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The John Muir ecological Park located just west of the Post Office on Florida A1A in Yulee is the metaphorical meeting point for two fascinating historical characters. The park offers a scenic walk on 485 feet of boardwalk, complete with built-in benches and four sheltered observation areas. The walk ends on the railbed of David Yulee’s 1861 Florida Railroad, the first line to connect the east and west coasts of Florida. The park is named after Sierra Club founder John Muir who walked through along the railroad in 1867, an experience he later recounted in his 1916 book A Thousand-Mile Walk to the Gulf.
Callahan was named after Daniel Callahan, a prolific railroad contractor who built Florida’s first cross peninsular line through the area. Today, one mile of that historic rail bed still forms the center of the historic area of the town. The Callahan train depot at Dixie Avenue and U.S. 1 is home to the West Nassau Museum of History. Century old brick commercial buildings stand on the north side of the railbed. Brandies Ace Hardware anchors this historic block and still displays many artifacts from bygone days.
www.wnhsfl.org
Two boat slips in west Nassau County -- one at Scott’s Landing on the western edge of Ralph E. Simmons State Forest and one at the small hamlet of Kings Ferry — provide access to the St. Marys River and its rich history. The Kings Ferry slip is in the heart of an historic area that
dates back to Revolutionary times when huge ships sailed up the St. Marys and traded goods with the early pioneers and native Americans. Stones and rocks used for ballast by those sailing ships still line the shady banks of the river. Years later Kings Ferry became a thriving saw mill town where Nassau’s timber was loaded aboard those ships and carried to far away markets. Hundreds of pilings that once held those loading piers jut up from the river bottom and stand as a testament to the once vibrant river town.
Just a few miles south of Amelia Island lay the Fort george island Cultural State Park and the timucuan ecological and historic Preserve. The nature preserve and educational center explore many eras of history, starting with the first inhabitants – the Timucuan Indians. The Ribault Club at this site acts as a welcome center and displays artifacts from this ancient civilization. The club is an historical attraction in itself -- built in 1928 as an elite recreational resort for the elite. Also on the preserve is The Kingsley Plantation, a restored 1814 plantation now managed by the National Park Service that is open for tours of the late-18th century plantation home and the ruins of many tabby slave quarters.
www.nps.gov/timu
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OUR COUNTY
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