By Bridget Bihm-Manuel In 1915, Ivar Widing, a Swedish immigrant living in Boston, decided to sail to Key West alone in a small boat, called the “Nutshell,” which was only five feet wide and twelve feet long. He left Boston on December 8 with a small number of supplies. Each…
By Myla Wasser During my time at the George A. Smathers Library, I’ve worked extensively with the Florida Ephemera Collection. For each piece of ephemera I determined the genre, wrote and abstract with relevant keywords, and added the date of publication. In total, I have worked with…
In celebration of Juneteenth we make some notes of its celebration in Florida and provide some poems on its themes. Juneteenth officially commemorates the reading of the Emancipation Proclamation in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865. Col. Gordon Granger, commander of the IV Corps of the Army of the Cumberland,…
This event is now available online. Join us for a talk by Larry O. Rivers (Associate Professor of History, University of West Georgia) on his new book James Hudson: Forgotten Forerunner in the Crusade for Civil Rights (2024) followed by a panel discussion about the discipline of history with…
The Ministry of Culture in Spain has acquired the extensive private archive of the Condes of Güemes y Revilla-Gigedo which will be housed in the Archivo Histórico de la Nobleza, Toledo. These papers encompass the family archive of the ancestors of Álvaro Armada Barcaiztegui, the current Conde de Revilla-Gigedo, and contain…
Julien Chandler Yonge, about 15 or 16 years old – From an original photograph belonging to Joel Henry Horne. His cap bears the initials for the Alabama Male College (later Auburn) and his lapel pin shows the initials of his fraternity, Phi Kappa Alpha. This year marks the 145th anniversary…
By Rachel Laue – The life of an activist is often unconventional, but few more so than long-time peace movement advocates, John and Martina Linnehan. When the couple met in 1969 they were both in holy orders. Martina, a nun with the Sisters of St. Joseph in St. Augustine, and…
By Rachel Laue – The pioneer settlements of nineteenth-century Florida were rife with hardships and potential dangers. Settlers contended with adverse weather, fires, wildlife, and accidents often far from the help of modern conveniences, medical care, or other people. In the settlement along the Manatee River, there was another, more…
By James Cusick – In the 1920s, the small movie production company of Norman Studios, in Jacksonville, Florida, became a vehicle for starting the careers of numerous African-American actors and actresses. Prominent among them was John Lawrence Criner (1898-1965), a member of the famed New York acting group…
By Rachel Laue and James Cusick – For Veterans Day 2021 we highlight those who served in the 868th Engineer Aviation Battalion of the U.S. Air Force during World War II. This African-American unit supported the 5th Air Force in the Pacific Theater between 1940 and 1945.
