Museums - Amelia Island Museum of History

The Amelia Island Museum of History was founded in 1977 as the Fernandina Historical Museum, and moved to the former Nassau County Jailhouse in 1979. In 1989 the museum was renamed, gaining its present moniker, and was accompanied by further renovations to its second floor. In 1990 a significant archeological site at the Amelia Island Plantation revealed the presence of the sixteenth-century Spanish Mission San Carlos, the artifacts from which AIMH became the recipient. Extensive reworking of the museum’s installations was completed in 2003.
Among the most notable objects in the Native collection is a Mission Period water pitcher of Spanish design created by a Native American potter. Also of note is a pipehead with a facial carving believed to be Native American in origin. There are many axe-heads, carving tools, banner stones, and pottery shards that represent both the Timucuan and Guale Native cultures of Southeast Georgia and Northeast Florida. There are also artifacts found in Old Town Fernandina which predate European contact, donated by the developers of the archeological site where they were found. Approximately fifteen percent of the museum’s collection—consisting of the most viable artifacts—is on display.