Located in Northeast Florida, Clay County lies 20 minutes southwest of Jacksonville and 40 minutes west of historic St. Augustine. A 28 mile drive from Jacksonville International Airport, the county is easily accessible from the interstate highway system.
Clay County’s entire eastern border is defined by the majestic, north-flowing, St. Johns River providing a wealth of opportunities for those who enjoy waking to a beautiful sunrise over the water or plan to spend the day bass fishing. Bring the kids and see if they can catch a glimpse of a manatee, watch river otters frolic along the banks of Peter’s Creek or spot an eagle soaring toward her nest at Camp Chowenwaw. Professionally designed golf courses, woodlands for hiking, horseback riding or hunting and an extensive paved trail system for walking, jogging or bicycling can all be found in Clay. We even have fields for mudbogging for all you truck and ATV thrill-seekers!
Clay County’s strong ties to the military date back to the early 1800s. When fighting erupted with the Seminole Indians in 1835, Garey’s Ferry (the site of present-day Middleburg) was chosen as a supply depot for the U.S. Army on Florida’s east coast. The following year, Ft. Heileman was established and Gary’s Ferry was one of the few Florida frontier towns not abandoned during the second Seminole War.
Clay County saw its first battle of the Civil War as the conflict was nearing its end. In mid 1864, Union forces established a fort at Magnolia Springs on the St. Johns River where they could send troops to apply pressure to Confederate forces located within the county. While Union troops were returning from a successful raid on Middleburg, Confederate forces, under the command of Capt. J.J. Dickinson, engaged the Union troops and inflicted heavy casualties. The battle lasted 45 minutes with no casualties among the Confederate troops.
After the Civil War, tourism became a vital part of Clay County life. Had Spanish explorer, Ponce de Leon, traveled further inland during his exploration of the coastline of Florida in the 1500s, he may have discovered his “Fountain of Youth” in Clay County’s Green Cove Springs. Fueled by native stories of “crystal waters flowing from living springs in which those who bathed would be instantly endowed with eternal youth and great beauty,” Ponce de Leon is said to have bathed in every stream or lake that he encountered before giving up his quest and returning to the island of Puerto Rico.
Three hundred years later, tourists looking for an escape from the harsh, northern winters and mystified by stories of the healing powers of the town’s warm, therapeutic springs, made Green Cove Springs a prime tourist attraction. The sulfur springs, or the “boil” as it was called, brought wealthy visitors down the St. John River by steamboat to vacation at grand hotels such as the Clarendon and Qui-Si-Sana. Famous visitors included Ulysses S. Grant, Buffalo Bill, P.T. Barnum and Sitting Bull. President Grover Cleveland was so impressed with the medicinal qualities of the mineral springs he had the water bottled and shipped to the White House.
Today, the same crystal clear spring is still pumping 3,000 gallons per hour. Visitors stopping by the spring can also explore the historic district known as the Historic Triangle which includes the county’s old courthouse, “haunted” jail and the Clay County Historical and Railroad Museum.
During WWII, the landscape of Clay County was dotted with military installations. In 1939, 28,000 acres on Kingsley Lake in central Clay County were purchased by the Florida National Guard as a new training site. In heavy use during WWII, Camp Blanding was not deemed a viable permanent post after the war. It is now a training site for the Florida National Guard with over 70,000 acres, and the museum there is the largest in Clay County. During WWII Lee Field, in Green Cove Springs, was a flight-training center. At the end of the war, the Navy converted Lee Field into a headquarters for the Atlantic Mothball fleet.
Notice a WWII Quonset hut on the right side of Rt. 16 near the Reynolds Park Yacht Center in Green Cove Springs? Housed within the Quonset hut is The Military Museum of North Florida. Stop by to see displays of antique uniforms and exhibits of military ordinance and much more. The museum has a large research library full of books and periodicals as well as a gift shop offering all sorts of military items.
The Wings of Dreams Aviation Museum in Keystone Heights houses an authentically restored B-25 Mitchell Bomber that offers visitors an unique opportunity to soar the skies in one of America’s most renowned WWII bombers. The museum also has a fully restored 1945 Piper L-4J Grasshopper in flying condition that was assigned to the Third Army during World War II. Restoration of a Korean War-vintage Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star jet trainer and a Vietnam War-era Cessna O-2A FAC aircraft will be completed in 2010.