“Historic Photos of Gainesville” book signing

History lessons were of little interest to Steven Rajtar while he was in school. But in the past decade this 57-year-old Orlando attorney has completed 20 books, all of which deal with history in one way or another.

“I can’t say that I really had an interest in history while in law school,” Rajtar said in a recent phone interview.

But he did have an interest in establishing walking trails and leading people to see historical sites in the area. Becoming a guide and developing walking trails required a lot of historical research, which led to his fascination with Florida history. His research came in handy when he began writing as a hobby in the early 1990s.

This month, Rajtar will be in Gainesville at three bookstores — Goerings, Barnes and Noble and Waldenbooks — to sign copies of his new book, “Historic Photos of Gainesville.”

Rajtar’s primary interest lies in the history of central Florida, and he did considerable research of the communities and sites in the region. As a result of this research, Rajtar said he has established over 150 historical walking trails, blanketing the middle third of Florida.

“The hike plans I've authored are available to everyone to use at their leisure,” Rajtar said.

Rajtar described himself as an “outdoors kind of guy.” He has been involved with the Boy Scouts since he was a “wee boy scout,” and continues to enjoy a variety of outdoor activities. He is a member of the Florida Trail Association, and about three times a month he leads guided walks through the communities of the region, acting as tour guide and explaining the history and architecture of the sites he and his groups pass. The walks are free and open to the public.

“I spent a lot of time in Alachua County, setting up [walking trails] in Archer and Newberry and Rochelle,” Rajtar said. “But in the last decade I’ve gone out there many, many times, and I’m just fascinated with what’s out there.”

What’s out there are historical buildings and artifacts that he can share with others, and Rajtar can tell people about them because when he set up his walking tours, he did his homework

“From 1995 to 1998 I went to exactly 100 libraries, because I kept track of them,” Rajtar said with a chuckle. “Pretty much everything was in a three-hour radius of Orlando.

He said each walk is as different as the community it covers.

“In some, the old structures are still standing,” he said. “In some, lots of the stops are ‘what used to be here.’”

Old churches, schools, commercial and governmental buildings, and homes are typical of what can be found on his walks, along with the occasional Indian mound, he said

Rajtar’s research continued to pay off when he started writing.

“I wound up digging a little further into some of the resources when I decided to set up all these walking tours,” Rajtar said. “That was the start of the work. Then, to do these books, I had to go back and re-look at all the books I’d looked at a decade before. All I’m doing is taking what is already written down at the library and repackaging.”

Rajtar, an Ohio native, came to Florida to attend college immediately upon finishing high school.

“I got out as soon as I was old enough to leave,” Rajtar said. “I went to the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, then three years at University of Central Florida.”

After earning degrees in Mathematics and Anthropology, he attended the University of Florida and picked up a J.D. in Law and a LL.M. in Taxation.

“After getting my Master’s I went right to my first job offer in Chattanooga, Tenn.,” Rajtar said. “Stayed 20 months.”

After he and his wife had their first child, they moved back to Florida. They have called Orlando home since 1979.

“My wife’s family moved here 100 years ago,” Rajtar said. “On August 10, 1908.”

On that day they opened their first clothing store in downtown Orlando, and the family has been in Orlando ever since, Rajtar said. Five generations so far.

These days writing takes up most of Rajtar’s otherwise free time, but he still devotes his energies to other hobbies such as hiking, biking, kayaking, and spending time with his wife of 33 years, his two grown children and three grandchildren.

Rajtar’s recent literary offering is a book of historic Gainesville photographs. Rajtar said he had written a book about Gainesville when Turner Publishing approached him for “Historic Photos of Gainesville.” Turner Publishing already had the photos, quelled from Internet sites and the Library of Congress National Archives, and they asked Rajtar to provide the text.

“Turner gave me a box of photos, in chronological order,” Rajtar said. “It’s like a treasure hunt or a scavenger hunt. It’s looking for clues.”

Sometimes the photos are mislabeled and it is up to Rajtar to be sure they are accurate.

“Somebody else has done this,” Rajtar said, “but you look at it and you say, ‘I know what this really is.’”

While Rajtar has written most of his books himself, he has also co-authored some with friends and family, including his wife and daughter.

“My daughter, Kelly Goodman, and I did two on St. Augustine,” Rajtar said. “Seven or so years ago I co-wrote one with an old high school friend. And now my wife is anxious to do another book with me.”

He said he hopes his grandchildren will co-write books with him as well, when they are old enough.

“I’m just having fun,” he said.

“Historic Photos of Gainesville” Book Signings

August 9
2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Barnes & Noble, Butler Plaza West
3910 S.W. Archer Road

4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Waldenbooks
6465 Newberry Road

The author will also conduct a free, guided historical walk of UF campus, 10 a.m. to noon. Meet at Museum Drive at the driveway to the J. Wayne Reitz Union garage.

September 28
2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Goerings Book Store
1717 NW 1st Ave.

Historical tour of downtown Gainesville and the Duck Pond area
10:00 a.m. to noon. Beginning at Roper Park on NE 3rd St.