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| Format | Book Whole |
|---|---|
| Author, Monographic | Klare, Kathleen |
| Title, Monographic | The New Colony of Gotha, 1876-1950: Place-Making in Pioneer Central Florida |
| Place of Publication | [Leesburg, Florida] |
| Publisher | [Sea-Hill Press] |
| Date of Publication | c2023 |
| Extent of Work | xv, 327 pages, illustrations, maps ; 28 cm |
| ISBN | 9780578948287 |
| Abstract | "In the dense pine forests and lake region of Florida's Southwest Orange County, Gotha's history began in 1876 with the settlement of a large extended family. In this 145-year retrospective, Gotha's history is examined in the broader context of the state's early development in the decades directly following the Civil War. After worldwide success of his printing invention, the 'Hempel Quoin,' and motivated by the Act of 1876, when federal and public lands were finally opened in five Southern states for private sale, Gotha's founder, Henry Hempel, first visited Florida in 1878. In 1881, he began the purchase of 1,000 acres of the choicest land on Florida's 'Backbone' to create in 1885 one of only two German-European colonies ever developed in the state. And, unlike any other Florida settlement, Gotha would become the only Southern center of free thought, as represented by the Turner and Freethinker societies. Before the destructive freezes of the 1890s, the colony was a German resort, and by the early 1900s had become a horticultural Mecca, a popular Florida destination for tourists and nature lovers. President Theodore Roosevelt and Thomas Edison were among the many notable dignitaries, writers, and plantsmen who visited the horticultural legacy of Dr. Henry Nehrling. In 1917 during WWI, Gotha came under scrutiny for its conservative German-speaking church, and again in WWII when Gotha was the home of two Army Air Forces Tactical Training Depots where German POWs were assigned to work. This history focuses on 'place-making'; its narrative, maps, and more than 250 period images are the result of thirteen years of extensive research of hundreds of historical sources, factually documented to preserve an accurate picture of Gotha's unique place in Florida's pioneer history." |
| Notes | Includes bibliographical notes and references. Includes index. |
| Donated by | Kathleen Klare, 2025. |
| MKI Terms | German Americans -- Florida/ Orange County (Fla.) |