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Mandarin Museum & Historical Society facts for kids
Mandarin Museum
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| Formation | 1989 |
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| Location |
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Region served
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Mandarin |
| Website | www.mandarinmuseum.net |
The Mandarin Museum & Historical Society is a special place. It works to save and share the history of the Mandarin area. Mandarin is a community within Jacksonville, Florida.
Contents
Discovering Mandarin's Past
The idea for the Mandarin Museum started a long time ago. It began with a man named Major William Wirt Webb. He was a soldier in the American Civil War. He fought for the Union Army. Major Webb had to leave the army because of an eye injury.
Major Webb's Farm and Home
After the war, Major Webb moved to Mandarin. He bought 30 acres of land. This land was right along the Saint Johns River. In 1875, he built a house there. He also built a barn and a dock. His dock was very long, about 1,000 feet! He used it to ship his farm goods on steamboats.
Major Webb was also involved in the community. In 1878, he sold 10 acres of his land to a friend. This land later became the Mandarin Presbyterian Church. He also helped start the Episcopal Church of Our Saviour. He worked with famous author Harriet Beecher Stowe on this project.
The Jones Family and the Post Office
Major Webb passed away in 1893. Years later, in 1902, Walter Jones bought 20 acres of Webb's original land. Walter Jones was important in Mandarin. He was the local postmaster. He also ran the Mandarin Store and Post Office.
Walter Jones and his wife moved into the old farmhouse. They raised a family of seven children there. The store and post office were very important to the community. They stayed open until 1964.
Creating the Museum and Park
By the 1980s, Mandarin was growing fast. People realized they needed to protect its history. So, in 1989, a group of citizens started the Mandarin Museum & Historical Society (MMHS). Their main goal was to save Mandarin's past.
The first big project for the MMHS was to restore the Historic Mandarin Post Office. This was the same building Walter Jones had run. In 1993, Walter Jones's family sold 10 acres of the original Webb property. They sold it to the City of Jacksonville. This land became the city's first historical park.
The Mandarin Post Office reopened in 1998. It became a museum. Today, it shows the history of the Mandarin Post Office. You can also see artifacts from Walter Jones's General Store.
The Maple Leaf Shipwreck Display
In 2011, the MMHS displayed some amazing artifacts. These came from an American Civil War ship called the Maple Leaf. This ship sank in 1864. It hit a mine placed by the Confederate side. Four people died when it sank.
The Maple Leaf wreck is not far from the museum's current location. It was rediscovered in 1984. Divers explored it in 1989. The artifacts tell a fascinating story about the war.
Hurricane Matthew's Impact
On October 8, 2016, Hurricane Matthew hit the area. The storm was very strong. It destroyed the original dock that William Webb had built so many years ago.