The wooden wall of the Fort Caroline National Memorial in Jacksonville, Florida.
Saturday & Sunday Tours
Atlantic Beach, FL
Saturday, February 25, 2023
Three Centuries of Jacksonville Area History with Phil Greenwalt
From European contact to the Civil War, this tour will highlight some of the amazing military and social history of the area around Jacksonville. From first European settlement, to one of the only American Revolutionary War battles in Florida, to how Jacksonville, changing hands multiple times, fared during the Civil War.
The Battle and Battlefield of Olustee with Garry Adelman
Join the Trust’s Chief Historian Garry Adelman at the site of Florida’s largest Civil War battle, known as Olustee or Ocean Pond! After Vicksburg fell and the Confederacy was cut in two, Florida took on new significance as a key supply and transportation hub—one that the Union wanted to disrupt. On February 20, 1864, more than 10,000 soldiers clashed at Olustee producing more than 2,800 casualties. This lively experience will take place the very week of the 160th anniversary of the battle and may include some special experiences! A solid portion of the broad battlefield is preserved, and this tour will involve roughly two miles of walking in spurts of up to 250 yards each, on trails of dirt and sand, on mostly level ground.
St. Augustine WALKING TOUR: America's Oldest City and the Civil War with Robert Redd
St. Augustine, Florida, is most often known for being the oldest inhabited city in the United States. From its settlement in 1565 until today, the town has been under the control or ownership of the Spanish, the British, the Spanish again, the United States, the Confederate States of America, and finally, the United States. While most tourist marketing is geared toward the Spanish and British periods, the Civil War left its mark on the city, with many interesting sites available for visitors. Join Florida historian Robert Redd for a walking tour of Civil War St. Augustine. Visit Tolomato Cemetery, the Plaza de la Constitucion, the famous Castillo de San Marcos, and other Civil War sites as Robert peels back the centuries of local history. Please be advised that this is an extended walking tour of the old town. Expect to be walking all day and be prepared that some of the terrain is uneven.
Sunday, February 26, 2023
Condensed: Three Centuries of Jacksonville Area History with Phil Greenwalt
From European contact to the Civil War, this tour will highlight some of the amazing military and social history of the area around Jacksonville. From first European settlement, to one of the only American Revolutionary War battles in Florida, to how Jacksonville, changing hands multiple times, fared during the Civil War.
Civil War Jacksonville: Supplies, Conflict, Reunion, and Remembering with Sarah Bierle
Come explore locations of Florida’s Civil War history from the 1860’s and beyond! This tour will start with a visit to Fort Clinch which served as a supply point for Confederate blockade runners until Union forces took over. Then the tour will make a short visit to several historic city parks to explore Civil War veterans’ post-war interest in Florida as a resort area and the site of the 1914 Confederate Veteran Reunion. From war to aftermath, commemoration and memory, the Civil War history embedded in the land and parks around Jacksonville, Florida, offers a chance to re-examine points of conflict, reconciliation, and remembrance.
Timucuan and Fort Caroline: Three Hundred Years of Jacksonville Area History…in a Half Day.
Travel back to sixteenth century Florida with the staff of Timucuan Ecological & Historic Preserve to Fort Caroline National Memorial. Fort Caroline memorializes the short-lived French presence in east Florida. Hear the stories of exploration, survival, religious disputes, territorial battles, and first contact between Indigenous People and Europeans. Next, head over to the Ribault Monument to take in the spectacular views of the area and its waterways, and better understand why this area was so important. Finally, you'll learn more about a piece of property recently acquired by the NPS - the Spanish-American War Battery. This is a tour of the Jacksonville area that you won't want to miss.
History Talk: Florida in the Civil War with Steve Newhouse
Join American Battlefield Trust Board Member, Steve Newhouse, as he shares the unique history of Florida during the Civil War.