Florida's First Constitution

Situated on the 14-acre grounds is a monument that marks the location of Florida’s first constitutional convention.

In 1921 the Florida Legislature passed a bill appropriating $10,000 for a memorial on the site. The marble monument was erected in 1922 and inscribed with the names of all the participants of the 1838 convention. The monument is intricately engraved, and the Tuscan style columns are impressive.

A dirt road led from the highway to the monument. Its unveiling took place in 1923 at an event hailed as “a glorious day at Port St. Joe.” 

In the late 1930s and 1940s, a mall area and a commemorative park was designed to connect the Centennial Building (located immediately outside the park’s eastern boundary) to the Constitution Convention Monument. To this day, the grounds are maintained as a historical depiction of the original road.

The 1,500-foot memorial mall is lined with sabal palms, while slash pines, live oaks and other native flora fill the outlying areas. The mall provides a stunning vista that leads all the way to St. Joseph Bay. We have fewer trees due to Hurricane Michael in October 2018, but the mall is still a beautiful and distinctive sight.