It’s not often I’m up in the upper tier of the state, pressed against the Georgia border, but a recent visit to Charleston, SC set up the conditions for us to meander through Macclenny and a few other backroads communities. Along US 90 and the railroad tracks, this is a quiet Florida town, the county seat of Baker County, with a small historic district, a genealogical library, and a historic courthouse that now serves as an education center: the public library.
Early in the morning, there wasn’t much going on, but I was sorry to see that the antique shop where I’d bought a copy of the WPA book on Florida for $10 was now gone. There’s a yarn store – the Local Needle – and one other long-standing antique shop in a historic home, plus a corner shop filled with fancy fabric purses, but otherwise all’s quiet in downtown Macclenny, and I bet they like it that way.
From Joan Trawick:
Hi Sandra,
Nice of you to mention us folks in Macclenny, we do like our little town! The Local Needle (www.localneedle.com) has been open for almost 2 years now and although you might think it quiet…we sometimes cause parking issues because there are so many visitors. It has become a social hubbub and we all enjoy it immensely!
The historic courthouse that you mention is actually our public library, of which the director is an avid knitter (grin).
Heritage Park warrants mention, it’s a park that depicts Macclenny back in the day. Little mini shops, a historic blockhouse built in the 1830′s and an old railroad station. A nice stop if you’re traveling US 90 or I-10.
Again thanks and very safe traveling,
Joan
The Local Needle
From Sandra Friend:
Thanks, Joan! Congrats on your success and glad you’ve become a gathering spot. I’m updating “North Florida & The Florida Panhandle: An Explorer’s Guide” later this year and will make sure you’re a part of the new edition.
From Joan Herndon:
But Sandra, My Grandaughters’ new miniature colt lives in McClenny with her Mama “Dixie”–
Emily would have loved showing off her two horses…………but she lives in Julington Creek and just boards them there……You can contact Emily, age 11– tell her you visited McClenny, she is 11 and our beautiful Granddaughter.
Joan Richards Herndon in Cedar Springs, Ga. 39832-remember
the covered bridge?? (Early County, Ga.)