Tuesday, December 1, noon
Florida was a tourist magnet far earlier than most of us realize. In Victorian times, Americans came from afar to soak up the climate and bathe in our waters in a quest for better health that gave rise to elaborate, now-vanished resorts.
In this talk illustrated with rich, rare images, author Rick Kilby reveals the lost world of these splendid Florida destinations as he explores the history of “taking the waters” from its origins in the era of Enlightenment to its Gilded Age heyday. He also reminds us that Florida’s water remains a life-giving treasure.
Kilby’s first book, Finding the Fountain of Youth (2013), won a Florida Book Award in the Visual Arts category. His latest, Florida’s Healing Waters: Gilded Age Mineral Springs, Seaside Resorts, and Health Spas, was published this fall by the University Press of Florida.
This program will be available through the Zoom platform.
We will hold a book signing for Florida’s Healing Waters on Saturday, December 5, 2020, noon – 2 p.m.
