Florida History

"In my life, I have found myself as a colored, a negro, a Black, an African American, and a person of color. This is my reflection as a colored girl." This phrase opens each essay heard on WGCU FM from Martha R. Bireda, Ph.D. Dr. Bireda is a writer, lecturer, and living history performer with over 30 years of experience as a lecturer, consultant and trainer for issues related to race, class, and gender, working with educators, law enforcement, and business, and civic leaders. Bireda also is the Director of the Blanchard House Museum of African American History and Culture of Charlotte County, located in Punta Gorda, Florida. The audio series, "Reflections of a Colored Girl," will be featured weekly on WGCU FM for the next five months. This is the first.

Thirty-nine local artists associated with the Fort Myers Mural Society have painted 57 murals of people and scenes from Fort Myers' past - when the neophyte settlement was a port dominated by seven long piers that jutted into the Caloosahatchee River. The artists met recently to talk about the importance of the project and what they hope the public derives from their paintings.

A sash reportedly worn by Seminole warrior Osceola at the time of his capture by the U.S. Army in the early 19th Century is on display for the first time at the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum on the Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation, but not for long.

In 2003, Jeb Bush designated January as Florida Jewish History Month. To commemorate this month, WGCU looks into the history of what Jewish people have done to impact Southwest Florida.

We take a reprieve from coverage of the coronavirus pandemic to catch up with the mother and daughter team behind the podcast “Cool Dead Women.” The…

In 1942 and 1943, German U-boats sank more than one hundred tankers in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, impeding the flow of crude oil to the…

We're exploring the life of Barron Gift Collier with local author and historian Marya Repko. Her book, "The Story of Barron Collier" tells the story of…

We're joined by author John Capouya to explore Florida’s contribution to soul music he covers in his book, “Florida Soul: From Ray Charles to KC and the…

On May 19, 1942, a German U-boat set its sights on a freighter called Heredia with 59 people on board. Most of the crew were merchant seamen, but there…

With Halloween less than a week away, we explore some of Florida’s strangest tales of murder, monsters and mystery detailed in the newest book from horror…