Mandarin Museum News

November 2024

Embrace the Mandarin Experience

Photo courtesy of Olis Garber.

----Warmest regards,

----Brittany Cohill

----Executive Director

Throughout the entire month of November, visit Museum Guest Services to enter for your chance to win this one-of-a-kind patriotic Mandarin Frog, painted to honor all U.S. veterans, and created by Don "Frogman" Bowden!

It is free to enter. One entry per visitor.

Evolution in Clay: A Vina Schemer Retrospective

Now on display through March 2025

The groves and rural character of Mandarin drew Vina Schemer to the area in 1965. Amidst this backdrop, she made her mark as an innovative studio potter and photo-ceramist, influencing and likewise drawing influence from her friends Charlie M. Brown, Memphis Wood, and fellow members of the Crown Craftsmen. Her body of work spans decades and represents her evolving interests and techniques. Vina is perhaps best known for her inventive process of photo-transfer on clay.

First Saturday @ the Museum

Saturday, November 2

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.

Mandarin Frog Painting

Saturday, November 2

10:00 am

Museum Front Lawn

Join Mandarin Museum for the last Mandarin Frog Painting in 2024! (event resumes in February 2025)

Purchase, paint, and take home your very own Mandarin Frog (or sea turtle). The cost is $22 per person and advanced registration is required. To register, email info@mandarinmuseum.org. 

Meet the Maple Leaf Divers

Saturday, November 2

10:00 am to 12:00 pm

Maple Leaf Shipwreck Gallery

Meet the men who dove the Maple Leaf Shipwreck! In 1864, the Union steamboat Maple Leaf was sunk by a Confederate mine just off Mandarin Point in the St. Johns River.

In the 1980s, Dr. Keith Holland and his team located and excavated the site. Now a designated National Historic Landmark, the nearly 3,000 artifacts his team recovered have been entrusted to the State of Florida for preservation. Mandarin Museum displays many of these artifacts through a long-term partnership with the State Archives.

The Maple Leaf Divers will be in the gallery from 10:00 am to noon, this Saturday, November 2nd. This is an informal, conversational-style event. Drop in to hear their story of discovery, recovery, and preservation.

Music Under the Oaks

Sunday, November 3

2:00 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.

Public Unveiling of "Harriet Beecher Stowe in Mandarin"

Sunday, November 17

3:00 pm

Museum Front Lawn

More details later in this newsletter.

Third Thursday Lecture

Dr. Cynthia Anderson and Dr. Tracy Khona

Thursday, November 21

6:30 to 8:00 pm

Mandarin Community Club

12447 Mandarin Rd.

Longtime Mandarin residents Dr. Cynthia Anderson, her mother Dr. Tracy Khona, and their family will present a "45-year History of Indian American Immigrants in Jacksonville." Dr. Khona was among the first to emigrate from India to the Jacksonville area. In the decades following, a vibrant Indian American community formed and continues to grow, anchored by Mandarin (home to The Hindu Society of North East Florida on Greenland Rd.) and the Baymeadows and Southside neighborhoods. Please plan to attend to learn more about our Mandarin neighbors' distinct history and cultural traditions.

Third Thursday Lectures are presented by the Mandarin Museum & Historical Society in partnership with and held at the Mandarin Community Club, located at 12447 Mandarin Road.

Refreshments begin at 6:30 pm, Program at 7:00 pm. Admission is free.

Dr. Cynthia Anderson, right, standing; Dr. Tracy Khona, seated in front

Our September 2024 Third Thursday Lecture featuring Dr. Elizabeth Heuer's presentation, "Memphis Wood: Threads of Modernity," is now available on Mandarin Museum's Youtube Channel.

Thank you to everyone who attended, and a special thank you to Dr. Heuer for an informative and engaging evening.

Video recording and post-production generously provided by the wonderful Olis Garber Photography.

Thank you to Endless Summer Roofing Co. for generously sponsoring our Fall 2024 Third Thursday Lecture Series!

Public Unveiling of "Harriet Beecher Stowe in Mandarin"

Sunday, November 17

3:00 pm

Mandarin Museum Front Lawn

The big day is FINALLY upon us! The community is invited to this monumental occasion as we join with artist Brenda Councill to unveil her life-size bronze sculpture of Harriet Beecher Stowe in Walter Jones Historical Park. Many years in the making, this incredible display will honor the legacy of the famed 19th-century author, abolitionist, and winter resident of Mandarin.

Refreshments will be served. You won't want to miss Harriet's return to Mandarin as a permanent resident!

Thank you to those who committed their support to making "Harriet Beecher Stowe in Mandarin" a reality.

Orange Blossoms | $25,000 – $34,999

Rosamond Warren Allen

in honor of her great-great grandmother, Harriet Beecher Stowe

Mandarin Oaks | $10,000 – $24,999

Rosemary McCorkle

Emily and Lawrence Lisska

Thomas Davant Johns, Ph.D. and Gretchen Schaef Johns, M.D.

in memory of Thomas Joseph Agee

in honor of Sandy Arpen

Sheryl and Mel McNichols

in honor of Sandy Arpen

Magnolias | $2500 – $9,999

Cheryl S. Cummer

Eric and Naomi Gillis

John T. Foster, Jr.

in memory Sarah Whitmer Foster

Robert Pearce and Family

in memory of Gillian Pearce

Lee and Mindy Hanna

James C. and Nancy Capps Hoover

in memory of the Hoover and Capps Families

Ferrigno Family

in honor of Hope Ferrigno

Sandy and Tracey Arpen

Colonel John T. and Judith Winkler

George Ash and Kate Arpen

Patrick Plumlee and Laura D’Alisera

in memory of their parents

Marilyn Carpenter

in memory of Pete Carpenter

Don and Pam Chandler

Janelle and Bill Watson

Derek D. and Francis M. Igou

Dr. Ian MacKenzie Farnham

Rotary Club of Mandarin

Friends of Historic Mandarin | up to $2499

Bhide & Hall Architects

Matt Carlucci Insurance Agency, Inc.

Pam Neumann

in memory of Dave Neumann and Ed Ralph

John and Leyda Cooksey

Carol Hazouri

Deborah Harmon

Jim and Renee Waler

Jay Caffey

Dale Rohlfing

Bill and Judy Morrow

Mr. and Mrs. James M. Barker, IV

Virginia B. Barker

Steve and Kathy Rawlins

Elizabeth Meux

Peggy and Bill Armstrong

Carol and Jeff Anderson

Byron and Marsha Peacock

Rev. and Mrs. Roger L.D. Williams

Claire King

Bonny Councill

Jeff and Carrie Councill

Pam Neumann

in honor of Carolyn Hall and Bettye Stilley

Bettye Stilley

in honor of Pam Neumann and Carolyn Hall

Gabriele Dempsey

in memory of Ruth Heerling

Anne Morrow

Leslie Anderson and Stacy Anderson

in memory of their parents, Bill and Doris Anderson

Evalyn Campbell

John and Kathleen Holler

Payson J. Tilden

Thomas Entenza

Sam Folds, Jr.

Sherry Cavanagh Cantrell

in memory of growing up in Mandarin

Friends of Gabriele Dempsey in her honor

Courtenay Wilson

Lynn McManus

Ruth Stein

Marilyn Stein

Margaret Gellatly

Blair Woolverton

Renate Hixon

New high-density shelving units! In support of our mission to share the stories of Mandarin's history, culture, and natural resources, Mandarin Museum maintains a growing archive of documents, photographs, historic newspapers, objects, art, and more.

Thanks, in part, to grant funding from the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville and the City of Jacksonville, we were able to replace our linear wall shelving with new high-density shelving units. The new units increase our available storage capacity by 130%!

A special thanks to museum volunteer Barbara Pucci for assisting staff with the methodical temporary relocation of archival material, the de-installation of the old shelving, and the assembly and installation of the new units.

If you thought metal shelves weren't exciting, think again. We're pretty stoked!

Be a supporter of arts & culture in our community through the purchase of an annual membership! 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!

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.

...lend a helping hand to a neighbor in need!

Last week, Mandarin resident and owner of Endless Summer Roofing Co., Tony Milian, lent a helping hand and his expertise to locate and fix a leak in the historic Mandarin Store & Post Office roof. While he was up there, he blew off the accumulation of leaves that had dropped from the beloved tree canopy. All he would accept in return was a thank you!

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.