Tales of Historic Tallahassee

By Henry Cabbage and West Lizbeth

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• ISBN: 096729410X
• ISBN13: 9780967294100
• Release Date: June 1999
• Publisher: Artemis Associates
• Length: 86 Pages
• Weight: 1.01 lbs.

Customer Reviews

From Hernando deSoto to Ted Bundy

Henry Cabbage writes lovingly about Tallahassee, from deSoto's first Christmas a few blocks east of downtown, to Ted Bundy's murderous sorority row attacks. In between, Cabbage brings to life little known happening as the 1851 ring competitions (lancing rings from horse), and provides interesting twists to more well known historical figures. For example, anyone that has visited Tallahassee's Museum of History and Natural Science knows of Prince Murat, but who knew of his attempt to make a recipe of "turkey buzzards"? Cabbage doesn't write just of the "big events" and famous. Followers of the Seminole-Gator football rivalry will be surprised by "the warm relationship that existed then (1927) between the Florida State College of Women (FSU) and the men's college (known today as the University of Florida). " One minor complaint is that no story was included between 1865 and 1917, so I hope for a follow up work.

A fascinating and highly entertaining volume.

People who dismiss history as dry and dull should pick up this delightful volume and journey into a city's colorful past, meeting along the way a cast of characters which would do credit to a great novelist or Hollywood script writer. Tales is a series of vinettes ranging from an account of the robust and dangerous game of football played by the indigenous Indians to southern gentleman blazing away at each other with pistols under the oak outside town over some imagined insult. Add to that a ship wreck, the terror of a yellow fever epidemic, battles against invading Yankee armies, and a ghost story or two. There are several reasons why this volume will appeal to any reader, not just hardcore history buffs. The narrative is skillfully constructed and reflects the writer's keen eye for the absurd, the interesting, and the paradoxes of life. This book was designed and crafted for the enjoyment of readers, not as some ponderous dissertation for the terminally scholarly. After almost every page, the reader is tempted to shake his head and exclaim, "I never knew that." The chapters are delicious morsels perfect for enjoyment on a lunch break or while waiting for a plane or doctor's appointment. In short, to borrow from a by-gone television commercial, "Try It! You'll Like It!"

A city's history, rendered as true art.

Henry Cabbage knows Tallahassee. Boy, does he ever! And he sees it in living terms, not as a geographical location, but as an entity that is in the process of becoming. That is reflected in his writing style, which is crisp, inclusive, coherent, and seductive.This book is a perfect read. It could be an outline for an egrossing novel. While history, particularly American history, most notably, history of a Southern city, is not something I'd normally find entertaining, this book left me wishing I had lived there all my life. Then, I realized I had just had the experience of doing precisely that, and more.As I said, Mr. Cabbage makes a living thing out of what could have been a dry, historical recitation. He has done a prodigious and beautiful job with this book. It is art.