Subject: American Jews -- History -- 19th century

This map, dated 1835, depicts the location of Micanopy, Florida. Micanopy was founded in 1822 by Moses Elias Levy as the first Jewish communal settlement in the United States. The map is significant for its early depiction of Micanopy and its connection to Levy's utopian vision for a Jewish homeland in America. Levy, a lumber exporter, purchased 53,000 acres in North-Central Florida with the help of the Spanish government to establish the Pilgrimage Plantation and recruited Jewish settlers through advertisements and fundraising efforts in the United States and England. The map is part of a collection that sheds light on the history of this early Jewish community and its place within the broader context of American Jewish history. The description mentions Dr. Chris Monaco's book "Moses Levy of Florida: Jewish Utopian and Antebellum Reformer" (2005) which elaborates on this history.