Florida Memory is administered by the Florida Department of State, Division of Library and Information Services, Bureau of Archives and Records Management. The digitized records on Florida Memory come from the collections of the State Archives of Florida and the special collections of the State Library of Florida.
State Archives of Florida
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State Library of Florida
Related Sites
Listen: The Latin ProgramZora Neale Hurston and the WPA in Florida
Documents and Audio
Essay
Essay by Zora Neale Hurston
"Turpentine Camp — Cross City"
August 1939
“Well, I put on my shoes and I started. Going up some roads and down some others to see what Negroes do for a living. Going down one road I smelt hot rosin and looked and saw a 'gum patch.' That’s a turpentine still to the outsider, but gum path (sic) to those who work them.”
Zora Neale Hurston
Hurston wrote this essay during a trip to the Cross City turpentine camp for the WPA.
Audio
Sound Recordings by Zora Neale Hurston
The following is a selection of sound recordings that Hurston created in 1939 while she worked for the WPA.
Stetson Kennedy
Stetson Kennedy's Essay on Working With Zora Neale Hurston
From 1937 to 1942, Stetson Kennedy headed the Florida Writers' Project unit on folklore, oral history, and social-ethnic studies. Kennedy and Zora Neale Hurston worked together to capture the traditions, songs, tales, and anecdotes of the people of Florida. Kennedy’s introduction to A Reference Guide to the Florida Folklore from the Federal WPA includes the story of the trip that he and Hurston took to the Cross City turpentine camp. His introduction mentions the essay she wrote and helps to fit the piece in a larger context.
Features
Territorial Legislative Council Records, 1822-1845
Documenting Florida's legislature prior to statehood
State and County Officer Directories, 1868-1969
Lists of Florida's state and county officials either elected or appointed between 1868 and 1969.
Guide to Military Records and the Wartime Experience
A guide to government records and manuscript collections relating to service members and the wartime experience.
Dust Tracks
21 tracks from Hurston's time documenting African American culture for the WPA in 1930s Florida.
History Day 2025
Resources for Florida History Day from the State Library and Archives of Florida.