Will Peg Leg Pete walk the plank?

Fernandina Beach's weathered and battered Peg Leg Pete statue has become a liability, and its days are properly numbered as the city's Historic District Council (HDC) considers Thursday what's next for the pirate.

 

The HDC will decide whether to approve swapping the aging “Fernandina Pirate” outside the downtown Welcome Center with a new “Peg Leg Pete” — and whether a low fence should be installed to keep people off the statue’s concrete and stone base. The proposal would donate the original 1978 carving to the Amelia Island Museum of History and install a freshly carved pirate by local student Jett Paxton (painted by artist Julie Delfs). The plan is to ring the base with a 30-inch black aluminum fence “to prevent standing on the base.”

 

City staff are asking for a Certificate of Approval to remove the current wood pirate at 102 Centre St. and replace it with the new Peg Leg Pete on the same pedestal. The proposal application states the existing statue is “in very poor condition and restoration is cost-prohibitive,” and outlines how the city would handle the swap: 

 

Southeastern Conservation Services would repair the stone-and-cement base as needed; the new figure would be secured with four Red Head concrete anchors; and shrubs would be added behind the statue to improve potential photos and screen the adjacent railroad equipment. The city would provide equipment for removal/placement and assume maintenance going forward, with support from the Fernandina Pirates Club.

 

The submittal specifies a 30-inch black aluminum barrier — matching the style along the adjacent railroad — explicitly “to prevent standing on the base.” That design choice is central to ongoing concerns about people climbing onto the pedestal for photos, a behavior the fence is meant to discourage, which in turn can help minimize risks of injuries from falls and potential liability for the city.

 

The statue's pedestal isn’t just a plinth. It holds a steel time capsule installed with the original statue, scheduled to be opened on October 14, 2078. That historical wrinkle —and the need to avoid disturbing the capsule — adds complexity to any replacement plan and helps explain why the project emphasizes base repair rather than rebuilding.

 

 

 

A similar replacement plan reached the HDC in November 2023 but “was unsuccessful based on structural and stability concerns.” The new submittal aims to address those issues by adding the fence and spelling out the attachment details. Before that earlier hearing, the Nassau Council of Arts and Culture recommended approval, with the condition that the statue remain in its current location.

 

Because Peg Leg Pete is permanent public art on city property, the HDC must hear the case. If the HDC approves on Thursday, the City Commission would still need to vote to approve or deny the installation. City staff reported the request, as presented, is consistent with the Comprehensive Plan, Land Development Code, the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards, and the Downtown Design Guidelines, but ultimately “defers to the board” on the public‑art call. HDC hearings are quasi‑judicial.

 

 

• Safety & liability: Whether the HDC views the 30-inch fence as an adequate, compatible way to keep people off the base and reduce the temptation to climb.

• Attachment & stability: The revised anchoring plan (four concrete anchors) and base repairs proposed under a conservation specialist.

• Historic stewardship: How the time capsule affects any work on or within the pedestal.

• Next steps: Even with HDC approval, the project would still need City Commission authorization because it’s public art on city property.

 

The HDC agenda lists the case as HDC 2025‑0018 located at the railroad depot/Welcome Center site address of 102 Centre Street.

 

If the replacement is approved through both bodies, the original 1978 “Fernandina Pirate” by Wayne Ervin would move indoors to the museum — preserving the city’s pirate tradition while putting a sturdier, locally made successor out front (and, if the fence works as intended, keeping the selfies off the pedestal).