Welcome to the Historical Society of Orange Park
Let's make our community a better place!
Clarke House Tours
The Clarke House, built in 1912 and located in Clarke House Park, 1039 Kingsley Avenue, is open for tours the second Sunday of each month from 2 PM to 4 PM. Sunday afternoons are the perfect time for a leisurely tour of the house, both upstairs and downstairs.
Moonlight on Magnolia
Please join us at Magnolia Cemetery on October 25 for Moonlight on Magnolia. This year's Moonlight on Magnolia will have a new twist. In addition to the usual time with guides and live characters telling their Orange Park stories, we will also have signs posted throughout the cemetery with short bios. The signs will share some of the same information that the guides share to improve the flow of tours with the intent of serving visitors in a timelier manner. The signs will be up throughout the next day as well for those unable to attend with the guides. Please help us pass the word and save the date, Oct 25th. The first guided tour will start at 4 pm and the last will start at 6 PM. There is no cover charge, but donations will be happily accepted
Veterans memorial
Veterans Day Ceremony
Each year on Veterans Day, our community gathers at Magnolia Cemetery to honor the sacrifices of those who have served our great nation. Though our cemetery is small compared to the vast, solemn fields of Belleau, Ardennes, or Cambridge, it holds deep meaning. Here, on this sacred ground, our ceremony is simple but heartfelt. Without world leaders or fanfare, we pause together to remember those who remain in our hearts, and those whose names are etched in the pavers surrounding the memorial.
This year, we invite you to join us at 11:00 AM on November 11, for our annual Veterans Day ceremony. We hope you’ll share this time of fellowship, gratitude, and remembrance with us. This year’s ceremony will feature music by the Orange Park High School Choir and the First Coast Highlanders, a flyover by the Dreamland Squadron and remarks by Chief Randy Case, Orange Park Police, Carol Westerman, with the Sofia Fleming Chapter of the NSDAR and our featured speaker, Dr. Victor Maquera. As always, members of American Legion Post #250 will be on hand to assist with the ceremony. The ceremony will also feature the winning student essays from this year’s essay contest.
Parking is at First Baptist Church one block west of the cemetery. Chairs are provided but are limited. You may want to bring your own.
Orange Park Memories
For 2025, the Society is highlighting Orange Park businesses each first-of-the-month, one from the town's beginning, the other still remembered by locals. This month we recognize the May Garner steamboat and Pureal Medical Center.
The steamboat, May Garner, began in the river resort era when tourists from the world over couldn't spend their money fast enough vacationing and investing in the area. After World War I, excursion trips were only for Sundays. Her regular route was between Jacksonville and Green Cove Springs. The other days of the week she carried freight and passengers. Built at Dames Point, Florida in 1895 of yellow pine, it was intended for use as a tug but was used in the U.S. Mail, Passenger and Freight service until about 1925.
Dr. Marcus Bergh was Orange Park’s doctor. An ensign in the U.S. Navy Medical Corps, Bergh graduated from Johns Hopkins. He served in WW2 where his last duty station was NAS Jax. He became Medical Director of Moosehaven and later established his own practice and hospital, the Pureal Medical Center. It served the medical, surgical and obstetrical needs of the community for over forty years. Many local folks of a certain age were delivered by Dr. Bergh and many still have stories of his care. Please share your memories with us at info@ophistory.org.
Clarke House and Cemetery Tours
Private Guided Tours of Historic Clarke House and Magnolia Cemetery Available
Homeschool, civic and social groups are welcome to schedule a free guided tour of the 1913 historic Clarke House and/or Magnolia Cemetery. For more information, contact the Historical Society of Orange Park at info@ophistory.org. Groups will be scheduled based on the availability of guides.
Got Pics?
Help Document the History of Orange Park
The Society is looking for photographs to add to our resources. If you have long-time-ago images of people and/or places in Orange Park, please share them. In this increasingly visual world, there is a lot to learn from these glimpses of our past. You can share them through email at info@ophistory.org or through mail at P. O. Box 08, Orange Park, 32067. Originals will be returned after the Society makes a scan.
Orange Park Historic Driving Tour
Looking for somewhere to explore or something to do in Clay County? Visit the Explore Clay website, Explore Clay County - Small Towns, Big Passions, for plenty of suggestions.
One of the activities is a tour of historic buildings in Orange Park. This driving tour takes you to 23 historical structures that hold positions of prominence in Orange Park’s history and continue to serve today. Please remember most locations are private residences and should be viewed from the street.
To access the tour visit, download the Explore Clay mobile app from the Explore Clay website or by clicking: Clay County - Mobile App. Once you have the app downloaded, search for the tour then dive into the rich history of Orange Park.
our corporate sponsors
McDonald's
428 Park Avenue and 372 Blanding Blvd., Orange Park
Jacksonville Memory Gardens
111 Blanding Blvd., Orange Park
New Way Hearing Aids
1494 Park Avenue
Orange Park, FL 32073
Nix Construction Co.
441 Stowe Avenue, Suite B
Orange Park, FL 32073
