Architectural Treasures of Amelia Island

Architectural Treasures of Amelia Island

Amelia Island offers a unique opportunity to experience history. Fernandina Beach's Historic District is a living museum. Like sleeping beauties, the island's Victorian-era homes have been frozen in time. Each offers a story about the people and events that shaped the history of Florida's most northern barrier island.

Once a month, we will feature a home located in Fernandina Beach’s Historic District.

The Williams House

One of Amelia Island’s oldest historic homes sits on the corner of Ash and Ninth streets. It was built in 1856 by a wealthy Boston banker who feared Southern secession and sold his newly completed house to Marcellus A. Williams. The original owner spared no expense in building the Greek Revival house. Williams' descendants occupied the elegant home for over 100 years.

Marcellus A. Williams was born in 1818 in North Carolina but spent most of his life in Florida. Williams married the great-great-great-great-great granddaughter of the King of Spain, and despite his frequent absences, he managed to father nine children. He came to East Florida in 1846 to survey and validate Spanish land grants in Florida, working for the surveying firm of Lawrence Washington, nephew of George Washington. As a surveyor at a critical point in Florida's development, Williams gained a vast knowledge of real estate opportunities and would later take advantage of them. As U.S. Deputy Surveyor, he was involved in many of David Yulee's railroad projects, the Intracoastal Waterway from Lake Worth to Fort Myers, and many other essential land surveys.

When Williams was doing his surveying, Florida was largely uninhabited except for Indians and cattlemen. Williams was one of the first to befriend the Seminole Indian Nation. After his surveying days, he joined another island leader, Samuel Swann, and partnered with him to select, locate, and sell land for the state. Swann and Williams bought large tracts of land in pine, cypress, and hardwoods. At the time of his death, Williams owned almost 400,000 acres in Northern Florida.

The original house is so well built that its third floor has 14-foot ceilings and is solid enough to accommodate additional rooms. The Williams house is guarded by its original iron fence, one of the few remaining after the Civil War. Most of the iron fences were conscripted for armaments during the war. The fence harks back to when fences were not just ornamental but kept the cows and horses away from the house and its gardens. The subtle fleur-de-lis detail reflects the French influence in the island’s early history. The windows on the first floor go to the ground, which offered several advantages in the Golden Era. The windows could be used for in and out access, eliminating the need for doors that were heavily taxed at the time.

Striking galleries sweep across the front facade of the home. The unique and intricate fretwork was designed by the town's most popular architect, Robert Sands Schuyler. Schuyler designed many buildings in Fernandina, including St. Peter's Episcopal Church and the Fairbanks house. At the time of its design, the architect signed an agreement that he would not duplicate the striking design, and it remains unique to this day.

When Jefferson Davis was president of the Confederacy, he stayed at the Williams house and stored some of his personal effects there. Later, when the Union troops took over many of the island homes, the Williams family fled to Waldo, and the house was used as an infirmary. Williams released all his slaves before the Civil War. Upon his return to the island, he became active in the Underground Railroad, offering a safe house for runaway slaves. A secret closet in the formal dining room allowed those seeking safety to enter and hide in the crawl space under the house.

Many of the beautiful trees that shelter the house and others in the neighborhood were planted by Marcellus Williams. The house is a Florida Heritage Landmark Site and currently operates as a bed and breakfast.