University of Central Florida STARS Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019 2005 Plant City, Florida, 1885-1940: A Study In Southern Urban Development Mark W. Kerlin University of Central Florida Part of the History Commons Find similar works at: https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd University of Central Florida Libraries http://library.ucf.edu This Masters Thesis (Open Access) is brought to you for free and open access by STARS. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019 by an authorized administrator of STARS. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. STARS Citation Kerlin, Mark W., "Plant City, Florida, 1885-1940: A Study In Southern Urban Development" (2005). Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019. 580. https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd/580 PLANT CITY, FLORIDA, 1885-1940: A STUDY IN SOUTHERN URBAN DEVELOPMENT By MARK W. KERLIN B.A. Fort Lewis College, 1981 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in the Department of History on the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida Summer Term 2005 © 2005 Mark Kerlin ii ABSTRACT This study investigates the development of Plant City, Florida as a railroad town developing on the Southwest Florida frontier from 1885-1940. The study chronicles the town’s origins and economic, political, and social development in relationship to the broader historical theories of southern urban development, specifically those put forward in David Goldfield’s pioneering work, Cotton Fields and Skyscrapers: Southern City and Region 1607-1980. Goldfield contended that southern cities developed differently than their northern counterparts because they were not economically, politically, philosophically and culturally separated from their rural surroundings.