Stephen Noll

LAKELAND, Fla. (March 7, 2011) - Florida Southern College’s Lawton M. Chiles Jr. Center for Florida History welcomes Steven Noll, author and senior lecturer at the University of Florida, to the Florida Lecture Series. Noll will discuss his book, Ditch of Dreams: The Cross-Florida Barge Canal and the Struggle for Florida's Future. The lecture will begin at 7 p.m. on March 10 and will be held in the William M. Hollis Seminar Room of the Thad Buckner Building on campus. The event is free and open to the public.

Ditch of Dreams tells the complex story of the cross-Florida barge canal, a manmade waterway that was partially built to reduce shipping times and transform the state into a national center for commerce and trade. Construction on the canal was abandoned as the project erupted in controversy. The book received the Florida Historical Society’s 2010 Rembert Patrick Award for a scholarly book on a Florida history topic.

Noll holds a doctorate degree in American history from the University of Florida, a Master of Arts and a Master of Education from the University of Florida, and a bachelor’s degree from the College of William and Mary. He has published two other books, Mental Retardation in America and Feeble Minded in our Midst, as well as numerous articles.

"We are delighted to host Steven Noll from the University of Florida to discuss his wonderful book on the ill-fated cross-Florida barge canal," noted James M. Denham, director of the Lawton M. Chiles Jr. Center for Florida History. "Steve’s insightful book lays out the environmental and political complexities on this great American boondoggle."