Sunday Favorites: From Uncle Tom's Cabin to Sunny Disposition

Aside from her renowned novel "Uncle Tom's Cabin," Harriet Beecher Stowe also wrote about her visits to Florida. Her captivating accounts included depictions of leisurely picnics, exhilarating sailing experiences, and engaging river touring expeditions. Through her descriptive stories about the people and events in this tropical "winter-summer" land, she became a pioneer in promotional writing that piqued the interest of northern tourists in Florida.

Harriet Beecher Stowe is most recognized for her novel "Uncle Tom's Cabin," which exposed the cruelty of slavery. However, she also l wrote about the beauty of Florida in the late 1800s. In her writings, she vividly portrayed Florida as a place of carefree and adventurous living, describing it as a "tumble-down, wild, panicky kind of life—this general happy-go-luckiness which (is) Florida,” according to an article on Famous Floridians.

Through her captivating depictions of Florida live and simple stories about the people and events in this tropical "winter-summer" land, she pioneered the first promotional writing to attract northern tourists to Florida.

Born in 1811 in Connecticut as one of eleven children, Stowe had an unconventional upbringing for a girl of her time. She had the privilege of attending school, which was uncommon for girls back then. She was a child prodigy of sorts and at the age of 12, her exceptional term paper was read aloud at graduation. By the age of 16, she already had a career as a full-time teacher. Among her earliest works was a geography book for children titled "Primary Geography for Children."

In 1852, Harriet Beecher Stowe published "Uncle Tom's Cabin.” The book was immensely popular, selling over 10,000 copies in its first week and reaching 500,000 copies within five years, making Stowe an international celebrity and a prominent anti-slavery advocate in America and Europe.

Over her 51-year writing career, Stowe penned numerous books and pieces covering various topics. Remarkably, she managed to achieve all this while raising seven children and maintaining her household, benefiting from the support of her husband—an unusual arrangement for women of her time.

In the 1860s, the Stowes purchased property in Mandarin, Florida, near Jacksonville, where they spent winters. They planed to create a  haven for freedmen and progressive northerners. Harriet contributed to the establishment of schools for African American children in the state.

In 1872, Harriet published "Palmetto Leaves," a compilation of pieces she wrote during her winters in Mandarin. The book paints a charming picture of the local area, accompanied by ink drawings, recounting delightful stories like her picnic on Julington Creek, near St. Johns River.

"Palmetto Leaves" played a significant role in Florida marketing during the late 1800s. It provided a charming and vivid portrayal of Florida's natural beauty, unique wildlife, and idyllic landscapes, which had a profound impact on attracting tourists and potential settlers to the state.  It also included Stowe's advocacy for human rights, emphasizing the importance of treating and educating the African American population for the prosperity of southern states.

Stowe's descriptions of the picturesque scenery, including palm trees, blue skies, and aquatic imagery, painted a romantic and appealing picture of Florida as a tropical paradise. Her vivid and enthusiastic prose created a sense of wonder and adventure, enticing readers to explore the state themselves.

“We’ve done it! Whether in the body or not, we have been to dreamland, to the land of the fays and the elves, the land where reality ceases and romance begins,” she wrote of a trip to Silver Springs in 1873.

Stowe's writings provide a valuable glimpse into the Florida of the 1800s, capturing the social life and culture of the time with her early and effective realism. Her legacy continues through reissues of her works, making "Palmetto Leaves" still available in bookstores for readers today.