BACKYARD ADVENTURE Chadwick House
walking through
history BY JULIE SIMMONS PHOTO BY JAN JOHANNES
A
melia Island is renowned for so many things, from its cobblestone streets and historic homes to its blue skies, sunshine, and cool breezes, and all of these come together when you enjoy an Amelia Island Museum of History walking tour. In case you didn’t know, the museum offers four unique docent-led foot tours around downtown Fernandina Beach, a brilliant way to learn more about the 52-block area on the National Register of Historic Places that just happens to sit in our own backyard. If you’re interested in the downtown proper, the Centre Street Tour tells the stories of the families, businesses, and marine industries that shaped our town over the past 175 years. The Murder, Mystery & Mayhem tour is for the brave ones who want to hear stories of death, chaos, and mystery across two centuries. The Architecture Tour explores the history of the streets south of Centre, including 7th Street, which was coined “7th Heaven,” because living here in the late 1800s was like living in heaven. And last but not least is The Gilded Age Tour, which shares the stories of the Historic District’s most beautiful homes, and I can tell you firsthand this is a tour not to miss. Learning about the museum’s offerings is easy with a visit to ameliamuseum.org. When I read the description of the Gilded Age Tour, I was captured by the words, “Silk Stocking District.” I sent a quick email to the museum team, and my one-hour tour covering eight blocks was arranged. To start the tour, I met Docent Susan Bowen in front of First Presbyterian Church. Right away I had to ask her about those panty hose; she laughed and shared that in the late 1800’s, 80 AMELIA ISLANDER MAGAZINE •
if you could afford to live north of Centre Street, you could afford to wear silk stockings! Susan went on to describe how our town shifted from Old Town to Centre Street and a little bit about David Yulee’s role. An interesting fact is that Yulee, who was of Jewish heritage, was committed to creating a community of churches in Fernandina Beach, and that he did with St. Peter Episcopal, Memorial Methodist, First Presbyterian, and St. Michael Catholic Church all within a stone’s throw of each other. From there we walked north, where Susan shared many architectural details of the homes and interesting stories of how they have passed through the generations, with many still in the same family. She told many fantastic tales from the museum’s archives on Fernandina’s history, and she noted that many details have been added as more extensive online databases have become available. Susan and a team of four or five other volunteer docents joined the museum six years ago, studied Fernandina’s fascinating history, and today enjoy offering tours to visitors and locals alike. There are so many tidbits that I am dying to share, like what they found under the Chadwick House during a renovation, which two houses have the exact same floor plan—and then some—and the tale of a crooked house, but Susan made me promise to save something for your tour! I loved every second of mine, and I was reminded once again that our history isn’t just for tourists. With the beautiful spring weather here, now is the perfect time to get your family out for your own walking tour. Visit ameliamuseum.org to learn more! MARCH 2022
www.AmeliaIslander.com
