One of the most elegant mansions in Florida, Goodwood was built over a century ago and stands today as one of Tallahassee's grandest historical monuments. It was once the center of a thriving plantation founded by the Croom family of North Carolina, who in the 1820s sought to revive their fortunes in the newly opened Florida territory. William Warren Rogers and Erica R. Clark tell the story of this family and their legacy, shedding new light on many aspects of antebellum family life, plantation management, and race relations. They describe how brothers Hardy and Bryan Croom developed Goodwood...

James Jewel enlisted in the Confederate Army in 1862 with numerous friends from Oglethorpe and Greene counties, east of Athens, Georgia. His 114 letters present a new and unreported perspective on war life in the Tallahassee and Quincy, Florida, areas.

A solid history of a relatively unknown area of Florida. The rich detail of destruction by hurricanes and fires; the building of lighthouses, schools, banks, and bars; and the stories of the people who were associated with those events and facilities makes lively reading. Rogers writes with vivacity and a quick wit. His book will be welcomed not only by Florida historians interested in state and local history but also by a much wider reading public. Journal of American History

A painstakingly researched account of the economic, social, and political history of...