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An Artist’s Adventures in Florida

By Rachel Laue – William E.B. Hayman was born in 1837 in Devon, England. It is unclear when Hayman emigrated to the United States, but by 1880 he resided in Newport, Rhode Island, with his wife Rebecca, and his three children, Willie, Clara, and Emma. He owned a business in…

Some Advice from Stetson Kennedy, Still the Nation’s Foremost Klan-Buster

By James Cusick – October 5th marks the birthday of folklorist, activist, writer and Klan-fighter William Stetson Kennedy (1916-2011).  He would have been 105 years old today!  And although Stetson is no longer here in the flesh, his words and warnings about the dangers we are facing from white supremacy…

1821 – Florida Becomes Part of the United States

  This year marks the 200th anniversary of Florida’s entry into the United States.  As a result of the Adams-Onís (or Transcontinental) Treaty, the two Spanish colonies of East and West Florida were transferred from Spain to the United States and became a single American territory, initially with twin…

Florida in 1821 – A Small but Diverse Population – by James Cusick

  The new territory of Florida entered the American Union with a population that still represented the core of its colonial population under Spain.  Although American settlers would quickly migrate to Florida in search of land – the population rose from 8,000 people to 34,730 in just 10 years –…

The Redoubtable Mary Boyd

By Rachel Laue, Graduate Research Assistant,  2021 The stories we hear of pioneer lives conjure a certain set of images. Often they are of hardy men breaking new ground, planting new groves, and going off to war. The contributions of women in these stories are typically depicted as domestic,…

Transcribing Florida’s History

By Rachel Laue, Graduate Research Assistant (2020-2021) What do the letters of an orange-grove obsessed young man named Pliny Reasoner and an unknown woman’s handwritten romance novel have in common? More than you might think, as I have learned. I am a fourth year PhD candidate at UF,…

New Books about the Dozier Boys School

Dormitories at the Dozier Boys School, Marianna, Fla. Photograph from Florida Memory. The Florida Industrial School for Boys, established near Marianna, Florida, in 1900, became infamous for abusive treatment of youth sent to live and work there.  Set up as what was essentially a juvenile delinquent detention center…