to several hundred residents. By the fall of 1926, however, the Florida land boom came to an end. Boca Raton returned, for the most part, to its small-town agricultural heritage by 1930. By the end of the 20th century, boomtime dreams were fully realized and Boca Raton became one of Florida's most prestigious addresses.

Nestled between the St. Johns Riverand the Atlantic Ocean, Deland, Florida has a history all its own. Perfect for fans of Florida history.

When Henry A. DeLand sat down to plan a town in the summer of 1876, he envisioned a place that would become a religious, educational, business, and social center--the Athens of Florida.

Deland made his dream a reality by investing his livelihood in the town that would be named for him. He donated the land for the first municipal building that doubled as a church and school and funded the school that would become Stetson University. Ever since, the city of DeLand has had an interesting and rich history. Much of this unique history has been captured and preserved in postcards published throughout the past hundred-plus years.

Author L. Thomas "Tom'? Roberts is a past president and historian of the year of the West Volusia Historical Society. The majority of the imagery used for this book comes courtesy of Jim Cara, owner of the most complete collection of DeLand postcards in existence.

The creation of Sarasota County in 1921 inspired intrigue and drama, pitting local economic rivals against one another.

The civic leaders of the Sarasota district fought what they saw as an incompetent and biased Manatee County Commission for seven years to build the roads needed to support their ambitions for growth and prosperity before finally winning out. They encountered other challenges, including the great Florida land boom of the 1920s, the construction of the Tamiami Trail and even an unsolved murder, but Sarasotans persevered to realize their dreams and fulfill their economic ambitions. Dr. Frank Cassell recounts this dramatic history and the tales of the men and women who led the county independence movement.

33154: The zip code for paradise.

One of the most affluent zip codes in the United States, 33154 encompasses Bal Harbour, Bay Harbor Islands, Indian Creek Village, and Surfside, just north of Miami Beach. Part of the Miami-Dade miracle settlements that sprang from mangrove marshes into exclusive havens in little more than a generation, it's by far one of the most beautiful areas in all of Florida, and millions of visitors from around the world agree. Each community has an extraordinary history of dreamers, daredevils, and entrepreneurs who transformed open fields and tangled undergrowth into four of the country's most desirable destinations.

St. Augustine was more than three centuries old when tourism awakened the sleepy Spanish village.

Soon after Standard Oil's Henry Flagler brought the railroad to town in the 1880s, well-heeled visitors began flocking to Flagler's luxury hotels as St. Augustine became known as the ""American Riviera."" Tourists walked the quaint, narrow streets and visited the historical attractions such as the old city gate, the long-abandoned Spanish fort, the alligator farm, the Fountain of Youth, and the four houses that all claim to be the oldest in the country.Postcard History Series: St. Augustine in the Gilded Agedepicts the oldest city in the United States from the golden age of postcards. The volume presents more than 200 images from the archives of the St. Augustine Historical Society and the author's personal collection.

Take time for a glorious return to the campfires, the singing, the trails and the trials of Greater Jacksonville's most iconic summer camps.

Revisit Florida at a time when children were much more at home in the wild. The balmy northeast corner of the state, filled with lakes and forests primeval, was a camper's paradise. Iconic summer camps like Blanding, Chowenwaw, Echockotee, Immokalee, Montgomery, Keystone, Seminole and Weed played vital roles in the development of countless children. They swapped adventures beneath the stars, a heartening reminder that even the worst days can make the best stories. Join author Dorothy K. Fletcher and experience the giddy relief of a camper who weathered their first dark night and welcomed a brilliant sunrise, just before all the fun begins!

Sit down for a spell with the bevy of famed writers who’ve found inspiration in the Florida sun.

From the Spanish explorer Cabeza de Vaca to James Patterson, writers have found inspiration in the Florida sunshine. Ernest Hemingway met his future wife at Sloppy Joe's in Key West. John Kennedy recovered from back surgery in Palm Beach while working on his Pulitzer Prize winning book. James Weldon Johnson wrote what became The Negro National Anthem at the Stanton School in Jacksonville. And Edna St. Vincent Millay watched in shock as her manuscript went up in flames in Sanibel. Florida historian James Clark tells the stories of scores of writers including Robert Frost, Jack Kerouac, John D. MacDonald, and Stephen King. Hunter Thompson driving through the streets of Key West using a bullhorn to warn the citizens, Tennessee Williams partying with Truman Capote, Ring Lardner planning a get together with Al Capone—it’s all here.

Though Plant City's name may seem indicative of the many luscious flowers and produce grown in Florida's plant nurseries, the town is actually named for one specific man.

Local legend says that railroad magnate Henry B. Plant never came to Plant City--true or not, he played a significant role in the development of the area. The original community settlement, known as Shiloh, was north of the current town center; a walk through the historic Shiloh Cemetery is a walk through the history of Plant City, with granite markers dating back as 1841. It wasn't until the mid-1880s that Plant extended his South Florida Railroad through the area, providing a means for growth and prosperity. Plant City was incorporated in 1885, and the rest is Florida history.

Tallahassee: A Capital City History chronicles the story of the city's growth from a frontier community into a modern Southern metropolis, renowned for its beauty, football, and political dramas. First, readers will journey with Panfilo de Narvaez, Hernando de Soto, and other waves of Spanish adventurers searching for the promise of gold and silver as they explored the lush wilderness that was Tallahassee. From there, readers discover a landscape ever changing as the centuries brought new settlers with pioneer visions of growth and wealth. Touching upon the major eras of this city's history, antebellum, Civil War, Reconstruction, the Depression, and Civil Rights, this comprehensive volume details the full identity of Tallahassee, celebrating its major figures and remembering the contributions of many of its everyday people, who truly shaped the course of Tallahassee's evolution.

Daytona Beach, home of the world's greatest international speedway, grew out of a small settlement established in 1876 and named in honor of its founder, Matthias Day.

Located in central Florida along the Halifax River, the area now known as the Daytona Beach Historical District was once the Orange Grove Plantation, a citrus and sugar cane plantation granted to Samuel Williams in 1787, but it was essentially destroyed during the 1836 Second Seminole War. In 1871, Matthias Day of Mansfield, Ohio, purchased the 3,200 acre tract of the former plantation, and from there, the Daytona Beach we know today began to take shape. Since that time, prominent and obscure individuals alike have created a unique city that is as visitor friendly as it is the ideal home for loyal residents. The striking images in this pictorial history illustrate the evolution on this famous beach town from its beginning in 1876 to the present day.