It was a beautiful drive along the coast to Amelia Island. Our preconceived notion of Amelia Island was of a ritzy resort island for the rich and that slaves flocked there after emancipation. By the end of the day we realized that the island’s population is as varied as its history.
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Central street and the surrounding streets in the charming town of Fernandina Beach has an architectural treasure trove of late 1800 and early 1900 buildings and homes. Some beautifully restored and others awaiting TLC.
Here is some interesting historical information that we learned on our wanderings to American Beach, the Amelia Island History Museum, Fort Clinch State Park and while walking and driving through Fernandina.
Naturalist William Bartram of Philadelphia recorded the flora and fauna of Amelia Island during his visit in 1777.
In 1861 former U.S. senator David Levy Yulee opened a railroad line that connected Fernandina on the Atlantic Coast with Cedar Key on the Gulf Coast. When the Civil War began the confederates seized the railroad line. Union troops convicted Yulee of treason for advocating that confederates seize railroad lines and forts and was sent to a Boston prison.
Union soldiers occupied Fort Clinch during the civil war. Those returning soldiers spoke of the island’s fine beaches and many returned to open hotels and shops.
In the 1880s weekly steamships from New York City brought tourists to the Islands elegant hotels.
In the early 1900s Henry Flagler’s coastal railroad opened the Island to tourists.
During the Jim Crow era and segregation African Americans were not allowed to swim at public beaches. In 1935 Florida first Afro American millionaire, Abraham Lincoln Lewis, opened the American Beach. Historic markers tell the story beach community it’s visitors and residents
And the rest is ...
Here is some interesting historical information that we learned on our wanderings to American Beach, the Amelia Island History Museum, Fort Clinch State Park and while walking and driving through Fernandina.
Naturalist William Bartram of Philadelphia recorded the flora and fauna of Amelia Island during his visit in 1777.
In 1861 former U.S. senator David Levy Yulee opened a railroad line that connected Fernandina on the Atlantic Coast with Cedar Key on the Gulf Coast. When the Civil War began the confederates seized the railroad line. Union troops convicted Yulee of treason for advocating that confederates seize railroad lines and forts and was sent to a Boston prison.
Union soldiers occupied Fort Clinch during the civil war. Those returning soldiers spoke of the island’s fine beaches and many returned to open hotels and shops.
In the 1880s weekly steamships from New York City brought tourists to the Islands elegant hotels.
In the early 1900s Henry Flagler’s coastal railroad opened the Island to tourists.
During the Jim Crow era and segregation African Americans were not allowed to swim at public beaches. In 1935 Florida first Afro American millionaire, Abraham Lincoln Lewis, opened the American Beach. Historic markers tell the story beach community it’s visitors and residents
And the rest is ...
American Beach
From Wikipedia:
"American Beach is a historic beach community popular with African-American vacationers. It is located north of Jacksonville, Florida on Amelia Island. During the time of segregation and the Jim Crow era, African Americans were not allowed to swim at most of beaches in Jacksonville, and several black-only areas were created. American Beach was the largest and most popular, and was a community established by Abraham Lincoln Lewis, Florida's first black millionaire and president of the Afro-American Life Insurance Company."
In our observations, American Beach is more authentic, closer to the natural beaches of Florida (like the Panhandle), and attracts interesting people, unlike the overdeveloped places that Florida is noted for. As a result, we spent a little more time poking around to see what we could find.
"American Beach is a historic beach community popular with African-American vacationers. It is located north of Jacksonville, Florida on Amelia Island. During the time of segregation and the Jim Crow era, African Americans were not allowed to swim at most of beaches in Jacksonville, and several black-only areas were created. American Beach was the largest and most popular, and was a community established by Abraham Lincoln Lewis, Florida's first black millionaire and president of the Afro-American Life Insurance Company."
In our observations, American Beach is more authentic, closer to the natural beaches of Florida (like the Panhandle), and attracts interesting people, unlike the overdeveloped places that Florida is noted for. As a result, we spent a little more time poking around to see what we could find.
Fernandia Beach
From Wikipedia:
"Fernandina Beach is a city on Amelia Island. It is the northernmost city on Florida's Atlantic coast. The area was first inhabited by the Timucuan Indian tribe."
It is the principal public downtown tourist area of Amelia Island. Even more so than on Marco Island in Southwest Florida, there is a preponderance of expensive resorts on the Island which dominate the ambiance of the touring culture of Amelia Island.
"Fernandina Beach is a city on Amelia Island. It is the northernmost city on Florida's Atlantic coast. The area was first inhabited by the Timucuan Indian tribe."
It is the principal public downtown tourist area of Amelia Island. Even more so than on Marco Island in Southwest Florida, there is a preponderance of expensive resorts on the Island which dominate the ambiance of the touring culture of Amelia Island.
Amelia Island Museum of History
This is a lovely little museum with lots of interesting things to see. They had excellent visitor (of all ages) engagement techniques, some of which are shown in the photographs below. Good place to visit. After visiting the museum, we took a self-guided driving tour to see the houses of Fernandina Beach.
Fort Clinch State Park
From Wikipedia:
"Fort Clinch is a 19th-century masonry coastal fortification, built as part of the Third System of seacoast defense conceived by the United States. It is located on a peninsula near the northernmost point of Amelia Island in Nassau County, Florida. The fort lies to the northeast of Fernandina Beach at the entrance to the Cumberland Sound (Florida), in the northeast part of the state. Today it is included within the boundaries of Fort Clinch State Park."
"Fort Clinch is a 19th-century masonry coastal fortification, built as part of the Third System of seacoast defense conceived by the United States. It is located on a peninsula near the northernmost point of Amelia Island in Nassau County, Florida. The fort lies to the northeast of Fernandina Beach at the entrance to the Cumberland Sound (Florida), in the northeast part of the state. Today it is included within the boundaries of Fort Clinch State Park."
We did a lot of things on Amelia Island and came away with the feeling that there was lots more to see around here as well as going north for the other Sea Islands of Georgia. Next time...