History exhibit opens in South Putnam | Palatka Daily News, Palatka, Florida

Guests admire the Margary Neal Jones Nelson Archives on Saturday at George C. Miller Middle School.
Putnam County Board of Commissioners Chairman Bill Pickens presents the Catfish Festival poster to Fruitland Peninsula Historical Society President Cherie Register, who accepts the item on behalf of the group.
Fruitland Peninsula Historical Society members talk to bottle collector Bob Lee about his findings during the grand opening of the Margary Neal Jones Nelson Archives on Saturday.
Crescent City Vice Mayor and Commissioner Harry Banks talks about preserving local history during Saturday’s event.
Positively Putnam FL

CRESCENT CITY – A crowd of history enthusiasts mingled inside the former George C. Miller Middle School building Saturday afternoon to mark the opening of the Margary Neal Jones Nelson Archives.

They walked the former school’s hallway learning about life in the Fruitland Peninsula and wandered into the library to see local Native American history and even prints made from William Bartram’s original sketches.

“It’s good to study history in our classroom when we are going to school, but it is good when you have lived through some of the history,” Crescent City Commissioner and Vice Mayor Harry Banks said to guests Saturday. “A lot of us here today have lived through some of the issues … inside there. So, it’s great.

“It’s through the grace of God that we were able to live through some of it and get this far. And we want to leave it to the next generation.”

The former middle school building, 101 S. Prospect St., closed in 2021 as part of the Putnam County School District’s consolidation plan. The district agreed to rent half of the building to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office as its headquarters in South Putnam.

During the summer of 2021, Fruitland Peninsula Historical Society entered into an agreement with the district to house the archives in part of the building. The lease allows the society to pay $1 annually and is good through July 2023, according to society board member William “B.J.” Laurie.

County Commissioner Bill Pickens, who represents the South Putnam district, also spoke to the crowd of attendees, saying the archives are something the area has needed for years.

Most of the historical pictures, books and relics came from the archive’s namesake, Margary Neal Jones Nelson. She served as the Crescent City historian for decades and spent her life collecting the artifacts in her home and a semi-trailer.

Although Nelson died in 2012, her daughter, Cherie Register, carries on her legacy and is the president of the historical society.

“I’m sure that Mr. George is up (in heaven), Cherie’s dad, saying, ‘It’s about time you cleaned out some of those semi-trailers,” Pickens said. “You can’t forget Mrs. Margary Neal (Jones) Nelson, and she is smiling today because (of) what has happened. And it was a community effort.”

Pickens presented Register with a signed proclamation from the Board of County Commissioners honoring May as National Historic Preservation Month, and he donated a piece of history on behalf of the Rotary Club of Crescent City.

Pickens gave Register the Catfish Festival banner to hang in the archives. The festival traditionally happens on the first Saturday in April but has been canceled since 2020.

“If and when we start the Catfish Festival back, we might have to borrow it for a week and then we’ll bring it back,” Pickens said with a laugh.

The archives are open 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Wednesdays. People who would like to check out the exhibit’s online resources or become a member can visit fphistory.com.