Fernandina Beach, Florida

The Fernandina Beach Historic District is a U.S. historic district located in Fernandina Beach, Florida on Amelia Island. The Fernandina Beach Historic District was included on the National Register of Historic Places on July 20, 1973 and encompasses approximately 1,500 acres (610 ha), bounded by North 9th Street, Broome, Ash, South 5th Street, Date, and South 8th Street. On April 20, 1987, the National Register listing was expanded to include an additional 970 acres (3.9 km²), bounded by Sixth, Broome, North 3rd, & Escambia Streets; Seventh & Date Streets, and Ash. Approximately 300 buildings are included in this district. David Levy Yulee, one of the first United States senators from Florida, established the first cross-state railroad running from Fernandina Beach to Cedar Key, which opened on March 1, 1861. When Yulee established the railroad, he platted "new" Fernandina, shifting the town of Fernandina to its present location. Prior to this, Fernandina was located further north in what is now known as Old Town, or the Original Town of Fernandina Historic Site, also on the National Register of Historic Places. The railroad development, in addition to the bustling maritime industry along the Amelia River waterfront, caused "new" Fernandina to boom. Buildings in the Fernandina Beach Historic District reflect this late 19th and early 20th century development. Significant buildings within the Historic District include the Nassau County Courthouse, the Post Office, the Train Depot, Public School No. 1, St. Peter's Episcopal Church, the First Presbyterian Church, St. Michael's Catholic Church and Academy, the Waas House, the Fairbanks House, the Tabby House, and the Bailey House. Residential architecture is most commonly frame vernacular style, often with Queen Anne influences. Robert Schuyler, a well-known architect in northeast Florida, designed St. Peter's and Public School No. 1. The Post Office is credited to James Knox Taylor, Supervising Architect of the United States Department of Treasury from 1897 to 1912. The City of Fernandina Beach recognized the importance of the Historic District in telling the story of Fernandina's heritage, and in 1975 passed a historic preservation ordinance protecting this district by establishing local boundaries. The ordinance also created design guidelines for rehabilitation and construction projects on the historic buildings, and in addition created the City's Historic District Council, who reviews the projects. In 1985 and again in 2007, the City had the Historic District professionally surveyed to inventory the historic buildings. The ordinance and City land development regulations have been updated periodically to reflect contemporary historic preservation practices and to include updated information based on the surveys. The John Denham Palmer House, Amelia Island Lighthouse, and Peck High School have also all been individually included in the local historic district boundaries. The Historic District is home to shops, restaurants, bed and breakfasts, and residences. The Amelia Island Museum of History is directly adjacent to the District, and Fort Clinch and the beach are within a short distance east. Each year in May, the Isle of Eight Flags Shrimp Festival takes place in the Historic District, attracting thousands of visitors.

The Nassau County Courthouse, also known as the Old Nassau County Courthouse and the Historic Nassau County Courthouse, is a historic two-story red brick courthouse building located at 416 Centre Street in Fernandina Beach, Nassau County, Florida. Designed in the Classical Revival style, it was built in 1891 and features cast-iron Corinthian columns and a massive bell tower and steeple. Meneely and Co. of West Troy, New York, cast the bell for the tower, which was used as a fire alarm for many years.In 1989, the Nassau County Courthouse was listed in A Guide to Florida's Historic Architecture, published by the University of Florida Press.In 2002 the building was carefully restored and renovated by The Auchter Company of Jacksonville. Also in 2002 construction began on a new Judicial Annex at 76347 Veteran's Way in Yulee. It was opened in 2004.

The Tabby House is a historic site in Fernandina Beach, Florida. It is located at 27 South 7th Street. On June 4, 1973, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. R. S. Schuyler, credited as the architect, is also listed as the architect of the nearby Fairbanks House, also built in 1885. Built in 1885 according to the Florida Department of State's Division of Historical Resources, the house is "...2 and a half stories, 2-story veranda with carved posts and brackets..." and is built from bricks made of concrete and local shells. Although lovingly referred to as "The Tabby House" by its owners and local residents, the building materials are not, strictly speaking, tabby, which is a mixture of lime, sand, water, and crushed oyster shells. This house is listed on the US National Historic Register and is a beautiful example of Victorian architecture.

The United States Post Office, Custom House, and Courthouse is an historic building of the United States government in Fernandina Beach, Florida. It was constructed in the locally popular Renaissance Revival architecture style, and was completed in 1912 under the supervision of James Knox Taylor, Supervising Architect of the United States Treasury Department. The building sits at the intersection of 4th and Centre Streets, across from another historic Court House (c. 1898), and adjacent to the pre-Civil War Victorian Lesesne House (c. 1859). It is three stories, comprising 18,800 square feet (1,750 m2), including a basement and a partial attic. The United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida met here until the creation of the Middle District in 1962, at which time the building entered use by the Middle District of Florida beginning in 1962. The facility was also in use as a post office during that entire period. Other federal offices vacated the building in the 1930s-1940s, with the post office remaining only on the first floor. Some second and third floor space was used commercially into the 1990s, but the condition of the structure and lack of elevators ultimately led to the end of those uses. In 1989, the building was listed in A Guide to Florida's Historic Architecture, published by the University of Florida Press.

The Bailey House is a historic site in Fernandina Beach, Florida. It was built about 1895 and is located at 28 South 7th Street. On June 4, 1973, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. The house was built by or for Mr. E.W. Bailey. It was designed by the firm of architect George Franklin Barber and is Late Victorian in style.The house is built of yellow heart pine and rests on brick piers. It has three-story turreted bays at the two corners of its front facade. It has wide-eaved porches on its south and east sides. It It has fish-scale shingles covering its gables, its front dormer, and part of the larger turret.

The Fairbanks House (also known as the Maj. George R. Fairbanks House) is a historic site in Fernandina Beach, Florida. It was built in 1885 for George Rainsford Fairbanks. R. S. Schuyler was the building's architect. It is located at 227 South 7th Street. On June 4, 1973, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. Built as a surprise for his wife, it was reported not to have gone over well and became known as "Fairbanks Folly".It operates as the Fairbanks House Bed & Breakfast.

The Amelia Island Museum of History is located at 233 South Third Street, Fernandina Beach, Florida. It houses exhibits focusing on the history of Nassau County, Florida and is situated inside the old Nassau county jail. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 18, 2009.

The Isle of Eight Flags Shrimp Festival is an annual festival held in Fernandina Beach, Florida. The first festival, which was originally referred to as the Shrimp Boat Festival, was held in 1964. The festival is normally held over the first weekend in May. Events and activities of the festival include cooking and selling shrimp and seafood, display and sale of arts, crafts, collectibles, and antiques, live music, the Miss Shrimp Festival pageant, a fireworks display, and a parade.The 2013 edition of the festival marked the 50th anniversary, and was celebrated as the "Year of the Golden Shrimp". In 2020-21, the festival went on hiatus caused by COVID-19 pandemic. 2022 saw its resumption.

The Merrick-Simmons House (also known as the C.W. Lewis House) is a historic house located at 102 South 10th Street in Fernandina Beach, Florida.

WVOJ (1570 AM) is a commercial radio station, licensed to Fernandina Beach, Florida, and serving the Jacksonville metropolitan area. The station is currently owned by Norsan Consulting And Management, Inc. WVOJ airs a Regional Mexican radio format, largely simulcast with several other radio stations in the Southern U. S., including North Carolina and South Carolina. WVOJ broadcasts at 10,000 watts by day, but because AM 1570 is a clear channel frequency, WVOJ must reduce its power at night to only 30 watts to avoid interfering with other radio stations. 1570 AM is a Mexican clear-channel frequency, on which XERF-AM in Ciudad Acuña is the dominant Class A station. Programming is also heard on FM translator W222CL at 92.3 MHz. The station uses the moniker "La Raza 92.9." Norsan Consulting has an application with the Federal Communications Commission to move the AM station's city of license to Orange Park, Florida, increase its daytime to 50,000 watts and its nighttime power to 10,000 watts, using a directional antenna. The application is for a Class B license; it is currently Class D.

The John Denham Palmer House (now also known as the Oxley-Heard Funeral Home) is a historic house in Fernandina Beach, Florida. It is located at 1305 Atlantic Avenue. On July 3, 1986, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

The Port of Fernandina is located on Florida's Atlantic coast. It is used for terminal service for pulp and paper as well as steel exports, machinery, auto parts, chemicals, beverages, chemicals, building materials and food products. Container lines from the port serve routes to Colombia, Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Aruba, Curaçao and Bermuda.A deepwater port on Amelia Island has been used by traders and as a base for combatants going back several hundred years.