THE MAKING OF A STATE PARK
By Charles Litrico

     Most of Amelia Island’s residents and visitors are well aware of Fort Clinch, the pre-Civil War fort on the northern end of the island that is the centerpiece of a beautiful state park. However, the story of how it was transformed from a military stronghold into a peaceful nature preserve is not as well known.

A sign at the entrance to the Visitor's Center at Fort Clinch commemorates the work of the Civilian Conservation Corps. __________________

Most of the credit for the construction of the park as we know it today goes to the Civilian Conservation Corps.      In March of 1933, the number of unemployed people in the United States was estimated at 13,600,000. Because of this dire situation, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, only two days after his inauguration, established the Civilan Conservation Corps, the first of his "New Deal" programs. His plan was to put 500,000 unemployed youths to work in forests, parks and range lands.

     At this time though, Fort Clinch was still privately owned. It had been sold by the Federal Government as surplus property in 1926. On April 7, 1928, T. B. Hamby bought the Fort and surrounding property for "a good price" from F. W. and Charlotte Sadler. By August of that year, Hamby was proudly advertising the land at $25 a front foot, saying "My property is the Fort Clinch Reservation, and this wonderful fort is thrown in."
     On his deathbed, Hamby sold the property to Joseph Askins, W. T. Haile, John
Ferreira and Glyn Waas, Sr. These four men subdivided the property but couldn’t sell the lots. Then they tried to dismantle the fort and sell the bricks, but the mortar proved too tough. Finally, unable to pay almost $10,000 in accrued taxes, they sold the fort and the surrounding property to the State of Florida in 1936 for $10,000 cash plus payment of the back taxes.

     The next year, on May 25, 1937, Civilian Conservation Corps Company 1420 set
up camp on the north end of Amelia Island and began the task of completing the job of building Fort Clinch State Park.
     Company 1420 had been very productive since its inception in June of 1933. Their first assignment was near Astor Park, Florida, where projects included building roads and bridges, fighting fires and numerous other duties necessary in the development of the Ocala National Forest.
     When CCC Company 1420 arrived in Fernandina, they had a monumental task
awaiting them.
     Fort Clinch had been virtually abandoned from 1898 to 1936. In 1937, the CCC
began removing large amounts of sand and debris from the existing structures. Most of the tunnels were completely filled with sand, as were the barracks, officers' quarters and several other buildings within the fort. Many items of historic value were missing, including a number of cannon that were believed to have been sold for scrap during the period of abandonment.

     In addition to the excavation inside the fort, the CCC was responsible for "the construction of a suitable road approximately 1.5 miles in length to the fort enclosure through the park, a parking area for visitors’ cars, a telephone line to the fort, and restoration of the jetties to prevent undermining fort elements," according to the Nassau County Leader.
     The CCC also developed the picnic area, campground, overnight cabins and a
beach lodge.
     So, who were these men who created this beautiful park?
     To be eligible for enrollment in the Civilian Conservation Corps, young men had to be between the ages of 18 and 25, be unemployed and come from families on relief. The initial enrollment period was for six months with the opportunity to re-enlist for up to two years. The men were paid $30 a month, $25 of which was sent home to their families.

     If you would like to visit Fort Clinch State Park, the park entrance fee is $3.25 per vehicle for up to eight people. Admission to the fort is $1. Camping fee is $17 plus tax per night. Electricity is an additional $2.
Please call the park at (904) 277-7274 for more information.