When Cheryl Wilson moved to Fernandina Beach in 2018, she was drawn to walks on the beach to clear her head and get some exercise. As she strolled on the sand, however, her eyes were drawn to shells that appeared to be fossils.
Her curiosity has resulted, six years later, in a collaboration with University of Florida researchers who study Florida fossils and in the opening of Fernandina Fossils, a combination fossil museum and gift shop at 508 Ash St. in downtown Fernandina Beach.
Wilson had always been interested in fossils. While living along the Jurassic Coast in England for a time, she would spend hours fossil hunting on the beaches. Still, she didn’t envision her hobby progressing into a business.
“I didn’t really consider it a calling,” says Wilson, a semiretired information technology consultant. “But as I was walking the beach in Fernandina, I was finding little shells that I thought were fossils.”
She collected the fossils and began to study the topic at home. It took three years for Wilson to learn the “shells” she found on Amelia Island beaches were pecten fossils, ancestors of scallops that were long extinct.
Wilson then reached out to fossil experts, including experts from the University of Florida Natural History Museum. The museum had no record of such fossils being found on Amelia Island.
“What it showed me was there was no scientific record for these fossils in Fernandina at all. When I spoke to UF they only had records of six fossils being found in Fernandina, and all of them were sharks’ teeth. They were really excited because it fills in a gap in scientific knowledge to know we have fossils here.”
University of Florida researchers are conducting research on why some marine species became extinct and how to protect other species that are under threat due to climate change, Wilson says.
Meanwhile, Wilson and her husband, Mark, had purchased a historic home, built in 1891, on Ash Street.
“The island is magic,” she says of the couple’s decision to move to Fernandina Beach from Portland, Oregon. “We saw this property for sale on the last day of a visit here and put in an offer before we left.”
Wilson’s devotion to educating the public on the island’s fossils, however, soon took precedence. The couple moved to a home off the island and began the process of outfitting the Ash Street house as a shop. Wilson passed a final building inspection late last year and opened Fernandina Fossils on Jan. 1. She has partnered with other island residents, such as local artists, interested in fossils, shells and shark teeth and created a larger company called Fernandina Fossils and Co.
The shop’s exhibit room features pecten shells, some of which are 23 million years old, according to Wilson, as well as shark teeth, whale vertebrae, sea biscuits, and other finds. She also sells a card that she created to help people identify fossils.
“Our main focus is on education,” Wilson says. “The original item I sold was the ID card. The majority of my sales are people wanting to identify the items they find on the beach.”
Wilson and local artists who exhibit at the shop also offer classes on how to find fossils and how to turn items like shark teeth and shells into art pieces. The gift shop includes containers to store beach treasures, beach decor, jewelry, pottery and tools for scouring the beach, such as hats and shell scoopers. Ten percent of the center’s sales are donated to a community cause, Wilson says.
Anyone who finds a treasure on the beach, such as pretty shells or shark teeth, can bring their items to the shop where artists can mount the items in resin frames or jars or turn a shark’s tooth into a piece of gold jewelry.
The community has responded to Wilson’s efforts with enthusiasm, she says.
“Our grand opening was marvelous,” she says. “What was so gratifying to me was one of the clients said they had been here for a week on holiday and hadn’t found anything. I showed them some sharks’ teeth and told them some techniques [to find teeth] and a map on where they are more likely to find them.”
The tourists returned to the shop shortly afterward with a handful of shark teeth. “They were super excited,” she says.
Wilson is thrilled to join other environmentally minded island residents who seek to protect and honor the island’s natural treasures.
“I feel the island has given us all these gifts,” she says. “You’re walking and clearing your head and you look down and find these fossils. You can see the beauty and pick it up and put it in your pocket.”
Fernandina Fossils, 508 Ash St., is open Thursday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, go to Fernandina Fossils.