From This Side of the Pond - Seven: The Isle of Eight Flags

I've written about this project before. The essays which are written will be posted here and, as soon as I have a suitable space worked out, I'll be recording the essays.

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There is, perhaps, no nation on earth which reveres flags in the way the United States does. In the Code of Laws of the United States of America, which is updated every six years, it warrants an entire chapter with ten distinct sections. A separate section in a different chapter codifies how Flag Day, in Flag Week is to be operated.

Until a five-four decision by the Supreme Court in nineteen-ninety it was illegal to deliberately damage the flag in forty-eight of the fifty states. Yes, the flag was held in higher regard than the First Amendment, and it was a narrow Supreme Court decision which decided otherwise.

Even in recent times people have lost their jobs because others felt their actions showed disrespect to a piece of cloth which represents the union of states.

But the veneration of flags extends beyond that of ‘Old Glory’ - and the reason for that nickname warrants an essay of its own. Other flags are used to symbolise the defiance and independence America is proud of. Maybe we think of the Gadsden flag with its yellow background and coiled timber-rattlesnake above the motif ‘Don’t Tread On Me’, which dates back to seventeen-seventy-five. In a strange turn of events the Battle Flag of the Army of Northern Virginia, a flag of ones fighting against the Union, has become a potent symbol of perceived independence in America.

And, leaving contentions aside, when you move around the States there are a myriad of flags and pennants which people hold dear. State flags, family flags - again, the tale of Old Glory will need to be told - school pennants, all are held in high regard.

Amazingly there is one tiny speck of what is now America, a small part of Nassau County in the state of Florida, which has found itself under eight different flags, some official, others less so, and some more than once.

Amelia Island is on the northern-most tip of the eastern seaboard of Florida and one of the most continuously inhabited places in North America, though the flags don’t come onto the scene until the age of colonisation.

The first three flags were France, Spain, and Britain - the top three of sixteenth & seventeenth century colonisers. In fifteen-sixty-two Frenchman Jean Ribault arrived on the barrier island and, ignoring the people already living there, he established a colony. In fifteen-sixty-three the Spanish kicked the French out, killing Ribault and other French colonists.

For the next hundred plus years Spain exerted dominion over the island, but towards the end of the seventeenth century the British arrived on the scene and, until eighteen-twelve the back and forth was between these two colonial nations.

By eighteen-twelve a new flag was flown, the East Florida Patriot Flag. The new United States was keen to enlarge its territory and offered incentives for places and people to abandon Spain and join the new union. They allowed filibusters to seek such land and people, a filibuster being somewhat akin to a Letter of Marque, but on land. The difficulty was that, in eighteen-twelve, the US was at war with Britain and Spain was being in danger of being over-run and subjugated by France. Fearing the action of seizing Amelia Island could help create a second war, the US ceded the island back to Spain.

Over the next few years there were further attempts to control the area, leading to two further flags. Scottish adventurer, soldier, and conman Gregor MacGregor seized it in the name of ‘the brethren of Mexico, Buenos Ayres, New Grenada and Venezuela’. He raised a flag with a green cross on a white background which was called the Green Cross of Florida, and proclaimed a Republic of the Floridas, with an intention to move south, conquering as he went. Spanish push back and lack of funds led to MacGregor fleeing to the Bahamas, abandoning a small detachment who withstood a Spanish attack to the extent the Spanish commander withdrew, convinced a successful retaking of the island was not possible.

This allowed French privateer Louis-Michel Aury to assume control, raise the flag of the Revolutionary Republic of Mexico, create a grand sounding ‘Supreme Council of the Floridas’ and start work on a constitution.

However, the new US still had eyes of adding Florida to the union and, in December eighteen-seventeen, captured the island, though proclaiming it was held in trust for Spain. By eighteen-twenty-one Spain had ceded Florida to the US and, officially, the US flag could be raised. In eighteen-forty-five, Florida became a state, Amelia Island included.

Just sixteen years later the US flag was replaced by the Confederate one. An interesting thing to note about this is that Fort Clinch on the island was seized on January eight, that’s two days before Florida officially ceded from the union. Fifteen months later forces under the command of Commodore Samuel Dupont reclaimed the island and raised the Union flag - it has not been lowered since.

What is it about this thirteen-by-two mile bit of land that makes it so attractive? Initially there was the way that ships could access the waterways even at low-tide, making it strategically beneficial. Today that access to water is still well used, but so are the miles of sandy beaches, the parks and woodlands, numerous golf courses, and a climate which benefits from cool sea breezes.

Amelia Island is an all year round vacation spot with attractions, activities, and events to fill all tastes, but things start to get really busy each year with the Isle of Eight Flags Shrimp Festival at the end of April. Around a hundred-fifty thousand flow onto the island to share in a host of activities from pageants and a parades through decorated boats and fairs for antiques and fine arts. There’s even food available, with a focus on shrimps naturally.

From here on, as the days get longer and hotter, the number of visitors remains high. And those visitors do more than laze on the beach or play golf.

They visit one of the three state parks. At the south of the island the Amelia Island State Park is a gem of nature preservation, a place to see birds with their young, to ride horses on the beach, to do some fishing or shell collecting, or to ride your bike around the Timucan Trail, part of the three-thousand mile East Coast Greenway.
On the north of the Island is Fort Clinch with it’s Civil War era fortification, but there’s more than wars and battles to hold the interest - though if that is your thing make sure you head there the first weekend of the month when the cannons are fired. On the beach which the fort overlooks you can search for shark teeth which are regularly washed up by storms.

Fort Clinch State Park also manages the third and smallest state park on the Island. Fernandina Plaza Historic State Park is under thirty five thousand square feet and was once the parade ground for Spain’s Fort San Carlos. Now it’s an ideal place to sit and watch the sunset, or the shrimp boats, or to have a picnic.

Nature and history are recurring themes with Amelia Island, and when you stroll round the main city of Fernandina Beach the motif is continued. Each street is full of trees and bushes, giving a feeling of living right there in nature, and to stroll around the fifty blocks which make up the seaport is to be amongst four hundred buildings on National Register of Historic Places. Most of these date from the mid-to-late nineteenth century and some even retain their original purpose - see the County Courthouse, the Lesesne House which remains a private residence, or the Palace Saloon which is the oldest continually operating drinking establishment in the state. Others have changed, becoming shops, cafés, restaurants, or holiday lets.
Just walking around will allow you to enjoy the architecture but a guided tour will add in historical details, quirks of knowledge, hints of mysteries and intrigues, and even tales of ghosts.

There is a danger in the above of making Amelia Island sound like a a theme park; Disney Land Nassau County, sans the franchise features. But the island is home to just over thirty-eight thousand residents and for them life is all year round. They speak about being ‘on-island’ or ‘off-island’, in transit they will let friends know they are ‘on the bridge’ meaning either the George Crady bridge at the southern tip, or the Thomas Shave Jr. Bridge which comes in from the west, swings up past the airport, and feeds you into the heart of Fernandina Beach.

Many of the activities which draw people to the island are things which residents are eager participants in. Take the annual Pétanque Open. This event draws thousands of entrants from all over and is truly an open event. There are no seedings, no gender or age specific brackets, and no special invitation-only professional group. To enter you find a playing partner, pay the entry fee, and arrange to be on the island for the tournament start. There’s even a consolation tournament for first round losers, with it’s own prizes. But what has this to do with the locals? Well, apart from many of them entering each year, pétanque is a regular part of weekly activities where locals play each other, or visitors. One local had watched the game for some time before joining in. She was asked, ‘Who taught you to play?’ Her response of, ‘Oh, this is my first time,’ caused surprise because her technique was so good.

Another place which caters for visitors, but is well loved by the Islanders, is the bookshop bistro Story & Song where you can buy a book, have coffee or lunch, listen to a lecture or reading and, as the name suggests, hear a song. The owners, Donna and Mark, used to live in Nashville and songwriting friends from the time are regular visitors to offer intimate musical experiences.

If that all sound a bit ‘modern’ for your tastes in book shopping then maybe The Book Loft on Central street in the heart of historic Fernandina Beach will appeal. Sue Nelson and her team will help you find just the book you want, or you can quietly browse what seems to be miles of shelves.

Literature is an important part of island life. Beyond the book shops there’s the library, an annual book festival, and even a free library box located in Dunes of Amelia Park. It’s no wonder there are numerous writers who are part of the local community - with books available in the the local bookshops, many of them signed. Some of the authors are well known locally, some wider. They write about history, sexuality, food and recipes and, of course, fiction. One such fiction writer, John Grisham, is know worldwide, and locals may be willing to point out his island home which you can drive past.
This isn’t where Mr Grisham pens his novels but anyone reading his Camino Island stories may recognise where the inspiration of them has been derived. He swears that this special location, which he and his family have fallen in love with, is only an inspiration and the books are in no way a secret biography of life on the island.

While Florida is a destination for international travellers and holiday makers, and some do make it to the island, this feels like a jewel which is mainly appreciated by other Americans, by people who want the Florida heat and beaches, but are less interested in raucous nightlife, casinos, or all encompassing theme parks designed to suck every dollar from your wallet.

Amelia Island has the feel of a gentler culture, one which invites you to relax, watch the sunset, listen to the birds, some music, read a book, chat with friends old and new. It is a place comfortable with all the influences those eight different flag raisers have left and chosen to be its own unique corner of America.

words by stuartcturnbull. Picture licenced from Kirsten Alana and worked in Canva

Previous Essays in this series:
1 - Inspiration
2 - On Free Speech
3 - A Memory of Travel
4 - Delaware
5 - Bigfoot
6 - The Mammoth-Flint Cave System