Mandarin Museum News

April 2024

Embrace the Mandarin Experience

----Warmest regards,

----Brittany Cohill

----Executive Director

More information regarding field trips to Mandarin Museum can be found here.

First Saturday @ the Museum

Saturday, April 6

10:00 am to 2:00 pm

All historic buildings throughout Walter Jones Historical Park will be open to the public. Stroll along the park's paved pathways and stop in to the 1898 St. Joseph's Mission Schoolhouse for African American Children, the 1892 Losco Winery, the 1876 Barn, and the 1875 Webb-Jones Farmhouse.

Located just down the road from Mandarin Museum & Walter Jones Historical Park, the historic Mandarin Store & Post Office will also be open to visitors (12471 Mandarin Road). Admission is free.

Meet the Maple Leaf Divers

Saturday, April 6

10:00 am to 12:00 pm

Maple Leaf Shipwreck Gallery

April 2024 marks the 160th anniversary of the Maple Leaf's sinking. Before the sun rose on the morning of April 1, 1864, an explosion lit Mandarin’s sky above the St. Johns River. Within minutes of the blast, the Union steamboat Maple Leaf sunk more than 20 feet, coming to rest on the riverbed below. Unknown to the ship’s captain and crew, Confederate soldiers had deployed a series of 12 mines floating just below the surface across the narrow channel at Mandarin Point.

The ship’s cargo rested forgotten, undisturbed, and preserved in the mud for well over a century. In the 1980s, Dr. Keith Holland, a Jacksonville dentist and adventurer, assembled a team of amateur and professional marine archaeologists to dive the wreckage. They recovered nearly 3,000 objects. The artifacts are now property of the State of Florida, with many on long-term loan to Mandarin Museum for display in the newly expanded Maple Leaf Shipwreck Gallery.

Meet the men who dove the Maple Leaf Shipwreck! Dr. Holland and his team will be in the gallery from 10:00 am to noon, this Saturday, April 6th. This is an informal, conversational-style event. Drop in to hear their story of discovery, recovery, and preservation.

Music Under the Oaks

Sunday, April 7

2:00 pm to 4:00 pm

Museum Front Lawn

Join Mandarin Museum and North Florida Folk Network for an afternoon under Mandarin's historic oak canopy. Bring your acoustic instrument and join the jam session OR bring your chair or blanket and enjoy a day in the shade, taking in the melodic sounds.

Mandarin Museum and the 1898 Schoolhouse will be open to visitors during the event. Admission is free.

Photo courtesy of Olis Garber.

Miss Aggie Day

Saturday, April 20

10:00 am - 12:00 pm

Historic Mandarin Store & Post Office

12471 Mandarin Road

An annual tradition, Miss Aggie Day celebrates the memory of Agnes Jones, or Miss Aggie as she was affectionately known. The daughter of Walter and Edith Jones, Miss Aggie lived most of her life in the Webb-Jones Farmhouse. Upon her father's passing in 1928, she took over as U.S. postmistress and proprietor of the Mandarin Store & Post Office. Miss Aggie was an independent, strong-willed, confident woman who possessed a deep sense of community and a charitable heart.

As part of this special day, the Miss Aggie Award is given to a resident or residents who have contributed to the Mandarin community in the areas of business, civic, educational, and/or charitable accomplishments. This year's recipients are Olis and Jo Garber.

Olis and Jo are longtime Mandarin residents and owners of Olis Garber Photography. Their love for their community is evident in their friendly and neighborly spirits, and their selfless giving of time and professional skills. In 2021, Olis documented the last remaining 19th and early 20th-century structures in Mandarin. The images appeared in the Museum's Images of America: Mandarin book, with select images also appearing in Wayne Wood's Jacksonville's Architectural Heritage Bicentennial Edition. Following this project, Olis and Jo have continued to document countless people, programs, and events at the Museum, throughout Walter Jones Historical Park and the community, including the meticulous chronicling of Brenda Councill's sculpting of "Harriet Beecher Stowe in Mandarin."

Please join us in celebrating Miss Aggie, Olis, and Jo on April 20th! Ice cold RC Cola and Moon Pies will be served.

Artist Brenda Councill (right) with Harriet Beecher Stowe's great-great granddaughter Rosamond Warren Allen, and Paul Landry. Photo by Olis Garber.

Third Thursday Lecture

Thursday, May 16

6:30 pm - 8:00 pm

Mandarin Community Club

May's Third Thursday Lecture will continue our series, "Our Mandarin Neighbors."

Thank you to our generous sponsors!

Mandarin Museum's Spring/Summer 2024 art exhibition titled Memphis Wood Revisited is now on display. Curated by Dr. Elizabeth Heuer, UNF Associate Professor of Art History, and Nofa Dixon, UNF Associate Professor Emerita of Art and Design, the exhibit features pieces from Mandarin Museum’s permanent collection, UNF Special Collections, and select pieces on loan from local collectors of her work.

Memphis Wood Revisited celebrates the significant cultural impact Memphis had on Jacksonville’s art and arts education scenes over the course of six decades. Mandarin Museum is thought to have the largest known institutional Memphis Wood collection, adding more than 40 works through a gift from MOCA Jacksonville in 2022.

The exhibit will run through September 14, 2024. Thank you to those who attended the opening reception!

This spring season is the perfect time to become a member of Mandarin Museum! Benefits at the individual, family, and patron levels include free guided walking tours of Walter Jones Historical Park, reciprocal benefits at other museums across the nation, discounts in our Museum Shop, and more!

Every contribution made through the purchase of an annual membership enables us to fulfill our mission!

New titles that share the stories of Mandarin's history, culture, and natural resources will be hitting the Museum Shop shelves throughout the month. These were handpicked by our very own Duval County Master Gardener Volunteers. Pick one up on your next visit!

No other book offers such a comprehensive discussion of Florida butterfly caterpillars and their host plants. It covers caterpillar anatomy, biology, ecology, habitat, behavior, and defense, as well as how to find, identify, and raise caterpillars. The book contains sharply detailed photos of 167 species of caterpillars, 185 plants, 18 life cycles, and 19 habitats. It includes 169 maps. Photos of the egg, larva, pupa, and adult of representatives of 18 butterfly families and subfamilies provide life cycle comparisons that have never been illustrated before in such an accessible reference.

Marc C. Minno, formerly the senior regulatory scientist for the St. Johns Water Management District, is the author of Florida Butterfly Gardening: A Complete Guide to Attracting, Identifying, and Enjoying Butterflies. Jerry F. Butler is professor emeritus of entomology at the University of Florida. Donald W. Hall is professor emeritus of entomology at the University of Florida.

With full-color photographs and detailed expert advice, this affordable paperback describes how to grow abundant vegetables and edible herbs in gardens anywhere in Florida. Combining his personal background with decades of experience as Florida Cooperative Extension Service vegetable specialist, Stephens explains types of gardens (including hydroponic and organic), site selection, vegetable variety selection, garden establishment and care, soil fertilization and management, climatic implications, cultivation practices, and, harvesting and storing.

He also addresses the challenge of pests and diseases and includes a detailed and illustrated description of all the major and minor crops usually grown in Florida

James M. Stephens is professor emeritus of horticultural sciences at the University of Florida and State Extension vegetable specialist in charge of educational programs for home gardeners. He was a founder of Florida’s Master Gardener program, the Florida Urban Gardening program, and the Organic Gardening Research and Education Center at the University of Florida. 

Mandarin Museum volunteers and staff enjoyed a fun-filled day in Green Cove Springs! The group was treated to a private tour of the 1894 Clay County Jail, the 1889 Courthouse, the Clay County Archives Center, and the Clay County Historical Society. Our Clay County friends at each location were so welcoming and knowledgeable. A special thank you to Mandarin Museum members Sergeant Mike with the Clay County Sherrif's Office and his wife, Crystal, for taking us on this wonderful adventure!

The day was part of Mandarin Museum's Volunteer Field Trip Program where once per quarter, museum staff arranges a visit to another Northeast Florida cultural organization. These field trips are designed to express our gratitude to our dedicated team of volunteers, build relationships within our community, and help us to understand Mandarin's history and culture in a broader context.

Want to join us on the next Volunteer Field Trip? Come volunteer with us!

Opportunities are available in the following areas:

• Guest Services
• Docent
• Archives
• Events

No experience necessary! Email info@mandarinmuseum.org for more information.

Margaret Miller Pelton, EdD, November 1934 – February 2024

Artist Margaret Pelton also passed away recently. Margaret relocated to Mandarin with her family after 67 years of living in Miami. During her life in Miami, she immersed herself in public art education, was named Florida Art Educator of the Year in 1989, and she served on the boards of many cultural and art organizations. Margaret was also an accomplished artist, especially in watercolors and fiber arts. Her pieces were exhibited in over 200 group exhibitions. She was predeceased by her husband Donald, and is survived by her sons Charles and Donald III, her sister Katherine Easley (Robert), brother Will Miller (Laura), and many grandchildren, nieces, nephews and dear friends.

Last year Margaret gifted one of her paintings to Mandarin Museum - a watercolor titled, "Air Plants, Star Apples and Orchids." She had a special interest and eye for the beautiful tropical plants in South Florida. It was always a treat to visit her in her home - a virtual art gallery itself, and to see the wide variety of artistic projects she created. She was a dear lady, and we are grateful for her presence in our community.

Mandarin Newsline





Read 2024 issues of the Mandarin Newsline online now!

This free newspaper allows Mandarin Museum to share history, events, and programs with the public. The newspaper remains free to readers due to the robust local advertising. Please visit, shop, and eat at those businesses who support the community in this way.

...enjoy all the beautiful spring blooms throughout Walter Jones Historical Park!

Special thanks to the City of Jacksonville Department of Parks, Recreation, and Community Services for planting 12 mature trees in Walter Jones this past month. Pictured above is a native Fringe Tree (Chionanthus virginicus) along the pathway near the Webb-Jones Farmhouse.

Thank you to all our community partners!

Mandarin Museum is funded, in part, through the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville and the City of Jacksonville.