Dr. Donald J. Mabry, professor emeritus of history at Mississippi State University, went to elementary school in Jacksonville Beach and graduated from Fletcher Junior-Senior High School in 1959.

During his years as a professor Dr. Mabry authored six books and hundreds of articles. He returned often to the beaches to do historical research and enjoy what he believed to be the “World’s Finest Beach.”

Beaches Museum is proud to share Dr. Mabry’s research and detailed histories about our beaches community. All articles listed below are available by request.

BOOKS

World’s Finest Beach (2006)

I’ve Been Working on the Railroad (2012)

Mayport Chronicles

ARTICLES

“Neptune Beach, Florida Before 1931” (2006)

“Ponte Vedra Pioneers, 1934-40”

“Turning Sand Into Gold” (July 25, 2016)

“Ed Smith, Humorous Storyteller”  (April 21, 2016)

“From Boardwalk to Seawalk: The Two Martin G. Williams, 1887-2010” (April, 2016)

“Eyewitness Account of the Sinking of the SS GulfAmerica, 1942”

“A Man and Three Hotels” (2006)

“Harcourt Bull’s Atlantic Beach, Florida” (2007)

“WWI Veterans: Jacksonville Beaches & Mayport” (2007, Revised 2008)

“Baseball on the Beach: Sea Birds, 1952-54” (2008)

“Florida’s Napoleon” (2008)

“Carnival on the Boardwalk” (2009)

“Mighty Mayport Florida Beats Jacksonville” (2009)

“Uncovering African American Micro History” (2010)

“Yankee Engineer in Florida” (2010)

“Beach Builder: B. B. McCormick” (2012)

“What A Man! John G. Christopher” (2012)

“Yankee Engineer in Florida: Frederick William Bruce”

“Pablo Beach 1910” (2013)

“From the Beginning—Atlantic Beach” EU Jacksonville (July, 2015)

“Princess to Pauper: The Legend of Elizabeth P. Stark” (January, 2015)

“Walter Thomas Galvin , Locomotive Fireman” (April, 2015)

Fletcher Military Dead through Vietnam

Writings by Fletcher Graduates

Profile: Ish Brant

Profile: Frank Doggett

“Turning Sand Into Gold” (July 25, 2016)

“Yankee Engineer in Florida: Frederick William Bruce” The Southern Genealogist’s Exchange Quarterly, Vol. 53, No. 221, March 2012

“Le Chateau Restaurant, 1954-1985” (2013)

“Arnot’s Bakery & Restaurant” (2013)

“Ode to Coach Wimpy Sutton” (2013)

“Casa Marina Hotel, 1924-2014” (2014)

“Gene Zapf (1894-1948), Jacksonville Beach Entrepreneur” (2014)

“Bennett Beach Drug Stores” (2014)

“The Alpha O. Paynter Mystery” (2014)

“Arthur G. Penman: Real Estate Baron & Fisherman” (October, 2015)

“Ruby of Ruby Beach, Florida” (September, 2015)

“Casa Marina has weathered the test of time” The Beaches Leader, August 6, 2015, excerpts from “Casa Marina Hotel, 1924-2014” (2014)

Elsie Behner’s Scrapbook, 1937-42 (July, 2015)

“Gene Nordan, An Entertaining Man” (May, 2015)

“Mayport’s King House – Haunted?” (February, 2015)

“Ocean Piers, An Illustrated Chronology” (December, 2015)

“The Two Martin G. Williams, 1887-2010” (April, 2016)

“Ed Smith, Humorous Storyteller” (April 21, 2016)

“Turning Sand Into Gold” (July 25, 2016)

Beaches Educational Foundation