December 16-17 Revisit to Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve- Jacksonville, Florida

Revisit to Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve

In keeping with my self-promise to do my park visits in depth, I revisited the several parts of Timucuan over 3 days, including a couple of parts I had not previously seen.  I also was successful and picking up several missing stamps and a new 400^th anniversary pin for Ft. Caroline.

We started with a visit to the Ribault Club, but it was closed.  So we headed on over to Kingsley Plantation and did the entire site.  We took a free guided audio tour that took over an hour, and covered every part of the plantation.- I went into the barn, into the slave quarters, and also the kitchen rooms and the garden area.  Checked out all of the historical markers-   Biggest thing I learned here was the owner, Mr Kingsley, was married to  a black woman, which I had not known before. 

The next day, we headed on down to the Park “Headquarters” and Ft Caroline VC.  We walked all the way down to the fort, and around it, and did the exhibits of the visitor center as well. 

Then, we went over to the Ribault Column, which is also a part of the park, which I had not seen before.  The marker resembles the one at Parris Island, SC. 

One part of Fort Caroline National Memorial is the Ribault Monument. Situated atop St. Johns Bluff, the monument provides a commanding view of the St. Johns River. On a clear day, you can see the Atlantic Ocean and Mayport Naval Station five miles to the east, and river activity, wildlife, and marshes below. The monument is open 9:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. daily.
History of the Monument
The Ribault Monument commemorates the 1562 landing of Jean Ribault near the mouth of the St. Johns River. Ribault erected a stone column bearing the coats of arms of his French King Charles IX to claim Florida for France.
During the early 1920s a movement began in the Florida Chapters of the Daughters of the American Revolution to mark the location of Ribault’s first arrival in the New World. The goal was to highlight the beginnings of European colonization of Florida by Protestants - for the sake of religious freedom - and to remind Americans that this colony was established half a century prior to the Plymouth Colony. In 1924 a piece of land was donated near present-day Mayport for a new column designed by Florida sculptor Charles Adrian Pillars. The U.S. Post Office also released a commemorative stamp of Ribault’s landing, and the U.S. Mint released a coin.
When U.S. Naval Station Mayport was established in 1941, the monument became inaccessible to the public and was moved. Three moves later, in 1958, the monument found its permanent home on St. Johns Bluff, and became part of the new National Park site, Fort Caroline National Memorial.

Then, we went to the Roosevelt Area of the Park, which I had not done before-  we did a 2 mile walk around the area and saw Mr Brown’s cabin and burial site- he is the fellow who willed the property to the state/national park system. 

Then, we headed back up and made it to the Ribault Club and I got my stamps there. 

Dec 16, 2014 Revisit to Kingsley Plantation, part of Timucuan Ecological and Historical Preserve

One of the many stops I made today was a revisit to Kingsley Plantation, which is a part of the Timucuan Ecological and Historical Preserve.  According to my stamp record, the last time I was here was in 2012- which I think I was with the Derry family-  

Main Entrance sign

Aerial view of the plantation today-  

The main house and attached kitchen as you walk up 

Interior view of the barn building, set up for a Ranger lecture

The main plantation house

The main overseer's house, restored  

A wide view of the plantation 

Had to ask for this one, they didn't have it out.
I am now 5/5 for this location, picking up two that I didn't have! 

October 223, 2014 Revisit to Fort Pulaski National Monument, Fort Pulaski Georgia

On the way up to Beaufort, for my class reunion, we stopped in at Fort Pulaski, near Savannah Georgia.   I did a total visit this trip, including the movie, and a walking tour.  Got 4 stamps and some postcards as well, along with several markers plus a couple of new markers as well.  

Revisit to Castillo De San Marcos- St Augustine Florida

September 6, 2014 Saturday

Today, I decided to revisit my local park, Castillo De San Marcos.  I had been there three or four times before, but not with my list of historical markers with me.  Turns out there are some 25 markers at the Fort, which gives you a deeper understanding of what took place here.

America Begins Here

A monument not only of stone and mortar but of human determination and endurance, the Castillo de San Marcos symbolizes the clash between cultures which ultimately resulted in our uniquely unified nation.  Still resonant with the struggles of an earlier time, these original walls provide tangible evidence of America’s grim but remarkable history.

Turns out the Fort has seen 6 flags fly over it, at different times, Native Americans, Spanish, Colonial African Americans, English, Minorcan, and lastly, the United States. 

Multiple stops on the Old Spanish Trail

There are probably 50 stops in six states for this trail:  justifiably so- it was a long and important one:

On this trip, I got stamps at 4 locations in Barstow, California, One at the Mojave Desert Preserve, two near Las Vegas, the BLM office and Red Rocks, and also at Lake Mead in Nevada.  

For the BLM office in Nevada:  

Several stamps plus the Trail stamp at Red Rocks outside of Las Vegas:

One at the Alan Bible VC at Lake Mead in Boulder City NV:

One at the Mojave HQ in Barstow:

And several at the 3 other stops in the Metro Barstow area: