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.
Orange Park Memories
Each first-of-the-month of 2025 the Society has highlighted two businesses that left their mark on the town. In this, our final post for this year, we recognize the Huntley Brothers and Dr. Kyle Abshire, Optometrist.
Louis and William Huntley, Clay County natives were prosperous businessmen starting in the 1940s. The brothers developed several businesses including a convenience store chain with over 340 locations at one time. The brothers were also active in community government and corporate affairs for the region for decades.
Dr. Kyle Abshire (https://youtu.be/t4VF4dv7ZMA) started his optometry practice in Orange Park, his family’s vacation area as a child, in 1968. The practice outgrew its location at 418 Kingsley Avenue and after several remodels, moved to Park Ave. Dr. James Hoffman joined the practice in 1981. Eventually their dream office opened at 405 Park Ave. He also opened a sister office on Blanding Blvd. In 2018, Dr. Abshire retired after practicing for 50 years.
Please share your memories of either of these businesses with us at info@ophistory.org.
Historical Society of Orange Park History Scholarship
In recent months, the Board has been working out the details of a $1000 scholarship to be offered to eligible seniors at Orange Park High School. The group felt it important to give back to the community and to help a deserving senior as they prepare for college. Prospective applicants must be preparing to enter either a four- or two-year college or career/technical school. Other criteria are: 3.0 GPA, must be representing the school in a respectful manner, be a member of at least one community service organization, and write an essay on the topic – How has history and community service shaped you as a person and prepared you for the future? A grateful thank you goes out to Dairy Queen and Boger’s Shoes for their contributions which helped fund the scholarship. Once the scholarship is awarded, we will publish the winner’s information in the newsletter.
Please consider assisting in funding next year’s scholarship or connecting us with a business that may be willing to be a sponsor.
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
