"Spires in the Sun" Receives Florida Historical Society 2023 Charlton Tebeau Award

Dear Diocese of Florida,

We are thrilled to share that the "Spires in the Sun: The Carpenter Gothic Episcopal Churches of Florida," written by Jonathan Rich and photographed by Phil Eschbach, has been conferred the Florida Historical Society’s 2023 Charlton Tebeau Award for a general-interest book on a Florida history topic.

The book tells the story behind thirty-nine tiny, wood-frame Gothic Revival churches erected in Florida during the mid to late 1800s when the state was the nation’s last frontier on the East Coast. Still in existence today, they are scattered as far north as Fort George Island, as far east as Jacksonville Beach, as far west as Milton, and as far south as Jensen Beach.

Adapted from board-and-batten designs created by American Gothic Revival architect Richard Upjohn, these churches were built to express in diminutive, wooden form the features historically associated with the stone parish churches of the English Gothic Revival, themselves descendants of the great medieval cathedrals of England and Europe.

Breathing the romantic sensibilities of the English Gothic Revival into a fresh medium, they produced a groundbreaking form, one that elevated the American wooden church to new heights of historicity, imagination, and beauty.

The book, which took 17 years to complete, involved repeated trips across the state by Rich and Eschbach to research and photograph the churches.

“This is the first book to present the stories and images of these architectural gems from the frontier era,” Rich says. “Our hope was to prompt a restoration of their place in Florida’s architectural and spiritual heritage. If our work plays even a modest role in their rediscovery and reevaluation, our efforts will have been rewarded.”

Upcoming Events and Book Information

There are a few upcoming "Spires in the Sun" author talks which feature a meet and greet and book signing with Jonathan Rich and Phil Eschbach.

Additional author events will be held in the diocese beyond the currently scheduled ones. If you are interested in scheduling an author event, please reach out to the St. John's Cathedral Bookstore at  cathedralbookstore@jaxcathedral.org or call 904-356-5507, Ext. 152.

The book is available for purchase at the St. John's Cathedral Bookstore. To learn more about the book and the upcoming events, please click the buttons below.

About the Award

The Florida Historical Society’s award is named in honor of Charlton W. Tebeau, longtime University of Miami history professor and author of the acclaimed book, A History of Florida, among others.

Established in 1856, the Florida Historical Society publishes the Florida Historical Quarterly, an academic journal, and manages the Library of Florida History.