BACKYARD ADVENTURE BY MANDY HAYNES

BACKYARD ADVENTURE

a trolley ride across time

BY MANDY HAYNES PHOTOS BY SHERRY CARTER

Who doesn’t love taking a drive around the Historic District to look at the beautiful old buildings and homes in Fernandina Beach? The only thing that might make it better is if someone who knew the stories behind the story of each interesting structure was your chauffer. Someone like people person and trolley manager of Anchor Trolley, John Meredith.

Originally from Orange County, New York, John moved to Georgia a few years ago. “I have a degree in Criminal Justice and worked as a parole officer for years in upstate New York, but I’ve always loved history. A few years ago, my family and I moved to Georgia, and I worked at the prison there. Then two years ago, I was ready for a change and started working for Anchor Trolley part time, and I really enjoyed it, so I decided to do it full time.

“There’s some incredible history here, and I’m still learning new things. When I get a local resident on a tour, they’ll sometimes point out an interesting fact or tell me a story I haven’t heard. I love it,” says John.

It’s easy to forget that our tour guide John isn’t from here once the tour starts and he begins to share the history of David Yulee and his Florida Railroad. Full of fun facts but never boring, John went into a story about the Palace Saloon, and I learned something new. Then we were on to the Florida House Inn, Waas House, and the Fairbanks House, stopping to soak up the beauty of each place while John told us a little bit of the history behind the beautiful homes. I especially enjoyed the story of Kate’s Tree and the Williams House, with its ties to the Underground Railroad. And we were just getting started.

From there, we visited Central Park, Main Beach, Fort Clinch, and the Amelia Island Lighthouse, with quick stops and interesting facts at each stop. Then we went past Bosque Bello Cemetery on our way to Old Town, but not before another fun story.

“I stopped here one day to give everyone a chance to take a picture of the Lighthouse and I got an odd request from a couple of passengers. They asked if I’d pull up to Egans Creek Park and let them out for just a minute. My first thought was that the other passengers might be on tight schedules, but when the couple said that they wanted to get married under the pavilion and it would only take a couple of minutes, everyone on the trolley agreed to stop,” John laughs. “So yeah, we had a surprise wedding!” Anchor Tours is available for private group tours and transportation, and they get lots of requests for weddings and receptions, but this was a first!

John drove us past the beautiful homes in Old Town, Fernandina Plaza, and of course, the Pippi Longstocking house. Then we made our way to the Silk Stocking District and the gorgeous homes there. Before I knew it, we were back on Centre Street, and I had a list of places to look up and find out more about.

Don’t miss Anchor Trolleys if you’re looking for a little adventure and a lot of great stories. Tickets can be purchased from the driver or from the Amelia River Cruises kiosk at the end of Centre Street at the marina. Reservations can be made online or by calling (904) 753-4486.