Uncle Sam's

Dublin Core

Abstract

**Warning: The language in this book represents the time period and is not considered acceptable.**

Told partially as reminiscences, this story is set in WWII-era St. Augustine and told from many points-of-views both on land and at sea, nevertheless focuses on a restaurant near the Atlantic Ocean on Anastasia Island, Uncle Sam's. Racial tensions are taut in the Oldest City. Yet, all is not as it seems. While discussions of "racial purity" and untermensch occur on land and highschool senior Winnie Greer begins dreaming of a singing career in a segregated world, a German U-Boat lurks off the coast and is hunted by the Americans.

This story makes a nod to the local St. Augustinians who were enlisted by the U.S. Coast Guard to help watch for U-boats both from shrimp boats and from land.

Local locations visited or mentioned in the text include the Alhambra Hotel, Moses Creek, Anastasia Island, Butler Beach, Marineland, and in the surrounding waters. Despite its location in Flagler County, Marineland has a St. Augustine USPS address.
The history of Marineland ("Our History") - in relation to Marineland the attraction - has been neglected until recent years through the efforts of Marineland's Historian, Terran McGinnis, in collaboration with Flagler College's Public History Department and the Proctor Library. To learn even more about the history of Marineland, please go here: Diving into Marineland: A Project by Flagler College, and here: World War II Resources in Northeast Florida, "Marineland Dolphin Adventure Archive Collection."

Creator

Title

Uncle Sam's

Publisher

St. Augustine, FL: Matanzas Press

Format

Paperback book

Language

English
German

Audience

Subject

Historical
Mystery or Thriller
Race Relations

Coverage

1912-1975
Contemporary, Adult

Has Format

Available for free on Internet Archive.

Has Version

Live in St. Johns County and have a Library Card?

The County Public Library also collects St. Augustine Fiction. Please visit their website to see which branches have a copy of this title.

Bibliographic Citation

Humphreys, Jay. Uncle Sam's. St. Augustine, FL: Matanzas Press, 2003.

Citation

Jay Humphreys, “Uncle Sam's,” St. Augustine Fiction, accessed June 12, 2025, https://staugustinefiction.omeka.net/items/show/121.

Geolocation