Information panel at American Beach (click to enlarge)

American Beach is a beach on Amelia Island that was purchased in 1935 by the Jacksonville Afro-American Life Insurance Company for company employees to use. It began as a 33-acre purchase, but expanded to 216 acres a few years later. The land was subdivided and offered for sale to company executives and shareholders so they could build private homes. Due to a lack of sales, in the 1940s the land was offered for sale to the black community in general, and after the war the area became quite popular as hotels, restaurants, and other resort-oriented businesses opened, all catering to the black community that now made American Beach its vacation home. However, the area began to decline once the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed. Blacks could now visit any beach they wanted and no longer had to travel to the few beaches set aside for them. In addition, Hurricane Dora hit that same year and destroyed many of the homes and businesses that catered to the beachgoers. With attendance down, many of the other resort businesses closed.

American Beach landmark sign

The National Park Service purchased the tallest sand dune in Florida, the 8.5-acre dune called Nana on American Beach, around 2005. Since the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve was the closest to the property, it became part of the park. It is located north of the Preserve at the end of Lewis Street, a turn off of A1A on Amelia Island. The road simply ends at the beach. There is no place to park, and the surrounding area is run down, though right next to dilapidated buildings and boarded-up homes are fairly nice rental houses. It’s hard to believe there is a “bad side of town” when it comes to beachfront property on Amelia Island, but here it is. Most of the original black residents have left, and developers are now buying up the area. The purchase of the acreage by the National Park Service will prevent at least that portion of the historic area from become a hotel.

End of Lewis Road

I never did see the Nana Sand Dune because the National Park Service website for Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve gives no information about where to find it (beach location is all that is given). Upon doing some research after the fact, I found that the sand dune is actually on the right as you drive down Lewis Street towards the ocean, two streets prior to where the road ends at the beach. Turn right on Ocean Boulevard to see it. There is room to pull off the street so you can read two information panels erected by the National Park Service and one standard historical marker.

Nana Sand Dune (photo from Google Street View)

The beach itself is just a beach. I found it mainly being used by fishermen. Beach driving with a permit is allowed, so the sand was unappealing, having been ripped up by tire tracks. There is no sign indicating the National Park Service has anything to do with the area, and I actually began wondering how a stop at American Beach even got on my itinerary. Other than stopping by to satisfy an urge to see a somewhat historic place, American Beach offers nothing for the casual tourist.

Fishing on American Beach

American Beach

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