Name/Title
William Bartram and the great plantations of British East FloridaEntry/Object ID
Library.1989Tags
Library records not in public viewDescription
152 p. : ill., maps ; 23 cm.
William Bartram and the great plantations of British East Florida by Daniel L. Schafer.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Contents: East Florida: the first journey -- The forlorn state of poor Billy Bartram -- William Bartram's second St. Johns River expedition -- Ghost plantations east of the river : Part I -- Ghost plantations east of the river : Part II -- Ghost plantations west of the river.
Selected contents include: Fort Picalata -- Beauclerc Bluff plantation -- Billy Bartram's 500 acre farm at Little Florence Cove -- Rollestown also known as Charlotta -- New Castle Plantation -- Philip Lee, first ferry master at the Cowford -- Jos Yallowey, Orange Bluff Plantation -- British settlement at San Marco -- Cecilton Plantation -- Jericho Plantation -- Christianaborough Plantation -- Julianton Plantation -- Beresford Plantation -- Upper and Lower Crisp -- John Fairlamb -- Dames Point.
Summary: William Bartram described the St. Johns riverfront in east Florida as an idyllic, untouched paradise. Bartram's account was based on a journey he took down the river in 1774. Or was it? Historians have relied upon the integrity of the information in William Bartram's Travels for centuries, often concluding from it that the British (the colonial power from 1763 to 1783) had not engaged in large-scale land development in Florida. However, the well-documented truth is that the St. Johns riverfront was not in a state of unspoiled nature in 1774; it was instead the scene of drained wetlands and ambitious agricultural developments including numerous successful farms and plantations. Unsuccessful settlements could also be found, William Bartram's own foundered venture among them. Evidence for the existence of these settlements can still be found in archives in the United Kingdom and in the family papers of the descendants of British East Florida settlers and absentee landowners. So why did Bartram choose to erase them from history? Was his insistence on a pristine paradise in Travels based on an early expedition that he and his father, the botanist John Bartram, conducted in 1764-65? Was his distaste for development a result of bitterness and shame over his own failed settlement? Daniel Schafer explores all of these questions in this book, reconstructing the sights and colorful stories of the St. Johns riverfront that Bartram rejected in favor of an illusory wilderness. At last, the full story of William Bartram's famous journey and the histories of the plantations he "ghosted" are uncovered in this title.Collection
LibraryLexicon
Nomenclature 4.0
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BookNomenclature Sub-Class
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Documentary ObjectsNomenclature Category
Category 08: Communication ObjectsSearch Terms
Bartram, William,-1739-1823 -- Travel -- Florida -- Saint Johns River Region., Plantations -- Florida -- Saint Johns River Region -- History -- 18th century ., Saint Johns River Region (Fla.) -- History -- 18th century., Florida -- History -- English colony, 1763-1784.Publication Details
Author
Schafer, Daniel L.Publisher
University Press of FloridaPlace Published
* Untyped Place Published
Gainesville.Call No.
F 317 .S2 S34 2010ISBN
9780813035277