Florida has long been viewed as a land of hope and endless possibilities. Visionaries seeking to establish new communities where they could escape the influences of society at large have turned to Florida to construct their utopias--from the vast plantations of British philanthropists and entrepreneurs in the eighteenth century to the more exotic Koreshan Unity and its theory that humans live in the center of a Hollow Earth. Some came to the Sunshine State seeking religious freedom, such as the settlers in Moses Levy's Jewish colony, while others settled in Florida to establish alternative lifestyles, like the spiritualists of Cassadaga. Still others created their communities to practice new agricultural techniques or political philosophies. Historians Joe Knetsch and Nick Wynne examine a number of these distinctive utopian communities and how they have contributed to Florida's unique social fabric.
From small ports to large ports, from rivers to creeks, from lakes to lagoons, water routes have been essential to Florida's development as a commercial, recreational, agricultural, and cultural entity. With more than 30,000 lakes and ponds and some 1,700 rivers, creeks, and streams, Florida ranks second in the list of wettest states in the USA. Native Americans used the rivers, creeks, and lakes as routes to various locales within the peninsula while harvesting fish and other aquatic edibles to sustain their daily lives. Early European settlers followed suit and supplemented their diets with the bounty from the oceans and fresh water sources. Into statehood, settlers relied on the same sources for food while using fresh water to make the land productive for food and cash crops. By the early decades of the 20th Century, water became a marketable attraction to lure millions of tourists to Florida for recreation and sports. The trend continues today. Join a trio of authors on this look at the immense impact water and maritime activities have played in the development of Florida.
Robert Morris Warren was a first-generation Jewish American from Detroit. A member of a prominent Detroit-Flint manufacturing family, he chose to become a lawyer. He graduated from the University of Michigan in 1940, worked for the Office of Price Administration, but left his position to enlist in the United States Army in 1943 as a private. He was eventually assigned to the 143rd Infantry Regiment, a unit of the 36th Infantry Division, and participated in several campaigns in Italy, France, and southern Germany. In command of a mortar squad, Warren was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the nation's second highest award for bravery. During his time in service, he exchanged multiple letters with Herman and Celia Chapin, friends from Central High School in Detroit. Those letters are the focus of this book. Discharged in late 1945, he resumed the practice of law in Detroit. He died on December 30, 1978.
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