Desiree Reads > Recent Status Updates

Began reading: December 22, 2025

**** SPOILER****





Okay, so, yep, not said outright, but Teddy and his male friend Karel were lovers.

🤢

I hope this story isn’t going where I think… Teddy, Karel, Professor Poppy…

The Florida House In is the oldest continuously run hotel in Florida. It was built by David Yulee’s Florida Railroad Company. It was hoped the railroad would boost tourism in Fernandina.

The Palace Saloon, the oldest continuously operating bar in Florida, is in a building originally built in 1978 as a shoe store. The Saloon started operating there in 1903. During Prohibition, it was an ice cream store.

(Fernandina was platted in 1811 and named after King Ferdinand VII of Spain.)

Fernandina was laid out using the 1573 Law of the Indies, which was used to create all new Spanish towns in the New World. Fernandina was the last town to be platted with this code, a fact that is still taught in schools in Spain.

Might be others too
🙄

*****SPOILER*****


Annd, there it is… I was waiting for this shoe to drop 🙄

The elderly man of the group confesses he loved his father’s groom in his youth.

🤦‍♀️

Fernandina became Fernandina Beach in the 1959’s, mostly as a marketing tool.

When Florida seceded from the Union, Amelia Island flew the flag of the Confederacy, its eighth.

December 23, 1817: Amelia Island is once again under the U.S. flag… 5 years after returning East Florida to the Spanish after a weeks-ling rule in 1812.

1817: Privateer named Luis Aury arrived on Amelia Island. He had 139 soldiers and $60,000. Desperate for capital, the people of Amelia granted him military command of the island in exchange for some of his money. He raised the Mexican Rebel flag, which he had on his ship from previous revolutionary undertaking. Smuggling was even more prosperous under Aury. The U.S.forced him to surrender.

**** SPOILER****

Rape scene. 🤢 Tastefully written at least, if there can be such a thing.

In 1817, a Scotsman con man, Gregor McGregor, with 55 men, was able to take Fort San Carlos via surrender with no shots fired. Ge raised the Green Criss of Florida flag an even minted his own currency. After about a month, he fled when his men deserted.

While the economy of the new United States struggled, Amelia Island flourished as pirates and smugglers carried their goods into the U.S. from Spanish Florida.

The U.S. flag flew over East Florida for a few weeks in 1812, after the Spanish surrendered to a perceived attack, then was returned to Spain.

The Spanish platted the town on Amelia Island that they called Fernandina.

Florida was released from British rule after 20 years and returned to Spain in 1783.

The British took control of Florida in 1763, after over 200 years under Spain.

Amelia Island was settled by French Huguenots in 1562, 45 years before the famous Jamestown.

Amelia Island is about the size of Manhattan.

(And thankfully not swarming with people! 😂)

Amelia island is the only location in the U.S. to have had 8 different flags flown over it.

😮

Introduction

An elephant parades down Centre Street with an advertisement for Allan’s shoe store.

“If I wore shoes, I would buy at Allan’s”

😂