The Matheson History Museum presents ‘Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (and Steamboats too!)’ with Steve Noll

Press release from the Matheson History Museum

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Until the nineteenth century, steamboats provided the major means of transportation in Florida and its connection to the wider world. Alachua County was home to multiple steamboat lines, which operated on Lake Alto, Lake Santa Fe, and Alachua Lake/Paynes Prairie. The railroad also had a major impact on Alachua County. 19th-century Florida roads were swampy and sandy, so when the Florida Railroad arrived in Gainesville on February 1, 1859, the county’s history was changed forever.

WHEN: 7 p.m. on Wednesday, September 17

Dr. Noll’s presentation covers the decades of development and infrastructure of Florida’s transportation industry and intersections with contemporary issues of the state. This program is a partnership between Florida Humanities and the Matheson History Museum as part of Florida Humanities’ Florida Talks program.

In-person registration: https://mathesonmuseum.networkforgood.com/events/88503-planes-trains-and-automobiles-and-steamboats-too

Steve Noll, Ph.D.

Steve Noll is an instructional professor in the history department of the University of Florida. He received his PhD from UF in 1991. He taught special education in the public schools of Alachua County for 28 years before moving full-time to UF in 2004. He has written extensively on both Florida history and disability history and presented around the state for Florida Humanities. In 2013, the Princeton Review named him one of the 300 best professors in the United States, and this year, he was named undergraduate teacher of the year for the UF history department for the 4th time.

Florida Humanities

Florida Humanities, the statewide, nonprofit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, is dedicated to preserving, promoting, and sharing the history, literature, culture, and personal stories that offer Floridians a better understanding of themselves, their communities, and their state. Since 1973, Florida Humanities has awarded more than $16 million in support of statewide cultural resources and public programs strongly rooted in the humanities. These programs preserve Florida’s diverse history and heritage, promote civic engagement and community dialogue, and provide opportunities to reflect on the future of Florida. Learn more at www.FloridaHumanities.org.

This program is sponsored in part by Visit Gainesville/Alachua County, FL and the City of Gainesville. Funding for this Florida Talks program was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities.