The Napoleon Bonaparte Broward House is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. Located at 9953 Hecksher Drive on the North side of the St. Johns River, near the entrance to Kingsley Plantation, the House is the former summer residence of Florida governor Napoleon B. Broward (1857-1910).
Now part of the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve, the house is home to the Timucuan Trail Parks Foundation (TTPF). They have a great map you can download at http://timucuantrailparksfoundation.org/Parks/explore-the-parks.html. Keep it in your car during the spring and summer, so you can visit the many parks under its nonprofit helm. Parks include Alimacani, Betz Tiger Point Preserve, Big Talbot Island, Camp Milton Preserve, Castaway Island Preserve, Cedar Point, Cedar Point Preserve, Dutton Island Preserve, Fort Caroline Memorial, Fort George Island, George Crady Bridge, Huguenot Memorial Park, Jacksonville-Baldwin Rail Trail, Julington-Durbin Creeks, Kathryn /Abbey Hanna Park, Kingsley Plantation, Little Talbot Island, Pumpkin Hill Creek Preserve, Reddie Point Preserve, Seaton Creek Historic Preserve, Sal Taylor Preserve, Theodore Roosevelt Area, and Thomas Creek Preserve.
The TTPF theme is “Explore the Parks,” and now is the time. August 2016 marks the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, so get to know your parks and enjoy them. For the health of it, walk your parks! Check out volunteer opportunities and special events on their website. They even have a Young Explorers Group, too. Membership supports preservation and volunteer programs and promotes advocacy for and public awareness of the importance and priority of preserving Jacksonville’s incredible park system. TTPF printed a beautiful coffee table book featuring exquisite park photography and narratives about each park. Copies can be purchased at fine stores and at the House.
Maria Mark, executive director, welcomes people to come and enjoy the Historic Broward House, home of the TTPF. Property and house rentals are available. Just call the office at (904) 707-3584 for information.
Yes, Jacksonville can boast of having the largest urban park system in the United States, over 80,000 acres. TTPF’s partners include the National Park Service, National Park Foundation, City of Jacksonville, City of Atlantic Beach, City of Jacksonville Beach, Public Trust Environmental Law Institute of Florida, St. Johns River Water Management District, Nature Conservancy, Florida Department of Environmental Protection/Greenways and Trails, REI, North Florida Land Trust, The Trust for Public Land, and Florida Communities Trust.
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