A Fair Maid of Florida: A Story of the Spanish Possession of the Floridas in the Eighteenth Century

Set in the late 1700's, this historical fiction novel follows Don Diego, a 25-year-old Spanish settler, in his quest to both acclimate to the St. Augustine settlement and prove his worth to his lover, Manguila, and her father. However, when the English begin their takeover of the settlement and the Native Americans become restless at so much of their land being taken over, Don Diego and Manguila put their love on hold to first navigate the dangerous changes.

Local locations visited or mentioned in the text include the Old City Gates, the Castillo de San Marcos (called both San Marco and Fort Marion in the book), the Matanzas River, the San Sebastian River, the Plaza de la Constitucion, the Governor's House (Governor's House Cultural Center and Museum), and Anastasia Island.

A Fair Maid of Florida: A Story of the Spanish Possession of the Floridas in the Eighteenth Century

Chicago: [unknown]

English

Historical
Romance

1st Spanish Period
British Period

Gardner, Janette C. An Annotated Bibliography of Florida Fiction, 1801-1980. St. Petersburg, FL: Little Bayou Press,1983.

Mason, Walter Scott. The People of Florida as Portrayed in American Fiction. Nashville, TN: George Peabody College for Teachers, 1949.

McCarthy, Kevin. M. “Historical St. Augustine in Fiction.” El Escribano 15 (1978): 61-69.

Parker, Mary Moncure. A Fair Maid of Florida: A Story of the Spanish Possession of the Floridas in the Eighteenth Century. Chicago, 1898.