Beaches Museum

10/08/2026

This picture was taken on October 8, 1919 (107 years ago!) in Mineral City, Florida, better known today as Ponte Vedra Beach!

The railroad was “jacked up and blocked for fill” in order to transport the valuable minerals being extracted from the sand in Mineral City.

The story of Mineral City is an original one. In 1914, two friends, George Pritchard and Henry Buckman, discovered that the sand contained ilmenite, rutile and monazite. This meant money! These minerals were desperately needed by the United States for manufacturing war supplies like airplanes and weapons.
Pritchard and Buckman decided to risk it all and bought 17 miles of beach to begin a mining endeavor unlike any in the United States. Instead of mining into mountains and rock, the minerals here could literally be scooped up off the beach.

At the time the area was completely undeveloped and a small mining town grew out of necessity. It was a rugged place, a backwoods of palmetto and scrub oaks, and the perfect breeding ground for alligators, skunks, and especially rattlesnakes.
There were so many snakes in the mining area the miners had to wear bite proof boots or leggings and carry a snake bite kit.

My oh my, how Ponte Vedra Beach has grown!

For more information you can watch our YouTube video about Mineral City: https://youtu.be/gdI6z1KWJjA
Or visit our website to view our online exhibit "Shifting Sands: The Story of Mineral City: https://www.beachesmuseum.org/shifting-sands-the-story-of-mineral-city/

10/01/2026

On this day in 1999 the Crab Pot closed and the building would soon be torn down. Many remember the Crab Pot for its live music and atmosphere, but before it was the Crab Pot it was a high end restaurant called 90-By-The-Sea.

90-By-The-Sea was located by the Flag Pavilion and was appointed to cater all the conventions and business activity at the Pavilion. Unfortunately as the Flag Pavilion failed to interest visitors, 90-By-The-Sea also struggled.

90-By-The-Sea had a financial relationship with the city of Jacksonville Beach, the city was to receive a percentage of sales from food and liquor sold in the restaurant and in the Pavilion as part of the lease for the city-owned property. With this arrangement, it wasn't long until 90-By-The-Sea failed financially and then became Ocean Steak Pub and later 12 North.

Finally in 1982 the fun came! The Crab Pot under the direction of Bill Collins took over the location and drew crowds ready for ocean front music, parties, and good food and drinks. It hosted local bands as well nationally known legends to the delight of many.

When the Crab Pot closed Bill Collins (the owner) let some of the Crab Pot “regulars” keep a souvenir. Paul Kenny is pictured with the "Alcoholic Beverages may NOT be taken off the Deck" sign and Lawrence Frederick (who had Frisbee dogs) kept the "No Pets" sign.

Thanks for the fun times and memories at the Crab Pot!

09/30/2026

09/29/2026

On September 29, 1940 Community Presbyterian Church in Atlantic Beach hosted its first service in their newly built Sanctuary.

The Sanctuary cost $8,000 to build and was the beginning of a vision for a church for the community.

Thank you Community Presbyterian Church for more than 80 years of service to our community!

09/25/2026

Founded in 1936, Proctor Ace Hardware is a fourth-generation, family-owned business with longstanding roots in Northeast Florida. Operating three Jacksonville-area locations, the company has earned a reputation for exceptional customer service, innovative retail practices, and steady growth over nearly 90 years.

Led by members of the Proctor family, including Steve, Joe, and Lizz Proctor, the business has remained deeply committed to community involvement alongside its commercial success. Proctor Ace Hardware supports numerous local initiatives, including Habitat for Humanity, community gardens, youth sports programs, and regional charitable campaigns. The company has also emphasized environmentally responsible business practices and neighborhood engagement.

In 2018, Proctor Ace Hardware was recognized as one of the nation’s “Coolest Hardware Stores,” highlighting its creative retail approach and strong community presence. Today, the company continues to balance tradition with innovation, maintaining its role as both a trusted local retailer and an active community partner throughout Jacksonville and the Beaches region.

At this year's gala, we had the distinct pleasure of recognizing the Proctor Family Ace as 2026 Beach Legends.

09/25/2026

Karen Wolfson is a longtime educator, volunteer, and civic leader whose service to Northeast Florida has spanned more than 50 years. A former Girl Scout, she began her career in education in 1968, teaching at Florida Community College at Jacksonville before later joining the faculty at Fletcher High School, her alma mater. There, she met her husband, Don Wolfson, who later served as Mayor of Atlantic Beach.

Since 1985, Wolfson has been a dedicated advocate for Wolfson Children’s Hospital, serving 26 years on its Board of Directors, including five years as chair. She is also a past president of the hospital’s Women’s Board and remains active through several fundraising and outreach initiatives.

For nearly four decades, she has volunteered with Beaches Emergency Assistance Ministry (BEAM), where she founded programs providing school supplies, clothing, and dental care to children in need. Through her lifelong commitment to children and families, Wolfson has become one of the Beaches community’s most respected civic leaders.

We had the profound privilege of honoring Karen Wolfson as a 2026 Beach Legend at this year's gala.

09/25/2026

Bill Longenecker is a longtime surfer and respected figure in the Jacksonville Beach and Neptune Beach communities. Living for decades near A1A in the same family home purchased by his father in the early 1950s, he has maintained deep ties to the Beaches and its surfing culture.

Beginning in 1984, Longenecker became one of Florida’s longest-running daily surf reporters, providing phone-in surf reports for local surf shops, including Hixon’s and later Sunrise Surf Shops. For more than 40 years, surfers throughout Northeast Florida relied on his surf and weather updates.

Bill was also a gifted science teacher and a columnist for the Beaches Leader and Shorelines newspapers for 40 years. As a trained paramedic, he worked in area hospitals for 25 years, assisting ER doctors and nurses. He still volunteers at Baptist Medical Center—Beaches.

Through decades of dedication and community involvement, as a science teacher, newspaper columnist, paramedic, and surf legend, Bill Longenecker has helped define the spirit of the Beaches community.

It was a pleasure to honor Bill Longenecker as a 2026 Beach Legend at this year's gala.

09/17/2026

On September 17, 1932 the Lindbergh Baby Memorial Statue was unveiled on the grounds of Jacksonville Beach Elementary School #50 and next to the original location of the Beaches Museum Chapel (at Second Street South and Second Ave South in Jax Beach, Pablo Towers sits on the site today).

The statue was a memorial to the infant son (Charles Lindbergh, Jr.) of aviator Charles Lindbergh.

The jagged, off-white, stone carving makes it one of the more unique historical objects at the Beaches Museum. Towering at 10 feet high, the stone memorial depicts a cradled child above which an eagle is poised in flight.

The memorial was conceived by Col. J.C. Stehlin, president of the Jacksonville Beach Chamber of Commerce and spearheaded by Kate McClenny, president of the Plant-A-Rose Society (the forerunner of the Garden Club). They were assisted by Daisy Brennan, president of the Beaches Civic League, later the Beaches Woman’s Club, and Mrs. H. E. Thurman, president of the PTA.

The children of the beaches brought shells and other things they treasured to be used in the base of the monument. Local sculptors created the statue. At the unveiling a detachment of the National Guard attended the ceremony and six airplanes flew overhead circling the schoolyard dropping roses on the ceremony.

In 1971, the Memorial was nearly destroyed when the school was demolished. There is still question as to where the memorial was relocated to and who possessed it before the Beaches Area Historical Society acquired it in 1983. The Memorial was moved to the Beaches Museum Historical Park and the second unveiling of the statue took place on April 28, 1984.

The Memorial was most recently cleaned and relandscaped as an Eagle Scout Project by Troop 286.

09/16/2026

Brighten up your beach house decor with a new original painting! Several are available in the silent auction this year.

These three pieces by Enrique Mora (), Linda Olsen (), and Antoine Pratt () are just a few pieces from the catalog that you can view at bit.ly/legendsauction26 or through the link in our bio.

09/16/2026

Beach house feeling a little bare? Stock and furnish your Beaches getaway with these baskets and more!

From stocking up on beach day supplies to outfitting your kitchen with the essentials and everything between, we've got you covered--and by bidding, you're supporting the continued preservation of Beaches history!

These are just a few of so many amazing items we have to offer this year. Bid on your favorites at bit.ly/legendsauction26