Embrace the Mandarin Experience |
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Dear Friends,
Thanks to Maple Leaf divers Keith Holland and Ron Gebhard for their work on the getting the Maple Leaf Model moved and cleaned up. Soon it will be back in place in the center of the brand new Maple Leaf room, with all new signage which is soon to be developed, and enhanced displays.
Once we finally reopen, Dr. Holland and some of his SJAE divers will be back on board for monthly "Meet the Divers" days at the museum. We can hardly wait.
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The Third Thursday Lecture - August 18
Lifelong resident - Bill Morrow
“Growing up in Mandarin Through My Eyes and Stories
My Family Told Me”
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Mr. Morrow will share through a photographic Powerpoint presentation, personal stories about his family’s experiences living in Mandarin from the late 1800s to modern times. His heritage includes the Jacks, Kennedy, Monson and Morrow families – who came to Bayard and Mandarin when these areas were still rural and very lightly populated. These pioneering families have made numerous contributions to Mandarin life including their work as farmers, doctors, builders and historians. His look back through time will leave you with a clear idea of what life was like for those who settled here way before San Jose’s six-lane highway of traffic jams and car washes. You won’t want to miss this informative and delightful presentation.
This event is presented by the Mandarin Museum & Historical Society in partnership with and held at the Mandarin Community Club, located at 12447 Mandarin Rd. Refreshments begin at 6:30 pm with the lecture at 7 pm. It is free and all are invited and encouraged to attend.
However, we do ask that you email mandarinmuseum@bellsouth.net or call 268-0784 to make a reservation so we’ll be able to contact you if there any changes that have to be made due to the pandemic. Also, masks will be required to attend.
Photo below is the Jacks house and family members c. 1900. It still exists today on Mandarin Road and was recently renovated. It is not far east of Mandarin Community Club on the south side of the road..
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Mandarin artist
Julie Fetzer
Thanks to Julie for bringing some of her prints into our Gift Shop to sell, with MMHS receiving a percentage of sales as a gift from Julie. There are a variety of sizes and scenes, including her well-known maps of the St. Johns River and the Seven Bridges of Jacksonville.
The bridges drawing is also available as a T-shirt.
Stop by the museum shop on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of the month between 10 and 2.
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"Images of America: Mandarin"
A second sneak peek at one of the photos we share in the book - due out in January.
MANDARIN TENNIS CLUB
The Walter Jones family built a tennis court in front of their house, hosting serious local matches for men and women. The Mandarin Museum has documents from matches in 1923 and 1932, but it is unknown when the club started or ended. Some of the male players listed in 1932 are still familiar family names, including George Dismore, Frank Roach, Leslie Jones, Charlie Brown, and Jack Nicholl. The female players included Fanny and Adelyn Brown, Mary Jones, Lilouise Folds, Agnes and Maude Jones and Helen Webb.
Can you imagine playing tennis in a long dress?
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Volunteer Spotlight
by Paula Suhey
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"It was a surprise to me", said Triny Sanchez, when asked about how she came to be a volunteer at the Museum.
Triny, who is a native of Argentina, came to the United States in 1969. She lived in New York for eight years before relocating to Miami in 1974.
"I loved the beach in Miami. I considered it my special place and I was feeling very sad, missing my morning walks when I moved to Jacksonville in 2018," she said.
And then Triny found Walter Jones Park, where she can do her early morning walks.
"To my great surprise the park was the home of a historical museum and a schoolhouse that had been built for African American children".
So Triny became a volunteer. And now at least once a month, Triny can be found in the schoolhouse, where she enjoys telling its story to all visitors - something she can do in English and Spanish..
Triny continues to enjoy the park - the flowers in the spring, the oak trees and the sunrises and sunsets on the St. Johns River.
She now has another special place and she is a great example of the wonderful volunteers who are a part of our team.
Volunteering is very rewarding. We meet interesting people as we share the story of our community. And we always need more volunteers. We can open our buildings only when we have volunteers there and we would love to be open more often. If you have a few hours each month - we would love to chat with you about the possibilities that are open. Those possibilities include work on the grounds, some office work, and being one of our docents.
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Florida Historical Society Summer Book Sale
Florida Historical Society has a wonderful collection of Florida topic books - and right now they are having a 50% off sale. It is definitely worth a look at their amazing collection:
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Dale Rohlfing and Cecilia Vo brought this giant frog to the July painting party. While digging in their flowerbeds, Dale hit something hard and big. It turned out to be this old concrete frog!
Dale, a volunteer at Mandarin Museum, brought the frog to the frog painting event. After a couple of hours Dale and Cecilia left with a beautiful, like-new frog named Lucy!
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Mark your calendars for MMHS openings in August
In August, the historic buildings in Walter Jones Park are scheduled to be open on the first and third Saturdays. The 1875 Webb/Jones farmhouse, 1876 Barn, 1898 St. Joseph's Mission Schoolhouse for African-American Children and Losco Winery log cabin will be open from 10 am – 2 pm on August 6 and August 20 in Walter Jones Historical Park.
The "Under the Oaks" music jam is on Summer Break.
The Store and Post Office will be open August 20 from 10-2 - 12471 Mandarin Road.
The Mandarin Museum remains closed for renovation - except for frog sales on the porch and book/art print sales inside any day we are open.
This photo was taken on July 16. We had to close up early at 1:00 due to very heavy rain and thunder on both Saturdays in July. So please understand that if it rains we will have to close the barn and the winery because we can not bring things outside that are required for visitors to see inside. And sometimes, if it is a real storm, we have to close all the buildings and nobody should be in the park. But if it is just some rain we'll have the schoolhouse, farmhouse and Store and Post office open.
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Mandarin Newsline
The August 2022 edition of the Mandarin Newsline will be online soon.
This free newspaper is our chief way of sharing history stories, events and programs with the public. They are able to publish free papers due to the robust local advertising. Please pay attention to the ads and shop and eat at those businesses that support the community in this way.
To read the entire August Newsline click HERE
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Until Next Time...
There's always something interesting happening around the park - it looks like we had a "doggie convention" going on this day. Everybody loves the walk here. And, we have lots of folks out there every single day with their pups. Dogs of all sizes are welcome - the only rules are that they be leashed and that the owner picks up after them. Our Walter Jones Park visitors are very good about that! Thank you!
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Thank you to our community partners |
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MISSION: Mandarin Museum & Historical Society shares the stories of Mandarin's history, culture and natural resources by providing engaging programs that educate, entertain and inspire.
VISIT. JOIN. VOLUNTEER
Mandarin Museum & Historical Society
904-268-0784
mandarinmuseum@bellsouth.net
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