Arrive To: Participants will check in to hotel and meet the program hostess, Brenda. The group will then walk to a nearby restaurant and have dinner as a group. After dinner, the group will walk to the museum for the orientation presentation.

Lodging: Hampton Inn & Suites

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel

Morning: Presentation: The Natives of Northeast Florida, presented by Dr. Bill Birdsong. Discover the original natives of Amelia Island, the Timucua. The Timucua had a thriving civilization in the area until they were decimated by European war, slavery, and disease. Delve into the lives of these interesting people and their sad fate.

Morning: Presentation: 8 Flags Over Amelia Part I (French, Spanish, and British), presented by Jan Davis. Explore the bloody beginnings of Florida history as 3 major European superpowers vie for control of Northeast Florida.

Lunch: Lunch at one of Fernandina's many fine restaurants

Afternoon: Excursion to American Beach. Located on the south end of Amelia Island, American Beach was one of the few African American resort areas in the United States. Purchased by Abraham Lincoln Lewis (Florida's first African American millionaire) in 1935, American Beach became a thriving beach-side resort community during the age of segregation. Music greats, such as Cab Calloway and Louis Armstrong, frequented the beach's many clubs and many of America's most influential African Americans owned homes on the beach. Today American Beach is but a shadow of its former glory. Still boasting a strong African American community, American Beach is squeezed by modern development.

Afternoon: Presentation: 8 Flags Over Amelia Part II (Patriot, Green Cross, and Mexican Rebel) presented by Don Davis. During the early 18th century, Florida became a chaotic hotbed of shadowy activity. Locally known as the Chaos Period, this era of Florida history is riddled with colorful characters and dubious activities. This program will be a brief overview of the period that will be discussed in far more detail throughout the week.

Afternoon: Trip to Kingsley Plantation National Park with presentation Dr. Daniel Schafer on the history of the indigo plantations and Anna Kingsley. The plantation's owner, Zebadiah Kingsley, married his young African slave, Anna Kingsley. After Zebadiah's death, Anna inherited her freedom and Zebadiah's substantial estate. She would go on to expand the plantation's operations and become of the area's most powerful women. Dr. Schafer is one of the fore-most scholars of Florida's plantations and has written extensively on Anna Kingsley.

Dinner: Dinner at one of Fernandina's many fine restaurants.

Evening: Getting to know the art of Amelia. Take a break from the dark side of Amelia to enjoy a warm reception by the Amelia Island Art Association. Have a glass of wine as you get to better know your fellow participants and the thriving local art community.

Lodging: Hampton Inn & Suites

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Amelia's Chaos Period: The Illegal Slave Trade, Black Pirates, and Secret Invasions

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel

Morning: Presentation: Fort Mose: Florida's Bastion of Black Freedom, presented by Jim Longacre. The Spanish governor of Florida, fearing invasion from the British colonies to the north, takes drastic action. To bolster his forces, he offers freedom and land to any slaves that can make it to Florida and pledge their allegiance to Spain. Escaped slaves from Georgia and the Carolina comes by the thousands, and true to his word, the governor establishes Fort Mose for his new black soldiers. But how long would this exodus go unnoticed by the British plantation owners?

Morning: Presentation: The Illegal Slave Trade in Fernandina, presented by Jim Longacre. In starke contrast to the icon of freedom that Fort Mose represented, Fernandina would soon after become a thriving port for the illegal slave trade. In 1807, the U.S. Congress banned the importation of additional slaves from Africa. Still belonging to Spain and being so close to the Georgia border, Fernandina was not bound by the new law and became an ideal place to continue this foul practice.

Lunch: Lunch at one of Fernandina's many fine restaurants.

Afternoon: Presentation: Gregor MacGregor: The Greatest Huckster in History. In 1817, Amelia Island was invaded by a motley crew of mercenaries led by Gregor MacGregor. MacGregor, fresh from helping Simon Bolivar establish a free Argentina, sought to "liberate" Florida and establish another democratic state. Discover on of history's most colorful character as his exploits bring him to Amelia Island.

Afternoon: Guided excursion through downtown Fernandina Beach. The birthplace of the modern shrimping industry, Florida's oldest saloon, and plenty of Victorian architecture await as you explore one of Florida's best-kept secrets.

Afternoon: Trip to Old Town, the Original Fernandina. Only a shadow of its former glory, Old Town boasted a fort, Spanish plaza, slave warehouses, and more. Currently a sleepy residential area, many of Old Town's landmarks have disappeared since Fernandina was moved in the 1850's.

Afternoon: Presentation: The Patriot Invasion of Northeast Florida: Under the Surface. During the chaos brought about by the War of 1812, a secret plot was hatched to steal Florida from Spain. With secret presidential approval, a group of rag-tag militia from the southern U.S. invaded northeast Florida. This small band of ruffians almost succeeded in securing Florida for the United States, but failed in what is locally called the Other War of 1812.

Dinner: Dinner at one of Fernandina's fine restaurants.

Lodging: Hampton Inn & Suites

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: Presentation: Luis Aury: Pirate, Privateer, Revolutionary. Amelia Island's 5th flag was strangely that of the Mexican Rebels. Hoisted by French-born pirate, Luis Aury, this short-lived flag came on the heels of MacGregor's occupation of the island. Fresh from Galveston, Texas and Mexico, Aury fancied himself a revolutionary, though most of the world would call him a pirate. This presentation will delve into the story of one of Fernandina's colorful conquers, Luis Aury.

Morning: Presentation: Pirates: Fact vs. Fiction. Though often glamorized as debonair heroes in modern media, pirates were more often blood-thirsty bandits who lived and died by the sword. Discover what piracy was really like as we discuss some local pirates and their exploits in the area.

Lunch: Lunch at one of Fernandina's fine restaurants.

Afternoon: Presentation: Smuggling: A Beginner’s Guide. Smuggling put Fernandina on the map (at least early on), but why was it so lucrative and what kind of goods were being smuggled? This lecture will discuss the economics of local smuggling throughout various eras and why it was such a big deal.

Afternoon: Field trip to Fort Clinch. Situated on the northern tip of Amelia Island, Fort Clinch was built to defend Amelia Island and the mouth of the St. Marys River. It was largely built with slave labor, but would later become an icon for freedom when Union forces occupied the island during the American Civil War. It played an important role in curbing Confederate smuggling and training the escaped Confederate slaves that flocked to the island to be free.

Dinner: Dinner at one of Fernandina's many fine restaurants.

Evening: Haunted History: A field trip through Fernandina's shadowy and unexplained happenings. Any old town has its share of ghost stories. A town with Fernandina's turbulent past has more than its share of restless souls. Walk through Fernandina's back streets and discover some of her dubious happenings and legends that surround them.

Lodging: Hampton Inn & Suites

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: Trip down the Amelia and St. Marys Rivers. Much of Fernandina's history revolves around her harbor. Boarding a boat and venturing out onto these historic waters gives us a unique vantage point to explore the island's turbulent past. The trip will feature points of historical interest and bountiful natural beauty as we explore the natural boundary between Florida and Georgia.

Lunch: Lunch at one of Fernandina's many fine restaurants.

Afternoon: Presentation: The Seminole Wars: Florida’s Turbulent Entrance Into the U.S. As the United States pushed westward, many displaced Native Americans were forced onto reservations or into lands not yet owned by the U.S. Remnants of the once great Creek, Choctaw, and Miccosukee tribes defied the U.S. and fled to Spanish Florida. Knowing that America would be reluctant to invade Spanish Florida, this newly created Seminole tribe use Florida to stage attacks into Georgia and Alabama. Known as the Seminole Wars, a number of conflicts were fought to counter the Seminoles' activities in Florida which would bring the U.S. and Spain to the brink of war. Involving familiar characters like future president Andrew Jackson and Chief Osceola, the Seminole Wars would eventually lead to Florida joining the U.S.

Afternoon: Presentation: Amelia Island in the Civil War: Secession, Occupation, and Black Recruiting Grounds. Shortly after becoming part of the United States, America was gripped by civil war. Florida sided with the newly formed Confederacy and seceded from the union. As part of its Anaconda Strategy, the Union forces blockaded or occupied many southern harbors to starve the confederates of much needed supplies and trade. In 1862, union forces landed on Amelia Island as confederate forces withdrew to areas deemed more important to the war. Occupied by the union, Fernandina became a symbol for freedom in the deep south and thousands of slaves would flee their plantations in hopes of reaching Amelia Island and their freedom. Many of these newly freed slaves would be formed into the 1st South Carolina Volunteers, the first African American fighting unit in U.S. history.

Afternoon: Field Trip- From Smuggler’s Den to Victorian Seaport: A Trip through Fernandina’s Victorian District. After the end of the Civil War, union soldiers would return north with tales of Fernandina's warm weather and beautiful scenery. Northern steamers would establish routes to Fernandina and the area would quickly evolve from a shadowy backwater harbor to a Victorian hot-spot. This new influx of tourism and the development of the area's natural resources would catapult Fernandina into a golden age. This trip through Fernandina will highlight the remnants of Fernandina's dark past, juxtaposed to Fernandina's celebrated Victorian mansions and churches.

Dinner: Dinner at one of Fernandina's many fine restaurants.

Evening: Conversations with History. The Amelia Island Museum of History boasts a cast of "1st person presenters". These costumed reenactors portray some of the area's more colorful historical characters. Part theater, part history, our first person presenters help bring history alive in a fun and engaging way.

Lodging: Hampton Inn & Suites

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Depart From: Program wrap-up: Collect name tags, do evaluations, stamp passports and receive boxed lunches. Program concludes.

Breakfast: Breakfast at hotel. Check out of hotel.

Morning: 1st Person Presentation by John Broadbent. Enjoy a costumed reenactor portraying John Broadbent, one of Fernandina's more colorful and reclusive residents.

Lodging: Hampton Inn & Suites

Meals Included: Breakfast