America Outside of America by Cindy Regnier

Imagine for a moment that your way of life disappeared, your towns decimated, your home in ruins and your family ripped apart. What would you do? This is the way many Confederates felt after the Civil War. Home did not feel like home any longer and the future seemed unbearable. Many chose to leave America searching for a place to rebuild their lives. Thus, Americana, Brazil was born. Americana is a city in the highlands of São Paulo state that was settled by American Confederates fleeing the aftermath of the Civil War. 

Norris House

 Immigrants from the South were numerous at that time and many countries ran advertisements in Southern newspapers about the advantages of their country and what they had to offer to the immigrants. Southerners fled to places in Mexico, South America and even Europe. Most of the settlements that began outside the US made up of these immigrants failed after a short time and many returned to the States, but at least one community stood strong, that of American Brazil.

In 1866, the first group of American immigrants arrived in Brazil, including Colonel William Hutchinson Norris, an ex-state senator and lawyer from Alabama. Norris would be instrumental in building this new refuge city for staunch Confederates such as himself. The immigrants were promised cheap land and labor, and Brazil's emperor offered to pay for their moving costs. What a deal – right?

One of the first things they built was a railroad station completed in 1875. They now had a way to receive supplies from other areas and send out the products of their land and culture into other areas of Brazil. The community they established here had one major goal – preserve their Southern way of life. They built schools and churches, bought enslaved workers and planted cotton (Slavery would still be legal here for approximately 20 more years after the American Civil War.) They coexisted peacefully with their neighbors, and blended their own rich culture into the local society. They introduced things into their new country that were new there, like plows, pecans and watermelons. They were welcomed by the government and the people, along with their English language and southern drawl. At its peak, in the late 1800s, Americana and its surroundings were home to as many as 3,500 Confederados (so named by the Brazilian people) and populated most of the city named Americana in their honor. 

And yes, Americana still not only exists but thrives. Descendants of the original Confederate settlers as well as others attracted by the lifestyle still populate the area. Americana is well known for its annual “Festa Confederada” which celebrates their ties to the U.S. and includes country music and waving Confederate flags. Those who visit can see a monument with the names of the city’s original families and visit a museum displaying artifacts from those early settlers. The cemetery where these folks were buried is a gathering place for ceremonies and celebrations by their descendants. 

What do you think? Would you have been willing to move to a new continent to preserve your way of life? Would you like to live in Americana today? (Special thanks to my brother Tim for enlightening me about Americana Brazil!)

Rand isn't looking for true love. What he needs is a wife to help care for his orphan nieces. Desperate, he sends an advertisement and hopes for the best.
Fleeing her former employer who would use her to further his unlawful acts, an advertisement reads like the perfect refuge to Carly. Hiding herself on a Kansas cattle ranch is her best shot for freedom.
But its sanctuary comes with a price. While marrying a man she doesn't know or love means sacrificing her dreams, it's better than being caught by the law.
Or is it?