FSU professor explores Osceola myth at Fernandina Beach lecture

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A Florida State University historian will examine how 19th-century abolitionists turned a Seminole warrior into a national myth at a free public lecture in Fernandina Beach on Friday, Oct. 2.

Andrew Frank, director of FSU's Native American and Indigenous Studies Center, will present "The Making of Chief Osceola: The Abolitionists and the Creation of an American Myth" from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Nassau County Public Library Fernandina Beach Branch, 25 N. Fourth St.

The talk is part of the Amelia Island Museum of History's programming around the Smithsonian's traveling exhibition "Americans," according to the museum's event listing. The museum organized the lecture in collaboration with Florida Humanities.

How abolitionists turned Osceola into an American myth

Frank's talk examines Osceola, an Indigenous warrior who became the most widely recognized Seminole after his death. The event listing describes "Chief" as an invented title that stuck, leading to more than 20 counties, towns and mountains across the country bearing his name.

Frank is finishing a book on Osceola's memory and its connection to the American abolitionist movement, according to his personal website. He holds the Allen Morris Professorship of History at FSU, has written or edited 11 books on Native American history in Florida and the South, and holds a doctorate from the University of Florida. His research has been supported by grants and fellowships from the American Philosophical Society, the American Historical Association, the Newberry Library and the Huntington Library, according to the FSU Department of History.

He has participated in the Florida Humanities Council Speakers Series for more than a decade.

Lecture ties into Smithsonian's traveling "Americans" exhibition

The lecture ties into the Smithsonian's "Americans" exhibition, developed by the National Museum of the American Indian and adapted for travel by Museum on Main Street. The exhibition explores four historical touchstones: Thanksgiving, the life of Pocahontas, the Trail of Tears and the Battle of the Little Bighorn.

Fernandina Beach is the first of five Florida stops on the statewide tour, which runs through June 2027 and will also visit Okeechobee, Fort Myers, St. Petersburg and Panama City, according to Florida Humanities.

The museum's event listing states the exhibition is on display through Friday, Oct. 2. However, News4Jax reported Sept. 22 that the exhibition stays through Saturday, Oct. 10. The accounts conflict, and residents should check with the museum for the exact closing date.