Arcadia Publishing continues their Haunted America series with two new releases for your consideration. Both books are Florida based and should be of interest to readers interested in ghosts, haunted history, and Florida history.
After you enjoy this post about two new releases in the Haunted America series, read more of my posts related to Arcadia Publishing titles, using THIS LINK.
Arcadia Publishing has generously supplied complimentary review copies of two new releases in their Haunted America series of books. I will be providing book reviews for these books in the near future. Both books are now available for pre-release purchase through your local bookstore or online outlets.
Haunted Florida Ghost Towns
Leigh, Heather. Haunted Florida Ghost Towns. Charleston: History Press, 2024. 128 pages, ISBN 9781467156479, $21.99.
The term “ghost towns” brings to mind communities from the Old West where there were once bustling Boom Towns but today are abandoned and lonely pieces to the puzzles of the past. With this image ingrained into a person’s mind, it is challenging to visualize ghost towns with sandy beaches and palm trees swaying in the wind. A little-known fact about Florida is it is home to more than 250 ghost towns, many of which remain the home for the spirits of former inhabitants, civil war deserters, pirates, and more. Haunted Florida Ghost Towns covers the many abandoned locations in the Sunshine State where paranormal entities are known to roam. Take a journey into the world of the supernatural and learn the history behind why Florida has so many ghost towns and the energy that remains to fuel paranormal activity.
Enjoy 75 spooky minutes of sightseeing in York, England on board the Ghost Bus! Your creepy conductor will show you the city’s top sights and give you bone-chilling and humorous insights into some of the more gruesome events in York, England’s past. Click the image or THIS LINK for information and to book your ghost bus tour.
Haunted Indian River County
Lawson, Lawrence. Haunted Indian River County. Charleston, History Press, 2024. 139 pages, ISBN 978467155748, $21.99
Indian River County is an idyllic vacation spot on Florida’s east coast, not far south of Cape Canaveral. Known as part of the state’s famed “Treasure Coast,” many are unaware of the deep and fascinating history this area played in the development of the Sunshine State. Also lost among its visitors and residents are the chilling stories of the hauntings that accompany this rich history. It is here that a man named Waldo still looks after his family and properties, six decades after his death. Or a retired preacher is seen digging up his hidden treasure, days after he died .
This post may contain affiliate links. If you click these links and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. This commission does not affect any price that you pay. Affiliate programs or sponsors providing products do not influence the views expressed in this post.
Bowman, Georgia is a small town located in Elbert County in the northeast portion of the state. The town boasts a population of around 900. Bowman is located between the towns of Elberton and Royston along Georgia State Route 17. Elberton is known by the nickname of the “Granite Capital of the World.” Royston is famous for it’s association with Hall of Fame baseball player Ty Cobb. If you are driving State Road 17 in Georgia do not miss these sites in Bowman Georgia that are worth visiting.
Thomas Jefferson Bowman and the growth of the Elberton Air Line Railroad in the 1870s led for the formation of the city of Bowman. The Georgia General Assembly incorporated the city in 1907. John Judson Brown, was elected the first mayor of Bowman in 1910. Brown would later serve as the Commissioner of Agriculture in Georgia and founded the Georgia Farm Market Bulletin.
After the turn of the twentieth century, four trains made daily service to Bowman. The then thriving community was home to two blacksmith shops, two barber shops, a harness store, livery stable, hotel, and several mills. Baptist and Methodist churches provided for the spiritual needs of residents.
Much of the history of Bowman, GA can be found through this interesting 1938 footage. This is on the University of Georgia Brown Media Archives page.
In 2009 the Building at 6 and 7 Public Square was added to the National Register of Historic Places for its significance in architecture as an excellent representation of commercial buildings in small towns during the early 20th century. The building is also deemed important in the field of commerce as it served as home to numerous business from its construction date in 1908 through the middle of the 20th century. Business types included a brickyard, gin, shoe and harness shop, blacksmith, lumber yard, bank, drug store, grocery, and telephone company.
The National Register of Historic Places added the Bowman Commercial District to its listings in 2016. The completed nomination form does not appear to be available online yet.
Today, Bowman plays host to two large, yearly festivals, the Big Iron Crank Up, held in the spring and the Bowman Fall Festival held in October.
My wife and I have driven through Bowman on several occasions on our way a bit further north. The last time through my wife was driving and I had her stop so I could take a few photos.
Stop at the corner of SR17 and SR172 to view interesting sites you will only find in Bowman, Georgia.
Little Police Station
The first place to visit is the City of Bowman’s Famous “Little Police Station.” Bowman doesn’t make claim to having the world’s smallest police station, but this would probably give most a serious run for the money.
Measuring only several feet square with a single door, the station is located adjacent to the railroad tracks.
If you are interested in finding the world’s smallest police station, you’ll have to drive south, to Carabelle, Florida. Located at the corner of US 98 and CR 67 is the world’s smallest. Read more about the Carrabelle police station/phone booth using THIS LINK.
Every small town seems to have the high school athlete that is just better than everyone around them. For Bowman, that young man is Mecole Hardman, Jr. A rather prominent sign proclaiming his ties to the town is located a very short distance from the little police station.
Hardman had a standout college career at the University of Georgia, where in addition to playing wide receiver, he also returned kicks. Hardman opted out of his senior year of college eligibility. He was drafted in the second round of the 2019 draft by the Kansas City Chiefs. Playing alongside superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes, Hardman made 151 catches in less than four years (due to injury) and ultimately was part of two Super Bowl winning teams.
After the 2022 season Hardman became a free agent and in March 2023, signed with the New York Jets. In October 2023, Hardman was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs, reuniting him with the team where he had his greatest success. In February 2024, Mecole Hardman caught the Super Bowl winning touchdown pass from Patrick Mahomes.
Super Bowl hero Mecole Hardman talks about playing in the Super Bowl, starting the season with the Jets and ending the season with the Chiefs, who was the craziest at the after party, Post Malone performing, blacking out when he scored the game winning touchdown, the play that they called, growing up in Bowman, Georgia, and the parade.
Bowman Area Veterans Memorial
This unique monument with W for World War I and II, a K for the Korean Conflict, and V for Vietnam is;
Dedicated to the glory of God and all veterans of the Bowman Community, more especially to these who have given their lives for our nation’s cause.
Listed are the names of seventeen men from the Bowman area who gave their lives while in service. I am currently working on a more detailed post/s for these men and will link from here once complete.
Listed below, are the names on the monument. If known, I have referred as to the war these men perished in. When possible, I have linked names to online memorials.
To the side of the main memorial is a flat stone dedicated to World War II veteran Samuel Johnson Verner who passed away at the age of 76 in 1989. Verner is buried at Lavonia-Burgess City Cemetery in Franklin County, GA.
Dorsey Alexander Pulliam and Julian Pulliam were brothers.
Lloyd George Burton and Joe Robert Burton were brothers.
I have not confirmed the relationship Hugh Hall Maxwell and Benjamin Martin Maxwell. They may or may not have been related.
Please share any information on any of these service members, especially photos or memories. As I put together individual posts about these men, I will include your histories. You will receive full credit for any materials shared.
This post may contain affiliate links. If you click these links and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. This commission does not affect any price that you pay. All views and opinions provided are my own and are never influenced by affiliate programs or sponsors providing products.
Thank you for taking time to visit this post on the Nocoroco Florida historic marker located at Tomoka State Park in Ormond Beach.
If you would like to read other posts on my blog about Florida historic markers, please CLICK HERE.
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On this site was the Timucua Indian Village of Nocoroco. It was mentioned in the report of Alvaro Mexia’s expedition down the Florida east coast in 1605. It was the first Indian village south of St. Augustine noted by Mexia. The site was used during the British Occupation of Florida (1763-1783), and probably remained under cultivation until the Seminole Wars (1835-1842).
F-82
Florida Board of Parks and Historic Memorials 1962
The Seminole Wars (1835-1842) referenced in the marker also goes by the name, the “Second Seminole War.”
There are three distinct periods of time that claim the moniker of “Seminole War.”
The first is 1817-1818 and led to Spain ceding Florida to the United States.
The second, referenced above, lasted from 1835 until 1842. Because of its length and bloodiness, some historians call the Second Seminole War, The Seminole War. At the conclusion of hostilities, the United States Army transported more than 4,000 Seminoles west. I refer readers to the excellent book written by John K. Mahon titledHistory of the Second Seminole War: 1835-1842.
Historians often call the Third Seminole War, “The Florida War.” The Third Seminole War lasted from 1855-1858.
For readers seeking a good general history of the Seminole Wars, I recommend The Seminole Wars: America’s Longest Indian Conflict, written by John and Mary Lou Missall. This is a readable and digestible look at the conflicts and provides readers a gateway to more advanced works.
Park Admission Information
Tomoka State Park 2099 N. Beach Street Ormond Beach, FL 32174 Park Hours 8:00AM until Sundown 365 days per year Admission: $5 per vehicle (up to 8 passengers) $2 for pedestrians, bikes, extra passengers
For camping information or pavilion rental, please see the websitefor details.
Tomoka is a dog friendly park. Pets are permitted in designated areas and must be kept on a six foot leash. Please clean up after your pet.
No visit to Tomoka State Park is complete without a visit to The Legend of Chief Tomokie.
Chief Tomokie is a 45 foot tall monument created by artist and architect Fred Dana Marsh that was unveiled to the public on March 21, 1957. Marsh may be best known locally for having created the figures that adorn the Peabody Auditorium and for his home prior to his death, known as “The Battleship.”
Tomokie depicts a made up Native American legend, concocted by Doris Marie Mann Boyd. Oletta, the warrior princess, is shown aiming an arrow at Chief Tomokie who had dared to drink “the Water of Life from the Sacred Cup.” Tomokie in turn is threatening his assailants with a spear (that has long vanished from the monument.)
The reflecting pool area in front of the monument has been dry since 1974 according to Mark Lane. A museum featuring the work of Fred Dana Marsh opened at the park in 1961 but according to Lane closed in 1996. “The Battleship,” Marsh’s home, so nicknamed because neighbors felt it resembled a battleship when viewed from the road, was demolished with considerable controversy in 1996. The owners claimed the home beyond reasonable repair costs, but ultimately seem to have had no plan to build there and sold the property in multiple lots. Marsh’s home was located at 317 N. Ocean Shore Boulevard in Ormond Beach.
Tomokie Today
Today, The Legend of Chief Tomokie is in considerable disrepair despite several organized attempts to raise funds for restoration. Governor Jeb Bush vetoed state funding of $100,000 in 1999 despite local political support.
The monument, originally constructed from cement, brick dust, and bamboo rods, is still a favorite of visitors who marvel at the size and wonder if the legend could be true.
Artist Fred Dana Marsh was born April 6, 1872 and passed away on December 20, 1961.
Marker dedicated to Fred Dana Marsh, in front of what used to be a reflecting pool at the Chief Tomokie monument.
Find the 30 best things to do in Daytona Beach in my blog post HERE.
Sources
Davidson, Herbert, editorial. “The Meaning of a Statue.” Daytona Beach News Journal. March 23, 1957.
Egan, Bill. “Marsh’s Influence Still Lives in Work.” Daytona Beach News Journal. April 21, 1996.
“Fred Dana Marsh is Dead at 89.” Daytona Beach News Journal. December 21, 1961.
Gear, Barry. “Battleship Sails Into Memories, Onto Video.” Daytona Beach News Journal. May 20, 1996.
Griffin, John W. “Nocoroco, a Timucua Village of 1605.” Florida Historical Quarterly. Volume 27: No. 4. 1948.
Lane, Mark. “Curious Coast: What is that Statue at Tomoka State Park?” Daytona Beach News Journal. July 8, 2018.
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The University Press of Florida have announced their early 2024 releases. Their spring and summer 2024 catalog is now available online for review.
As the official publisher for the State University System, the University Press of Florida (UPF) has been engaging educators, students, and discerning readers since 1945. UPF has published over 2,500 volumes since its inception and currently releases nearly 100 new titles each year. Upholding the values of their affiliate institutions of higher learning, UPF encourages the pursuit of truth, meaning, and self-determination while promoting interaction and a sense of community. The University Press of Florida continues to sow the newest seeds of scholarship while preserving important voices from the past.
During the March through August time frame, twenty-four titles are scheduled for release. Seventeen titles will be reprinted in paperback format.
Some of the highlights of the University Press of Florida early 2024 releases include the following.
A vivid, wild ride through a century of Mafia lore, this book tells stories of organized crime rings that have settled in Florida and made the state their base of operations for bootlegging, gambling, extortion, money laundering, and drug running. Sunshine State Mafia divulges the hidden history of the mob from the Keys to Pensacola and Jacksonville.
In this book, Kristalyn Shefveland describes how in the Gilded Age, Indian River Farms Company and other boosters painted the region as a wild frontier, conveniently accessible by train via Henry Flagler’s East Coast Railway. Shefveland provides an overview of local Aís and Seminole histories. These were rewritten by salespeople, and illustrate how agricultural companies used Native peoples as motifs on their fruit products. The book includes never-before-published letters between Vero Beach entrepreneur Waldo Sexton and writer Zora Neale Hurston. These letters highlight Sexton’s interest in story-spinning and sales.
Drawing on little-used primary source documents and original interviews with people who knew Hudson well, Rivers examines how Hudson’s training at Morehouse College, Colgate-Rochester Divinity School, and Boston University shaped his scholar-activism, including his decision to become a Personalist philosopher. As Rivers shows, Hudson crafted an influential philosophy of life—a blend of Socratic inquiry, moral imagination, African American spirituality, and Gandhian nonviolence—that became an essential foundation for the rise of King, another Personalist philosopher. The book also sheds new light on the connections between the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott and the lesser-known 1956 Tallahassee Bus Boycott, which together helped spark the formation of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
Opening with a case study of the excavation of Atari games from a municipal landfill in Alamogordo, New Mexico, Caraher invites readers into discussions of the archaeology of garbage, consumer objects, and digital music and video devices. He then synthesizes research on migrant camps, homelessness, military bases, residential school campuses, and urbanism, and offers a second case study: an examination of temporary workforce housing in North Dakota’s Bakken oil boom.
For most of the nineteenth century, southwest Florida and the Peace River Valley remained a frontier as unknown to outsiders as the frontiers of the American West. In this book, Canter Brown, Jr. records the area’s economic, social, political, and racial history in an account of violence, passion, struggle, sacrifice, and determination.
Using such primary materials as government records, manuscript collections, and newspapers published throughout the country, Brown documents the presence of Native Americans and African Americans in the area in the aftermath of the First Seminole War. He examines the Civil War and Reconstruction periods, paying particular attention to the Union/Confederate, Republican/Democratic split among the area’s residents. In the final sections of the book he describes the arrival of the railroad and the growth of towns. The phosphate boom, and consequences of the Great Freeze of 1895 are also discussed.
In Show Thyself a Man, Gregory Mixon explores the ways in which African Americans in postbellum Georgia used militia service after the Civil War to define freedom and citizenship. Independent militias empowered them to get involved in politics, secure their own financial independence, and mobilize for self-defense.
To see other posts of mine with University Press of Florida content, please click THIS LINK.
This post may contain affiliate links. If you click these links and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. This commission does not affect any price that you pay. All views and opinions provided are my own and are never influenced by affiliate programs or sponsors providing products.
At the start of the 1860 presidential campaign, a handful of fired-up young Northerners appeared as bodyguards to defend anti-slavery stump speakers from frequent attacks. The group called themselves the Wide Awakes. Soon, hundreds of thousands of young white and Black men, and a number of women, were organizing boisterous, uniformed, torch-bearing brigades of their own. These Wide Awakes-mostly working-class Americans in their twenties-became one of the largest, most spectacular, and most influential political movements in our history. To some, it demonstrated the power of a rising majority to push back against slavery. To others, it looked like a paramilitary force training to invade the South. Within a year, the nation would be at war with itself, and many on both sides would point to the Wide Awakes as the mechanism that got them there.
In this gripping narrative, Smithsonian historian Jon Grinspan examines how exactly our nation crossed the threshold from a political campaign into a war. Perfect for readers of Lincoln on the Vergeand TheField of Blood,Wide Awakebears witness to the power of protest, the fight for majority rule, and the defense of free speech. At its core, Wide Awake illuminates a question American democracy keeps posing, about the precarious relationship between violent rhetoric and violent actions.
The press release for Wide Awake: The Forgotten Force that Elected Lincoln and Spurred the Civil War shows this should be one of the most anticipated Abraham Lincoln related books of 2024. I hope to be reading this and subsequently posting a review. In the meantime, be sure to click the image or link above to order your own copy.
This post may contain affiliate links. If you click these links and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. This commission does not affect any price that you pay. All views and opinions provided are my own and are never influenced by affiliate programs or sponsors providing products.
Please see the press release below regarding a Call for Papers on the Origins of Revolution. The 1774 Fairfax Resolves will be a primary focus of this conference to be held at Mount Vernon on July 24-25, 2024.
CFP: The Origins of Revolution July 24-25 Proposals Due January 30
To mark the 250th anniversary of the Fairfax Resolves, a central document in the coming of the American Revolution co-authored by George Mason and George Washington, George Mason’s Gunston Hall, the David Center for the American Revolution, and theGeorge Washington Presidential Library are co-organizing a conference that explores the origins of the American Revolution in a broad perspective with particular attention to the Fairfax Resolves.
The symposium will be held on July 24-25, 2024 at George Washington’s Mount Vernon to coincide with the passage of the Resolves.
Conference organizers seek proposals from scholars in all fields whose perspectives may bear new insight into the origins and causes of the American Revolution and the idea of Independence.
Topics may include but are not limited to:
The political philosophies, religious beliefs, legal and economic considerations that may have influenced the American move for Independence.
Proposals that present new perspectives on the place of the Fairfax Resolves in the initiation or fostering of revolutionary sentiments, its influence on the Age of Atlantic Revolutions or examine the social as well as political implications of the Resolves, including the views about slavery that they express.
The membership, nature, and relationships in the political, economic, and intellectual networks in Virginia that included George Washington and George Mason.
The competing views of the British Empire held by those in North America, in Great Britain, and beyond.
The events that fueled the rise of revolutionary sentiments, both within North America and outside of it.
The role of external factors both within North America and outside it, such as the economy, civil strife, or fear, in motivating individuals to support revolutionary action or aim to suppress it.
Perspectives on the origins of the American Revolution that may also provide a framework for current or future scholars to look afresh at the causes of the American Revolution.
Criteria
Presenters are asked to submit a detailed 500-750-word proposal for their paper along with a CV. We encourage graduate and early career scholars to submit proposals. In support of undergraduate research, we will be convening a panel of undergraduate papers. We encourage undergraduates to submit research papers of 12 – 15 pages exclusive of bibliography.
We especially welcome proposals from scholars investing in the intellectual and social networks of George Mason and George Washington and their impact on the origins of the American Revolution or a focus on the Fairfax Resolves.
Selected presenters will have travel expenses covered. Mount Vernon and/or the David Center may commission a volume after the symposium. Presenters may have an opportunity to publish in it. Conference organizers may compose panels, but they are not accepting panel proposals at this time.
Decisions will be made by early 2024. Please direct questions to Brendan McConville at bmcconv@bu.edu.
If you are interested in presidential history, try visiting all the burial locations of United States presidents. Use my blog postto discover their final resting places and how you can visit.
This post may contain affiliate links. If you click these links and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. This commission does not affect any price that you pay. All views and opinions provided are my own and are never influenced by affiliate programs or sponsors providing products.
Are you searching for the best events and festivals in Florida in February 2024? Thanks for visiting. Please use the links below to find fun events for all ages.
Florida hosts some amazing events and festivals. Each month I hope to take a look at a dozen or so of these in hopes of bringing you fun, exciting, and unexpected ways to enjoy our state.
If you have an event or know of one coming up that you feel should be highlighted, please drop me a line with as much information as you can, including a website. I’ll be glad to include your suggestions in future posts.
Enjoy three days of live country music, carnival rides, arts, crafts, and tantalizing seafood, right here in the Stone Crab Capital of the World.
Discover the Everglades National Park, a diverse landscape providing crucial habitats for numerous rare and endangered species. Take an airboat ride, and view alligators, turtles, and even the elusive Florida panther. Click the photo or HERE for more information and to reserve your tickets for this amazing adventure in the wilds of the Florida Everglades.
Experience 300 fine artists lined along the streets to showcase a vast array of incredible talent in this juried event. There will be entertainment, beer, wine, cocktails, music and festival food to round out the amazing weekend. The event runs 9am-5pm on Saturday and 9am-4pm on Sunday and is FREE to attend.
While you are deciding whether to addend, I recommend you watch this video from the 2023 festival to see what is in store for you.
Visitors flock to Mount Dora, not only for the tranquil setting, but also for the community’s old-fashioned charm, antique district, and architectural distinctiveness. Enjoy dozens of historic images in this book, part of the Images of America series from Arcadia Publishing. Click the photo to order your copy today!
Everything you would ever want in a fair: food, entertainment, rides, exhibits, and more.
Free parking is provided while admission and ride charges are separate. Check online for pricing. Pets are not permitted.
Get close to many of Florida’s aquatic and terrestrial animals and ecosystems, as well as others from around the world at the Florida Aquarium in Tampa, including sea turtles and coral. Your ticket allows you to access all of the exhibits, which feature diverse creatures and habitats. Click the image or THIS LINKfor details and to purchase tickets.
The toothy barracuda are prey for competitors in this annual challenge. This is an all-release flats tournament. The name of the tournament is because it is scheduled each year just before the Super Bowl NFL football championship. The event is headquartered at South of the Seven Restauranton Sugarloaf Key, mile marker 17. The top angler and guide in spin and fly divisions receive prizes. Recognition is given to the top scoring female and junior anglers.
The Love Your Shorts Film Festival is an annual showcase in Sanford, Florida, of short films from around Florida, the United States and the world. During the festival, film fans can view films up to 30 minutes each in a variety of categories and attend film workshops.
Click the link or image for details and to purchase tickets.
For music lovers, this is one of the best events and festivals in Florida in February 2024. The 2024 Gasparilla Music Festival takes place in Julian B Lane Riverfront Park on Feb 16-18, featuring musical acts from a wide variety of genres on several stages and cuisine from the region’s top restaurants. You will without doubt have an amazing time. The organization is involved throughout the year in several initiatives including providing scholarships and instruments to music students.
Live music, car and truck show, craft vendors, fishing tournament, a parade, food vendors, beer and wine garden, poker run, and finally, cap off the excitement with an incredible fireworks display. Fun for the entire family, this event is unlike any you have attended before.
For 60 years, the mission of the Coconut Grove Arts & Historical Association has been to nurture a future generation of artists. Proceeds from the Coconut Grove Arts Festival help to fund our year-round programs, create a positive impact on our community and touch the lives of many throughout the year.
Enjoy singing, dancing, historical demonstrations, food, and much more. This is a signature event every year in New Smyrna Beach produced by the Mary S. Harrell Black Heritage Museum.
Featured events include juried fine art, fish taco competition, delicious local seafood, interactive art activities, kids zone, entertainment for all ages and a full music stage.
General admission to the event is FREE! VIP tickets are available for purchase.
This tour covers the entire city. You can avoid the trouble of driving and parking in a new place. You can hop-on and off the trolley and explore the city on your own, at any of the 13 stops. Your ticket is valid for all day, so you can tour at your own speed. Click the photo above or HERE for more information and to reserve your tickets.
The Key West Craft Show and The Old Island Days Art Festival are now combined as the The Key West Art and Craft Festival. The event dates are February 24th & 25th, 2024. Old Town at The Truman Waterfront Park is home to the combined show.
This promises to be a tremendous show for artists and crafters. Seek out your new, favorite artisan and then support their efforts while in beautiful Key West.
Car show, parade, Swamp Cabbage Queen and Princess, musical entertainment, a rodeo, bass fishing tournament, artisans, and plenty of food including swamp cabbage. The Swamp Cabbage Festival is undeniably fun for the entire family.
To conclude, I want to thank you for reading my listing of the best events and festivals in Florida in February 2024. Check back every month otherwise you might miss out on a great event you did not know about.
This post may contain affiliate links. If you click these links and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. This commission does not affect any price that you pay. All views and opinions provided are my own and are never influenced by affiliate programs or sponsors providing products.
Walking around the Best Events and Festivals in Florida in February 2024 requires the proper footwear. Orthofeet will provide you with comfort, protection, and fashion. If you have foot problems, Orthofeet is a great place to start looking for relief. Click the link or image for all their options. Be sure to look for the savings offer.
Monument to the 11th New Jersey located on the Gettysburg battlefield.
The mere mention of the word conjures up different emotions. For some, it evokes images of the battlefield, adorned for more than 100 years with impressive monuments and markers, making it one of the most impressive collections of outdoor statuary in the world. For others, Gettysburg means a family vacation, filled with battlefield and museum experiences, shopping, dining, and swimming in the hotel’s pool. To others, Gettysburg is a place of controversy, with debates lingering over the need for historic preservation versus the desire to add townhouses, retail shopping centers, casinos on occasion, etc.
But to many, the word Gettysburg brings images of something much more personal – the stories of ancestors and kin who fought there, of long-ago warriors from our respective home states, of young men and boys who never came home, many of whom still lie beneath the rich topsoil of Adams County, Pennsylvania. It is the collective stories of thousands of brave (and some not-so-valiant) soldiers, blue and gray, who survived to write their impressions of the three-day battle in their letters home, journals and diaries, newspaper articles, or in memoirs. Several of the soldiers who fought at Gettysburg later were fortunate enough to have the health and means to travel to the former battlefield to attend the dedication ceremonies for their regimental or state monuments, or to visit the graves or the locations where their respective regiments or batteries had once fought.
It is the latter, the stories of the men who were there, those who came back and those who never would, that form the backbone of this work. Author Jim Lamason, long a friend and spiritual brother, and collaborator Gerard Mayers (my co-author of our book of human interest stories of the Irish in the war) tell the story of one man from New Jersey and his comrades who sweated, toiled, and bled at Gettysburg. This book is a fitting tribute to the sons of New Jersey whose lives were forever changed in the fields that we now know as the Gettysburg National Military Park.
Huzzah.
Scott L. Mingus, Sr. York, Pennsylvania
I invite you to read other blog posts related to the Battle of Gettysburg by clicking THIS LINK.
Mr. Lamason and Mr. Mayers have not paid for this post nor have they provided a copy of their book. I have yet to read this title and have not seen a copy in person. Readers are advised to refer to online reviews for additional information.
This post may contain affiliate links. If you click these links and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. This commission does not affect any price that you pay. All views and opinions provided are my own and are never influenced by affiliate programs or sponsors providing products.
Civil War Times is one of the leading magazines on the subject. Leading scholars write on major topics of interest. With amazing photography and insightful book reviews, Civil War Times is a must read for enthusiasts. Click the image or THIS LINK for discounted subscription offers.
2023 has really been a mixed bag for me in all electronic formats; my blog, my new newsletter, and across social media. With that in mind I have decided to put forth formal goals for 2024. Next December I will have these goals to review and consider whether I am spending time wisely in my electronic pursuits.
Click here to be taken to Linktree and conveniently find all my links. You may also click the links in my text individually.
Currently, I have 123 active posts. Many of these were written before I had any idea what I was doing. Heck, that is still questionable.
Currently, I entertain somewhere between 10-15 page views on an average day. Really not very good in my opinion. I seldom fall below 10 any more and on some days can have considerably more. I suppose that is just like any blog.
My goal is to revise 18 posts. This will mostly be in regard to SEO. I have discovered some guidance in my posting software but I also hope to study up on this more. By improving SEO, I should be able to help improve a goal that will be discussed shortly.
My goal is to write 36 new blog posts, or an average of 3 per month. I have a large mental backlog of subjects and a review of my phone camera log will provide me with an untold number of possibilities. It’s ambitious because I often don’t like to include bare minimum information. It’s also ambitious just to find the time to create that many posts. I anticipate a more realistic goal is 24, or 2 per month, but let’s keep reaching for the stars as the late Casey Kasem used to say.
My goals for 2024 include by the end of 2024, averaging 50 page views per day. This will be done by improving SEO on existing pages and writing new posts.
My author FB page currently has 436 likes and 656 followers. I have no idea what the difference is on this.
Goal of 700 followers. I have no real plan on how to achieve this. By refusing to pay for social media advertising it may reduce my perceived reach, however, I see how misguided the ads are that are shown to me, so I feel any ad I placed would be wasted. Why throw money away that will not return in sales.
The photo to the left is my current IG cover photo. If you go looking for me, this is what you will find.
Currently I have 792 posts. By the end of 2024 I will have 900 posts.
Currently I have 1,858 followers. By the end of 2024 I will have 2,000. I know that doesn’t seem like a big jump, but have you seen how IG following works. I gain 2 and lose 4. The follow then unfollow trend is still there.
Currently I follow 1,682 accounts. By the end of 2024 I will follow 1,800. I follow back folks with obviously similar interests to mine: history, cemeteries, old churches, art, writing, whisky, beer, dogs. Before I follow, I review profiles and posts, even briefly, before returning follows. I don’t follow private accounts where I can’t see what you have posted.
A word on my following. I follow accounts who do not follow me on a VERY limited basis. I have to have a deep interest in what you are posting or it is the rare professional or business account that I don’t expect to follow me. Usually, those who have similar interests but don’t follow back will get cleaned out in a purge when I am looking at the follow/unfollow folks. Also, I DO NOT follow accounts who have 6,000 followers and only follow 150.
As for engagement, hell, who can figure that out. Throw away posts always do best it seems and ones I think about get nothing.
If you are on Threads, I use the same photo and username; robertreddhistorian. Same standards as above for following. I don’t really get Threads and so far have found it a pit of negativity. Please follow and change my mind.
What can you say about this site? I guess you can say it is the one I still use most despite the numerous problems including ownership.
Currently, I have 3,999 followers. This is another site where I can gain 5 and lose 15 just as quickly. It’s very frustrating at best. My goals for 2024 is to have 4,500 followers by the end of the year
I am currently following 3,866 accounts. By the end of 2024 I will be following 4,250 accounts. I am more likely to seek out accounts to follow on Twitter than any other platform. Account types I want to follow include history, cemetery, genealogy, art, travel, writing, and some sports accounts. Whisky and beer related accounts are of interest also. I am pretty lenient in my following back.
A word on my following. I follow accounts who do not follow me on a VERY limited basis. I have to have a deep interest in what you are posting or it is the rare professional or business account that I don’t expect to follow me. Usually, those who have similar interests but don’t follow back will get cleaned out in a purge when I am looking at the follow/unfollow folks. Also, I DO NOT follow accounts who have 6,000 followers and only follow 150. I do not knowingly follow crypto and other garbage like that. I BLOCK advertisers on Twitter without remorse even if I like the brand.
This is one of my newest attempts to spread my reach and is one that is both time consuming and at times quite frustrating. It has proven difficult to grow my email list. I know I receive plenty of email and don’t always have a need to receive another. Would I want to subscribe? The process becomes frustrating when you get new subscribers, only for them to turn around and unsubscribe after one newsletter AND report you for being spam. Please don’t be one of those people.
Goals for 2024 for my newsletter include sending 8 monthly issues or 2 out of every 3 months. This seems doable.
My goal is to reach 200 subscribers up from the current 120. This actually might be my loftiest goal.
Pinterest is very peculiar to me and I haven’t figured it out yet. I just keep posting away, probably making the same mistakes over and over.
I currently average somewhere around 1,500-2,000 views per month. My goal is to increase that to 2,500 to 3,000 views per month. This can be accomplished by regular posting, determining what type posts seem to attract views, and through better subject headings to attract viewers.
I currently have 84 followers. My goal is to reach 100 followers in 2024. I am unsure that followers correspond to actual page views and link clicks however. Perhaps someone can enlighten me.
Outbound clicks and saves are usually negligible at less that 10 each. I hope to reach 25 per month for both.
So there we have it. Some goals for 2024. I have not posted goals for YouTube or any specific goals toward monetization. Are these goals achievable? Many would appear to be. They will take work and commitment on my part. These may also take some luck because that seems to be a large part of online success.
What are some of your online goals for 2024? How do you plan to achieve them? Do you have suggestions related to my goals above. Please feel free to leave a comment.
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Lawson, Lawrence. Haunted Indian River County. Charleston, History Press, 2024. 139 pages, ISBN 978467155748, $21.99
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