Our Story

In 2003, a survey of Historic Structures (fifty years and older) in the Beaches area was commissioned by the Beaches Museum. The museum’s intent was to establish a starting point for protecting and preserving these structures. Since that time, 44 of the 285 homes surveyed in Neptune Beach have been demolished. I have seen a great number of these homes demoIished in the past few years. I felt our small beach town was losing its history, character and charm-the very things that had drawn me to live here over thirty years ago.

In January 2023, I launched a Facebook group page, “Neptune Beach’s Historical Homes and Buildings,” in hopes of educating people about the history and value of our older homes and buildings and the residents who once lived or worked in them. This Facebook group has attracted 875 members. I also spoke to our city’s Community Development Board and found them to be very receptive to finding ways to encourage preservation.

One of the members of the board and I teamed up, brainstorming ways to educate residents about the intrinsic value of historical homes and buildings and the importance of preserving them. We envisioned this effort uniting our community in a shared sense of identity and pride.

Ultimately, we sought the advice of Dr. Wayne Wood, the founder of Riverside Avondale Preservation, one of the largest preservation organizations in the southeastern United States. Dr. Wood has become a wonderful mentor, encouraging us to establish this nonprofit as a platform to educate the residents of Neptune Beach about our shared history and to encourage the preservation of its homes and buildings, and by extension, the very character or our small, unique beach town.