Commemorating a colony on the St. Johns

A hint of fall is in the air and that feeling always delivers excitement for a new JHS program season. It’s also a time to vigilantly watch weather reports hoping we’re spared during the hurricane season. The Monday, September 21, program oddly relates to of one of those rare North Florida hurricanes, albeit 450 years ago.

In fact, it was the storm that some historians claim changed the course of Florida history, if not world history, when dangerous winds forced Jean Ribault’s fleet off course while pursuing Spaniard Pedro Menendez. The result was shipwrecked defenseless French crews. Those dangerous winds were among the factors that facilitated a Spanish victory and Florida remained in the hands of the Spanish for the next 198 years (and later an additional 62 years).

You are invited to hear details of this story during a dramatic reading, It Came to Pass on the Banks of this River, adapted from a copy (located in the JHS Archives) of the half-century old Next Day in the Morning, performed in 1962 by a cast of about 175 at the Jacksonville Coliseum. That event was the centennial of Ribault’s arrival at the St. Johns River.

The story of European rivalry on our riverbank will be told through the eyes of the individuals who were its major players, including the queens of England, Spain and Queen Regent of France. You’ll also hear from the explorers vying for this one spot on the St. Johns River. The Native Floridians will weigh-in.

While the 6 p.m. show is booked, there are still seats remaining for the 8 p.m. show. You can book online or phone the office, 665-0064. The one-hour production is preceded by a 7:30 p.m. reception. The production was commissioned by the Historical Society and Players by the Sea.

A commemoration of La Caroline’s demise is also planned for Saturday, October 10 at 12:30 p.m. at the site of Mayport Ferry. In a brief ceremony, a site marker will be unveiled. Florida Representative Lake Ray, Council President Greg Anderson, Councilman John Crescimbeni, Councilman Bill Gulliford, and Councilman Reggie Brown will participate. The Jacksonville Historical Society collected funds to pay for the marker. La Caroline, on the St. Johns, was the first colony of men and women seeking religious freedom in the New World. The colony lasted 14 months and was lost in a Spanish attack.

The Ferry Fest at Mayport is also the same day on Ocean Street which means lots of food trucks, music and free ferry rides all day. So, if you plan to attend the 12:30p.m.Co event, you’ll need to arrive early.

Robert Hennigar is a board member extraordinaire

He’s a pilot, diver, actor, and technology expert. Renaissance man and new Historical Society board member, Robert Hennigar, grew up in pristine central Maine. In fact, he remained in the state until his graduation from the University of Maine with a degree in electrical engineering. It’s where he met his wife,Tosha, also an electrical engineer.

After graduation, Bob worked for Champion International and later studied at Xavier University receiving a Masters in Business Administration. In 1998, he joined Rayonier and was initially located in Jesup, Georgia, which he assesses as a quaint…town. Two years later, Rayonier relocated Bob to Jacksonville; he continues to work at the company’s Riverplace Tower headquarters on the Southbank where he is a “solutions architect solving business problems” with technology.

Bob has spent hundreds of hours since last November as a JHS volunteer extraordinaire, not only in his role as a director, but also in hands-on efforts. He’s located computers and a server to add to the JHS archives; and he’s upgraded all of the society’s computer programs. With these technological changes, JHS now safeguards a precious collection of more than 10,000... [Read more]

September 20, 1565: Spanish troops from St. Augustine overwhelm the French at La Caroline. Scores of French settlers are killed and La Caroline is lost to the French. After they were shipwrecked by a storm, Ribault and most of his men were executed by Pedro Menendez in early October. The Spanish now begin 198 years of uninterrupted Florida ownership.