The Florida History Podcast

In the first episode of our new season on Florida amusement parks, we discuss the years between 1959 and 1965 when Walt Disney began looking for a site for a second Disney park, and the process to finally arrive at a Central Florida site.

A new season of the Florida History Podcast begins next Tuesday as we take a deep dive into the history of Walt Disney World and other amusement parks in Florida.

We look at how the 3rd, 4th and 5th President interacted with Spanish Florida, from research Kartik Krishnaiyer conducted in writing his new book "The American Conquest of Florida."

We discuss the 1565 massacre of French protestants by the Spanish at the current site of Fort Matanzas.

Dr Angela Zombek joins us again to discuss and an area which she is working on a book related to - Key West in Civil War. Key West was central to union war planning and the city went through many trials and tribulations during the war as most residents were confederate sympathizers in a union-held town.

On this episode we discuss Egmont Key with Dr Angela Zombek. Here is Dr Zombek's written work on Egmont Key's history: https://www.journalofthecivilwarera.org/2016/08/paradise-lost-floridas-egmont-key-civil-war/

We conclude our fort series by discussing the Spanish-American War fort that stimulated Miami's growth.

We discuss Fort Myers, the Third Seminole War and the unconquered Seminoles that survived FIVE attempts by the United States to conquer them or drive them west.

We discuss Fort King in Marion County and its role in the Second Seminole War.

Continuing our fort series we discuss Fort Gadsden" also know as the negro fort which was built by the British in 1812 and was the scene of the Americans slaughtering runaway African-Americans and Seminole during the First Seminole War.

Ryan Ray joins us to discuss Fort Jefferson, the latest stop on our tour of Florida forts.

Dr. Angela Zombek of UNC-Wilmington, who is one of the foremost experts on Florida and the Civil War joins us to discuss the pivotal role that Key West's Fort Taylor played in Union war planning at the very highest levels and in the Civil War in general.

We discuss Key West's Fort Taylor.

We discuss the batteries around Santa Rosa Island protecting Pensacola Bay

Pensacola's Fort Pickens was one of the key sites in the start of the Civil War.

We discuss Pensacola's Civil War era Fort Barrancas.

Before we move to West Florida in our ongoing series of Forts we discuss why West Florida developed differently than East Florida during colonial times and how that led to long-term the Panhandle being different than the entire peninsula as well as the big bend region.

On this week's Florida History Podcast we dive deep into discussions around Colonial Florida when we talk to Kevin Kokomoor about his new book La Florida. This is part 2 of a two-part conversation about the book which puts Florida, and its founding as well as its development at the heart of the origin stories about the United States

On this week's Florida History Podcast we dive deep into discussions around Colonial Florida when we talk to Kevin Kokomoor about his new book La Florida. This is part 1 of a two-part conversation about the book which puts Florida, and its founding as well as its development at the heart of the origin stories about the United States

This week we discuss Fort Clinch, a masonry fort in Fernandina Beach that was built in the mid 1800's.

We discuss the history of Fort San Carlos which once protected Fernandina Beach.

We discuss Fort Matanzas which is located about 18 miles south of St Augustine.

We discuss Fort Mose, which beyond being a defensive fort around St Augustine was the first free African-American settlement in what is now the USA.

In our second episode of our series on Florida forts we discuss the Castillo de San Marcos and defending Spanish St Augustine of the colonial period.

We kick off our series on Florida forts with Fort Caroline which is now a National Monument in Duval County.