The Fort San Nicholas Chapter was organized November 17, 1949, by Ethel Little Perdue. The charter was issued on November 9, 1950.
The name Fort San Nicholas was chosen because the organizing membership primarily lived in the southernmost part of Jacksonville "the south side of the St. John's River" and to honor the history of the city in general. The simple battery was built at the narrow pass in the St. John’s River and was called “Cow Ford" by the British and “Pass de San Nicolas” by the Spanish, and it became the town of Jacksonville in 1822. The Spanish considered building a fort on this southern shore as early as 1740 when British General James Oglethorpe of Georgia was preparing to invade the region. Actual construction did not occur until after 1783 when the Spanish regained the territory following 20 years of British control. The Post was demolished in 1796 and rebuilt by the Spaniards; again destroyed by a band of Georgia patriots in 1812. The fort was rebuilt, on a larger scale, but was abandoned and burned by its garrison July 4, 1817.
In the median of Atlantic Boulevard near Bishop Kenny High School stands a commemorative road marker placed by the Jacksonville Chapter on May 17, 1930, to mark the site of the Spanish block house and stockade known as Fort San Nicholas. The coquina marker was secured from a rocky strip of coast near Flagler Beach and is native rock.The inscription reads:
The name Fort San Nicholas was chosen because the organizing membership primarily lived in the southernmost part of Jacksonville "the south side of the St. John's River" and to honor the history of the city in general. The simple battery was built at the narrow pass in the St. John’s River and was called “Cow Ford" by the British and “Pass de San Nicolas” by the Spanish, and it became the town of Jacksonville in 1822. The Spanish considered building a fort on this southern shore as early as 1740 when British General James Oglethorpe of Georgia was preparing to invade the region. Actual construction did not occur until after 1783 when the Spanish regained the territory following 20 years of British control. The Post was demolished in 1796 and rebuilt by the Spaniards; again destroyed by a band of Georgia patriots in 1812. The fort was rebuilt, on a larger scale, but was abandoned and burned by its garrison July 4, 1817.
In the median of Atlantic Boulevard near Bishop Kenny High School stands a commemorative road marker placed by the Jacksonville Chapter on May 17, 1930, to mark the site of the Spanish block house and stockade known as Fort San Nicholas. The coquina marker was secured from a rocky strip of coast near Flagler Beach and is native rock.The inscription reads:
“Fifteen hundred thirty feet north of this spot stood an early Spanish fortification, Fort San Nicholas. Abandoned 4 July 1817 and burned by its Spanish garrison on the approach of MacGregor, the Scotch adventurer who invaded Florida seeking to gain control of the country from Spain."
Web hyperlinks to non-DAR sites are not the responsibility of the NSDAR, the state organizations, or individual DAR chapters.
The content contained herein does not necessarily represent the position of the NSDAR. Hyperlinks to other sites are not the responsibility of the NSDAR, the state organizations, or individual DAR chapters.
