The largest island in Florida's St. Johns River is Drayton Island. Located at the northern edge of Lake George about twenty miles south of Palatka, the island is about 1700 acres in size and is surrounded by the St. Johns River. With a history dating back to the Native Americans of central Florida, Drayton has seen its share of explorers, slaves, plantation owners, and ordinary residents who have moved there to grow crops, fish, and enjoy a truly idyllic life. This is an illustrated history of that island, written by a long-time resident of the island and by an author who has spent his career writing about Florida. The illustrations come from the authors' own collections, the state archives, private collections, and very old postcards.
About the Author: Walt Grampp graduated from the University of Connecticut (1956), served in the Medical Corps of the U.S. Army (1956 - 1958), and then spent his career in the nursery business, growing plants and flowers. As a third-generation Drayton Islander, he has long had an interest in the rich history of Drayton Island. He is a board member of the Bartram Trails Society, was active in that society's marker project, is a member of the St. Augustine Historical Society and the Fruitland Historical Society, and is a trustee of the Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Society. Kevin McCarthy earned his B.A. in American Literature from LaSalle College (1963), his M.A. in English from the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill (1966) and his Ph.D. in Linguistics from the same school (1970). He taught in the Peace Corps in Turkey for two years, in Lebanon as a Fulbright Professor for one year, in Saudi Arabia as a Fulbright Professor for two years, and as a professor of English and Linguistics at the University of Florida for 33 years. He has had 64 books published, mostly about Florida, plus several dozen articles in scholarly and popular journals and has given over 300 talks to schools and academic groups. In 2003 the University of Florida named him its Distinguished Alumni Professor. Since retiring from the University of Florida in 2005, he has taught writing workshops in Hanoi, Vietnam two times, and has taught English-as-a-Foreign Language in Spain four times. He continues to research and write nonfiction books.