Person.
One of my favorite Florida authors I've read, and met, since moving to Florida is Craig Pittman. Craig is an award-winning environmental science journalist whose work has appeared in lots of newspapers, magazines, and online, but, of course, EVERYTHING is History. His most recent book, published in August, is The State You're In, a collection of previously published stories about interesting and unique "Florida Men, Women, and other Wildlife." It's an incredibly fun collection of stories about 52 people and animals that make Florida Florida.
One of the stories took me back to one of my childhood heroes, Encyclopedia Brown, boy detective, created by Donald J. Sobol (1924-2012), a native New Yorker who moved to Florida in 1962. (I've found since moving to Florida that there probably more Native New Yorkers in any room than Native Floridians.) Two years later, he created Leroy "Encyclopedia" Brown, "Sherlock in sneakers." Brown was the 10-year old son of the police chief of a small fictional beach town, very much like Pinecrest Florida, where Sobol lived.
Each Encyclopedia Brown book (There are 29.) consists of 10 short stories that followed a standard formula. Either Encyclopedia's family discuss some case over dinner, and the boy detective solves the mystery by asking a couple of shrewd questions, or Brown worked for kids in his neighborhood, solving their mysteries. The fun was that the reader got to try to solve the mystery too. The solution was revealed in the back of the book. I devoured the books from my local library.
Sobol sold over 50 million books, but as I read in Craig Pittman's story, he almost never agreed to be interviewed or to engage in any publicity. He wrote every single day but hated talking about himself, so as Pittman wrote, he's likely the "most famous mystery writer you've never heard of."
Place.
One of my favorite Florida authors I've read, and met, since moving to Florida is Craig Pittman. Craig is an award-winning environmental science journalist whose work has appeared in lots of newspapers, magazines, and online, but, of course, EVERYTHING is history, so he's a history writer too. His most recent book, published in August, is The State You're In, a collection of previously published stories about interesting and unique "Florida Men, Women, and other Wildlife." It's an incredibly fun collection of stories about 52 people and animals that make Florida Florida.
Did you know there were wild bison and horses in Florida? Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park, just south of Gainesville, has both. Most people don't know that there was a slightly smaller subspecies of bison throughout the eastern US until they were hunted into extinction by about 1800. Naturalist William Bartram wrote in 1774 about Florida's bison. In the mid-1970s, it was proposed to transplant a few bison from Oklahoma to Paynes Prairie. Now there are a couple of hundred thriving there.
The horses are descended from the horses introduced by the Spanish in the 1500s and 1600s. Maybe you saw the video a couple of years ago of the wild horse attacking the alligator. That was in Paynes Prairie.
One of my favorite Florida authors I've read, and met, since moving to Florida is Craig Pittman. Craig is an award-winning environmental science journalist whose work has appeared in lots of newspapers, magazines, and online, but, of course, EVERYTHING is history, so he's a history writer too. His most recent book, published in August, is The State You're In, a collection of previously published stories about interesting and unique "Florida Men, Women, and other Wildlife." It's an incredibly fun collection of stories about 52 people and animals that make Florida Florida.
Did you know there were wild bison and horses in Florida? Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park, just south of Gainesville, has both. Most people don't know that there was a slightly smaller subspecies of bison throughout the eastern US until they were hunted into extinction by about 1800. Naturalist William Bartram wrote in 1774 about Florida's bison. In the mid-1970s, it was proposed to transplant a few bison from Oklahoma to Paynes Prairie. Now there are a couple of hundred thriving there.
The horses are descended from the horses introduced by the Spanish in the 1500s and 1600s. Maybe you saw the video a couple of years ago of the wild horse attacking the alligator. That was in Paynes Prairie.
Thing.
One of my favorite Florida authors I've read, and met, since moving to Florida is Craig Pittman. Craig is an award-winning environmental science journalist whose work has appeared in lots of newspapers, magazines, and online, but, of course, EVERYTHING is history, so he's a history writer too. His most recent book, published in August, is The State You're In, a collection of previously published stories about interesting and unique "Florida Men, Women, and other Wildlife." It's an incredibly fun collection of stories about 52 people and animals that make Florida Florida.
Everybody knows "Louie, Louie" by the Kingsmen, right? Originally written and recorded by Richard Berry, the hit song of the early 1960s has been recorded by several groups, but the Kingsmen are most associated with it. Perhaps the most famous thing about the song is that it's mostly a mystery; the lyrics are impossible to understand. Unofficial lyrics sheets started being passed around, many with dirty words.
Well, in 1964, an unnamed Sarasota Florida male high school teacher, who was upset that his daughter had bought the record, wrote Attorney General Robert Kennedy a letter demanding that the band and songwriters be tried for obscenity. The FBI and the FCC launched a 31-month long investigation. They used technology to pick the song apart. Their final ruling was that the song was "unintelligible at any speed."
By the way, the lead singer of the Kingsman, and others who would know, deny that there were ever any dirty words.
Hey, the uproar made a hit record and put the Kingsmen on the map.
One of my favorite Florida authors I've read, and met, since moving to Florida is Craig Pittman. Craig is an award-winning environmental science journalist whose work has appeared in lots of newspapers, magazines, and online, but, of course, EVERYTHING is history, so he's a history writer too. His most recent book, published in August, is The State You're In, a collection of previously published stories about interesting and unique "Florida Men, Women, and other Wildlife." It's an incredibly fun collection of stories about 52 people and animals that make Florida Florida.
Everybody knows "Louie, Louie" by the Kingsmen, right? Originally written and recorded by Richard Berry, the hit song of the early 1960s has been recorded by several groups, but the Kingsmen are most associated with it. Perhaps the most famous thing about the song is that it's mostly a mystery; the lyrics are impossible to understand. Unofficial lyrics sheets started being passed around, many with dirty words.
Well, in 1964, an unnamed Sarasota Florida male high school teacher, who was upset that his daughter had bought the record, wrote Attorney General Robert Kennedy a letter demanding that the band and songwriters be tried for obscenity. The FBI and the FCC launched a 31-month long investigation. They used technology to pick the song apart. Their final ruling was that the song was "unintelligible at any speed."
By the way, the lead singer of the Kingsman, and others who would know, deny that there were ever any dirty words.
Hey, the uproar made a hit record and put the Kingsmen on the map.
Person.
Eurith Dickinson Rivers (1895-1967), known as E.D., was the Governor of Georgia from 1937 to 1941. He fashioned himself as the "New Deal" governor, a full supporter of FDR's program to fight the Great Depression. He was a political rival of Eugene Talmadge, who was an outspoken critic of FDR and New Deal. As governor, Rivers expanded electricity in rural Georgia, moving the state from last to first in number of rural electrification associations, and he built Georgia's first public housing projects.
However, Rivers had a huge dark side. He was an avowed racist and segregationist. Of course, in those days, a Georgia politician stood no chance of election if was not. Rivers, though, was actually anointed as the "Grand Titan" of the state's Ku Klux Klan by the founder of the modern KKK, Hiram Evans. He employed Klan officers throughout his administration, bankrupted the state,band ran a pardon racket for white murderers and criminals. Meanwhile, at Georgia State Prison (or Tattnall State Prison, opened in 1938 in Reidsville), a national record (that still stands) was set during his term; six young black men were executed by electric chair on the same day, December 9, 1938, within 81 minutes.
Without Mercy by David Beasley is the story of Rivers, the Klan, and Georgia politics during the 1930s. It also parallels the stories of the six young black men with the story of two white "thrill killers" from prominent Atlanta families who were pardoned. It's a dark book about a dark spot in Georgia history.
I happened to see a couple of days ago that Georgia is closing the prison, because it would cost too much to renovate. I grew up a half hour from the prison, my grandfather and a great uncle worked there briefly in the 40s or 50s, and I've known many people who worked or continue to work there.
Eurith Dickinson Rivers (1895-1967), known as E.D., was the Governor of Georgia from 1937 to 1941. He fashioned himself as the "New Deal" governor, a full supporter of FDR's program to fight the Great Depression. He was a political rival of Eugene Talmadge, who was an outspoken critic of FDR and New Deal. As governor, Rivers expanded electricity in rural Georgia, moving the state from last to first in number of rural electrification associations, and he built Georgia's first public housing projects.
However, Rivers had a huge dark side. He was an avowed racist and segregationist. Of course, in those days, a Georgia politician stood no chance of election if was not. Rivers, though, was actually anointed as the "Grand Titan" of the state's Ku Klux Klan by the founder of the modern KKK, Hiram Evans. He employed Klan officers throughout his administration, bankrupted the state,band ran a pardon racket for white murderers and criminals. Meanwhile, at Georgia State Prison (or Tattnall State Prison, opened in 1938 in Reidsville), a national record (that still stands) was set during his term; six young black men were executed by electric chair on the same day, December 9, 1938, within 81 minutes.
Without Mercy by David Beasley is the story of Rivers, the Klan, and Georgia politics during the 1930s. It also parallels the stories of the six young black men with the story of two white "thrill killers" from prominent Atlanta families who were pardoned. It's a dark book about a dark spot in Georgia history.
I happened to see a couple of days ago that Georgia is closing the prison, because it would cost too much to renovate. I grew up a half hour from the prison, my grandfather and a great uncle worked there briefly in the 40s or 50s, and I've known many people who worked or continue to work there.
Place.
The Georgia State Prison in Reidsville opened in 1938, replacing the state prison in Milledgeville, which was just demolished a few years ago. (County commissioners there have proposed building a water park on the property. There is a movement to preserve the site, or part of it, for some sort of commemoration and to preserve the cemetery there. The building was the building from which Leo Frank was kidnapped to be lynched in 1915, but the county decided that it was in too much disrepair to preserve.) GSP Reidsville was the site of Georgia's death row and electric chair until 1980. The state has just announced that the Reidsville prison will be closed soon.
One of the most haunted sites connected to the prison is the cemetery for those inmates whose bodies families did not claim when they died in prison. There are nearly 700 markers with no names, only numbers.
If you're old enough, you may remember the original movie, The Longest Yard, the good one. It was filmed at the prison. Burt Reynolds and other cast members lived in the houses of prison staff and in the surrounding area. My hometown, Vidalia, is 20-30 minutes away, and there were stories of Burt Reynolds and his girlfriend of the time, Dinah Shore, being seen around town, including at the Piggly Wiggly, enjoying the "big city" - 😉 - things that Reidsville couldn't offer.
The Georgia State Prison in Reidsville opened in 1938, replacing the state prison in Milledgeville, which was just demolished a few years ago. (County commissioners there have proposed building a water park on the property. There is a movement to preserve the site, or part of it, for some sort of commemoration and to preserve the cemetery there. The building was the building from which Leo Frank was kidnapped to be lynched in 1915, but the county decided that it was in too much disrepair to preserve.) GSP Reidsville was the site of Georgia's death row and electric chair until 1980. The state has just announced that the Reidsville prison will be closed soon.
One of the most haunted sites connected to the prison is the cemetery for those inmates whose bodies families did not claim when they died in prison. There are nearly 700 markers with no names, only numbers.
If you're old enough, you may remember the original movie, The Longest Yard, the good one. It was filmed at the prison. Burt Reynolds and other cast members lived in the houses of prison staff and in the surrounding area. My hometown, Vidalia, is 20-30 minutes away, and there were stories of Burt Reynolds and his girlfriend of the time, Dinah Shore, being seen around town, including at the Piggly Wiggly, enjoying the "big city" - 😉 - things that Reidsville couldn't offer.
Thing.
As I stated in an earlier post today, my grandfather was an officer at the Georgia State Prison in Reidsville for a brief time in the late 1940s or early 1950s. I don't know anything really; he died over a decade before I was born. This was his badge.
The other pictures are of Georgia's electric chair, housed at GSP Reidsville from 1938 to 1980. One of the storylines in Without Mercy climaxes on December 9, 1938 when six young black men were executed in this chair in 81 minutes.
As I stated in an earlier post today, my grandfather was an officer at the Georgia State Prison in Reidsville for a brief time in the late 1940s or early 1950s. I don't know anything really; he died over a decade before I was born. This was his badge.
The other pictures are of Georgia's electric chair, housed at GSP Reidsville from 1938 to 1980. One of the storylines in Without Mercy climaxes on December 9, 1938 when six young black men were executed in this chair in 81 minutes.
Person.
Today is the day in Tampa Florida, the day of the annual Gasparilla parade and festival, held since 1904. Gasparilla is Tampa's answer to Mardi Gras, commemorating a fictional pirate invasion led by a fictional pirate. (Wonder what it says about a city whose biggest celebration celebrates being invaded and sacked? And by a fictional pirate?)
Anyway, in honor of Gasparilla, here's a great book called The Republic of Pirates. Real ones. Like Blackbeard (c.1680-1718), aka Edward Teach or Edward Thatch, one of the most famous and most feared pirates of the Caribbean.
Little is known about Blackbeard, but he really did exist, unlike Gaspar. He may have served on board privateers during Queen Anne's War. A privateer was a ship given permission by the Crown to attack enemy ships and seize their "booty" and allowed to keep a portion.
In the Caribbean, Teach fell in with his pirate mentor, Benjamin Hornigold. Hornigold recognized pirate talent and soon made him captain of his own pirate ship. After capturing a French slave ship, Teach renamed her the Queen Anne's Revenge and struck out on his own.
Surprisingly, Blackbeard was not the most violent pirate. He relied on his reputation, built on lots of frightening tales of brutality that made him infamous. Known for his thick and wild black beard, he supposedly tied matches into his beard before battle and lit them to heighten the fright factor.
Eventually, he formed a pirate alliance and terrorized the port of Charles Town ( Charleston) South Carolina until he retired to Bath North Carolina and accepted a royal pardon. Settling down held little appeal, however, and he was soon back to piracy. The governor of Virginia called out the royal Marines, and Blackbeard and several of his crew were killed on November 22, 1718.
Today is the day in Tampa Florida, the day of the annual Gasparilla parade and festival, held since 1904. Gasparilla is Tampa's answer to Mardi Gras, commemorating a fictional pirate invasion led by a fictional pirate. (Wonder what it says about a city whose biggest celebration celebrates being invaded and sacked? And by a fictional pirate?)
Anyway, in honor of Gasparilla, here's a great book called The Republic of Pirates. Real ones. Like Blackbeard (c.1680-1718), aka Edward Teach or Edward Thatch, one of the most famous and most feared pirates of the Caribbean.
Little is known about Blackbeard, but he really did exist, unlike Gaspar. He may have served on board privateers during Queen Anne's War. A privateer was a ship given permission by the Crown to attack enemy ships and seize their "booty" and allowed to keep a portion.
In the Caribbean, Teach fell in with his pirate mentor, Benjamin Hornigold. Hornigold recognized pirate talent and soon made him captain of his own pirate ship. After capturing a French slave ship, Teach renamed her the Queen Anne's Revenge and struck out on his own.
Surprisingly, Blackbeard was not the most violent pirate. He relied on his reputation, built on lots of frightening tales of brutality that made him infamous. Known for his thick and wild black beard, he supposedly tied matches into his beard before battle and lit them to heighten the fright factor.
Eventually, he formed a pirate alliance and terrorized the port of Charles Town ( Charleston) South Carolina until he retired to Bath North Carolina and accepted a royal pardon. Settling down held little appeal, however, and he was soon back to piracy. The governor of Virginia called out the royal Marines, and Blackbeard and several of his crew were killed on November 22, 1718.
Place.
Today is the day in Tampa Florida, the day of the annual Gasparilla parade and festival, held since 1904. Gasparilla is Tampa's answer to Mardi Gras, commemorating a fictional pirate invasion led by a fictional pirate. (Wonder what it says about a city whose biggest celebration celebrates being invaded and sacked? And by a fictional pirate?)
From about 1706 to 1718, the Bahamas were home to a "Republic of Pirates," with its capital at Nassau. Pirates like Blackbeard enjoyed sanctuary and respite. While the phrase "Republic of Pirates" may not be exactly accurate, the pirate world was remarkably democratic for the age. Pirate crews consisted of men and women, Europeans, Africans, Jews, Christians, and there was a due process for handling pirate business. Every crewman knew what his allotment of pirated wealth would be. If a crew lost faith in its captain, a majority vote could replace him. A crewman accused of wrongdoing could often plead his case before a jury of peers, and there was a pirate code of chivalry adhered to by some.
Ironically, the Republic of Pirates came to an end in 1718 when a new governor of the Bahamas was appointed by King George I. Governor Rogers offered royal pardons, and some pirates, like Blackbeard's own mentor Benjamin Hornigold, took advantage of them and started betraying fellow pirates.
Today is the day in Tampa Florida, the day of the annual Gasparilla parade and festival, held since 1904. Gasparilla is Tampa's answer to Mardi Gras, commemorating a fictional pirate invasion led by a fictional pirate. (Wonder what it says about a city whose biggest celebration celebrates being invaded and sacked? And by a fictional pirate?)
From about 1706 to 1718, the Bahamas were home to a "Republic of Pirates," with its capital at Nassau. Pirates like Blackbeard enjoyed sanctuary and respite. While the phrase "Republic of Pirates" may not be exactly accurate, the pirate world was remarkably democratic for the age. Pirate crews consisted of men and women, Europeans, Africans, Jews, Christians, and there was a due process for handling pirate business. Every crewman knew what his allotment of pirated wealth would be. If a crew lost faith in its captain, a majority vote could replace him. A crewman accused of wrongdoing could often plead his case before a jury of peers, and there was a pirate code of chivalry adhered to by some.
Ironically, the Republic of Pirates came to an end in 1718 when a new governor of the Bahamas was appointed by King George I. Governor Rogers offered royal pardons, and some pirates, like Blackbeard's own mentor Benjamin Hornigold, took advantage of them and started betraying fellow pirates.
Thing.
Today is the day in Tampa Florida, the day of the annual Gasparilla parade and festival, held since 1904. Gasparilla is Tampa's answer to Mardi Gras, commemorating a fictional pirate invasion led by a fictional pirate. (Wonder what it says about a city whose biggest celebration celebrates being invaded and sacked? And by a fictional pirate?)
The Jolly Roger is the name given to the traditional skull and crossbones flag used by pirates in the late 1600s and early 1700s. In reality, there were lots of variations as each captain created his own identifying banner. Of course, the flag wasn't flown all the time. Each ship carried a collection of national and company flags in order to get close to their prey. Then, within range of attack, the Jolly Roger would be hoisted, often accompanied by a warning shot. Often, the sight of that flag was enough to lead the victim to surrender. If not, the Jolly Roger might be taken down and replaced with a red version, indicating no mercy.
Today is the day in Tampa Florida, the day of the annual Gasparilla parade and festival, held since 1904. Gasparilla is Tampa's answer to Mardi Gras, commemorating a fictional pirate invasion led by a fictional pirate. (Wonder what it says about a city whose biggest celebration celebrates being invaded and sacked? And by a fictional pirate?)
The Jolly Roger is the name given to the traditional skull and crossbones flag used by pirates in the late 1600s and early 1700s. In reality, there were lots of variations as each captain created his own identifying banner. Of course, the flag wasn't flown all the time. Each ship carried a collection of national and company flags in order to get close to their prey. Then, within range of attack, the Jolly Roger would be hoisted, often accompanied by a warning shot. Often, the sight of that flag was enough to lead the victim to surrender. If not, the Jolly Roger might be taken down and replaced with a red version, indicating no mercy.
Person.
I just happened to see this morning that Mattel has released an Ida B. Wells doll in its Barbie Inspiring Women line. An apt addition.
Sword Among Lions is a thorough biography of this woman who is all too often overlooked. Born enslaved on a Mississippi plantation in 1862 and dying in 1931, Ida Bell Wells-Barnett was an American investigative journalist, educator, suffragist, leader of the early civil rights movement, and a founder of the NAACP. At the age of 16, she lost her parents and a brother to yellow fever. She moved the rest of her siblings to Memphis and became a teacher to support them. She soon became a co-owner and writer of the Memphis Free Speech and Headlight newspaper.
Following a horrific lynching in Memphis, she found her primary mission: investigating and documenting lynchings of black men, most often falsely accused of rape or assault against white women. She traveled to sites and investigated herself and hired investigators as well. Thus, the true stories behind the lynchings were published in black-owned newspapers across the country As a result, her Memphis newspaper office was destroyed, and her life was always under threat. She moved to Chicago to continue her work.
While best known for anti-lynching work, she also fought for integration of public transportation and for the suffrage of women. Even within the suffragist movement, she often had to fight for the inclusion of black suffragists.
I just happened to see this morning that Mattel has released an Ida B. Wells doll in its Barbie Inspiring Women line. An apt addition.
Sword Among Lions is a thorough biography of this woman who is all too often overlooked. Born enslaved on a Mississippi plantation in 1862 and dying in 1931, Ida Bell Wells-Barnett was an American investigative journalist, educator, suffragist, leader of the early civil rights movement, and a founder of the NAACP. At the age of 16, she lost her parents and a brother to yellow fever. She moved the rest of her siblings to Memphis and became a teacher to support them. She soon became a co-owner and writer of the Memphis Free Speech and Headlight newspaper.
Following a horrific lynching in Memphis, she found her primary mission: investigating and documenting lynchings of black men, most often falsely accused of rape or assault against white women. She traveled to sites and investigated herself and hired investigators as well. Thus, the true stories behind the lynchings were published in black-owned newspapers across the country As a result, her Memphis newspaper office was destroyed, and her life was always under threat. She moved to Chicago to continue her work.
While best known for anti-lynching work, she also fought for integration of public transportation and for the suffrage of women. Even within the suffragist movement, she often had to fight for the inclusion of black suffragists.
Place.
Beale Street Baptist Church, also known as, First Baptist Church or Beale Avenue Baptist Church, is a historic church on Beale Street built by a congregation of freedmen in Memphis Tennessee. Its foundation stone was laid in 1869, and it was constructed between 1871 and 1885. In the late 1880s, the church also housed the newspaper office of Ida B. Wells, the famous civil rights journalist. Over the years, Ulysses S. Grant and Theodore Roosevelt made visits to the church.
Beale Street Baptist Church, also known as, First Baptist Church or Beale Avenue Baptist Church, is a historic church on Beale Street built by a congregation of freedmen in Memphis Tennessee. Its foundation stone was laid in 1869, and it was constructed between 1871 and 1885. In the late 1880s, the church also housed the newspaper office of Ida B. Wells, the famous civil rights journalist. Over the years, Ulysses S. Grant and Theodore Roosevelt made visits to the church.
Thing.
In 1883, Ida B. Wells traveled by train from Memphis to Woodstock, Tennessee, where she was working as a teacher. The conductor asked Wells to move to a different car because of her race. When she refused, she was removed from the train and sued the railroad company in 1884. The court decided in her favor and ordered the railroad company to pay damages, which they did. But they also appealed the case to the Tennessee Supreme Court in 1885, which is documented here. Wells was represented by African American attorney Thomas Frank Cassels. The state Supreme Court decided in favor of the railroad company, reversing the earlier decision.
In 1883, Ida B. Wells traveled by train from Memphis to Woodstock, Tennessee, where she was working as a teacher. The conductor asked Wells to move to a different car because of her race. When she refused, she was removed from the train and sued the railroad company in 1884. The court decided in her favor and ordered the railroad company to pay damages, which they did. But they also appealed the case to the Tennessee Supreme Court in 1885, which is documented here. Wells was represented by African American attorney Thomas Frank Cassels. The state Supreme Court decided in favor of the railroad company, reversing the earlier decision.
Person.
I was a big fan of Tony Horwitz' writing, and I've read all of his books. Unfortunately, his unexpected death made Spying on the South his last.
In Spying on the South, Horwitz retraces the 1850s travels of America's first great landscape architect, Frederick Law Olmsted, as he traveled across the South for 14 months, during one of the most turbulent decades in American history.
Olmsted (1822-1903) is considered to be the father of landscape architecture. Noted architect Daniel Burnham said of him, "He paints with lakes and wooded slopes; with lawns and banks and forest-covered hills, with mountainsides and ocean views....."
He started his career as a journalist. In 1850, he traveled to England to visit public gardens and wrote Walks and Talks of an American Farmer in England in 1852. The New York Daily Times (now the Times) hired him to do a research journey through the American South and to write stories explaining the slave economy to its readers. His dispatches were extremely popular and were published in three volumes:. A Journey in the Seaboard Slave States, A Journey Through Texas, and A Journey in the Back Country in the Winter of 1853-4.
The main idea of his southern work was that slavery had made the Southern states inefficient and backward, economically and socially.
I was a big fan of Tony Horwitz' writing, and I've read all of his books. Unfortunately, his unexpected death made Spying on the South his last.
In Spying on the South, Horwitz retraces the 1850s travels of America's first great landscape architect, Frederick Law Olmsted, as he traveled across the South for 14 months, during one of the most turbulent decades in American history.
Olmsted (1822-1903) is considered to be the father of landscape architecture. Noted architect Daniel Burnham said of him, "He paints with lakes and wooded slopes; with lawns and banks and forest-covered hills, with mountainsides and ocean views....."
He started his career as a journalist. In 1850, he traveled to England to visit public gardens and wrote Walks and Talks of an American Farmer in England in 1852. The New York Daily Times (now the Times) hired him to do a research journey through the American South and to write stories explaining the slave economy to its readers. His dispatches were extremely popular and were published in three volumes:. A Journey in the Seaboard Slave States, A Journey Through Texas, and A Journey in the Back Country in the Winter of 1853-4.
The main idea of his southern work was that slavery had made the Southern states inefficient and backward, economically and socially.
Place.
I was a big fan of Tony Horwitz' writing, and I've read all of his books. Unfortunately, his unexpected death made Spying on the South his last.
In Spying on the South, Horwitz retraces the 1850s travels of America's first great landscape architect, Frederick Law Olmsted, as he traveled across the South for 14 months, during one of the most turbulent decades in American history.
Olmsted is perhaps most famous for one of his first creations, along with Calvert Vaux, Central Park in New York City. Their design was chosen in 1857. I was shocked to find in my research that Central Park is the fifth largest park in the city by area, but it is the most visited urban park in the country, with an estimated 42 million visitors annually.
Throughout his long career as a landscape architect, he was also a pioneer conservationist, and his last work shows both passions as he was chosen to design the gardens of Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina, and collaborate in creating, or restoring, the surrounding forests. Unfortunately, he was not able to work long on this project, as he slipped into dementia. His sons continued that work as the Olmsted Brothers, and that firm stayed in business until 1980.
I was a big fan of Tony Horwitz' writing, and I've read all of his books. Unfortunately, his unexpected death made Spying on the South his last.
In Spying on the South, Horwitz retraces the 1850s travels of America's first great landscape architect, Frederick Law Olmsted, as he traveled across the South for 14 months, during one of the most turbulent decades in American history.
Olmsted is perhaps most famous for one of his first creations, along with Calvert Vaux, Central Park in New York City. Their design was chosen in 1857. I was shocked to find in my research that Central Park is the fifth largest park in the city by area, but it is the most visited urban park in the country, with an estimated 42 million visitors annually.
Throughout his long career as a landscape architect, he was also a pioneer conservationist, and his last work shows both passions as he was chosen to design the gardens of Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina, and collaborate in creating, or restoring, the surrounding forests. Unfortunately, he was not able to work long on this project, as he slipped into dementia. His sons continued that work as the Olmsted Brothers, and that firm stayed in business until 1980.
Thing.
I was a big fan of Tony Horwitz' writing, and I've read all of his books. Unfortunately, his unexpected death made Spying on the South his last.
In Spying on the South, Horwitz retraces the 1850s travels of America's first great landscape architect, Frederick Law Olmsted, as he traveled across the South for 14 months, during one of the most turbulent decades in American history.
One of the last projects that Olmsted completed was the 1893 Columbian Exposition, the Chicago World's Fair. The architect in charge was Daniel Burnham, and he immediately brought Olmsted on board to create the magical landscape. The centerpiece of his work was the man-made lagoon.
I was a big fan of Tony Horwitz' writing, and I've read all of his books. Unfortunately, his unexpected death made Spying on the South his last.
In Spying on the South, Horwitz retraces the 1850s travels of America's first great landscape architect, Frederick Law Olmsted, as he traveled across the South for 14 months, during one of the most turbulent decades in American history.
One of the last projects that Olmsted completed was the 1893 Columbian Exposition, the Chicago World's Fair. The architect in charge was Daniel Burnham, and he immediately brought Olmsted on board to create the magical landscape. The centerpiece of his work was the man-made lagoon.
Person.
Eugene Bullard (1895-1961) was the first black American military pilot, although he flew for France since he was not allowed to fly for the U.S. Born in Columbus Georgia, he completed the 5th grade. As a youth, he saw a white mob almost lynch his father. He ran away from home at eleven, determined to go to France because his father had told him stories of equality there. After stays in Atlanta and Virginia, he stowed away on a German freighter headed for Aberdeen Scotland. He made his way to London where he became a boxer and a nightclub comedian and drummer. Finally arriving in Paris, he boxed and worked and managed nightclubs.
When WWI began, he enlisted in the French Foreign Legion. He participated in battles including the Somme and Verdun, where he was injured. While recovering, he was cited for valor, awarded the croix de guerre, and learned to fly. Recovered, he joined the French Air Service as a machine Gunner. He flew over 20 combat missions.
After the war, he returned to nightclubs in Paris, boxing, working as a physical trainer, and managing nightclubs, employing people who became friends like Langston Hughes, Louis Armstrong, and Josephine Baker. He was the inspiration of a character in Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises.
When WWII began in 1939, he acted as a spy for the French reporting on German citizens who frequented his club. In May 1940, he volunteered for the French army again, was injured, and returned to the U.S. In the U.S. he lived without the excitement and fame he enjoyed in France. His last job was as elevator operator at Rockefeller Center. Today show host Dave Garroway learned his story in elevator conversations and interviewed him on the show on December 22, 1959.
Eugene Bullard (1895-1961) was the first black American military pilot, although he flew for France since he was not allowed to fly for the U.S. Born in Columbus Georgia, he completed the 5th grade. As a youth, he saw a white mob almost lynch his father. He ran away from home at eleven, determined to go to France because his father had told him stories of equality there. After stays in Atlanta and Virginia, he stowed away on a German freighter headed for Aberdeen Scotland. He made his way to London where he became a boxer and a nightclub comedian and drummer. Finally arriving in Paris, he boxed and worked and managed nightclubs.
When WWI began, he enlisted in the French Foreign Legion. He participated in battles including the Somme and Verdun, where he was injured. While recovering, he was cited for valor, awarded the croix de guerre, and learned to fly. Recovered, he joined the French Air Service as a machine Gunner. He flew over 20 combat missions.
After the war, he returned to nightclubs in Paris, boxing, working as a physical trainer, and managing nightclubs, employing people who became friends like Langston Hughes, Louis Armstrong, and Josephine Baker. He was the inspiration of a character in Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises.
When WWII began in 1939, he acted as a spy for the French reporting on German citizens who frequented his club. In May 1940, he volunteered for the French army again, was injured, and returned to the U.S. In the U.S. he lived without the excitement and fame he enjoyed in France. His last job was as elevator operator at Rockefeller Center. Today show host Dave Garroway learned his story in elevator conversations and interviewed him on the show on December 22, 1959.
Place.
Eugene Bullard, the first black American military pilot, was an infantryman at the Battle of Verdun before taking flight, and he was injured there.
The Battle of Verdun was fought from February 21 to December 18 1916 on the western front of France. Not only was it the longest battle of the war, but it became the symbol of the futility and insanity of the war. After nearly a year of conflict, neither side could claim victory, and no real advantage was gained, yet there were about 800,000 total casualties, wounded and dead. The land around is still scarred, a hundred years later, seen in the color photos.
Eugene Bullard, the first black American military pilot, was an infantryman at the Battle of Verdun before taking flight, and he was injured there.
The Battle of Verdun was fought from February 21 to December 18 1916 on the western front of France. Not only was it the longest battle of the war, but it became the symbol of the futility and insanity of the war. After nearly a year of conflict, neither side could claim victory, and no real advantage was gained, yet there were about 800,000 total casualties, wounded and dead. The land around is still scarred, a hundred years later, seen in the color photos.
Thing.
Eugene Bullard, the first black American military pilot, received 14 decorations and medals from the government of France for his service. In 1954, the French government invited Bullard to Paris to be one of the three men chosen to rekindle the everlasting flame at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier under the Arc de Triomphe. In 1959, he was made a Chevalier (Knight) of the Legion of Honor by General Charles De Gaulle, who called Bullard a "véritable héros français" ("true French hero").
In 1959, he was working as an elevator operator in Rockefeller Center when Today show host Dave Garroway found about his life during elevator conversations and interviewed him on the show.
In 1989 he was posthumously inducted into the inaugural class of the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame. On August 23, 1994 – 33 years after his death — Bullard was posthumously commissioned a second lieutenant in the United States Air Force.
On October 9, 2019, the Museum of Aviation in Warner Robins, Georgia erected a statue in Bullard's honor.
There is a sign in Columbus, Georgia, near the site of the house where he grew up, which describes his early life.
Eugene Bullard, the first black American military pilot, received 14 decorations and medals from the government of France for his service. In 1954, the French government invited Bullard to Paris to be one of the three men chosen to rekindle the everlasting flame at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier under the Arc de Triomphe. In 1959, he was made a Chevalier (Knight) of the Legion of Honor by General Charles De Gaulle, who called Bullard a "véritable héros français" ("true French hero").
In 1959, he was working as an elevator operator in Rockefeller Center when Today show host Dave Garroway found about his life during elevator conversations and interviewed him on the show.
In 1989 he was posthumously inducted into the inaugural class of the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame. On August 23, 1994 – 33 years after his death — Bullard was posthumously commissioned a second lieutenant in the United States Air Force.
On October 9, 2019, the Museum of Aviation in Warner Robins, Georgia erected a statue in Bullard's honor.
There is a sign in Columbus, Georgia, near the site of the house where he grew up, which describes his early life.
Person.
Adrian Miller is the Soul Food Scholar. His James Beard Award winning book tells the story of soul food, dish by dish; it's a great book, complete with recipes.
One of the muses he cites is Edna Lewis (1916-2006), the chef, teacher, and author considered the "grande dame" of southern cooking.. Ironically, she did not call her food soul food, arguing that soul food was too limiting, food created out of necessity and limited ingredients by southern blacks who migrated north to escape Jim Crow and had to make do.
What a life she led. Born in Virginia, the granddaughter of an emancipated slave, she left home at 16, moving to D.C. and then to New York City. She became a seamstress, making designer knockoff dresses and African-inspired dresses for elite customers. Not only was she known for her fashion, but she also became known for her dinner parties where she served southern food. One of her friends made her a chef at his restaurant, and there she cooked for the likes of Marlon Brando, William Faulkner, Tennessee Williams, Truman Capote, Richard Avedon, Gloria Vanderbilt, Marlene Dietrich, and Eleanor Roosevelt.
She published her first book in 1972 and continued cooking professionally until 1995. In the late 1980s, she founded the Society for the Revival and Preservation of Southern Food, the precursor to the Southern Foodways Alliance.
Adrian Miller is the Soul Food Scholar. His James Beard Award winning book tells the story of soul food, dish by dish; it's a great book, complete with recipes.
One of the muses he cites is Edna Lewis (1916-2006), the chef, teacher, and author considered the "grande dame" of southern cooking.. Ironically, she did not call her food soul food, arguing that soul food was too limiting, food created out of necessity and limited ingredients by southern blacks who migrated north to escape Jim Crow and had to make do.
What a life she led. Born in Virginia, the granddaughter of an emancipated slave, she left home at 16, moving to D.C. and then to New York City. She became a seamstress, making designer knockoff dresses and African-inspired dresses for elite customers. Not only was she known for her fashion, but she also became known for her dinner parties where she served southern food. One of her friends made her a chef at his restaurant, and there she cooked for the likes of Marlon Brando, William Faulkner, Tennessee Williams, Truman Capote, Richard Avedon, Gloria Vanderbilt, Marlene Dietrich, and Eleanor Roosevelt.
She published her first book in 1972 and continued cooking professionally until 1995. In the late 1980s, she founded the Society for the Revival and Preservation of Southern Food, the precursor to the Southern Foodways Alliance.
Place
Southern food went north during the Great Migration from 1916 to 1970, when six million black southerners moved to northern and western cities to escape the Jim Crow south and to take advantage of new economic opportunities made available by the industrialization of WWI, the Roaring 20s, WWII, and the 50s. They moved to cities like Detroit, Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles. (Isabel Wilkerson's The Warmth of Other Suns is THE book to read about the Migration.)
They took their southern recipes with them, absorbed foodways of their new homes, and made do with the ingredients that they found, and created a new foodway. Then, by the 1960s, a surge of cultural pride led to the creation of a new name, soul food.
Southern food went north during the Great Migration from 1916 to 1970, when six million black southerners moved to northern and western cities to escape the Jim Crow south and to take advantage of new economic opportunities made available by the industrialization of WWI, the Roaring 20s, WWII, and the 50s. They moved to cities like Detroit, Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles. (Isabel Wilkerson's The Warmth of Other Suns is THE book to read about the Migration.)
They took their southern recipes with them, absorbed foodways of their new homes, and made do with the ingredients that they found, and created a new foodway. Then, by the 1960s, a surge of cultural pride led to the creation of a new name, soul food.
Thing.
One of the chapters in Soul Food is devoted to chitlins. I was a little surprised that author Adrian Miller wrote about his love of chitlins, and how they were a Thanksgiving staple in his family.
My Dad liked chitlins. Best as I can remember, my Mom, the best southern cook ever of course, only cooked them for him once or twice, because of the intense prep and the horrible smell when cooking. I've never summoned up the courage to try them.
What are chitlins? Pig intestines. That explains the intense prep work. They have to be thoroughly cleaned. As Miller writes, you only eat chitlins made by a cook you really love and trust.
Chitlins were a regular in soul food, and still are for some families. They are even celebrated in several blues songs like "Chitlin Con Carne," "Chitlins Con Carne," "Chitlin Supper," and "Rukus Juice and Chitlin." And the town of Sallet, South Carolina hosts an annual Chitlin Strut.
One of the chapters in Soul Food is devoted to chitlins. I was a little surprised that author Adrian Miller wrote about his love of chitlins, and how they were a Thanksgiving staple in his family.
My Dad liked chitlins. Best as I can remember, my Mom, the best southern cook ever of course, only cooked them for him once or twice, because of the intense prep and the horrible smell when cooking. I've never summoned up the courage to try them.
What are chitlins? Pig intestines. That explains the intense prep work. They have to be thoroughly cleaned. As Miller writes, you only eat chitlins made by a cook you really love and trust.
Chitlins were a regular in soul food, and still are for some families. They are even celebrated in several blues songs like "Chitlin Con Carne," "Chitlins Con Carne," "Chitlin Supper," and "Rukus Juice and Chitlin." And the town of Sallet, South Carolina hosts an annual Chitlin Strut.
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