Helen Litrico: A Classic A grand old lady has wonderful memories of Amelia Island, an island she has seen grow beyond most everyone's wildest dreams. Helen Litrico was ahead of her time. She established Amelia Now, a quarterly magazine that has been published for more than 35 years. Long before every local hotel, bed and breakfast and motel offered publications which promoted the island, she had developed Amelia Now which continues to be one of the most popular and useful guides for area visitors and residents.
Helen married Fernandina native Gino Litrico in 1967 Helen Litrico was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and graduated magna cum laude from Duke University. Little did this former advertising executive who worked in New York and Atlanta know that fate would step in when she met Gino Litrico in Atlanta, Georgia. She fell in love twice. First with the handsome Sicilian and second with Amelia Island. Helen came to live on the island and became a captive of its fascinating history. The Litricos were married in Atlanta and moved to Fernandina Beach in 1970. Neither of the two newlyweds knew quite what they were going to do - just that Gino wanted to take his bride back home. Gino grew up on the island in the Salvador House, built around 1880 by the eccentric Bell brothers. Mike Salvador, previous owner of the house, first came to Fernandina in 1898 and is considered the father of the modern shrimping industry which thrived for so many years on the island. Gino Litrico's family was one of many who followed Salvador from his home country of Sicily to find opportunity in the rapidly expanding shrimp harvesting industry. The historic Salvador House on South 4th Street now serves as the office for Amelia Now, currently published by the Litrico's son, Charles. Gino and his wife raised Charles in the Captain's House, also known as the Pippi Longstocking House, in Old Town. This house is another of the Bell brothers' houses. Visiting with Helen and Gino Litrico is to be reminded of two people who have lived through incredible times. Her island prince brought her to what was then a quiet island, not yet discovered by tourists. They made their way and Helen established herself as a publisher, writer and historian. She found she had married a family. Her mother-in-law taught her how to cook. Later, many of the recipes were published in Amelia Now and in a cookbook soon to be republished. Family is important to Helen Litrico and her pride and joy are her two grandchildren.
Using her well-honed talents for marketing and advertising, Helen found a job with the then-brand-new Amelia Island Plantation. The Amelia Island Plantation Company set up a sales office in what is now Jeff Steele's Jewelry Shop just off Centre Street. "No one knew anything about the island and we were trying to spread the word," Litrico shared. In 1973, Amelia Island Explored, a 92-page guidebook compiled by Litrico and published by the Amelia Island Plantation, was awarded the Golden Image trophy and a Certificate of Merit by the Florida Public Relations Association, and was placed in the Florida State Archives. For her work on Amelia Island Explored, Helen received a letter of commendation from the Governor of Florida. She has chronicled the growth of a sleepy island that is now a well-known, sought-after destination. It all started when Litrico founded This Week at Amelia, a handbill that would become Amelia Now and Then and, finally, the present day Amelia Now. She has also published Centre Street - Fernandina, A Walking or Driving Tour of Fernandina, Recipes From Amelia Now and The Best of Amelia Now.
These days Helen enjoys being a grandmother. Anyone who has done research on Amelia Island and Fernandina Beach will probably come across Litrico's finely crafted pieces on the people and places that are part of the island's amazing history. Her love of the island and passion for writing pushed her to do research long before there were museum archives and the Internet. She did it the old fashioned way - she talked to the people whose families settled on the island and made its history. Helen and her research were an important part of the development of our island history museum. She joined a group of dedicated local historians, which included Buddy Jacobs, George Davis, Beano Roberts, Aubrey Williams, Bob White and Suzanne Hardee to pull together the amazing Eight Flags story, which remains an essential element in the current museum's programming. Litrico has been actively involved in the Amelia Island Restoration Foundation, Duncan Lamont Clinch Historical Society and Amelia Island Museum of History. The Amelia Island Museum of History honored Helen Litrico on June 23 of 2004 for her "pioneering research, preservation efforts and dedication to disseminating the rich and unique history of Amelia Island". Museum Director Carmen Godwin says, "There is no one more deserving of recognition. Helen Litrico's invaluable contributions to local history ensure that Nassau County's amazing story is never forgotten."
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