Articles

A Statement from the Board and Staff of the Beaches Museum

It is clear that the long struggle for civil and human rights continues into the present day. As a cultural institution serving a diverse Beaches community, it is our responsibility to take an active role in facilitating change through historical and cultural knowledge. Of the Museum’s stated core values, one in particular is important now more than ever: the imperative that “understanding our distinct history helps to shape our future.” This core value in practice demands that we fearlessly preserve and share the distinct history and culture of all peoples of the Beaches area.
 
To this end, in recent years, we have worked to dispel the notion that the Beaches community has been untouched by anti-Black racism. We developed an exhibit detailing the history of the Jacksonville Beach Boardwalk that included its segregated nature throughout the Jim Crow era. The Museum’s work on recounting the history of Manhattan Beach – Florida’s first African American beach resort – emphasized the resiliency of the Black community in the face of discrimination. Spotlight exhibits created in partnership with the Rhoda L. Martin Cultural Heritage Center brought an awareness of the achievements of Black women in education and public service.
 
At this critical moment in time, we redouble our commitment to represent diverse voices in order to impart a more complete picture of our area’s history and culture to the public. Telling all histories and sharing these stories not only deepens our appreciation for our unique community but fulfills another of the Museum’s core values, which is to foster a sense of belonging for all. The way forward requires it.
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Beaches Museum Reopens History Park

Foreman

Beaches Museum has missed you!  We are happy to announce the reopening of our History Park on May 21! We invite you all to come take a self-guided tour through our beautiful History Park. The garden is blooming, the birds are singing and history is waiting on you!

A brief guide to the history of each building and feature of our Park will be available through phones and other mobile devices. We hope you can learn something new every time you come. Visit our new informational page on Clio here: https://www.theclio.com/entry/99431. Information is included about the 1911 Steam Locomotive, the Pablo Beach Post Office, the Mayport Florida East Coast Railway Depot and Foreman’s House, the 1873 Oesterreicher-McCormick Cabin, the Beaches Museum Chapel and more.

“Our Heritage Garden is in full bloom and has never been more beautiful, making it an ideal time to take a peaceful walk through our gardens and historic buildings. The addition of the free mobile app will give everyone the opportunity to learn more about each of the buildings and features in the park” says Chris Hoffman, Director of Beaches Museum.

With visitors and our volunteers in mind, our buildings will remain closed until we can open them safely. We request that you maintain appropriate distancing so everyone can be safe and comfortable during their tour.

“We are excited to begin welcoming our guests back to Beaches Museum” adds Hoffman.

For more information, please call 904-241-5657 or visit the Beaches Museum website, www.beachesmuseum.org.

 

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Recovering Manhattan Beach: Florida’s First African American Beach Resort in the Segregated South

 

Uncovering the history of Manhattan Beach – Florida’s first African American beach resort in the segregated South – has been a labor of love for Beaches Museum Associate Director, Brittany Cohill.  Manhattan Beach, located at present-day Hanna Park, was founded by Henry Flagler around 1900 as a place for black employees of his Florida East Coast companies to spend their leisure time, including those building his Continental Hotel. In keeping with national, regional, and local Jim Crow laws the Beaches area was segregated. Until the late 1930s, Manhattan Beach was the only beach in the Jacksonville-area open to African Americans. However, with no visual evidence of the site remaining today and little archival material, uncovering this history relies heavily on the contributions of members of the community with direct ties to its past.

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Dr. Yvonne Hicks shares family history and photos with the Beaches Museum

Cohill’s research began as she was pursuing her master’s degree in history at the University of North Florida. She transformed her student project into a public presentation which she debuted as part of the Museum’s Boardwalk Talk series in August 2017. Since then, Cohill has continued her research under the auspices of the Museum and her presentation has evolved in step.

Over the course of two and a half years, she has delivered her presentation nearly a dozen times. Each time, someone from the community comes forward with another piece of the puzzle.

Most recently, Cohill had the pleasure of sitting down with Kenneth LeSesne and Dr. Yvonne Hicks. Mr. LeSesne’s grandfather, Mack Wilson, was a prominent business owner in Manhattan Beach. Dr. Hicks’ great-grandmother was Mack Wilson’s sister.

They chronicled their family’s story including the journey out of plantation slavery in the Florida panhandle to becoming property and business owners in Jacksonville and Manhattan Beach.

Their oral histories – now recorded and housed in the Beaches Museum archive – are truly invaluable. Just as invaluable are the photographs Dr. Hicks provided of her family spending time at Manhattan Beach in the 1930s – all of which can be viewed in the Museum’s newest pop-up exhibit.

The exhibit, “Recovering Manhattan Beach: Florida’s First African American Beach Resort in the Segregated South,” will be on display at the Rhoda L. Martin Cultural Heritage Center in June 2019. In conjunction with the exhibit installation, Cohill will deliver the newest iteration of her presentation on June 4, 2019, which is now available on YouTube here.

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Reproductions of “The Green Book” accompany the traveling exhibit.

 

 

James Michener and the McCormicks

MichenerMcCormicksMichener and the McCormicks

By Johnny Woodhouse

Best-selling author James Michener paid an impromptu visit to the Ponte Vedra Beach home of Jean and J.T. McCormick on February 13, 1981.

At the time, Michener, then 74 and considered “America’s best loved author” was working on a fictional novel about the history of the U.S. space program. “Space,” published in 1982, would  become one of Michener’s most popular books, prompting “a first printing so large that no warehouse in the country could stock all the copies,” according to a biography of the author.

How the McCormicks, a wealthy couple known for their civic involvement at the Beaches, got to know the famous writer from Doylestown, PA, is an interesting nugget of local history.

According to a daughter of the couple, Suzanne McCormick Taylor of Ponte Vedra Beach, the McCormicks first made Michener’s acquaintance in the summer of 1980 at a famous Wyoming resort. “They met him at a party at the Old Baldy Club [in Saratoga, WY],” Taylor recalled. “Mr. Michener was quite taken with my mother and her interest in history.”

The founder of the Beaches Area Historical Society (BAHS) in 1978, Jean McCormick first became interested in local history during America’s Bicentennial celebration in 1976. Her late husband, J.T., was a direct lineal descendant of the Solanas, the oldest documented family of St. Augustine.

It’s no surprise that Jean McCormick, then president of the BAHS, and Michener, known for writing sweeping, historical-based novels such as “Hawaii” and “Centennial,” became quick friends.

A meticulous researcher, Michener had a great fondness for historians and archivists. In the introduction to “Centennial,” a 1974 novel about the settlement of the American West, Michener thanked the history department at the Wyoming State Archives for allowing him to do a portion of his research there.

The book’s fictional town is situated on the Platte River, which runs across Colorado and into Wyoming. J.T. McCormick’s family had been involved in cattle ranching in Wyoming’s North Platte River Valley since the 1950s, according to Suzanne McCormick Taylor.

“Mother told [Michener] to come to Jacksonville [whenever he was in the area] and he did. He called from the airport and said, ‘We’re here,’ and mother invited him to a dinner party that night.”

Michener had already begun the first draft of “Space” in early 1981, according to “Michener: A Writer’s Journey.” He had been appointed to NASA’s Advisory Board in 1979. A likely topic of conversation at the McCormicks home on Feb. 13, 1981, would have been J.T.’s long business association with NASA.

For 12 consecutive years dating to the early 1960s, McCormick Construction was involved in several projects at the Cape, including construction of the launch pads. The construction firm also built the so-called “Road to the Moon,” which was used to transport the first Apollo rockets and later the Space Shuttles to the launch site.

At the time of his visit to Ponte Vedra Beach, Michener was married to his third wife, Mari Sabusawa, whom he wed in 1955. In a black-and-white photo taken during his visit, Michener is pictured dining with the McCormicks and another guest, Nancy Corwin. Michener, seated to the right of J.T. McCormick, is wearing a coat and tie and a thick pair of bifocals. Jean McCormick, always the gracious hostess, is standing behind both men and smiling at the camera. The author, who died in 1997 at age 90, signed the photo, “James A. Michener.”

In his 1992 memoir, “The World is My Home,” Michener wrote that “Wherever I went in these exciting years of extended travel, I studied people, listened to their stories, and weighed the honesty of their statements.”

When the McCormicks befriended Michener in Wyoming, they became friends of his for life. Said the couple’s daughter: “My parents maintained a friendship [with Michener] over a period of many years.”

 

 

The Lindbergh Baby Memorial

 
LindberghMemorial1The Lindbergh Baby Memorial
 
By Fall 2018 Beaches Museum intern, Alex Morales
 
During the “Saturday in the Park” event on April 28, 1984, the Beaches Area Historical Society proudly unveiled and dedicated their newest acquisition: the 1932 Lindbergh Baby Memorial. The jagged, off-white, stone carving makes it one of the more unique historical objects that the Beaches Museum possesses. Towering at 10 feet high, the stone memorial depicts a cradled child above which an eagle is poised in flight.LindberghMemorial2
 
The dedication of the memorial represented another step in growth for the Society, however; the memorial itself represented a time of mourning. The kidnapping and death of Charles Augustus Lindbergh Jr.–the infant son of the famous 1920s Pilot Charles Lindbergh and wife, Ann Lindbergh–sent shockwaves across the nation and even into Jacksonville Beach. Not long after the news broke of the discovery of the child’s lifeless body on May 12, 1932, Jacksonville Beach resident Mrs. Carl B. McClenny sought a means of commemorating the tragedy. Mrs. McClenny, president of the Plant-A-Rose Society (the forerunner of the Garden Club) collaborated with the president of Jacksonville Beach Chamber of Commerce, Col. J.C. Stehlin. She initially suggested that “a mound of shells be gathered by the school children as a tribute.” The commemorative statue itself was later unveiled on September 17, 1932 on the grounds of Jacksonville Beach Elementary School #50 at the corner of Second Street and Second Avenue, across from the then St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, where Pablo Towers sits today. With the help of Mrs. Frank Brennan, president of the Beaches Civic League, later the Beaches Woman’s Club, and Mrs. H. E. Thurman, president of the PTA they organized a ceremonious unveiling where they allowed children of the Beaches Area to bring sea shells and other items they treasured to lay at the base of the monument.LindberghMemorial3
 
In 1971, the memorial was nearly destroyed when the school was demolished. There is still question as to where the memorial was relocated to and who possessed it before the Society acquired it in 1983. There are several stories that account for the 12 year gap in the memorial’s whereabouts. One story tells of how Mr. Charles Newberry Moore Jr. of B. B. McCormick & Sons Co. saved the memorial from a wrecking ball when they were tearing down the old Jacksonville Beach Elementary school. A second account details how the memorial sat in a small park on Penman Road where the old Women’s Club met. The third story was that the city called the Society about a“mysterious” sculpture with a 1932 plaque set to be destroyed. The final rumor specifies it sat in a city storage area called the “Graveyard.” Where ever the memorial sat in limbo, Mr. J.T. McCormick some how got word of the memorial. After acquiring it, the Society allowed it to become a Boy Scout’s restoration project and relocated it to the Pablo Historical Park in late 1983 so they could ceremoniously rededicate the memorial in 1984.
 
The statue reads: “A memorial to children-unveiled September 17, 1932. Plant-A-Rose Association, Mrs. Carr B. McClenny, Mother; P.T.A., Mrs. H.E. Thurmond, President; CivicLeague, Mrs. F. D. Brennan, President; Chamber of Commerce, Col. Joseph C. Stehlin, President.”
 
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The St. Johns River Ferry

 

P-2775The St. Johns River Ferry

This article is an excerpt from the 2016 exhibit, Mayport Village: On the River of Change.

Locals and visitors have been crossing the St. Johns River between Fort George Island and Mayport Village for centuries. In the 1600s, Spanish missionaries relied upon those they wished to convert, the Timucua Indians, to provide transport via dugout canoe. In the post-Civil War years, residents, travelers, tradesmen and farmers often crossed the river by way of privately-owned flatboat ferries.

The post-World War II boom in automobile tourism and federally-mandated highway extensions led to a dramatic increase in traffic to Northeast Florida. State and local officials recognized that an uninterrupted coastal highway would not only bolster the economies of seaside communities from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine but also ease traffic on inland roadways. More than seventeen miles of new highway and a formal ferry service connecting Fort George Island to Mayport Village was required to realize this goal.

On September 15, 1950, the St. Johns River Ferry Service opened to the public. The ferry slips were built 2.5 miles inland from the mouth of the St. Johns River. Inaugural ships, the Reliance and the Monadnock, carried passengers and cars along the 0.9 mile water route connecting North and South State Road A1A.

Billed as “the gateway to A1A,” this newly-created stretch of highway enabled motorists to bypass Jacksonville via the St. Johns River Ferry Service. A marketing campaign invited tourists to travel the “Buccaneer Trail” and “ride through history on Florida A1A.” Suggested stops along the Buccaneer Trail included Fort Clinch, Kingsley Plantation, and Mayport Village for its French Huguenot history and “unsurpassed” seafood supported by the local shrimping fleet.

Locals have fought the closure of the St. Johns River Ferry Service in recent years in the face of state and city budget cuts. In 2016, community advocates and officials successfully secured funding for guaranteed operations for the next two decades. The ferryboat, Jean Ribault–built in 1996–currently supports the St.Johns River Ferry Service with a carrying capacity of 40 cars and 206 passengers. Boasting membership to the East Coast Greenway, the Ferry is now a vital link in a 3,000 mile-long trail system stretching from Maine to South Florida.

P-6510Residents gather for the official opening of the St. Johns River Ferry Service. September 16, 1950.MayportTopo“Mayport Topographical Map, 1964 excerpt”–Excerpt from a 1964 topographical map of the area. The ferry path is traced out on the left.TuttlePhoto9Early Mayport Village residents, Ethel Spaulding Tuttle (left) and Beatrice Sallas Tuttle (far right), waiting for a ferry. Circa 1900.P-411Aerial view of the proposed St. Johns River Ferry Service route from July 1950.

Boardwalk Talks Available on YouTube

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The Beaches Museum invites the public to view recordings of its Boardwalk Talks on YouTube to keep everyone educated and entertained while the Museum is closed. Made possible by Fleet Landing, the Boardwalk Talks are an important part of the Museum’s annual calendar. They feature a variety of speakers and subject areas relevant to the Beaches communities.
 
Recent Talks featured Dr. Denise Bossy presenting “Indigenous Florida: Debunking Myths of Spanish Conquest in our Region” and Dr. Tru Leverette lecturing on “Zora Neale Hurston and the Pleasure of Her Company.”
 
Boardwalk Talks highlight area historical researchers and occasionally a panel of “Storytellers” remembering a specific place or time in Beaches history. Boardwalk Talks are generally held in the historic Beaches Museum Chapel but occassionally are held offsite at a historic location such as the Red Cross Life Saving Station or even Pete’s Bar in Neptune Beach.
 
Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel, Beaches Museum.
 
Boardwalk Talks available:

Capturing Tomorrow’s History!

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Dear Friends:

The mission of the Beaches Museum is to “preserve and share the distinct history and culture of the Beaches area.”  Although the Museum is currently closed, the work of that mission is even more important than ever.  We are living tomorrow’s history right now!

To that end, we encourage members of the Beaches community to help us gather information, photos, physical items and first-hand accounts of how you, your family, your business and your community are being impacted.  Anything from photos of closed businesses to stories of neighbors helping neighbors will help us compile a thorough accounting of how the Beaches weathered this crisis.

Submissions to our historic record can be sent to archives@beachesmuseum.org. 

In addition to working to preserve history as it is made, we are also making more programming available online.  Over fifty videos including our Boardwalk Talk Series are now available on our YouTube Channel.  We are posting articles, historic photos and more on Facebook and Instagram.  We invite and encourage you to take some time to learn a little bit more about the history of our beloved community!  Visit beachesmuseum.org to find out more. 

Thank you for your support and we look forward to hearing from you as we continue to move our mission forward!

Chris Hoffman

Executive Director

Beaches Museum •
381 Beach Boulevard
Jacksonville Beach, Florida 32250