Jacksonville and the Roots of Southern Rock

Jacksonville and the Roots of Southern Rock

Author: Michael Ray FitzGerald

Publisher:

Published: 2023-09-05

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780813080352

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The Allman Brothers Band and Lynyrd Skynyrd helped usher in a new kind of southern music from Jacksonville, Florida. Together, they and fellow bands like Blackfoot, 38 Special, and Molly Hatchett would reset the course of seventies rock. Michael FitzGerald tells the story of how the River City bred this generation of legendary musicians.


Book Synopsis Jacksonville and the Roots of Southern Rock by : Michael Ray FitzGerald

Download or read book Jacksonville and the Roots of Southern Rock written by Michael Ray FitzGerald and published by . This book was released on 2023-09-05 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Allman Brothers Band and Lynyrd Skynyrd helped usher in a new kind of southern music from Jacksonville, Florida. Together, they and fellow bands like Blackfoot, 38 Special, and Molly Hatchett would reset the course of seventies rock. Michael FitzGerald tells the story of how the River City bred this generation of legendary musicians.


Jacksonville and the Roots of Southern Rock

Jacksonville and the Roots of Southern Rock

Author: Michael Ray FitzGerald

Publisher:

Published: 2020-10-06

Total Pages: 224

ISBN-13: 9780813066653

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Book Synopsis Jacksonville and the Roots of Southern Rock by : Michael Ray FitzGerald

Download or read book Jacksonville and the Roots of Southern Rock written by Michael Ray FitzGerald and published by . This book was released on 2020-10-06 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:


Secret Jacksonville: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure

Secret Jacksonville: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure

Author: Bill Delaney

Publisher: Reedy Press LLC

Published: 2021-09-15

Total Pages: 319

ISBN-13: 1681063344

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You could call Jacksonville the secret city of Florida because even many natives have a tough time pinning down its defining features and best spots. But for anyone willing to dig beneath the surface, there’s no shortage of incredible sights, hidden histories and unusual relics just waiting to be discovered. Want to see the world’s largest Native American woodcarving, chart the roots of Southern rock, or eat curly fries at the barbecue joint that claims to have invented them? Secret Jacksonville: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure is dedicated to telling the stories behind forgotten, mysterious and just plain interesting spots across Jacksonville, St. Augustine, Fernandina Beach, and the surrounding communities. Here you’ll find out where you can see a long forgotten Florida waterfall with connections to Jacksonville’s founder, and learn why there’s a tombstone in the middle of a neighborhood sidewalk. You’ll hear the stories behind local delicacies like Jacksonville-style garlic crabs, datil peppers, Mayport shrimp, and camel rider sandwiches. And of course, you’ll learn what exactly is up with that orange roadside dinosaur everyone’s always talking about. Jacksonville writer Bill Delaney has a deep passion for his hometown and a keen interest in underrepresented stories. From folklore to history and everything in between, join him to explore a side of the Bold City you can only find by leaving the welltrodden path.


Book Synopsis Secret Jacksonville: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure by : Bill Delaney

Download or read book Secret Jacksonville: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure written by Bill Delaney and published by Reedy Press LLC. This book was released on 2021-09-15 with total page 319 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: You could call Jacksonville the secret city of Florida because even many natives have a tough time pinning down its defining features and best spots. But for anyone willing to dig beneath the surface, there’s no shortage of incredible sights, hidden histories and unusual relics just waiting to be discovered. Want to see the world’s largest Native American woodcarving, chart the roots of Southern rock, or eat curly fries at the barbecue joint that claims to have invented them? Secret Jacksonville: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure is dedicated to telling the stories behind forgotten, mysterious and just plain interesting spots across Jacksonville, St. Augustine, Fernandina Beach, and the surrounding communities. Here you’ll find out where you can see a long forgotten Florida waterfall with connections to Jacksonville’s founder, and learn why there’s a tombstone in the middle of a neighborhood sidewalk. You’ll hear the stories behind local delicacies like Jacksonville-style garlic crabs, datil peppers, Mayport shrimp, and camel rider sandwiches. And of course, you’ll learn what exactly is up with that orange roadside dinosaur everyone’s always talking about. Jacksonville writer Bill Delaney has a deep passion for his hometown and a keen interest in underrepresented stories. From folklore to history and everything in between, join him to explore a side of the Bold City you can only find by leaving the welltrodden path.


Southern Rockers

Southern Rockers

Author: Marley Brant

Publisher: Billboard Books

Published: 1999

Total Pages: 288

ISBN-13: 9780823084203

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Provides a history of Southern rock, documenting the lives and careers of rockers such as the Allman Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Charlie Daniels Band, and .38 Special


Book Synopsis Southern Rockers by : Marley Brant

Download or read book Southern Rockers written by Marley Brant and published by Billboard Books. This book was released on 1999 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Provides a history of Southern rock, documenting the lives and careers of rockers such as the Allman Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Charlie Daniels Band, and .38 Special


Lynyrd Skynyrd

Lynyrd Skynyrd

Author: Gene Odom

Publisher: Crown

Published: 2002-10-08

Total Pages: 272

ISBN-13: 0767910281

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The first complete, unvarnished history of Southern rock’s legendary and most popular band, from its members’ hardscrabble boyhoods in Jacksonville, Florida and their rise to worldwide fame to the tragic plane crash that killed the founder and the band’s rise again from the ashes. In the summer of 1964 Jacksonville, Florida teenager Ronnie Van Zant and some of his friends hatched the idea of forming a band to play covers of the Rolling Stones, Beatles, Yardbirds and the country and blues-rock music they had grown to love. Naming their band after Leonard Skinner, the gym teacher at Robert E. Lee Senior High School who constantly badgered the long-haired aspiring musicians to get haircuts, they were soon playing gigs at parties, and bars throughout the South. During the next decade Lynyrd Skynyrd grew into the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful of the rock bands to emerge from the South since the Allman Brothers. Their hits “Free Bird” and “Sweet Home Alabama” became classics. Then, at the height of its popularlity in 1977, the band was struck with tragedy --a plane crash that killed Ronnie Van Zant and two other band members. Lynyrd Skynyrd: Remembering the Free Birds of Southern Rock is an intimate chronicle of the band from its earliest days through the plane crash and its aftermath, to its rebirth and current status as an enduring cult favorite. From his behind-the-scenes perspective as Ronnie Van Zant’s lifelong friend and frequent member of the band’s entourage who was also aboard the plane on that fateful flight, Gene Odom reveals the unique synthesis of blues/country rock and songwriting talent, relentless drive, rebellious Southern swagger and down-to-earth sensibility that brought the band together and made it a defining and hugely popular Southern rock band -- as well as the destructive forces that tore it apart. Illustrated throughout with rare photos, Odom traces the band’s rise to fame and shares personal stories that bring to life the band’s journey. For the fans who have purchased a cumulative 35 million copies of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s albums and continue to pack concerts today, Lynyrd Skynyrd is a celebration of an immortal American band.


Book Synopsis Lynyrd Skynyrd by : Gene Odom

Download or read book Lynyrd Skynyrd written by Gene Odom and published by Crown. This book was released on 2002-10-08 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first complete, unvarnished history of Southern rock’s legendary and most popular band, from its members’ hardscrabble boyhoods in Jacksonville, Florida and their rise to worldwide fame to the tragic plane crash that killed the founder and the band’s rise again from the ashes. In the summer of 1964 Jacksonville, Florida teenager Ronnie Van Zant and some of his friends hatched the idea of forming a band to play covers of the Rolling Stones, Beatles, Yardbirds and the country and blues-rock music they had grown to love. Naming their band after Leonard Skinner, the gym teacher at Robert E. Lee Senior High School who constantly badgered the long-haired aspiring musicians to get haircuts, they were soon playing gigs at parties, and bars throughout the South. During the next decade Lynyrd Skynyrd grew into the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful of the rock bands to emerge from the South since the Allman Brothers. Their hits “Free Bird” and “Sweet Home Alabama” became classics. Then, at the height of its popularlity in 1977, the band was struck with tragedy --a plane crash that killed Ronnie Van Zant and two other band members. Lynyrd Skynyrd: Remembering the Free Birds of Southern Rock is an intimate chronicle of the band from its earliest days through the plane crash and its aftermath, to its rebirth and current status as an enduring cult favorite. From his behind-the-scenes perspective as Ronnie Van Zant’s lifelong friend and frequent member of the band’s entourage who was also aboard the plane on that fateful flight, Gene Odom reveals the unique synthesis of blues/country rock and songwriting talent, relentless drive, rebellious Southern swagger and down-to-earth sensibility that brought the band together and made it a defining and hugely popular Southern rock band -- as well as the destructive forces that tore it apart. Illustrated throughout with rare photos, Odom traces the band’s rise to fame and shares personal stories that bring to life the band’s journey. For the fans who have purchased a cumulative 35 million copies of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s albums and continue to pack concerts today, Lynyrd Skynyrd is a celebration of an immortal American band.


Jacksonville and the Roots of Southern Rock

Jacksonville and the Roots of Southern Rock

Author: Michael Ray FitzGerald

Publisher: University Press of Florida

Published: 2020-09-15

Total Pages: 194

ISBN-13: 0813065704

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The enduring achievement and legacy of a rock movement Florida Book Awards, Bronze Medal for Florida Nonfiction The Allman Brothers Band and Lynyrd Skynyrd helped usher in a new kind of southern music from Jacksonville, Florida. Together, they and fellow bands like Blackfoot, 38 Special, and Molly Hatchet would reset the course of seventies rock. Yet Jacksonville seemed an unlikely hotbed for a new musical movement. Michael FitzGerald blends eyewitness detail with in-depth history to tell the story of how the River City bred this generation of legendary musicians. As he profiles essential bands alongside forerunners like Gram Parsons and Cowboy, FitzGerald reveals how the powerful local AM radio station worked with newspapers and television stations to nurture talent. Media attention in turn created a public hungry for live performances by area bands. What became the southern rock elite welded relentless determination to a ferocious work ethic, honing their gifts on a testing ground that brooked no weakness and took no prisoners. FitzGerald looks at the music as the diverse soundtrack to a neo-southern lifestyle that reconciled different segments of society in Jacksonville, and across the nation, in the late sixties and early seventies. A vivid journey into a crucible of American music, Jacksonville and the Roots of Southern Rock shines a light on the artists and songs that powered a phenomenon.


Book Synopsis Jacksonville and the Roots of Southern Rock by : Michael Ray FitzGerald

Download or read book Jacksonville and the Roots of Southern Rock written by Michael Ray FitzGerald and published by University Press of Florida. This book was released on 2020-09-15 with total page 194 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The enduring achievement and legacy of a rock movement Florida Book Awards, Bronze Medal for Florida Nonfiction The Allman Brothers Band and Lynyrd Skynyrd helped usher in a new kind of southern music from Jacksonville, Florida. Together, they and fellow bands like Blackfoot, 38 Special, and Molly Hatchet would reset the course of seventies rock. Yet Jacksonville seemed an unlikely hotbed for a new musical movement. Michael FitzGerald blends eyewitness detail with in-depth history to tell the story of how the River City bred this generation of legendary musicians. As he profiles essential bands alongside forerunners like Gram Parsons and Cowboy, FitzGerald reveals how the powerful local AM radio station worked with newspapers and television stations to nurture talent. Media attention in turn created a public hungry for live performances by area bands. What became the southern rock elite welded relentless determination to a ferocious work ethic, honing their gifts on a testing ground that brooked no weakness and took no prisoners. FitzGerald looks at the music as the diverse soundtrack to a neo-southern lifestyle that reconciled different segments of society in Jacksonville, and across the nation, in the late sixties and early seventies. A vivid journey into a crucible of American music, Jacksonville and the Roots of Southern Rock shines a light on the artists and songs that powered a phenomenon.


Music Everywhere

Music Everywhere

Author: Marty Jourard

Publisher:

Published: 2016

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780813062587

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"A highly entertaining, well-written look at a city that played a major role in the history of rock and roll music. Kudos to Marty Jourard on a book of historical importance."-Kudzoo Magazine "Jourard tells the story so that you feel you are there in the humid clubs watching history unfold in a time when regional music scenes truly were unique."-Charles R. Cross, author of Heavier Than Heaven: A Biography of Kurt Cobain "Jourard clearly demonstrates that Gainesville's contributions are no less vital than those of New York City, Chicago, Memphis, Los Angeles, Seattle, and so many more."-Marc Eliot, author of To the Limit: The Untold Story of the Eagles "A musical rags-to-riches story that you can dance to. Here's the story of a little southern town that made a big impact on American music."-WilliamMcKeen, editor of Homegrown in Florida "Gainesville is a key destination in central and north-central Florida's growing reputation as America's foremost incubator for important guitarists of rock and roll: Petty, Felder, Stills, Allman, Betts, Dudek, Rossington, Parsons, Campbell, and Leadon among many others. Jourard, himself part of Gainesville's music history alongside members of his hit-making band the Motels, deserves accolades for his immersive exploration of his hometown's myriad contributions to rock history."-Bob Kealing, author of Calling Me Home: Gram Parsons and the Roots of Country Rock "From Stephen Stills to the Certain Amount, from Leadon and Felder to Sister Hazel, from hootenannies to the Heartbreakers to everyone in between, this is the story of a place called Gainesville and its ever-enduring songs of the South." -Jeff Lemlich, author of Savage Lost: Florida Garage Bands; The '60s and Beyond 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. Marty Jourard, a Gainesville native who released five albums and two top-ten singles with the 1980s band the Motels, is the author of Start Your Own Band. He teaches songwrit¬ing classes at


Book Synopsis Music Everywhere by : Marty Jourard

Download or read book Music Everywhere written by Marty Jourard and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "A highly entertaining, well-written look at a city that played a major role in the history of rock and roll music. Kudos to Marty Jourard on a book of historical importance."-Kudzoo Magazine "Jourard tells the story so that you feel you are there in the humid clubs watching history unfold in a time when regional music scenes truly were unique."-Charles R. Cross, author of Heavier Than Heaven: A Biography of Kurt Cobain "Jourard clearly demonstrates that Gainesville's contributions are no less vital than those of New York City, Chicago, Memphis, Los Angeles, Seattle, and so many more."-Marc Eliot, author of To the Limit: The Untold Story of the Eagles "A musical rags-to-riches story that you can dance to. Here's the story of a little southern town that made a big impact on American music."-WilliamMcKeen, editor of Homegrown in Florida "Gainesville is a key destination in central and north-central Florida's growing reputation as America's foremost incubator for important guitarists of rock and roll: Petty, Felder, Stills, Allman, Betts, Dudek, Rossington, Parsons, Campbell, and Leadon among many others. Jourard, himself part of Gainesville's music history alongside members of his hit-making band the Motels, deserves accolades for his immersive exploration of his hometown's myriad contributions to rock history."-Bob Kealing, author of Calling Me Home: Gram Parsons and the Roots of Country Rock "From Stephen Stills to the Certain Amount, from Leadon and Felder to Sister Hazel, from hootenannies to the Heartbreakers to everyone in between, this is the story of a place called Gainesville and its ever-enduring songs of the South." -Jeff Lemlich, author of Savage Lost: Florida Garage Bands; The '60s and Beyond 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. Marty Jourard, a Gainesville native who released five albums and two top-ten singles with the 1980s band the Motels, is the author of Start Your Own Band. He teaches songwrit¬ing classes at


A Punkhouse in the Deep South

A Punkhouse in the Deep South

Author: Aaron Cometbus

Publisher: University Press of Florida

Published: 2021-09-20

Total Pages: 182

ISBN-13: 0813072093

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Radical subcultures in an unlikely place Told in personal interviews, this is the collective story of a punk community in an unlikely town and region, a hub of radical counterculture that drew artists and musicians from throughout the conservative South and earned national renown. The house at 309 6th Avenue has long been a crossroads for punk rock, activism, veganism, and queer culture in Pensacola, a quiet Gulf Coast city at the border of Florida and Alabama. In this book, residents of 309 narrate the colorful and often comical details of communal life in the crowded and dilapidated house over its 30-year existence. Terry Johnson, Ryan “Rymodee” Modee, Gloria Diaz, Skott Cowgill, and others tell of playing in bands including This Bike Is a Pipe Bomb, operating local businesses such as End of the Line Cafe, forming feminist support groups, and creating zines and art. Each voice adds to the picture of a lively community that worked together to provide for their own needs while making a positive, lasting impact on their surrounding area. Together, these participants show that punk is more than music and teenage rebellion. It is about alternatives to standard narratives of living, acceptance for the marginalized in a rapidly changing world, and building a sense of family from the ground up. Including photos by Cynthia Connolly and Mike Brodie, A Punkhouse in the Deep South illuminates many individual lives and creative endeavors that found a home and thrived in one of the oldest continuously inhabited punkhouses in the United States.


Book Synopsis A Punkhouse in the Deep South by : Aaron Cometbus

Download or read book A Punkhouse in the Deep South written by Aaron Cometbus and published by University Press of Florida. This book was released on 2021-09-20 with total page 182 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Radical subcultures in an unlikely place Told in personal interviews, this is the collective story of a punk community in an unlikely town and region, a hub of radical counterculture that drew artists and musicians from throughout the conservative South and earned national renown. The house at 309 6th Avenue has long been a crossroads for punk rock, activism, veganism, and queer culture in Pensacola, a quiet Gulf Coast city at the border of Florida and Alabama. In this book, residents of 309 narrate the colorful and often comical details of communal life in the crowded and dilapidated house over its 30-year existence. Terry Johnson, Ryan “Rymodee” Modee, Gloria Diaz, Skott Cowgill, and others tell of playing in bands including This Bike Is a Pipe Bomb, operating local businesses such as End of the Line Cafe, forming feminist support groups, and creating zines and art. Each voice adds to the picture of a lively community that worked together to provide for their own needs while making a positive, lasting impact on their surrounding area. Together, these participants show that punk is more than music and teenage rebellion. It is about alternatives to standard narratives of living, acceptance for the marginalized in a rapidly changing world, and building a sense of family from the ground up. Including photos by Cynthia Connolly and Mike Brodie, A Punkhouse in the Deep South illuminates many individual lives and creative endeavors that found a home and thrived in one of the oldest continuously inhabited punkhouses in the United States.


An American Beach for African Americans

An American Beach for African Americans

Author: Marsha Dean Phelts

Publisher: University Press of Florida

Published: 2010-05-25

Total Pages: 228

ISBN-13: 0813059569

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In the only complete history of Florida’s American Beach to date, Marsha Dean Phelts draws together personal interviews, photos, newspaper articles, memoirs, maps, and official documents to reconstruct the character and traditions of Amelia Island’s 200-acre African American community. In its heyday, when other beaches grudgingly provided only limited access, black vacationers traveled as many as 1,000 miles down the east coast of the United States and hundreds of miles along the Gulf coast to a beachfront that welcomed their business. Beginning in 1781 with the Samuel Harrison homestead on the southern end of Amelia Island, Phelts traces the birth of the community to General Sherman’s Special Field Order No. 15, in which the Union granted many former Confederate coastal holdings, including Harrison’s property, to former slaves. She then follows the lineage of the first African American families known to have settled in the area to descendants remaining there today, including those of Zephaniah Kingsley and his wife, Anna Jai. Moving through the Jim Crow era, Phelts describes the development of American Beach’s predecessors in the early 1900s. Finally, she provides the fullest account to date of the life and contributions of Abraham Lincoln Lewis, the wealthy African American businessman who in 1935, as president of the Afro-American Life Insurance Company, initiated the purchase and development of the tract of seashore known as American Beach. From Lewis’s arrival on the scene, Phelts follows the community’s sustained development and growth, highlighting landmarks like the Ocean-Vu-Inn and the Blue Palace and concluding with a stirring plea for the preservation of American Beach, which is currently threatened by encroaching development. In a narrative full of firsthand accounts and "old-timer" stories, Phelts, who has vacationed at American Beach since she was four and now lives there, frequently adopts the style of an oral historian to paint what is ultimately a personal and intimate portrait of a community rich in heritage and culture.


Book Synopsis An American Beach for African Americans by : Marsha Dean Phelts

Download or read book An American Beach for African Americans written by Marsha Dean Phelts and published by University Press of Florida. This book was released on 2010-05-25 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the only complete history of Florida’s American Beach to date, Marsha Dean Phelts draws together personal interviews, photos, newspaper articles, memoirs, maps, and official documents to reconstruct the character and traditions of Amelia Island’s 200-acre African American community. In its heyday, when other beaches grudgingly provided only limited access, black vacationers traveled as many as 1,000 miles down the east coast of the United States and hundreds of miles along the Gulf coast to a beachfront that welcomed their business. Beginning in 1781 with the Samuel Harrison homestead on the southern end of Amelia Island, Phelts traces the birth of the community to General Sherman’s Special Field Order No. 15, in which the Union granted many former Confederate coastal holdings, including Harrison’s property, to former slaves. She then follows the lineage of the first African American families known to have settled in the area to descendants remaining there today, including those of Zephaniah Kingsley and his wife, Anna Jai. Moving through the Jim Crow era, Phelts describes the development of American Beach’s predecessors in the early 1900s. Finally, she provides the fullest account to date of the life and contributions of Abraham Lincoln Lewis, the wealthy African American businessman who in 1935, as president of the Afro-American Life Insurance Company, initiated the purchase and development of the tract of seashore known as American Beach. From Lewis’s arrival on the scene, Phelts follows the community’s sustained development and growth, highlighting landmarks like the Ocean-Vu-Inn and the Blue Palace and concluding with a stirring plea for the preservation of American Beach, which is currently threatened by encroaching development. In a narrative full of firsthand accounts and "old-timer" stories, Phelts, who has vacationed at American Beach since she was four and now lives there, frequently adopts the style of an oral historian to paint what is ultimately a personal and intimate portrait of a community rich in heritage and culture.


The Nine Lives of Florida's Famous Key Marco Cat

The Nine Lives of Florida's Famous Key Marco Cat

Author: Austin J. Bell

Publisher: University Press of Florida

Published: 2021-09-21

Total Pages: 275

ISBN-13: 081307200X

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Secrets of an iconic artifact Florida Book Awards, Bronze Medal for Florida Nonfiction Florida Trust for Historic Preservation Award for Meritorious Achievement in Preservation Communications Excavated from a waterlogged archaeological site on the shores of subtropical Florida by legendary anthropologist Frank Hamilton Cushing in 1896, the Key Marco Cat has become a modern icon of heritage, history, and local identity. This book takes readers into the deep past of the artifact and the Native American society in which it was created. Austin Bell explores nine periods in the life of the six-inch-high wooden carving, beginning with how it was sculpted with shell and shark-tooth tools and what it may have represented to the ancient Calusa—perhaps a human-panther god. Preserved in the muck for centuries on Marco Island and discovered in pristine condition due to its oxygen-free environment, the Cat has since traveled more than 12,000 miles and has been viewed by millions of people. It is one of the Smithsonian Institution’s most irreplaceable items. In this fascinating account, Bell traces the clues to the Cat’s mysterious origins that have emerged in its later lives. Captivating readers with the miracle and beauty of this rare example of pre-Columbian art, Bell marvels at how an object originally understood to hold cosmological power has indeed transformed the people and places around it. The Nine Lives of Florida’s Famous Key Marco Cat is the story of a timeless masterpiece of staggering simplicity that has prevailed over impossibly long odds.


Book Synopsis The Nine Lives of Florida's Famous Key Marco Cat by : Austin J. Bell

Download or read book The Nine Lives of Florida's Famous Key Marco Cat written by Austin J. Bell and published by University Press of Florida. This book was released on 2021-09-21 with total page 275 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Secrets of an iconic artifact Florida Book Awards, Bronze Medal for Florida Nonfiction Florida Trust for Historic Preservation Award for Meritorious Achievement in Preservation Communications Excavated from a waterlogged archaeological site on the shores of subtropical Florida by legendary anthropologist Frank Hamilton Cushing in 1896, the Key Marco Cat has become a modern icon of heritage, history, and local identity. This book takes readers into the deep past of the artifact and the Native American society in which it was created. Austin Bell explores nine periods in the life of the six-inch-high wooden carving, beginning with how it was sculpted with shell and shark-tooth tools and what it may have represented to the ancient Calusa—perhaps a human-panther god. Preserved in the muck for centuries on Marco Island and discovered in pristine condition due to its oxygen-free environment, the Cat has since traveled more than 12,000 miles and has been viewed by millions of people. It is one of the Smithsonian Institution’s most irreplaceable items. In this fascinating account, Bell traces the clues to the Cat’s mysterious origins that have emerged in its later lives. Captivating readers with the miracle and beauty of this rare example of pre-Columbian art, Bell marvels at how an object originally understood to hold cosmological power has indeed transformed the people and places around it. The Nine Lives of Florida’s Famous Key Marco Cat is the story of a timeless masterpiece of staggering simplicity that has prevailed over impossibly long odds.