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Mandarin Museum News
October 2025
Embrace the Mandarin Experience
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Dear Friends,
I had the pleasure of attending a reception recently honoring our friends at the Florida Theatre as The League of Historic American Theatres presented them with the 2025 Outstanding Historic Theatre Award. LHAT President and CEO Ken Stein delivered remarks that resonated with so many in attendance. "There may have been a time when preservation was seen as saving old buildings, but preservation is really about saving communities and the values they embody. What a community chooses to save is what a community chooses to say about itself. At its absolute best, preservation engages the past in a conversation with the present over a mutual concern for the future because if we don't care about our past, we cannot possibly hope for the future."
Stein's words were as much an inspiration as they were a call to action, or perhaps first, a call to understanding. The practice of historic preservation shouldn't be reduced to siloed occasions in which a particular building is saved and restored. The practice of historic preservation should be communal in nature. It should endeavor to use sites, landscapes, and stories as a means through which a community's shared past, identity, character, and connection are maintained. This approach fosters a sense of place and belonging for residents. It cultivates relationships and empowers the community to reinvest in itself. It stimulates local economies and promotes sustainable practices. A quote we often come back to, adorning a wall in Mandarin Museum's gallery, condenses this sentiment nicely, "The past, the present, and the future are really one: they are today." Harriet Beecher Stowe uttered this phrase to emphasize the notion that decisions made in a particular moment are part of a continuous reality. The past and future are part of a perpetual present in which we are the actors.
Mandarin Museum just celebrated its 36th year of preserving and sharing the community's past with our annual dinner. The festivities included our A Year in Review short film which highlights our intentional communal approach. Because yes, old things are cool, but they're only truly cool insomuch as they bring into focus our humanity and interconnectedness. Please watch and then pay us a visit! We love connecting with new friends (and reconnecting with old).
Thank you to everyone who joined us at our annual dinner! A special thank you to Yoga Den, Chef Dennis Chan of Blue Bamboo, AVL Productions, and all our sponsors who made it possible. Together, we raised more than $30,000 in support of the museum's mission - and we had a great time doing it!
Scroll to access our online gallery of event photos courtesy of Olis Garber Photography and KBArt Photography.
And as always, I'll see you at the Museum!
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----Brittany Cohill
----Executive Director
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Maple Leaf Diver Keith Holland receiving the Always the River Award, presented to him by Mandarin Museum Board Member Gabriele Dempsey | | |
On Display Now - October 25
Vestiges of Historic Mandarin: En Plein Air
In partnership with the First Coast Plein Air Painters, Mandarin Museum is pleased to exhibit Vestiges of Historic Mandarin: En Plein Air. This juried art exhibition features contemporary works depicting some of Mandarin’s last remaining 19th and early-20th century structures and landscapes. Special thank you to artist Keith Doles who served as judge for the show.
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First Saturday @ the Museum
Saturday, October 4
10:00 am to 2:00 pm
Join Mandarin Museum the first Saturday of every month from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm when all historic buildings throughout Walter Jones Historical Park will be open to the public.
The young and young at heart can pick up a free scavenger hunt at Museum Guest Services to complete as you visit the museum's exhibits and stroll along the park's paved pathways.
Learn more about the area's 19th-century past as museum volunteers greet you at the 1898 St. Joseph's Mission Schoolhouse for African American Children, the 1892 Losco Winery, the 1876 Barn, and the 1875 Webb-Jones Farmhouse.
The historic Mandarin Store & Post Office, located just down the road at 12471 Mandarin Rd., will also be open to visitors.
Admission is free.
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Mandarin Frog Painting
Saturday, October 4
10:00 am
Museum Front Lawn
Purchase, paint, and take home your very own Mandarin Frog (or sea turtle). The cost is $22 + tax per person and all supplies are provided. To register, please reply to this newsletter. Payment is collected upon arrival. Limited walk-up spots will be available.
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Meet the Maple Leaf Divers
Saturday, October 4
10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Maple Leaf Shipwreck Gallery
Meet the men who dove the Maple Leaf Shipwreck! On April 1, 1864, the Union steamboat Maple Leaf was sunk by Confederates in the St. Johns River just off Mandarin Point. In the 1980s, Dr. Keith Holland and his team of divers located and excavated the site. Now designated a National Historic Landmark, the nearly 3,000 artifacts they recovered have been entrusted to the State of Florida for preservation. Mandarin Museum displays many of these artifacts through a longterm partnership with the State Archives of Florida.
Dr. Holland and the Maple Leaf Divers will be in the gallery from 10:00 am to noon on Saturday, October 4th to meet with visitors. This is an informal, conversational-style event. Drop in to hear their story of discovery, recovery, and preservation.
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Music Under the Oaks
Sunday, October 5
2:00 to 4:00 pm
Museum Front Lawn
Music Under the Oaks, in partnership with North Florida Folk Network, will try to make its long-awaited return following the summer hiatus!
Enjoy a lazy afternoon under the shade of Mandarin’s historic oak canopy. If you play an acoustic instrument and enjoy singing or playing with others, you are invited to join the song circle. This is an open jam for participants at any experience level. Song circle set-up begins around 1:30 pm. Chairs for musicians are available inside the Museum.
Listeners are welcomed and encouraged! Bring your chairs or blanket and set up just outside the song circle. You’re in for a real treat!
Mandarin Museum and the 1898 St. Joseph’s Schoolhouse for African American Children will be open to visitors during the event.
If the weather does not cooperate, we will postpone to Sunday, October 12th. Please check our events section on our website or Mandarin Museum's Facebook page before leaving your house this Sunday.
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October Lecture in the Fall 2025 Series
Thursday, October 23
6:00 to 8:00 pm
Mandarin Museum
Author Tim Gilmore will present "Stetson Kennedy: Remembering the Man Who Unmasked the Klan." Florida writer and activist Stetson Kennedy gained notoriety for having infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan but he is also remembered as one of the pioneer folklore collectors during the first half of the 20th century. He made his home in Fruit Cove, just south of Mandarin, at Beluthahatchee. The place was designated a wildlife sanctuary when he moved there and is now a historical site.
Refreshments will begin at 6:00 pm inside Mandarin Museum. The program will begin at 7:00 pm. Admission is free. For more information, click HERE.
| | Left to right: unidentified, Folklorist and author Stetson Kennedy, Tom Gaskins, unidentified, Flora Mae Hunter. In 1988, Florida Secretary of State James C. Smith presented Florida Folk Heritage Awards to Stetson Kennedy, Alton Morris, Flora Mae Hunter, and Tom Gaskins in recognition of their outstanding stewardship of Florida’s living traditions. Established in 1985, the program is modeled after the National Heritage Fellowships. Photo courtesy of Florida Memory. | | Thank you to our friends at Endless Summer Roofing, Co. for sponsoring our Fall 2025 Lecture Series! | |
Walking Tour: Historic Mandarin Cemetery
Saturday, October 25
10:00 am
Mandarin Cemetery, 12135 Mandarin Rd.
Join Mandarin Museum & Historical Society for a guided walking tour of the historic Mandarin Cemetery on Saturday, October 25th at 10:00 am. Your tour guides Sandy Arpen, Karen Jones Roumillat, and Cemetery President and Caretaker Joe Walsh, will lead guests through the resting place of the many people whose lives and stories have shaped the Mandarin community over the last 200 years.
Reservations are required and can be made online. For ALL information, click HERE.
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Our new Adventure Backpacks for Plein Air Painting have proven to be a real hit! Fun for all ages, backpacks are available to check out at Mandarin Museum Guest Services! Visit our current art exhibit Vestiges of Historic Mandarin: En Plein Air for inspiration and then head out into the park for your own adventure!
Each Adventure Backpack includes:
- A Step-by-Step Guide for Young Artists
- Apron
- A Canvas
- Easel
- Pencil with eraser
- Watercolor paints
- Paint brushes
- Palette
- Color Pencils
- Re-useable cup with water
- Paper towels
YOU bring a blanket, hat/sunscreen, snacks & water, and creativity! Adventure Backpacks are available for check out and are first come, first served. Check out is FREE (OR donate any amount you'd like per backpack to help us replenish the items for the next young artist)! Please be sure to return the Adventure Backpack and all included items EXCEPT your masterpiece and guide book to Museum Guest Services when you're finished with your adventure!
| | An Evening with Dr. Susanna Ashton, Author of "A Plausible Man," presented by Mandarin Community Club in partnership with Mandarin Museum is now available for viewing on Mandarin Museum's YouTube Channel! Thank you to all who attended! Images from the evening can be found in our online photo gallery of recent events. | |
Be a supporter of arts & culture in our community through the purchase of an annual membership! Every contribution made through the purchase of an annual membership enables us to fulfill our mission!
| | Mandarin Museum members at the Family Level and above automatically enjoy the benefits of NARM (North American Reciprocal Museum Association)! By supporting your favorite museum, you receive reciprocal member benefits at almost 1,500 museums, botanical gardens, aquariums, and more across the United States, Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, and The Cayman Islands. Simply show your Mandarin Museum membership card at participating locations! | | |
Read 2025 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.
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...do something to preserve the character of your community!
Ninth graders from The Bolles School visited us this week for their annual SPARC Day (Seeking opportunities, Preparing for the future, Acting local, Reaching global, and Connecting communities). Each year they help us clean up Walter Jones Historical Park, pulling invasive plant species, weeding, and moving larger limbs and debris into piles more easily picked up by the City of Jacksonville's yard waste haulers. They are always a fun and hardworking group!
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Thank you to all our community partners!
Mandarin Museum is supported, in part, through the Cultural Service Grant Program administered by the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville and funded by the City of Jacksonville.
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OUR 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
info@mandarinmuseum.org
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