Dig into a treasure trove of nearly forgotten Sunshine State Civil War history.At the outset of the Civil War, Florida's entire population was only a bit larger than present-day Gainesville. Still, the state played an outsized role in the conflict. Floridians fought for the Union and Confederate armies. Sunshine State farmers provided beef and other foodstuffs for the Confederacy, rations that proved increasingly consequential as the years wore on. The battles of O...

When Florida seceded from the Union in 1861, St. Augustine followed much of the South and widely supported the Confederacy. Many residents rushed to join the Confederate army. Union forces, however, quickly seized the lightly protected town and used it as a rest area for battle-weary troops. Seven Union regiments called the city home during the war. While no major engagement took place in St. Augustine, the city is filled with Civil War history, from supporting the Confederacy to accepting...

Often thought of as being for spring breakers or stock car and motorcycle enthusiasts, Daytona Beach and the surrounding area offer so much more for visitors and locals. If you are seeking fun in the sun, the World’s Most Famous Beach awaits. Volusia County offers almost 50 miles of hard-packed sands. For a unique experience, cruise along more than 15 miles of drivable beach. It’s an experience unique to Daytona Beach. Try climbing the 203 steps to the top of the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse for...

New Smyrna Beach is the third-oldest city in Florida behind only St. Augustine and Pensacola. Originally settled by Dr. Andrew Turnbull in 1768, the city accumulated significant, intriguing and stunning monuments to its past. An unusual-looking memorial to world war heroes--a cross, battle helmet and eagle--sits at Riverside Park. One of the oddest sites is a single-stone cemetery with a vault dedicated to the memory of Charles Dummett. Because of the insects that inhabit Ponce Inlet, a we...

In 1768, Scottish physician Andrew Turnbull arrived in Florida with more than 1,200 indentured servants. He and his partners dreamed of establishing a plantation settlement that would make them wealthy. Despite some successes, New Smyrna was not the financial windfall they had hoped for, and after only nine years, the settlement failed. Disgruntled workers appealed to East Florida governor Patrick Tonyn, who granted them their freedom. Many of the now free settlers took residence in St. Au...

There is no better way to see America than on foot. And there is no better way to appreciate what you are looking at than with a walking tour. Whether you are preparing for a road trip or just out to look at your own town in a new way, a downloadable walking tour is ready to explore when you are.Each walking tour describes historical and architectural landmarks and provides pictures to help out when those pesky street addresses are missing. Every tour also includes a quick primer o...

On January 30, 1847, the small harbor village of Yerba Buena was rechristened "San Francisco." As the Gold Rush quickly propelled the population to over 50,000, fortunes made in the silver Comstock lode and the railroad transformed the area into the financial and cultural center of the West. Captured here in over 200 vintage images are the life and times of the city's earliest residents and their livelihoods. Spanning the mid-1800s through the early decades of the 20th century, this book o...

Postcards are an important element of understanding our past, for they provide future generations a rare glimpse into a world that many times has disappeared under the aegis of expansion and progress. This book, containing over 200 vintage postcards, allows readers to see one of the South's most historic cities as it looked in the earlier part of the twentieth century'a time when the city was experiencing unparalleled growth. Spartanburg, South Carolina contains scenes of early textile mil...

John and Jane designed and built their dreamboat and sailed away. Destiny drew them to St. Augustine. A joint effort saw their sailboat Dursmirg launched on June 22, 1972. They sailed on a voyage south to the land with no snow. December 14, 1972, they anchored for the first time in Florida waters. Florida had beckoned them, and now they had arrived. Step into the world of St. Augustine and meet the people who made their time in St. Augustine a one-of-a-kind experience. St. Augustine had en...

Seaside Heights tells the history of a timeless seashore resort community located on a barrier island nestled between the Atlantic Ocean and Barnegat Bay. The 224-acre town was settled by residents of Philadelphia and Camden, who purchased white-sand lots to escape city life for the brisk ocean breezes and tranquility that Seaside Heights offered prior to World War II. Seaside Heights uses the scenes captured in vintage postcards, some of them very rare, as a study of the changes that have...

From the early 1900s through the 1950s, the postcard was an extraordinarily popular means of communication, and many of the postcards produced during this 'golden age' can today be considered works of art. Postcard photographers traveled the length and breadth of the nation snapping photographs of busy street scenes, documenting local landmarks, and assembling crowds of local children only too happy to pose for a picture. These images, printed as postcards and sold in general stores across...

First visited by English settlers in 1607, Virginia Beach has been a popular tourist destination ever since. The sea, sand, and sun are the most popular attractions, but throughout history the city has also been known for its unique architecture. The first geodesic dome built in the United States, designed by Buckminster Fuller, was the city's convention center for many years. The Cavalier Hotel, when built in 1927, was the state's largest brick structure. The new Cape Henry lighthouse, co...