{"id":357338,"date":"2025-11-05T11:46:13","date_gmt":"2025-11-05T11:46:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/357338\/"},"modified":"2025-11-05T11:46:13","modified_gmt":"2025-11-05T11:46:13","slug":"mandarin-museum-and-historical-society-named-best-hidden-gem-in-the-jacksonville-area","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/357338\/","title":{"rendered":"Mandarin Museum and Historical Society named best hidden gem in the Jacksonville area"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\"><strong>JACKSONVILLE, Fla.<\/strong> \u2013 The finalists for best hidden gem in the JAXBest 2025 contest ranged from a local museum to a juice bar to a charter sailing company.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">In the end, our News4JAX Insiders voted the Mandarin Museum and Historical Society as the area\u2019s best hidden gem, topping:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 kDvXdO font_openSans articleList\">\n<li class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__StackBase-sc-1fnzlkn-7 ecGWWE iQviKm\">\n<p>Driftwood Beach on Jekyll Island<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__StackBase-sc-1fnzlkn-7 ecGWWE iQviKm\">\n<p>Easy A\u00e7a\u00ed (Brazilian Juice Bar)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__StackBase-sc-1fnzlkn-7 ecGWWE iQviKm\">\n<p>St. Augustine Sailing<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Tucked away off busy Mandarin Road near the main entrance to Walter Jones Historical Park, the museum property gives you a glimpse of Old Florida that many long-time Jacksonville residents don\u2019t even know exists.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">The Mandarin Museum is on the banks of the St. Johns River. The surrounding grounds give you a chance to explore the natural beauty of a time gone by, with beautifully preserved buildings and willowy trees along the path you wander.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">The museum captures the days when citrus workers worked the land, and when steamboats plied area waters.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">It\u2019s a place that gives you a way to connect with history. The goal is to preserve Mandarin\u2019s history and make sure people don\u2019t forget.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">\u201cThe river plays an important role in the history of the museum and the land here,\u201d said Brittany Cohill, the Mandarin Museum\u2019s executive director. \u201cWhen you walk into the museum, the opening theme you\u2019ll encounter is \u2018It\u2019s Always the River,\u2019 and the spirit of that is that no matter who came here or when, it was always the river that brought them here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A map at the Mandarin Museum shows where a Confederate mine sank the Maple Leaf steamship 156 years ago. (WJXT)<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">The land was owned, back then, by William Webb.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">\u201cYou also have the history of the citrus industry here, where Maj. William Webb grew about 600 orange trees,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd he transported them by steamboat to northern markets, right here off his wharf.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Enter one of the main exhibits and you\u2019ll see how steamships played an important role in the area. <\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">There\u2019s an old steamship rail, darkened by age, that\u2019s a centerpiece. It\u2019s from an historic Civil War-era Union steamship: the Maple Leaf. A map shows where a Confederate mine sank the Maple Leaf steamship 156 years ago.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">There\u2019s also the St. Joseph\u2019s Mission Schoolhouse. Built in 1898 specifically for the education of Black Mandarin residents, it\u2019s now the last remaining one-room schoolhouse in Duval County. <\/p>\n<p>The St. Joseph\u2019s Mission Schoolhouse was built in 1898 specifically for the education of Black Mandarin residents. (WJXT)<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">The museum strives to tell an inclusive story and remind people about Mandarin\u2019s roots and make sure residents don\u2019t forget what for many years was the untold history of Black Mandarin, dating back to the days of slavery.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">\u201cIt was used by the Sisters of St. Josephs to teach Black children following emancipation in the Mandarin area,\u201d said Cohill. \u201c And so, Mandarin was really on the forefront of education for all following the U.S. Civil War. And this schoolhouse is a big part of that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">And there\u2019s more history showcased at the museum in the late 1800s Losco Winery building, where wine was produced until Prohibition.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s more history showcased at the Mandarin Museum in the late 1800s Losco Winery building, where wine was produced until Prohibition. (WJXT)<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Walk down another path, and there\u2019s an old sawmill surrounded by tools and equipment that were used to work the land in \u201cOld Florida.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Also, along the riverside walkway, a barn built in 1876 exudes character.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">The Mandarin Museum is designed to help its visitors connect with the past and remember the area\u2019s history and Florida\u2019s roots.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Visit this hidden gem in Mandarin at 11964 Mandarin Road. It offers free admission and is open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Tours of the historic buildings are also available during the museum\u2019s opening hours with a suggested donation of $7 per person.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">For more information, visit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mandarinmuseum.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.mandarinmuseum.org\/\">www.mandarinmuseum.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\"><b>A special thanks to our JAXBest sponsor, Farah &amp; Farah!<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.news4jax.com\/contests\/rules\/2025\/06\/20\/jaxbest-campaign-official-rules\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.news4jax.com\/contests\/rules\/2025\/06\/20\/jaxbest-campaign-official-rules\/\"><b>Click here to read the official campaign rules.<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Copyright 2025 by WJXT News4JAX &#8211; All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2013 The finalists for best hidden gem in the JAXBest 2025 contest ranged from a local&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":357339,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5136],"tags":[5229,718,407,3188,723,174097,472,7310,12048,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-357338","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-jacksonville","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-community","10":"tag-education","11":"tag-fl","12":"tag-florida","13":"tag-hidden-gem","14":"tag-history","15":"tag-jacksonville","16":"tag-jaxbest","17":"tag-united-states","18":"tag-united-states-of-america","19":"tag-unitedstates","20":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","21":"tag-us","22":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115496929469108424","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/357338","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=357338"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/357338\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/357339"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=357338"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=357338"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=357338"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}