Studio39Designs

A Stroll thru Historic Amelia Island’s Fernandina Beach

When we stayed at Crooked River State Park in Georgia, Amelia Island was only a few miles back over the state line in Florida, so we thought we’d visit it.  Jeff had never been there and was curious about it.  The town of Fernandina Beach was so quaint, I decided to finish the photos I took as drawings or paintings.  Take a look –

Street Scene

It was nice to take a leisurely stroll down the street, checking out the shops on the way to the waterfront.  Somehow we managed to time our visit here so that we were in between spring break groups – yea!

Nassau County Courthouse

This courthouse is one of only a few courthouses still standing in Florida that was built in the late 19^th century.  The cornerstone reads 1891, but wasn’t actually laid until April of 1892.  The bell in the tower served as a fire alarm until the mid-1930s. It is the tallest building in the historic district and is still an active courthouse.

Boats Docked

When we got to the waterfront, we decided to have lunch out on an open verandah.  Food was tasty, margaritas were good, and the view was wonderfully relaxing.

Soaring Pelican

This is the one photo in this post that wasn’t converted to a sketch/painting.  I’ve certainly posted plenty of pelican photos from this trip, but this one was really interesting to me.  Take a look at how the sun shines thru his wings.  You can make out his skeletal structure!

Uncle Charlie’s Street Scene

As we walked back from the waterfront after lunch, I looked down a side street and saw this cool shop sign.  Very cool graphics!

Florida’s Oldest Bar

When I saw that the Palace Saloon claimed to be the oldest bar in Florida, I knew I had to capture it for posterity!  Too bad it wasn’t open yet for business on the day we visited – it would have been nice to raise a glass to a piece of history!

Lovely Garden

The Lesesne House is the formal name for this Classical Revivalist style home, and its lovely front garden.  It was built by Dr. John F. Lesesne in about 1860. Lesesne left the area during the Civil War, however, and never returned.  In 1868, the house became the property of Judge John Friend, the tax commissioner and lawyer.  He died in 1878, and his descendants still occupy this home.

Enjoy!