Celebrating Hastings for Historic Preservation Month

• 29 May 2024
• Category: SJC News District 2
• Tags: 2024

At the May 21, 2024, St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners Regular Meeting, Sarah Arnold, Chair, District 2, issued a Proclamation to Hastings community members recognizing May 2024 as Historic Preservation Month. The Proclamation included the debut of Hasting’s new video Roots & Renewal Hastings’ Story of Revival.

Jena Dennis, the Chair of Hastings Main Street, said, “We are profoundly grateful to the St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners for their Proclamation recognizing May as Historic Preservation Month. This acknowledgment shines a light on the Hastings community’s dedication to revitalization and preservation efforts. The overwhelming support from our community members in these endeavors not only highlights our rich heritage but also strengthens our economic redevelopment initiatives. We are enthusiastic about the future and remain committed to enhancing the vitality and historical integrity of Hastings.”

Hastings is hosting the Nights on Main Street Night Market on Saturday, July 13, from 4 to 8 p.m. It will feature a cottage artisan market, food trucks, and live music.

This year, the County is spotlighting Hastings, known as the “Potato Capital of Florida.” Hastings has played a significant role as a hub for farming and agricultural activities over the years and remains a charming example of small-town living in today’s ever-changing world. Hastings’s community members and local business owners have diligently protected, preserved, and restored the town’s historic resources. Their efforts ensure that future generations of locals and visitors can enjoy stepping back in time while creating new memories and opportunities for many years.

A Hastings historical display is open to the public through June 4 in the St. Johns County Rotunda, 500 San Sebastian View.

The Proclamation celebrates the establishment of the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Historic Preservation Month in 2005, an expansion of National Preservation Week that began in 1975. Historic preservation fosters community sustainability, economic stimulation, and local revitalization. This year’s theme, “People Saving Places,” highlights the efforts of communities, organizations, and individuals committed to protecting local and national historic treasures, giving them well-deserved recognition.

The Proclamation read:

WHEREAS, The National Trust for Historic Preservation established May as Historic Preservation Month in 2005, extending the National Preservation Week, which began in 1975; and

WHEREAS, National Historic Preservation Month is a time dedicated to honoring, celebrating, and raising awareness of the importance of preserving our nation’s historic places and communities, to pledge the protection of our cultural heritage in posterity; and

WHEREAS, historic preservation plays a vital role in fostering community sustainability, economic stimulation, and local revitalization; and

WHEREAS, the driving force behind this year’s theme of “People Saving Places” is the efforts of communities, organizations, and individuals dedicated to protecting our local and national historic treasures giving them the well-deserved spotlight for their commitment to historic preservation; and

WHEREAS, St. Johns County is committed to the discovery and safeguard of our significant cultural resources from 10,000 years of deep-rooted history in African, European, and Native American cultures that serve as a testimony of life throughout the years in our county and beyond; and

WHEREAS, this year St. Johns County highlights Hastings, coined the “Potato Capital of Florida”, for its significant role as a hub for farming and agricultural activities over the years, and for the charming example of small-town living that it remains as in today’s ever-changing world; and

WHEREAS, the community members and local business owners of Hastings have worked diligently to protect, preserve, and restore the towns historic resources to ensure future generations of locals and visitors can enjoy the feeling of taking a step back in time while creating new memories and opportunities for many years to come.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT PROCLAIMED, by the Board of County Commissioners of St. Johns County, Florida that May 2024 be designated as

NATIONAL HISTORIC PRESERVATION MONTH

PASSED AND ADOPTED by the Board of County Commissioners of St. Johns County, Florida this 21st day of May 2024.