Washington Oaks State Park
and
The Rocks Beach, at Matanzas Inlet
One of my favorite beaches along Florida's east coast is what the locals call "The Rocks" just north of Matanzas Inlet and south of St. Augustine. It is unique among east coast beaches in that it sports one of the largest exposed coquina outcroppings (rock) along the east coast of Florida and it is situated between Matanzas and Marineland (just south of the inlet), Washington Oaks State Park just north of the inlet, and only a few miles south of the magnificent Anastasia State Park. Also along this stretch of beach is Fort Matanzas National Monument. Together these parks protect thousands of acres of pristine barrier island and dunes.
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Playing around with the sun at Marineland Marina
Washington Oaks has perhaps one of the more carefully document histories of all the state parks along the east coast of Florida, dating all the way back to Spanish rule of Florida which ended in 1763 when Spain traded Florida to the British in exchange for Havana as a result of the Seven Years War. For 20 years after, the British promoted the settlement of East Florida with land grants.
The Washington Oaks area was first granted to John Moultrie in 1770. Moultrie, the Lieutenant Governor of East Florida, mined the heaps of oyster shells left by the Timucuans (Native Americans) to produce lime, and planted an orange grove. There was little time for Moultrie to cultivate his land before the Spanish regained control of Florida in 1783. When the Spanish returned, Moultrie retreated to England, abandoning the property.
The Timucuans and other native tribes were overwhelmed by the military might of Europeans. However the deadliest European invaders were the Old World diseases: Bubonic plague, chicken pox, dysentery, diphtheria, influenza, malaria, measles, scarlet fever, small pox, typhoid, typhus, and yellow fever. These scourges decimated the native population of Florida by the mid-1700s.
History Repeats Itself
Interesting how history repeats itself. Florida oranges are now being destroyed as fast as they can be planted by an invasion of the Huanglonbing bacteria (aka HLB; Citrus Greening) from the east while humans are increasingly worried about the multiple debilitating effects of the Zika Virus which is marching across Florida from the South. Humans seldom learn from history.
On my recent visit my biggest disappointment was that the extensive network of ponds were all mostly devoid of water. I'm hoping they were only under repair.
Bella Vista
Jose Mariano Hernandez, a native of Minorca, bought the property in 1818. He named the 375-acre tract Bella Vista (Spanish for Beautiful View). It was an expansion of his plantation to the south, Mala Compra (Bad Bargain), where the Hernandez family and their slaves lived. The Mala Compra plantation grew corn, cotton, and sugar. At Bella Vista Hernandez grazed cattle and grew oranges.
When the United States acquired Florida in 1821, the Seminole Indians were urged to leave their lands and relocate to the American West. Some Indians moved, but others prepared for war. Hernandez, who had become a U.S. Army general, sent his family and slaves to St. Augustine for their safety.
The formal rose garden was spectacular, as always.
The Seminoles raided plantations along the Matanzas River which borders the property to the west. Mala Compra was burned to the ground and the farms were destroyed. Because it was uninhabited, Bella Vista was unharmed. After the Second Seminole War ended in 1842, Hernandez attempted to reestablish his farms, but the plantation economy never fully recovered and the land was later divided between his children.
The Washington Place
Until 1889 No one Is Known to Have Lived on this Land
Jose Hernandez' daughter Luisa, married George L. Washington, a North Carolina attorney. When luisa died, Washington went to Florida for the settlement of the Hernandez property. Enchanted by Bella Vista, Washington made arrangements with Luisa's sister, Dorotea to build a small beach house here. He built his house on top of the old Timucuan midden (shell mound). Washington used the house as a sportsman's retreat, eventually purchasing the property from Dorotea. During his tenure the land began to be known as "The Washington Place.
Giant White Bird of Paradise grow further north than one would imagine. They are protected from cold snaps by proximity to the Atlantic Ocean a few hundred feet to the east and the Matanzas River, a few hundred feet to the west.
A formal arbor leading from the rose garden to the Matanzas River.
The Matanzas River
Two of Washington's adult sons lived at the Washington Place for years. They established a citrus business, packing and shipping oranges upriver by sailboat to St. Augustine.
George L. Washington died in 1894 and the Washington Place was bequeathed to his son Charles. Charles soon abandoned the property and the house burned in the early 1900s.
In 1923, Charles Washington sold the Washington Place to real estate developers. The Florida Land Boom was underway and the land along the coast to the east of the property was purchased as well. Development of "Hernandez Estates" came to a quick halt, however, when Florida plunged into the Depression in 1926, four years ahead of the rest of the nation.
Over the next few years, the property changed hands several times before behing purchased by Owen D. Young as a wedding gift for his future wife, Louise B. Clark.
During the Great Depression, property in Florida was a bargain if you had the money. Like many other properties, the Washington Place was for sale in 1936 when Owen Young and Louise Clark were visiting Louise's mother in St. Augustine.
Mr. Young, an industrialist and Chairman of the Board of General Electric and RCA, bought the property for Louise as a wedding gift. The day after their wedding on February 20, 1937, the Youngs held an outdoor party at their renamed "Washington Oaks."
For 20 years, the Youngs wintered in paradise at Washington Oaks. Throughout the 194s and 50s they enjoyed swimming, walks, fruit picking and watching the sunsets from the terrace of their "bungalow" built with a view of the Matanzas River.
I like how odd plants grow in the nooks and crannies of old-growth sabal palms. Here a prickly pear cactus has taken root some 20 feet off the ground.
Owen Young died in July, 1962. Soon after his death, Louise Young began to discuss the donation of Washington Oaks to the State of Florida for use as a state park. Mrs. Young's wish was for the gardens to be "maintained in their present form" as a memorial to her beloved husband.
Washington Oaks became state property in 1964. It officially opened as Washington Oaks State Gardens on January 1, 1965. The park is managed by the Florida Park Service, which has been decimated over recent decades by total control of Florida's legislature by Republicans who do not think of conservation as a worthy pursuit for the public good. The Young's would be appalled by the current condition of some of their gardens due to a lack of state support.
A Great White Southern White Butterfly (Ascia monuste) on a boxwood bush. There were dozens of these Great White Southerns sampling the tiny flowers of the boxwood.
This riverside cottage was the winter home of Owen and Louise Young. The Young's primary residence was in Van Homesville, New York. After much consideration, the Youngs decided to build their Washington Oaks home on this raised bank along the Matanzas River rather than the beachside of the Atlantic Ocean. They preferred the protection of the oak hammock forest and the beautiful vistas of the river and marshes at sunset. The Youngs received many guests, including national and state dignitaries, and enjoyed entertaining on the porches shaded by these magnificent trees.
The Young's cottage overlooking the Matanzas River is now a museum. On a recent afternoon it was blazing hot in the museum. Apparently AC wasn't turned on for visitors.
The original front gate of Washington Oaks on old A-1-A. Mr. Young didn't like the traffic going in front of the property so he had the state move A-1-A several hundred feet toward the ocean. The remnants of the old roadway are now parking for the gardens.
The Rocks
The Washington Oaks Addition
Locally known as "The Rocks." This 50-acre beach and dune area was purchased by the State of Florida June 15, 1982, using funds from the Florida Forever special tax and the Save Our Coast land acquisition program, due to the united efforts of the people of Flagler County to save the coast from development. The land was decreed to be used in perpetuity by everyone and it was annexed into Washington Oaks State Park.
The park's beachside acreage is important for its recreation opportunities—sun bathing, bird watching, beachcombing, photography—and for its environmental significance. Each year sea turtles nest on the beaches here. Sea turtle tracks and nests are observed during the months of May through October.
Tide Pools in the Rocks
Is that boardwalk leaning? Or was I?
Red and purple flags were flying noting high hazard of strong currents and high surf, along with dangerous marine life (jellyfish, man-of-wars)
There were a lot of gohper tortoises out foraging. Gopher tortoises are gentle herbivores which are currently protected by Florida and Federal statutes.
Looking south toward Matanzas Inlet several hundred yards distant.
Georgia Aquarium and Marineland
Above and below: Ponds at the Marineland Dolphin Adventure and Georgia Aquarium Conservation Field Station. Wondering what the Georgia Aquarium is doing in coastal Florida? They bought Marineland and are operating both the park and a research station across A-1-A. Read more at their website: Georgia Aquarium Conservation Field Station and see my photos of the other Georgia Aquarium (in Atlanta) at this link: A Cool Saturday Afternoon in Atlanta and The Georgia Aquarium.
