Amelia Island has been host to remarkable people throughout its 500-year
history. These people are responsible for giving Amelia the distinction
as the only place in the United States to have seen eight different
flags. A new railroad followed the Civil War and brought those who
sought to take advantage of the burgeoning shipping center. As
opportunities waned, the island became a sleepy, blue collar community
supported by the local paper mills. Prior to civil rights legislation
desegregating the South, Fernandina's American Beach flourished as an
African American coastal community. Meanwhile, local visionaries oversaw
tight-knit communities and set the stage for the large resorts that came
to the island's south end in the 1970s. Today, Amelia Island is a
national tourist destination and home to a diverse of community of
longtime residents and newcomers, both with remarkable talents and
interesting stories to tell.