The mission of the Mandarin Museum and Historical Society is to preserve buildings, artifacts and sites related to the history of Mandarin and its residents.

A highlight of the collection is the Maple Leaf exhibit. Leased to the Union Army by private investors, this 181-foot side-wheel paddle steamer served the Union occupiers of Jacksonville as a transport vessel on the St. Johns River.

It was during one such trip on April 1, 1864, after delivering men and horses to Palatka, that the vessel blew up and sunk off Mandarin Point, the victim of a Confederate mine.

Many years of archaeological work has yielded numerous artifacts which serve to depict the everyday life of Civil War soldiers. Exhibits include artifacts from the Maple Leaf, a scale model of the vessel, video of the salvage operations, and other Civil War objects.

Edwin C. Bearss, Chief Historian Emeritus of the National Park Service, described this wreck as unsurpassed as a source for Civil War material culture and the most important repository of Civil War artifacts ever found and probably will remain so.

The Mandarin Museum is located at the Walter Jones Historical Park, a site that represents a typical 1800s Mandarin household and features a restored 1875 farmhouse and an 1876 barn.

www.mandarinmuseum.net

www.mapleleafshipwreck.com

Image Courtesy Sarah Miller, Florida Public Archaeology Network (FPAN)

Information provided by the Florida Division of Historical Resources.