Research Symposium

BIO

My name is Shane O'Connor. I am an undergraduate History and Political Science student at Florida State University. I am currently working for Havana History and Heritage Society on their documentary film "Voices of Havana II."

Life in Havana, Florida during World War II: Home Demonstration and Havanans in War

Abstract

World War Two uprooted the lives of millions of Americans, whether they be going abroad in the fight against fascism or adapting to wartime needs at home. Havana, Florida, located about 15 miles northwest of Tallahassee in Gadsden County, adapted to wartime using the common “Home Demonstration” movement. Havana, a town famous for its production of shade tobacco, took a drastic turn in its history during World War II. Home Demonstration taught rural women to can foods, take care of household tasks, and run victory gardens while many of Havana’s men were off at war. To research Home Demonstration, as well as Havana men in the war, I utilized a scrapbook digitized by Florida State University, as well as newspaper records in and around Gadsden County to have an insight as to what the war struggle was like. These documents reveal a unified effort to adapt to harsh wartime conditions, led by organizations like 4H, the Florida Home Demonstration Office, and Florida State College for Women (what became FSU). The response to wartime in Havana shows how a community can adapt to a major change in everyday life, even in a rural, labor-driven economy. Havana is significant because despite only having a population of less than 1500, it had a disproportionate affect on the war at home and abroad.

Keywords: history, florida, WWII, US history