Florida: Past and present: together with notes from Sunland, on the Manatee River, Gulf Coast of South Florida: its climate, soil, and productions

In Short

This book is a detailed guide and defense of South Florida—specifically the Manatee River region—written by an enthusiastic settler to answer a deluge of inquiries from northern prospective homesteaders. Combining historical summaries of Spanish and French exploration, itemized agricultural inventories, weather logs, local biographical sketches, and practical answers to common settler questions, it documents the transition of a wild frontier into an agricultural haven. It has endured as a vivid, highly specific historical snapshot of Florida’s early boom era, capturing both the raw realities of frontier life and the origin of local Gulf Coast communities.

The Story

The book opens as a direct response to public curiosity. After several of the author's letters about the Manatee River region appear in northern newspapers, he finds himself overwhelmed by correspondence from prospective settlers seeking reliable facts about the region's climate and farming potential. To address this demand, he frames his personal experiences within a broader historical context, tracing Florida's history from early European encounters to his present moment.

He outlines the arrival of Spanish explorers, the conflicts between French Huguenot settlers and Spanish forces, the rise of St. Augustine, and the succession of British and Spanish regimes leading up to American territorial status. He contrasts the northern and central regions of Florida—suitable for traditional crops like corn, oats, and cotton—with the sub-tropical southern counties. South Florida is presented as a distinctive zone where tropical fruits, sugar cane, and early winter vegetables thrive without the killing frosts of the North.

The narrative shifts from general state history to a focused examination of the Gulf Coast, particularly Hillsborough and Manatee counties. The author explores local geography, describing waterways, hammocks, pine lands, and barrier keys. He offers a detailed tour of settlements like Manatee and Braidentown, evaluating their infrastructure, public institutions, and economic potential. Interspersed throughout are colorful accounts of local figures who shaped the region, including early homesteaders who cleared dense foliage, built palmetto huts, survived severe hurricanes, and established local commerce. He also notes historic episodes, such as the escape of Confederate leader Judah P. Benjamin through the Manatee waterways following the Civil War.

In the latter half of the book, the author anchors his claims with precise data and personal experience. He records his own success in transforming a plot of pine wilderness into a flourishing homestead packed with hundreds of citrus trees, pineapples, bananas, and exotic flora. He provides itemized answers to practical questions regarding land clearing costs, lumber prices, labor wages, crop yields, and local game. Extensive monthly weather logs detail daily temperature readings, rainfall, and wind directions to prove the mildness and healthfulness of the climate. The narrative closes on an encouraging note, inviting readers to leave harsh northern winters behind and settle in a land of continuous summer.

How It Unflows

The historical foundation The work opens by tracing the early European presence in Florida, detailing Spanish expeditions, the destruction of French settlements along the St. Johns River, and the eventual transfer of the territory from Spain to Great Britain and later the United States.

Surveying the regions The text distinguishes between the general agriculture of North Florida and the sub-tropical capabilities of the southern counties, highlighting South Florida as uniquely suited for citrus, tropical fruits, sugar cane, and winter vegetable farming.

Exploring the Manatee frontier Focusing on the Gulf Coast, the author describes the landscape of Manatee Bay, evaluating the local soil types, navigable waters, and nascent towns like Manatee and Braidentown while emphasizing the need for commercial development such as hotels and wharves.

Profiles of pioneer endurance The narrative recounts the hardships of early homesteaders who cleared dense hammocks, survived violent gales, managed land office disputes, and built small local businesses through resilience and adaptability.

Practical guidance and empirical proof The author outlines his own homesteading project at Sunnyside Cottage, answers common logistical questions about costs and labor, and presents meticulous multi-year weather records to prove the region's warm, equable climate.

The People

• Samuel C. Upham: The author and narrator, an energetic northern emigrant living at Sunnyside Cottage in Braidentown. Driven by a desire to share reliable information and promote the region, he documents his personal farming experiments with citrus and tropical fruits, serving as an enthusiastic advocate for South Florida settlement.
• Madam Joe (Mrs. Joe Atzeroth): A resilient pioneer woman who homesteaded on Terraceia Island in the 1840s. She clears dense hammocks with an axe, builds makeshift shelters, survives destructive hurricanes, drives away wild animals, and supports her family by operating a home-made beer and cake shop during financial hardships.
• Mr. Joe Atzeroth: Husband to Madam Joe, who partners in establishing their homestead. He navigates severe weather, unpredictable travel along the bay, land title complications, and physical injury while working to clear land and supply their home.
• Judah P. Benjamin: The former Confederate Secretary of State who flees through the Florida wilderness under an assumed name after the collapse of the Confederacy. He relies on local guides and residents along the Manatee River to evade federal capture before escaping to the Bahamas.
• Captain Fred Tresca: A skilled local mariner and "old salt" living near Braidentown who safely maneuvers a small sail-boat through Federal gunboat patrols to transport the fugitive Benjamin to the Bahama Islands.
• Rev. Edmund Lee: A long-time resident of Manatee who originally arrived decades earlier as a severe invalid suffering from pulmonary disease, serving as living proof of the climate's restorative health benefits.

In Its Own Voice

"The Fountain of Youth, sought for in vain by Ponce de Leon three hundred and seventy years ago, is in Florida."

The author connects legendary lore with modern realities, arguing that the true source of vitality lies in the region's warm, restorative climate.

"The underbrush and vines were so thick, and the progress made by the men so slow, that Madam Joe seized an axe and assisted them."

This line illustrates the rugged physical demands faced by early settlers attempting to carve homes out of dense coastal hammocks.

"By keeping the soil constantly tickled with the hoe, my trees laugh with a bountiful foliage."

Here the author expresses his cheerful optimism and hands-on approach to cultivating crops in Florida's sandy soil.

What It's Really About

Beneath its practical advice and historical notes, the book is an argument for American westward and southward expansion through individual self-reliance and agrarian labor. It addresses the tension between the harsh, industrial environment of the northern states and the health-restoring potential of the southern frontier. By presenting detailed environmental data alongside stories of ordinary people transforming "howling wilderness" into productive land, the work explores how human determination can build stable communities in challenging environments. It also reflects late nineteenth-century ideas about climate, health, and economic opportunity, presenting Florida not as an unapproachable swamp, but as an accessible haven for working families seeking renewal.

Why Read It Today

This volume appeals to readers interested in Florida history, nineteenth-century pioneer life, and historical travel writing. It offers an authentic, unvarnished look at the early development of the Gulf Coast long before the era of modern resort infrastructure and drainage projects. Reading it feels like sifting through a pioneer's personal scrapbook, blending straightforward narrative with raw historical data, local anecdotes, and practical homesteading manuals.

Readers should anticipate period constraints, including detailed statistical lists, historical summaries compiled from older sources, and minor local references specific to the 1880s. However, these elements add to its charm as a primary document. What remains with the reader is the vivid depiction of frontier resilience—such as Madam Joe’s stubborn ingenuity—and the author’s genuine, unshakeable enthusiasm for his adopted home.