The Historical Society of Orange Park Newsletter Monthly Meeting Annual Christmas Dinner 6:00 PM, Monday, December 10, 2018 Clarke House 1039 Kingsley Avenue, Orange Park, Florida Please join us Monday evening on December 10 at the Clarke House for our annual Christmas dinner. It has been a busy year and we all look forward to an opportunity to relax and enjoy an evening with friends, food and music. Wanda Dillaberry will join us, along with a few friends, to share songs of the season. We ask that you bring a covered dish to share. Drinks, plates and utensils will be provided. Please call Carolyn Day at 215-9177 to confirm your attendance if you have not yet done so. Recent Events Veterans Day Ceremony On Sunday, November 11, the Society hosted Orange Park s annual Veterans Day Ceremony at the Veterans Memorial in Magnolia Cemetery. The event was well-attended. Opening remarks were provided by Mayor Gary Meeks. The featured speaker was Chief Warrant Officer Three, Phillip Burt. CWO Burt described about how military service develops certain characteristics in people that, when combined with the places they have been, the poverty and corruption they have seen in other countries, give them a real appreciation for this country, the opportunities it provides and a desire to serve their communities. He also described a visit he made to Iwo Jima where the harsh conditions and old fortifications brought to life the superhuman resolve and cooperation it took to defeat the Japanese in World War II. Mrs. Barbara Davidson provided a history of Armistice Day and how it evolved from a day to commemorate the end of World War I into Veterans Day, a day to honor all veterans. Mrs. Cindy Cheatwood offered a special recognition for the three, Vietnam POW s that resided in Orange Park Carl Crumpler, John McCain and Dale Raebel. She provided quotes from each man that described what this country meant to them, echoing the observations of CWO Burt.
Page 2 The ceremony also featured the recognition of the winners and runners-up in our annual Veterans Day Essay Contest including the presentation of the winning essays. Copies of the winning essays will posted to website. This year s winners were: Elementary Division Junior High Division Senior High Division Eli Swann, Montclair Elementary Kennedy Housley, Orange Park Junior High Leianis Gunn, Fleming Island High School Honoring our veterans is a privilege. Many people contributed in making this ceremony a success. In addition to our speakers, our sincere thanks go to Chaplains Pat and Robert Lucas of American Legion Post #250, the Orange Park High School NJROTC Color Guard, Dick Rowe, Danny Tarrant and Cindy Anderson of American Legion Post #250, the Patriot Guard Riders of Northeast Florida District 4, the First Coast Highlanders, Wanda and Johnny Dillaberry, the Garden Club of Orange Park, Pam Wolpert of Park Avenue Florist, Cub Scout Pack 653, the Orange Park Woman s Club, the Sophia Fleming Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and the First Baptist Church of Orange Park. We also thank the Town of Orange Park for their continued assistance and support in presenting the ceremony. Our special thanks to Carolyn Day for her excellent work planning and organizing the ceremony.
Page 3 Palatka Outing On November 17 th, the Historical Society of Orange Park took a field trip to visit our friends in the Putnam County Historical Society. Our thanks to Larry Beaton and Sharon Varnes for the very informative tour of the Bronson-Mulholland House and to Marsha Lane, President of the Putnam County Historical Society, for inviting us to stay for the very interesting history presentation given by Palatka native, Carey E. Ferrell. The Bronson-Mulholland House, dating from the 1850s, was built by Judge Isaac Bronson who died shortly after construction was completed. His widow lived in the house for several years thereafter. During the Civil War the house was occupied by troops and, after the war ended, the building was used as a school for freed slave children. Later, the Mulholland family purchased the home and used it as their residence for years. The house was later used as apartments for twenty years
Page 4 before being purchased by Putnam County in 1965 at which time the Putnam County Historical Society took over its guardianship. The house has many interesting features, some original, others added later. The windows were made in such a way as to be doors as well as windows. This carried tax advantages in the early years of the house as properties were taxed by the number of windows in the home. These window/doors opened up on a beautiful wrap-around porch which made the space perfect for large gatherings of people to meander inside and outside. As a working plantation the ground floor experienced a lot of traffic. For this reason a layer of canvas was applied to the hard flooring. This was painted to appear to be a rug, something that was the practical fashion of the day. The upstairs offered a picture of life in Victorian days with a handsome Bentwood collection, old photographs, clothing and furniture. The house had been recently decorated for the holidays with beautiful holiday trees and finery throughout. The subject of Mr. Ferrell s talk to the society was the Mellon School which had been built in 1920 with the help of James Ross Mellon, a local representative of the wealthy Mellon family of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The story of the efforts to build a high school in Palatka was explained
Page 5 in great detail to the crowded room of listeners. There were many graduates of the Mellon School in attendance and yearbooks were circulated with many warm smiles exchanged. A particularly charming part of Mr. Ferrell s presentation was his explanation of the student activists who, in 1917, had the audacity to march through the main streets of town demanding they get a new high school to replace the current, outdated school building. They carried signs and were met by dropped jaws all along the route. They are the reason Mr. Mellon became interested in helping. After completion of the beautiful school the students took to the streets again, this time in gratitude, they were that happy! Following the meeting everyone enjoyed refreshments after which our small group left to take a tour of the Putnam County Museum. Though small, it was a very historic building, having been built around 1842 as a part of the Seminole War era Fort Shannon. The museum had interesting historical items and Native American artifacts that had been collected nearby. After touring the museum the group enjoyed lunch at Corky Bell s and did a scenic walk around downtown Palatka. It was a beautiful day for a stroll and a little antique shopping. Along the way we traveled the walkway under Memorial Bridge for a view of the river. Of particular interest were the Doughboy statues created to remember those who fought in World War One. It was an enjoyable day and we highly recommend a Palatka visit to others.
Page 6 Upcoming Events Hometown Holiday This year s Hometown Holiday event will be held at Clarke Park, Friday, December 7 and Saturday, December 8 from 5 PM to 9 PM each evening. The Society will be conducting tours of the Clarke House. We will also be conducting our annual PastPort event for local students on Saturday evening. Members of the Society will portray former residents of Orange Park and will share their stories with students. As part of our PastPort activity the Green House will be open with storytellers sharing Orange Park s history there. Students will have their PastPorts signed as they hear each story. Volunteers are needed both Friday and Saturday evenings from 4:40 PM until 9 PM to host guests to the Clarke House. Please contact Carolyn Clark at 264-1881 for more information. The Town of Orange Park will host a shopping village, magical rides through the woods, live entertainment, classic holiday films projected on the big screen and more. There might even be snow!! Parking will be available at First Baptist Church of Orange Park - no parking will be available inside the park. Other News Wreaths Across America National Wreaths Across America Day will be held December 15, 2018. On this day, the Wreaths Across America organization will coordinate the placing of wreaths on veterans graves at over 1,400 cemeteries around the country. The Keystone Heights Cemetery is one of the cemeteries that will conduct a wreath laying ceremony. Joan Jones is the Event Coordinator for the Keystone Heights ceremony and seeking donations for the project. Wreaths can be purchased for $15 each or 3 for $30 by sending payment to Wreaths Across America, Attn: Joan
Page 7 Jones, 6030 Blueberry Hill Road, Keystone Heights, FL 32656. Checks should be made payable to Wreaths Across America with FLKHMG FL0217 noted on the memo line. For those interested in attending the wreath placement ceremony, the Keystone Heights ceremony will begin at noon on Saturday, December 15. The cemetery is located at 7304 SR 100 in Keystone Heights. Clay County Historical Society The Clay County Historical Museum and Triangle in Green Cove Springs, Florida is looking for volunteers to facilitate tours on the 1 st and 3 rd Sundays of every month, from 2pm until 5pm. If enough volunteers step forward, they plan on expanding business days to every Sunday of the month. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer tour guide, you can contact Randy Harris at randyharrishsop@gmail.com. Additional History For more information on local history, please visit the Historic Clarke House website and the Clay County Florida - History Facebook page. Corporate Sponsor Thank you to our Corporate Sponsor, Nix Construction Company. We appreciate their support. Look For Us on Facebook Look for the Historical Society of Orange Park the next time you visit Facebook. Check our page for updates on society activities and updates on the Veterans Memorial. Don t forget to click Like on our page. Membership in the Historical Society of Orange Park We are grateful for the support our members have provided over the years through membership and participation. We ask that you continue to support our mission to preserve the history of Orange Park and share that history with the community. Ask a friend to join us as well. You can visit our website,, to download a membership form there.