ORIGINAL TOWN OF FERNANDINA HISTORIC SITE
The Original Town of Fernandina Historic Site, also known as “Old Town”, is a historic site in Fernandina Beach, Florida, located on Amelia Island. It is roughly bounded by Towngate Street, Bosque Bello Cemetery, Nassau, Marine, and Ladies Streets. On January 29, 1990, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. Located north of the Fernandina Beach Historic District, it is accessible from North 14th Street.
Prior to the arrival of Europeans on what is now Amelia Island, the Old Town site was home to Native Americans. The French, English, and Spanish all maintained a presence on Amelia Island at various times during the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries, but the Spanish established Fernandina. Old Town, the original location of the town of Fernandina, has the distinction of being the last Spanish city platted in the Western Hemisphere, in 1811. The plat is based on the 1573 Law of the Indies, a document utilized by the Spanish to organize new towns established during their explorations.
Plaza San Carlos
On the northwesterly area of Amelia Island is the location of “Old Town,” and Estrada Street. It is here, adjacent to the Amelia River, where the Spanish Fort San Carlos once stood, built in 1816. Gregor MacGregor took this fort on June 29, 1817.
Pippy Longstocking House
Impossible to miss when passing through Old Town is the Captain’s House (also known as the” Downes House”). Locals often call it the “Pippi Longstocking” house since the late 1980s when the movie was filmed on location at the home.
Burbank Fish And Sports Nets
The Burbank family has been manufacturing shrimp and fish trawls by hand for 89 years. William Hunter Burbank Sr. was a commercial fisherman and net maker since the early 1900s. His son William Hunter Burbank Jr. came into the net making business in the late 1940s after he served on the USS Tennessee during World War II.