Architectural Treasures of Amelia Island

Architectural Treasures of Amelia Island

Amelia Island offers a unique opportunity to experience history. Fernandina Beach's Historic District is a living museum. Like sleeping beauties, the island's Victorian-era homes have been frozen in time. Each offers a story about the people and events that shaped the history of Florida's northernmost barrier island.

Historic Building Houses the Amelia Island Museum of History

When Nassau County no longer needed the jailhouse that had served the county for many years, it was leased for $1 per year to the island’s history museum. Located at 233 South Third Street, the jail served Nassau County from 1938 until 1979, when a new jail was built in Yulee.

Preserving the historic building, volunteers transformed the badly deteriorating jail into a museum. It opened in 1986 and has continued to grow and undergo renovations over the years. Designed in the Art Moderne style, the building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Popular with visitors is a replica jail cell.

The museum showcases 4,000 years of Amelia Island history, from the Timucuans to the many countries that have laid claim to the island over the years. It is the first oral history museum in Florida, where trained docents share the island's amazing history in their own words.

In its earliest days, the jail handled some notorious characters, including slave traders and pirates. After the Civil War, the character of the town changed dramatically. It attracted entrepreneurs who established successful businesses. The rich and famous found Amelia Island and chose it as a vacation destination — the so-called Newport of the South. A new, nicer jail was needed and was built in the county.

During the Golden Age of Fernandina, the Carnegie family lived on Cumberland Island, the next island north of Amelia Island. Family members, including the matriarch Lucy Carnegie, visited the island often. An oft-repeated story relates Mother Carnegie’s concern about her sons, who were frequent nighttime patrons of the Palace Saloon on Centre Street. Concerned about a nighttime boat ride back to Cumberland Island, she arranged with the sheriff for them to spend the night at the jail. Evidently, the boys spent enough nights at the jailhouse that she felt the cells needed to be upgraded. Rugs and curtains were added to create a more pleasant experience.

The transformation of the old jailhouse is a prime example of historic preservation. Utilizing a significant historic building for a good cause — a museum celebrating Amelia Island’s History

Located at 233 South Third Street, the Amelia Island Museum of History offers a wide variety of tours, including an Eight Flags museum tour, walking tours, a pub crawl, and even a ghost tour.

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