“No man would immigrate into Florida — no, not from Hell itself,” stated John Randolph of Roanoke in the United States House of Representatives. He declared that the newly annexed territory in 1821 was nothing more than a “land of swamps, of quagmires, of frogs and alligators and mosquitoes.”
But prior to the annexation of Florida by the United States, settlers had moved to Florida for any number of reasons: some to find land in less crowded circumstances; some to escape persecution for their beliefs, either political or religious; and, some for the adventure of being here. The area that is now Nassau County was a buffer zone between the groups which kept trying to wrest control of Florida from each other. Fernandina was a “free port” and, during the early 19th century, was the center of smuggling, piracy, and intrigue. The little town was important because of its close proximity to Georgia and provided a base of operations for businessmen and politicians.
The only permanent settlements in Florida in 1821 were at Fernandina, St. Augustine and Pensacola with a population of less than 5000. During the Spanish Period, the territory had been divided into East Florida and West Florida which became the original counties of St. Johns and Escambia on 21 July 1821. Duval County was formed in 1822 from a part of St. Johns County and Nassau County was cut from Duval County on 29 December 1824 as the tenth Florida county.
By 1993, the “swamps and quagmires” of Nassau County were home to about 49,000 people!
From Our Place in Time – A Chronology of Putnam County, by Nancy Cooley Alvers and Janice Smith Mahaffey 1736-1742 – James Oglethorpe stationed Highlanders at Plaza San Carlos in...
Notes on Fernandina and Nassau County Read More »
From Nassau County Leader, 1926 The sky line at Fernandina Beach is rapidly changing, and it is predicted that before the opening of the 1927 season it will have pretty...
Sky Line at Fernandina Beach Rapidly Changing Read More »
A description and image copy of the 1884 hand drawn lithograph Bird's Eye View of Fernandina, Fla.
Bird’s Eye View of Fernandina Read More »
Resolution passed in 1833 for the establishment of a Port of Entry at Fernandina Harbor and for establishing and providing for a Naval depot at the Port.
Harbor of Fernandina – 1833 Read More »
Proclamation Re Election by Governor Duval [July 23, 1826] William P. Duval, Governor of the Territory of Florida, announces that an election for thirteen members of the Legislative Council will
Nassau County Nominations and Appointments found in the Florida Territorial Papers Read More »
A memorial signed by the inhabitants of Florida in 1831. This memorial can be considered a census of the free male population at that time since it appears that all men in each area signed this memorial.
Memorial to the President by Inhabitants of the Eastern Judicial District Read More »
Fernandina was the last city platted by the Spanish in the New World, thirty years after the plat of Los Angeles. The plat of what is now known as Old...
Old Town Fernandina Land Plats – 1811-1821 Read More »
An extraction of a letter to The Florida Mirror published on February 14, 1880. This letter describes the writer's thoughts on the changes within Nassau County since the Civil War. The writer uses the pseudonym of "Sug Yek."
The Territorial Papers of Florida which have been transcribed and published by the National Archives hold a wealth of information about Florida during the territorial period from 1821 to 1845..
Territorial Papers of Florida Read More »
Building up to the Spanish-American war the port of Fernandina was used as a base of operation for those sympathetic to the Cuban plight. Arms, ammunition, and recruits were shipped from her port to Cuba. Once War was declared Fort Clinch was prepared for up to 10,000 soldiers and the economy of Fernandina began to grow again. But it was short lived as additional railroads built out in the early 20th Century to cities like Jacksonville and Savannah. Finally, in the late 1930s, the mills arrived in Fernandina and released the citizens of the community from their reliance on cotton and tobacco to timber and industry.
Pro Cuba and City Expansion, 1895-1937 Read More »
