The British controlled Florida for 20 years (1763-1783)? Moving to Florida today seems like an easy decision – surf, sand, and whole lot more! However, when the British took over in the 18th century, Florida was a much more difficult “sell.” The average Britain knew very little, if anything about their newly acquired colony, and it was up to some clever writers and cartographers (map makers) to describe this “forsaken swamp” in more flattering detail. In 1764, William Roberts (with map contributions by Thomas Jeffries) published “An Account of the First Discovery and Natural History of Florida.” Books like this drove the British public’s perception of Florida, and helped sell land to potential colonists and investors. The Florida Historical Society holds two original copies of this fascinating book, and you can see it here:
You can also hear a more detailed discussion of the book on “Florida Frontiers” episode #350, here.