William Bartram Trail Month

At the Monday, April 8, 2024 meeting, the Board approved Proclamation No. 2024-016, proclaiming April 2024 as "William Bartram Trail Month" in Nassau County, Florida. 

William Bartram was American's first native born naturalist, an explorer, artist and author whose illustrations and descriptions of nature provide a look back at a relatively pristine environment of the new Florida territory in the 18th Century. In 1733, William Bartram began a 4-year journey for the purpose of collecting plants as he explored the Carolinas, Georgia and Florida, and documented over 300 plants and many animals that were unknown to science. 

In April 1774, William Bartram landed on Amelia Island which he described as "a fertile island... particularly favorable to the culture of indigo and cotton." An account of his travels was published in 1791 and became an American classic and a success in Europe, inspiring the works of the romantic poets, informing 18th Century scientists about the plants and animals of the New World, and entertaining the armchair travelers on the Continent. The name William Bartram is memorialized in plant and animal nomenclature, numerous places, and sites, including the Bartram Trail, identified by a marker in Fernandina Beach. 

The month of April 2024 marks the 250th anniversary of William Bartram's travels in Nassau County, Florida. As such, the month of April 2024 is proclaimed as "William Bartram Month" to acknowledge and celebrate Mr. Bartram's visit to Nassau County and his contributions in identifying its unique plants and wildlife.