Background
Nolan was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1946, the son of journalist Joseph T. Nolan and his artist wife Virginia.
Nolan was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1946, the son of journalist Joseph T. Nolan and his artist wife Virginia.
He attended public schools in Bayside, New York and Waterbury, Connecticut, studied at the University of Virginia, and was active in the American Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.
Since 1977 he has made his home in Saint Augustine, Florida, known as the "nation"s oldest city." From 1978-1980 he worked on the first official survey of old buildings in the Ancient City. He was a contributor to a literary tour guide of the state called The Book Lover"s Guide to Florida that was published by Pineapple Press in 1992. In 1995 he collaborated with artist Jean Ellen Fitzpatrick and photographer Ken Barrett to produce The Houses of Saint Augustine, which has become the bestselling book about the Ancient City and its historic buildings.
ACCORD has launched a permanently marked Freedom Trail of historic sites of the civil rights movement that has gained international publicity.
He has served as president of the Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Society and trustee of the Fort Mose Historical Society. He is a lecturer on historic, architectural, and literary subjects.