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AMELIA ISLAND LIGHTHOUSE This gem of a lighthouse
sits on a bluff of high ground overlooking the ocean. At a
height of 64 feet, it is shorter than many other lighthouse
structures. Located at the mouth of the St. Mary's River, on
Amelia Island, it is just south of the Florida-Georgia state
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Amelia Island As the smugglers trade fell
off, it was replaced with other trades such as lumber,
fishing, shrimping, phosphate, and military supplies. In the
1850s, the very first cross-state railway was built
connecting Amelia Island and San Fernandina on the east
coast of Florida with Cedar Key on the west coast, allowing
the area to prosper. Jacksonville overshadowed this region
with its larger port, however, and the area never developed
as was hoped. The sixty-four-foot
lighthouse is well inland as lighthouses go and sits atop a
fifty-foot hill. All the bricks used in the construction of
the Amelia Island lighthouse were taken from the one at
Cumberland Island, which was built in 1820. The quality of
the concrete wasn't very good back then so chipping it off
the bricks was easier than it would be today, especially
with cheap labor. The lighthouse is in a
residential area and not open to the public, but you can get
a good look at it from the edge of the property. There are
no fences surrounding the lighthouse, and the customary
no-trespassing sign is the only thing preventing anyone from
walking onto the grounds. You can also get a nice view of
the lighthouse from Atlantic Avenue. A few miles away is the
town of Fernandina Beach. It's a lovely place to spend an
afternoon with its working shrimp boats, quaint shops, and
restaurants. Amelia Island is a unique
13.5-mile barrier island ideal for living, ruled under eight
flags since 1562. It is located right on the Atlantic Ocean
to the east, the internationally St. Mary's River to the
west. Only 20-25 feet above mean sea level, the 18.2 square
mile area is also close to the Intra-coastal Waterway. The
Island's average temperature is 69.9 degrees. Amelia was named the "Queen
of Summer Resorts" in an 1896 issue of American Resorts. The
magazine claimed that nearly 50,000 wealthy northerners had
voyaged from New York to Fernandina on the Mallory Steamship
Line. Things changed as southern Florida became the more
popular tourist spot and it took from 1910 to 1960 for the
same number of people to visit Florida's first tourist
destination. The Island's meandering salt marshes and
moss-covered trees host more than 250 types of birds. Marine
and other wildlife range from bobcats and red foxes to
alligators and manatees. That is why today Amelia is known
as one of the best places to live and relax. In the past decade, for
example, the 18.2-square-mile city grew by 3,000 residents
and 600 new homes. Its population stands at about 21,000; by
2020, when Amelia Island is projected to hit a figure of
37,000. About half the residents are employed, and 23
percent have college degrees. The median age here is 50,
with residents over 60 making up a substantial portion of
the population. Amelia Island also has
sprouted single-family homes, rental properties and town
homes. The Betty P. Cook Nassau
County Center is located in Yulee at 760 William Burgess
Blvd., .6 miles east of the Interstate 95/A1A intersection
in Nassau County. The centralized location of the center
gives local residents convenient access to the classes and
programs offered within the county. Chamber of Commerce is the
largest business organization in Nassau County, serving a
membership of more than 700 businesses, organizations and
individuals in a 200-square-mile area from the Atlantic
Ocean west to Interstate 95 and from the Georgia-Florida
border south to Duval County. Land Area: 18.2
sq. miles in Nassau County
Amelia Island sits
at the mouth of the St. Marys River, which is surrounded by
thousands of acres of peaceful marshland. During the early
1800s, slave trading, piracy, and smuggling were common in
this area of Florida. The Victorian lighthouse built on this
island was used to guide not only legitimate ships down the
Atlantic coast but also many slave ships into this area for
their illegal trade. As many as one hundred and fifty slaves
were crowded into a single schooner with unspeakable
conditions. Some history books say that one thousand slaves
were brought in a year, but the real numbers are hard to
know for sure. Rumors of Indian attacks were widely spread
by traders at that time in order to keep people away from
areas where slaves were brought in.
Amelia Island, Florida © AmeliaToday.com 2005
