{"id":6193,"date":"2019-11-26T12:12:17","date_gmt":"2019-11-26T17:12:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/floridanewsline.com\/Clone2\/?p=6193"},"modified":"2019-11-26T12:15:04","modified_gmt":"2019-11-26T17:15:04","slug":"back-in-time-with-brett-mandarin-community-club","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/floridanewsline.com\/Clone2\/mandarin\/back-in-time-with-brett-mandarin-community-club\/","title":{"rendered":"Back in Time with Brett | Mandarin Community Club"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Brett Nolan
\n<\/span>mail@floridanewsline.com<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026but at last it was done; and a neat, pleasant little place it was.\u201d \u2013 Harriet Beecher Stowe, \u201cPalmetto Leaves,\u201d 1872.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

When Harriet Beecher Stowe and her family flocked to Mandarin for winters in the land of sunny Florida during the latter part of the 19<\/span>th<\/span> Century, it wasn\u2019t just to enjoy the state\u2019s subtropical climate. In fact, Stowe was determined to bring a Northern influence to a rather desolate area following the Civil War. After much deliberation, Stowe successfully lobbied the Freedmen\u2019s Bureau to erect a branch in Mandarin, and by 1869, a building for the agency was constructed. The structure would function as a schoolhouse for black and white children on weekdays, and a church on Sundays. This worked out exceptionally well for the Stowes, because not only was the building catty-corner from their winter cottage, but between their family members, they had a minister, organist, and choir. Stowe would frequently have a little Mason and Hamlin missionary organ carried to and from her home for each service, leaving the preaching in the hands of her dear husband, Professor Calvin E. Stowe.<\/span><\/p>\n

By 1871, after mismanagement of funding, the Mandarin School left students without a teacher for a year. Everything was in place for class to resume in the fall of 1872 when one night the building mysteriously caught fire. With it, Stowe\u2019s petite pump organ shrieked in agony till it was no more. Ironically, it was locked inside a closet for safekeeping after proving an inconvenience hauling to and fro. Not without some controversy surrounding whether the fire was accidental or on purpose, Stowe would say it was caused by wandering loafers who had lost control of their fire while seeking refuge in the building on a cold winter\u2019s night. Others think it was done in spite of the famous authoress\u2019s philanthropy work.<\/span><\/p>\n

Saddened at the loss of the beloved community building, Stowe wrote to friends across the county pleading for funds to rebuild it. Her ambitions were penned on paper of a mighty Phoenix rising from the ashes \u2014 and the heroine\u2019s work was a success. Stowe raised the necessary resources and construction began in the following spring on the site of the former Freedmen\u2019s Bureau. By the end of 1872, villagers had a new building.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While in Mandarin, the Stowes brought about a certain flair that wafted through the air with all kinds of excitement. Harriet was like the sweet-smelling orange blossom opening up in the winter months, perfuming the community with life that so many Mandarinites looked forward to. She organized picnics and parties in the village, commonly utilizing the newly built schoolhouse as their venue. Charade merrymakings, theatrical productions, and square dancing with music led by a local fiddler emanated from this community hall. Mandarin marveled at her gracious exertions.<\/span><\/p>\n

Still in awe of the amiable author\u2019s feat, residents today can look to the momentous structure, known as the Mandarin Community Club, as \u201ca direct link to the post-Civil War Reconstruction era, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and the educational, religious and cultural life of early Mandarin.\u201d (Wood) It is singularly significant to our area\u2019s history and, at last it was done. Mandarin has found itself a gathering place of fellowship now for nearly 150 years \u2014 and what a neat little place it has become.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Look for Part 2 in the January issue of Mandarin NewsLine, featuring the Mandarin Community Club as it evolved into the 20th century and beyond.<\/span><\/p>\n

[Information for this article was taken from \u201cPalmetto Leaves\u201d by Harriet Beecher Stowe, \u201cJacksonville\u2019s Architectural Heritage\u201d by Wayne Wood, \u201cMandarin on the St. Johns\u201d by Mary B. Graff, and an interview with Emily Lisska (Mandarin Community Club board of directors).]<\/span><\/p>\n

Brett Nolan is a volunteer with the Mandarin Museum & Historical Society. Visit <\/span><\/i>www.mandarinmusem.net<\/span><\/i><\/a> for more information about Mandarin\u2019s history and museum schedules.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Photo <\/span>sourced from the Florida State Archives<\/span><\/p>\n

Mandarin School circa 1878<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Brett Nolan mail@floridanewsline.com \u201c\u2026but at last it was done; and a neat, pleasant little place it was.\u201d \u2013 Harriet Beecher Stowe, \u201cPalmetto Leaves,\u201d 1872. When Harriet Beecher Stowe and her family flocked to Mandarin for winters in the land of sunny Florida during the latter part of the 19th Century, it wasn\u2019t just to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6195,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[129],"class_list":{"0":"post-6193","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mandarin","8":"tag-back-in-time"},"yoast_head":"\nBack in Time with Brett | Mandarin Community Club - Florida NewsLine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Mandarin NewsLineBy Brett Nolan mail@floridanewsline.com \u201c\u2026but at last it was done; and a neat, pleasant little place it was.\u201d \u2013 Harriet Beecher Stowe, \u201cPalmetto Leaves,\u201d\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/floridanewsline.com\/Clone2\/mandarin\/back-in-time-with-brett-mandarin-community-club\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Back in Time with Brett | Mandarin Community Club - Florida NewsLine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Mandarin NewsLineBy Brett Nolan mail@floridanewsline.com \u201c\u2026but at last it was done; 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