Your guide to the people, places and events that made Gainesville the thriving city and educational center it is today. Gainesville, Florida, was established in the early 1850s in an area of Alachua County known for cotton farming, cattle and citrus. It soon became known for education, with many fine private schools. The arrival of the railroads made it a crossroads town that grew to be the state's fourth-largest city. The arrival in 1906 of what became the University of Florida gave Gainesville the major state-supported institution of higher education, and thereafter the city and the university were inextricably entwined. The city has grown to be a comfortable place to live, and the university is now one of the largest in the nation, with an international reputation for academics and sports.Local historian and UF Law School graduate Steve Rajtar leads you through the decades with words and pictures. An A-to-Z street guide is included to help you explore the historic homes, churches and other sites of historic Gainesville on your own.

In the decades of the 1950s, 60s, and 70s, one could wander through the city of Tampa and experience a rich variety of architectural styles, businesses, languages, and traditions, all mixed in with first-class universities, hospitals, and museums. By the 1950s, the University of South Florida was founded, and Busch Gardens opened to locals and tourists alike. The 1960s ushered in a period of construction and entertainment, with residents visiting for the first time the Lowry Park Zoo, Curtis Hixon Hall, and “The Big Sombrero,� or Tampa Stadium. Like the rest of the country, the 1970s in Tampa was a time of continued modernization and expansion. Though not immune to crime or misfortune in the thirty-year span, Tampa is remembered in Historic Photos of Tampa in the 50s, 60s, and 70s as an attractive destination and place of residence, as seen through the lens of the camera, a modern city that continues to honor its historical roots.

Founded in 1906 in Gainesville as a consolidation of several smaller institutions focusing on agriculture, teacher training, and the military, the University of Florida enjoys a storied history. From its first year’s enrollment of 102, the school has grown to become one of the largest educational institutions in the country. As a world leader in the disciplines of engineering and science, the university conducts important research in agriculture and other fields and boasts a medical school with an international reputation. Sports fans cheer the Gators football team, which holds an unbroken string of winning seasons since 1988. With a selection of fine historic images from his best-selling book Historic Photos of the University of Florida, Steve Rajtar provides a valuable and revealing historical retrospective on the growth and development of the university. Join Steve in this jaunt down memory lane as he revisits key moments, pivotal leaders, and important landmarks in the history of UF, from its origins in the nineteenth century to its progress in the mid twentieth. Remembering the University of Florida belongs in the library of every alum and all supporters of one of the nation’s leading public universities.

Nearly 200 years ago, settlers arrived in Alachua County to grow cotton and other crops. By the middle of the nineteenth century, enough people resided in the area today known as Gainesville that they decided to create a town to be the center of business and government for the county. In 1906, the focus changed with the arrival of the University of Florida. Although it then barely exceeded a hundred students, it has grown to be one of the nation’s largest universities and has gained national prominence as a leading research institution. With a selection of more than 100 fine historic images from his best-selling book, Historic Photos of Gainesville, Steve Rajtar provides a valuable and revealing historical retrospective on the growth and development of Gainesville. Remembering Gainesville showcases these black-and-white images to chronicle the growth of the city from a place where pigs, cows, and chickens ran free, to a modern city where cutting-edge research is routine.

Today, we are familiar with the large 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 over a century with simpler attractions, and for far fewer dollars to view the animals or exhibits, or commune with nature. In Remembering Florida Tourist Attractions, Steve Rajtar takes us back to the simpler ways visitors of yesteryear enjoyed their time in the Sunshine State. With a selection of fine historic images from his best-selling book, Historic Photos of Florida Tourist Attractions, Steve Rajtar provides a valuable and revealing historical retrospective on the development of tourism throughout the great state of Florida. Journey with the writer to see the sunny state in photos of the tourist attractions here before Walt Disney World, in the days when a row of antique cars enthralled visitors. See the wax figures which amazed onlookers long before the invention of audioanimatronic mannequins. See the curiosities that brought in the tourists and their dollars decades before today’s theme parks dominated the billboards and themselves became worldwide vacation destinations.

Unlike the movie ghost towns of the Old West, the ghost towns in Florida don’t have tumbleweeds rolling on deserted dirt roads, abandoned wooden saloons, and lone drifters on horseback. Although the landscape may have dramatically changed, many of these once-thriving communities declined due to widespread economic changes, disastrous weather, company closings, or vital industries disappearing or moving elsewhere. In fact, some of these so-called ghost towns have been absorbed by larger cities still inhabited by Floridians today.In Historic Photos of Florida Ghost Towns, author Steve Rajtar takes readers decades back in Florida’s history to discover these ghost towns through the lens of two hundred black-and-white photographs—in some cases, the only remains of these forgotten towns. Explore the landscapes, houses, schools, businesses, organizations, places of worship, and people who once called these now-nonexistent towns home. Imagine what life was like in hundreds of these tight-knit communities as you explore a century and a half of this sunny, populous state that many still call home.

Founded in 1906 in Gainesville as a consolidation of several smaller institutions focusing on agriculture, teacher training, and the military, the University of Florida enjoys a storied history. From its first year’s enrollment of 102, the school has grown to become one of the largest educational institutions in the country. As a world leader in the disciplines of engineering and science, the university conducts important research in agriculture and other fields and boasts a medical school with an international reputation. Sports fans cheer the football team, which holds an unbroken string of winning seasons since 1988. Join author Steve Rajtar in this jaunt down memory lane as he revisits key moments, pivotal leaders, and important landmarks in the history of UF, from its origins in the nineteenth century to recent times. Historic Photos of the University of Florida, showcasing the home of the Gators and the birthplace of Gatorade, belongs in the library of every graduate and all supporters of one of the nation’s leading public universities.

What began as a distribution center for shipping agricultural products around 150 years ago became a community noted in the twentieth century for its leadership in research and education. Historic Photos of Gainesville focuses its lens on the unfolding development of this Alachua County town, encapsulating its cultural progress over the last two centuries with nearly 200 compelling black-and-white photos. This handsome book chronicles the 1906 founding of the University of Florida and includes rare photos of its rise from modest beginnings to one of the nation’s largest universities and leading research facilities. Historic Photos of Gainesville draws from an extensive collection of rare images, revealing how a once quaint southern town became a modern-day city rich with history and educational opportunity. Archiving the growth of this vibrant community, Historic Photos of Gainesville is a must-have for area residents and historians alike.

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 audioanimatronic 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.

Every day of the year, somewhere in the United States, some sort of holiday or special remembrance is being observed by individuals, organisations, or governments. January 30 is Pennsylvanians with Disabilities Day. On March 26, Hawaii celebrates Prince Janah Kuhio Kalanianaole Day. November 9 is set aside for Women Veterans Day in Alaska, while in Puerto Rica they honour baseball scout Pedrin Zorilla, and as the sun sets, New Jersey holds a Kristallnacht Memorial Night. This book is a detailed reference work about holidays and special observances established by statute in the United States, including American Samoa, the District of Columbia, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Because the United States is a member state of the United Nations, U.N.-designated holidays and longer periods of time, such as years and decades devoted to important world issues, are also included. Following the day-by-day section, holidays are listed chronologically within their jurisdictions (federally designated observances are first in the list; states and territories follow in alphabetical order). A subject index offers invaluable aid to those wishing to celebrate a particular topic, such as nursing, education, or peace, while a name index provides swift access to holidays celebrating the lives of individuals.

The settlements along Florida’s gulf coast that now comprise Sarasota County—including Venice, Osprey, Englewood, and Sarasota—started out with economies reliant on cattle, citrus, and fish. The communities grew with the arrivals of immigrants from Scotland, transplants from among the socially prominent of Chicago, and others looking for a better place to live. The story of the county is of people such as Bertha Palmer, who was able to have a town moved, and John Ringling, who made the area the “Circus Capital of the World.� It is also the story of agricultural towns evolving into cities sought by tourists. Historic Photos of Sarasota County traces the region’s growth from the small wooden homes and fishing piers of old to the modern high-rise condominiums of today. In vivid black-and-white, the book offers historic images of the early pioneers in the wilderness, the “Tin Can Tourists� arriving in trailers, and sunbathers on the broad white beaches.