Tuesday, December 1, noon

Author Rick Kilby explores the Victorian belief that water caused healing and rehabilitation, tracing the history of “taking the waters” from its origins in the era of Enlightenment. Nineteenth-century Americans traveled from afar to bathe in the outdoors and soak up the warm climate of Florida. Here, with more than 1,000 freshwater springs, 1,300 miles of coastline, and 30,000 lakes, water was an abundant resource.   

Rick Kilby’s first book, “Finding the Fountain of Youth,” was published in 2013 and won a Florida Book Award in the Visual Arts category. His latest book, 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, register here.