The Florida Civil War Center at Jacksonville
The Florida Civil War Center at Jacksonville (FCWC) is one of Preservation Project North Florida’s flagship projects. The FCWC will be located near Camp Milton on the city’s Westside, site of the largest Confederate encampment (over 8,000 troops) in Florida. Few of Jacksonville's residents understand the complexity and history of Florida's Civil War history. Florida was a lifeline to the Confederacy providing much needed cattle and salt to the troops. Florida was also the Confederacy's smallest state with only 140,000 residents but it sent 15,000 soldiers north to fight in other states. With 130,000 miles of coastline, Florida was a haven for blockade runners despite the fact the Union held the cities of Fernandina, St. Augustine, Key West, and Pensacola throughout the war. Jacksonville was occupied on four different occasions by Union troops. Several battles were fought in the state, most notably the Battle of Olustee, which prevented the Union from isolating Florida from the rest of the Confederacy. Famed units such as the 54th Massachusetts, featured in the movie "Glory" saw action here. Toward the end of the war, the Panhandle became a haven for Unionists.
Florida is the nation's fourth largest state. Many of the people who live here are from somewhere else and lack a sense of place or history. The Florida Civil War Center is consistent with the Preservation Project North Florida's mission of telling stories about the state's very complicated past.
Together, with our partners from the National Park Service, the Florida Park Service, and the City of Jacksonville, Preservation Project North Florida intends to restore a piece of Florida's missing history.
