Nestled between the St. Johns River and the Atlantic Ocean , Deland, Florida has a history all its own. Perfect for fans of Florida history. When Henry A. DeLand sat down to plan a town in the summer of 1876, he envisioned a place that would become a religious, educational, business, and social center--the Athens of Florida. Deland made his dream a reality by investing his livelihood in the town that would be named for him. He donated the land for the first municipal building that doubled as a church and school and funded the school that would become Stetson University . Ever since, the city of DeLand has had an interesting and rich history.

Much of this unique history has been captured and preserved in postcards published throughout the past hundred-plus years. Author L. Thomas "Tom" Roberts is a past president and historian of the year of the West Volusia Historical Society . The majority of the imagery used for this book comes courtesy of Jim Cara, owner of the most complete collection of DeLand postcards in existence.