Florida Oranges: A Colorful History

by Erin Thursby

The first orange groves, planted in St. Augustine in the 1500s by Ponce de León, were the precursor to what would become an integral part of Florida's identity.
Orange groves slowly spread across the state, inspiring horticultural and manufacturing ingenuity. Discover the story behind Deland's eccentric "citrus wizard'? Lue Gim Gong, the rise and fall of smuggler Jesse Fish and the silver-tongued politician William J. Howey, who made his fortune selling plots of groveland through the 1920s. Celebrate the heyday of orange tourism and the farmers who weathered freezes, floods and citrus greening. Join author Erin Thursby as she explores the history of the Sunshine State's most famous crop.

192 pages, Paperback

Published September 30, 2019

Reviews

[Nick Fanelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is delightful! I had so much fun reading about how the citrus industry has evolved throughout Florida. This is a perfect book for outdoor-minded Floridians.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

An informative overview of the history of the citrus industry in Florida, that could do with some more colorful anecdotes as the title suggests instead of already dated statistics about citrus production by county.

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good overview of Florida’s orange history. I think it’s probably most useful as a reference book, as reading it front to back made the structure feel a bit sporadic. It jumps around by growing region (Northeast, Panhandle, Central, Southeast, Southwest) with some other chapters on broader ideas mixed around in between, and so sometimes felt a little aimless as we jump back and forth in time. But there were lots of interesting anecdotes, especially the early years in Northeast Florida. The stories of many orange barons toward the back end of the book start to blend together, but again, this would still be a great reference if you wanted to look up a specific person or region. Recommended for Florida history fans.