Kevin M. McCarthy – författare

Come aboard! Put on your hat and throw away your cares. Let''s float down the most important river in Florida: the mighty St. Johns (though for this north-flowing river, down is up!). We''ll start where the river starts, in the marshes west of Vero Beach, and end up 310 miles later at the Atlantic Ocean.

This guide describes the history, major towns and cities along the way, wildlife, and personages associated with the river. You''ll go by Sanford and Georgetown, Palatka and Orange Park. And at the mouth of the river, you''ll encounter the metropolis of Jacksonville and the Naval Station in Mayport.

You''ll meet some of the most important people in our state''s history: Jean Ribault, John and William Bartram, Zephaniah Kingsley, Harriet Beecher Stowe; as well as many important groups: Timucuan and Seminole Indians, runaway slaves, British and Spanish settlers, and missionaries.

You will see manatees and jumping fish and lots of species of birds. Away from the big towns on quiet weekdays, you will experience a solitude and closeness to nature that may surprise you in this very populated state.

This new edition has completely updated traveling information, including websites and phone numbers.

Anyone looking to escape the hustle and bustle of the modern world for a while is invited to sit back and enjoy a leisurely trip down one of the best-known and most beloved rivers in the country. Flowing more than 230 miles from the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia to the Gulf of Mexico in Florida, the Suwannee may well be the last unspoiled river in the Southeast.

Complete with travel information and tips for those exploring the area by water or by land, this comprehensive guide describes the history, major towns and cities along the way, wildlife, and personages associated with the river. As you journey down the river, you''ll stop by places like White Springs and Branford, Old Town and Fowler''s Bluff. You''ll see manatees, jumping fish, alligators, and many species of birds.

You''ll also be introduced to some of the most important people and groups in Florida''s history, including the Timucuan and Seminole Indians, Spanish missionaries and explorers, Stephen C. Foster, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, and William Bartram, as well as the organizations and agencies that have fought to preserve and protect this magnificent river and its watershed.

The Suwannee River Guidebook will open your eyes to a part of Florida you may be surprised to learn still exists, one largely untouched by developers and full of natural wonder.

This teachers'' manual is meant to accompany the text entitled African Americans in Florida. The manual includes, for each chapter, (1) the key terms that are bold-faced in the text and defined in the glossary, (2) research questions for possible further work, (3) discussion topics for the classroom, and (4) a project geared to the particular chapter. The text is based on the recommendations put forth by the Study Commission on African American History in Florida, which was established by the Florida Legislature in 1990. The book integrates suggestions made by this and other educational commissions, by, for example, placing an emphasis on the role that history and geography have played in the story of African Americans of Florida. Teachers might want to use the text as a supplemental resource, not only in Black History Month, but throughout the school year.

Blackbeard, Jose Gaspar, Jean Lafitte—the names conjure up a romantic, swashbuckling figure with a black patch over one eye, a cutlass in his teeth, and a brace of pistols tucked into his waistband. Actors such as Errol Flynn did much to create that devil-may-care attitude glamorized on the silver screen, but in fact, real pirates were not so admirable; for the most part they were cruel, greedy, dastardly brigands, many of whom were slave traders or smugglers in addition to being pirates. Still, we continue to be fascinated by their lives and exploits, perhaps because they led such adventurous lives full of bravery, recklessness and daring.

It is certainly more enjoyable— and safer—to read about pirates than to encounter one. This book chronicles the lives and times of 20 notable Florida pirates, from the English privateers of the 1500s to present-day drug smugglers and “yachtjackers." Pirates have always found easy prey in the seas around Florida; not only did the treasure-laden ships on their way back to Europe have to sail close to Florida''s shores to catch the currents east, but the treacherous Florida Reef foundered many a ship, making easy pickings.

Most of what we know about pirates comes from Navy records, newspaper accounts, or eyewitness statements from those whom the pirates spared. This book distills the most interesting facts from many sources into a book that will be enjoyed by anyone interested in a different perspective on Florida''s history.

Sunken treasure, cannibalism, prison ships, Nazi submarines, the Bermuda triangle—all are tied into the lore of shipwrecks along Florida''s coasts. There are as many shipwreck stories as there are thousands of Florida shipwrecks. This book offers thirty of the most interesting of them—from the tale of young Fontaneda, who wrecked in 1545 and was held captive by Indians for 17 years, to the story of the Coast Guard cutter Bibb, which was sunk off Key Largo in 1987 to provide an artificial reef and diving site. In between there is the Atocha, flagship of a Spanish treasure fleet, which sank in a hurricane in September 1622 and was found, along with its $100 million worth of gold and silver, by Mel Fisher in July of 1985.

Each shipwreck story has a map pinpointing its location and a full-color illustration by renowned artist William L. Trotter. There is an extensive bibliography and a foreword by Florida state underwater archaeologist Roger Smith.