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Florida Collection April 2024 Suniland Magazine Tourist Camp scene at Six Mile Camp: Hillsborough County, Fla., 1925, PA 3934 Burgert Brothers Photographic Collection
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FEATURED BOOKS FROM THE FLORIDA COLLECTION:
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At the Dawn of Tourism in Florida: Abolitionists, Print Media, and Images for Early Vacationers by John T. Foster "John T. Foster Jr. makes a compelling argument that the birth of tourism in Florida did not begin with the railroad barons of the 1880s as is popularly believed, but with abolitionist writers of the Reconstruction era, following the Civil War. Progressive Northerners were lured to the state with colorful descriptions of desirable weather and abundant natural beauty. It was with these forward-thinking writers that Modern Florida was born."
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Cypress Gardens, America's Tropical Wonderlandby Lu Vickers At Cypress Gardens--the original Florida theme park--movie stars, water-ski champs, and southern sweethearts created magic. More than anyone, even Walt Disney, Dick Pope Sr. invented Florida as America's dream vacationland. This journey back to the attraction in its heyday brims with wonderful images, true tales, and the author's great love for and understanding of the real Florida."--Joy Wallace Dickinson, author of Orlando: City of Dreams
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This engaging short work of anthropology and Florida Indian history deserves a wide audience. It is sophisticated enough for a university seminar but filled with appeal for anyone interested in Native Americans, Florida history or the interaction of tourists and native peoples.
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Glass Bottom Boats & Mermaid Tails: Florida's Tourist Springs
by Tim Hollis
An authority on the South’s roadside history and tourism describes the history of Florida’s natural springs, discussing how such sites as Silver Springs, Wakulla Springs, Rainbow Springs, Weeki Wachee Spring, and Homosassa Springs became popular tourist attractions and assessing the impact of the development of Orlando as a world-class vacation spot on the sites.
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Today, we're familiar with the major theme parks which charge families hundreds of dollars a day to wait in line for moments of thrills on technologically amazing rides. Florida, however, has been drawing tourists for centuries with simpler attractions which cost much less to view the animals or exhibits, or commune with nature. In Historic Photos of Florida Early Tourist Attractions, Steve Rajtar brings us back to the simpler ways early visitors enjoyed their time in the Sunshine State. Tour the state with photos of the tourist attractions which were here before Walt Disney World, in the days when a row of antique cars sufficed, and tourists did not require constant action. See the wax figures which amazed visitors long before the invention of audio animatronic mannequins. See what curiosities brought in the tourists and their dollars decades before today's theme parks dominated the billboards and themselves became worldwide vacation destinations.
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Countering the conventional narrative that Florida’s tourism industry suffered during the Great Depression, this book shows that the 1930s were the starting point for much that characterizes modern Florida’s tourism. David Nelson argues that state and federal government programs designed to reboot the economy during this decade are crucial to understanding the state today. Nelson examines the impact of three connected initiatives―the federal New Deal, its Civilian Conservation Corps program (CCC), and the CCC’s creation of the Florida Park Service. A detailed look at a unique era in which the state government sponsored the tourism industry, helped commodify natural resources, and boosted mythical ideas of the “Real Florida” that endure today, this book makes the case that the creation of the Florida Park Service is the story of modern Florida.
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Key West lies at the southernmost point of the continental United States, ninety miles from Cuba, at Mile Marker 0 on famed U.S. Highway 1. Famous for six-toed cats in the Hemingway House, Sloppy Joe's and Captain Tony's, Jimmy Buffett songs, body paint parade "costumes," and a brief secession from the Union after which the Conch Republic asked for $1 billion in foreign aid, Key West also lies at the metaphorical edge of our sensibilities.
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Simply Seagrove tells the story of one family's discovery of a very special beach community and how Seagrove Beach became their second home. This informative but fun volume explores every facet of the Seagrove experience, reviewing the background of the area, the history that made it what it is today, and the things that make it unique.
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Sunshine Paradise: A History of Florida Tourismby Tracy J. Revels For nearly two hundred years, Floridians have eagerly exploited tourism as the key to economic prosperity. As a result, the state has constantly reshaped and remodeled itself as different types of tourist heavens, and many aspects of its history have become inseparable from the fantastic images created by the tourism industry.
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St. Petersburg was the first American city to hire a public relations director and the first to initiate a successful advertising program. More than almost any other Florida city, St. Petersburg relied on a constant message in postcards, newspaper editorials, print ads and broadcast commercials to market itself as the nation's playground. By the early 1900s, this sleepy fishing village had become the tourist destination of choice for thousands of winter-weary northerners. Early enthusiasts claimed the sun-filled peninsula was "the southern garden of perpetual well-being." Their methods ranged from serious academic papers to outrageous bathing suit inspections and "world record" schemes. Join" "historian Nevin D. Sitler as he presents an entertaining look at the men who crafted the promotion of paradise.
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LIBRARY and TAMPA BAY AREA EVENTS:
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Wednesday, April 3, 6:30 - 8:00 pmTampa Bay History Center Learn about Tampa’s historic streetcar system, an iconic element of the city’s urban heritage that connects the past to the present. Residents and visitors may be familiar with the modern replica streetcars that traverse Tampa, but there are two additional archival streetcars from the early 20th century that rarely make it out of Hillsborough County’s carbarn. This presentation discusses a University of South Florida project to scan the streetcars and stations to create a digital archive for the City of Tampa. Steven Fernandez, MA, GISP, CCM, Univ. of South Florida, Associate Instructor & Director of Smart City Technology Graduate Certificate Laura Harrison, PhD, RPA, Univ. of South Florida, Assistant Research Professor & Director of Access 3D Lab Recommended for Adults Presented by the Tampa Bay History Center.
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Thursday, April 18, 2024, at 6:00 - 7:00pm C. Blythe Andrews Public Tampa Library Learn strategies for getting started with family research. Recommended for adults Registration is recommended.
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Florida Genealogical Society of Tampa Meeting Saturday, April 6, 10:15 am - 1:00 pm C.Blythe Andrews Public Library In person only This meetings focus is a tour of the C.Blythe Andrews Library and genealogy collections.
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Inside Lonely Planet's Florida Travel Guide: Lonely Planet's Top Picks - a visually inspiring collection of the destination's best experiences and where to have them. Itineraries help you build the ultimate trip based on your personal needs and interests. Local insights give you a richer, more rewarding travel experience - whether it's history, people, music, landscapes, wildlife, politics. Eating & drinking - get the most out of your gastronomic experience as we reveal the regional dishes and drinks you have to try. Theme Park Trip Planner, etc.
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Wading birds, raptors, waterfowl, pelicans, gulls & terns, shorebirds, and songbirds. These are the types of birds Florida birdwatchers can see and learn about in Ken Janes' stunning photobook Florida Birds: A Birdwatcher Discovers the Sunshine State. With all original photography by Janes and informational sections for each bird listed, those interested in the year-long hobby of Florida birdwatching will be able to not only learn key facts from this book but also display it in their homes as a piece of photo art
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Three Ringling Circus: A History of Sarasota, Florida, and the Famous Ringling Brothers by Sandra Gurvis
Three Ringling Circus focuses on the history of this family and brings to life (and light) their past and present impact on Sarasota's unique artistic, historical, and cultural scene, a rarity in Florida, where much of the economy is driven by tourism and the retirement industry.
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FLORIDA BANKING RECORDS COLLECTION
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Hillsboro State Bank, Plant City, FL, 1919. From the Burgert Brothers Photographic Collection. The building is a National Historic Landmark. |
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